December 2008

SAME PEOPLE. NEW NAME.

First State Bank is now called Centennial Bank.

We’re changing our name – and that’s about it. We’ll still have the same management, same friendly faces and same great service, just with a new name. Watch for exciting changes ahead that will make banking with us even better. For more information, come by any of our 16 previouslyknown-as-First-State-Bank locations.

CENTENNIAL BANK

banking that’s 100 times better.

If you’re apprehensive or embarressed about your smile for any reason, whether it be discolored, chipped, crooked, missing or worn down teeththere is hope. Dr. Dalton looks forward to giving you the smile you’ve always dreamed of. Cosmetic Dentistry is one of our specialties. That perfect smile is just a phone call away.

“My new smile from Dr. Dalton is one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.”

—Vicki McPhearson, Conway, AR

The Tribute Tree

Year 2008

Honor someone you love …

The red and white lights, ornaments, angels, and more, all pay special tribute to your friends, family and others who have touched your life.

Your generous donation to The Tribute Tree this year will benefit the James S. Garrison, M.D. Endowed Scholarship Fund. The scholarship, established in 1997 to assist area students pursuing a career in a health-related field, has assisted 28 students. Dr. Garrison was the first full-time radiologist at Conway Regional, serving central Arkansas patients for 24 years. He helped build the radiology department from a single x-ray room to a multi-unit department offering the latest diagnostic services. The late Dr. Garrison’s legacy of generosity was carried on by his loving mother, the late Millie R. Garrison.

Giving Opportunities

*Red Lights are in honor of; White Lights are in memory of.

**Establishes an annual light to be displayed permanently on The Tribute Tree each year during the holiday season.

An acknowledgement card will be sent to the person(s) you are honoring. Please join us on Tuesday, December 2 at 5:30pm in the Conway Regional Courtyard for the tree lighting. Donations can be made by calling (501) 513-5778 or online at www.conwayregional.org

28 Events

501 LIFE kicked off the holiday season with fun and style as well as food and fashion at a unique, one-day-only event – 501 Holidays.

32 Entertaining

Festive food and fellowship have been at the heart of an annual holiday hosted by a group of caring women committed to extending a helping hand to girls in need.

34 Savor

Discover delicious “one dish wonders” that save time, especially during the hectic holiday season.

50 Business Business owner Stacy Crone’s recipe for success is simple. Mix great food and beverages with a pleasant atmosphere and a healthy dash of friendly service.

53 The arts

With an expansion in both time and offerings, the recent ArtsFest was a big success in Downtown Conway.

54 Sports/Recreation

Christmas will be more special than ever for Monty and Shonda Smith of Conway this year.

56 Pets

The Justin Bennett family is decked out for the holidays.

57 Travel

With several great stops in the 501, you’ll want to gather the family and head out for a night of amazing holiday lights, a parade or two and of course, Santa.

501 LIFE

Donna Spears

Sonja Keith

Tracy Ferrell

Sonja J. Keith

A.J. Carol

Mike Kemp

Tanya Hightower

Trina Mitchell

Kayla Cooper

Don Bingham

Tiffany Block

Stephanie Byrnes

Tanner Cangelosi

Maggie Chandler

Jennifer Cunningham

Angie Howard

Mathilda Hatfield Hulett

Renee Hunter

Karl Lenser

Marilyn Mathis

Richard Ryerson

Jan Spann

Donna Lampkin Stephens

Jim Taylor

Kellie Turpin

Johnny Adams

Rob Bell

Lori Case

Kay Dalton

David Hambuchen

Mathilda Hatfield Hulett

Rosanne Johnson

Mike Kemp

Julie LaRue

Karl Lenser

Monica Lieblong

Deanna Ott

Pat Otto

Jon Patrom

Lori Ross

Warwick Sabin

Margaret Smith

Jan Spann

Amy Stockton

Beth Tyler

Jeff Whitehead

Jennifer Whitehead

Nancy Williams

To subscribe or order back issues, visit www.501lifemag.com

The subscription rate is $36 for one year. (12 issues) Single issues are available upon request for $5.

Celebrating food & fun!

While there are many differences among the folks who live in the 501 area, there is probably at least one thing we share and agree upon – we enjoy good food and we like to eat!

As the beautiful and delicious cover reflects, “Food” is the theme of this edition of 501 LIFE, with a little bit of holiday fun thrown in for good measure. (Thank you, Don Bingham for preparing this yummy cake for our cover, and Mike Kemp for his incredible photography. Check out the recipe below.)

No matter if you are a novice in the kitchen or a gourmet chef, this “Foods” issue of 501 LIFE is packed with information and tips that readers will find useful and interesting – from profiles on some area cooks to features on programs that help to feed those less fortunate. Plus, there are recipes we’re sure you’ll want to try.

With “Food” as our theme, it seemed highly appropriate to feature someone prominent in the food industry as our Person of the Month (Page 58). Christina Yarnell, chief operating officer at Yarnell’s Ice Cream, was an obvious choice. What a treat to visit with her in Searcy, where Yarnell’s is the oldest manufacturing company (started by her great-grandfather in the midst of the Great Depression). It was interesting to see the plant and the freezer (the temperature was 20 below) as well as visit with Christina about the ice cream business (check out future issues for more information on this business). The yummy ice cream she sent home with us was an added bonus!

501 Holidays

In this issue, we’re also celebrating the tremendous success of 501 Holidays. More than 400 turned out for the event and we continue to get glowing reports from participants as well as attendees. Sponsored by 501 LIFE, the event featured incredible cooking demonstrations, a spectacular fashion show and wonderful home décor demonstrations.

Like what you see?

Chocolate Cookie Sheet

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick margarine

1 cup water

½ cup shortening

3 tablespoons cocoa

2 eggs (beaten)

1 teaspoon soda

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Icing for Chocolate Cake

1 stick margarine

3 tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 box powdered sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. In a saucepan, put margarine, water, shortening and cocoa. Bring to boil and pour over flour mixture. Mix well. In another bowl, beat eggs. Add soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir well and add to first mixture. Mix well. Bake in greased and floured cookie sheet or two-three cake pans at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool cake before icing.

We want to thank everyone who had a hand in the big event, including our Presenting Sponsors – Dalton Designer Smiles, First Security Bank and First State Bank. We also want to thank local culinary expert Don Bingham and nationally-recognized interior designer Georg Andersen for their help and support.

Our 501 Holidays Committee put in countless hours to ensure the event was a big success, and we thank them for their time and energy. (For a complete list of sponsors, please see the ad on Page 16. To see coverage of the event, please see Page 28.)

Get LIFE, help others

Speaking of the holidays, 501 LIFE has extended its special subscription promotion through the end of November.

For every subscription received, 501 LIFE will donate $5.01 that will be used to help provide valuable services and programs available through the Conway Regional Health System.

So, get LIFE (a subscription card is enclosed or go to www.501lifemag) and give LIFE - what a great holiday gift idea. You’ll also be helping others in the 501 area – what an incredible gift!

Giving thanks

As several stories in this issue help illustrate, many of us have much to be thankful for this holiday season, like food.

As we join our families and friends for Thanksgiving, please know that we are appreciative for the many associated with 501 LIFE. We are especially thankful for our talented contributors and editorial board, our supportive advertisers and our great group of readers.

Melt margarine. Add cocoa, milk and vanilla. Bring to a boil, add box of powdered sugar and nuts. Stir until smooth, pour over cake. 501 LIFE

We extend to each a heartfelt “thank you” and well wishes for the holiday season.

Here’s to loving LIFE and the holidays in the 501.

Sonja J. Keith

Don Bingham (from left) with 501 Publishers Donna Spears, Sonja Keith and Tracy Ferrell, and Georg Andersen.

would like to thank Don Bingham for the beautiful cake he prepared that is featured on the cover of this month’s issue and for sharing his recipes with 501 readers.

What is 501 LIFE?

you live in one of the counties with a 501 area code, then this magazine was created with you in mind. Central Arkansas is rich in history, full of culture, and brimming with stories to be told.

Enjoying fall & loving LIFE

As readers headed out for tailgating to cheer on their favorite teams this fall, they took 501 LIFE along for the ride.

Readers were encouraged to take a photo holding the magazine while tailgating – or on vacation, or dressed up for Halloween or any another other special occasion – and then submit it for publication.

“We love receiving photos from our readers enjoying the magazine,” said 501 LIFE publisher Donna Spears. “This has become a favorite feature for many readers and we plan to continue to publish the submissions.”

For an upcoming issue, 501 would encourage readers to take photos of friends and family gathered for the holidays and holding copies of the magazine.

Readers who would like to submit a photo can do so by email at info@501adsandmags.com or by mail to Reader Photos, c/o 501 LIFE, 1002 Front St. Suite 1, Conway, Ark. 72032. (Sorry, photos will not be returned.)

Tailgating with 501 LIFE at a recent Razorback game – Laura Duke (from left), Terri Rhoades, Parker Rice, Troy Rice, Carson Roberts, Coy Roberts, Kelsey Dalton, Christine Lemieux, Kathy Lee Dalton, Diana Engeler, Kim McClain, Eric Engeler and Debbie Ward.

Having fun with 501 LIFE at a tailgate party at the University of Central Arkansas - Molly Bernard (from left), Brent Clark, Jan Clark, Jay Bernard, LT Clark, and Barry Clark; (back) Morgan Bernard and Elliot Bernard.

While taking a break at a Cabot softball tourament, Neely Jones (from left), Madison Spears and Lillee Mahan check out 501 LIFE.

Conway dentist Dr. Bill Higgs (as Capt. Jack Sparrow) with his staff – Tammy Ballard (from left), Kim Silvestri and Sandy Pitman (as the “office goddess”) enjoy Halloween and 501 LIFE.

First Security bankers Terri Lands (left) and Rose Griffith (as a Happy Meal) in the Halloween spirit with 501 LIFE.

University of Arkansas alum Dr. Kyle Dalton and his family – daughter Kelsey, wife Kay and daughter Kathy Lee – enjoy tailgating and 501 LIFE at a recent game in Fayetteville.

Holiday activities are plentiful throughout the 501 area in the days and weeks ahead. For information on activities in specific cities, please see Traveling in the 501 on Page 57.

The Holiday Festival of Light will open nightly from 6 to 9 o’clock starting Friday, Nov. 28, and ending Saturday, Dec. 27. Special activities are planned on opening night, including a welcoming of Santa Claus, readings of “The Night before Christmas,” and a snow machine. Coming back to the festival from previous years are the model train display by the Central Arkansas Model RR Club, pictures with Santa, Dashing Through the Light 5K run, children’s crafts, and food concessions. Admission is $5 per car, $25 for a season pass and $60 for a Holiday Festival of Light Membership, which includes a season pass, T-shirt, and 10 percent off all concessions.

The festival will take place at Centennial Bank Soccer Park (formerly First State Soccer Park) at 1200 Trey Lane in west Conway. The event is sponsored by the Quality of Life Council, a notfor-profit agency serving Faulkner County. For

more information, contact Jim Rhodes at 501.470.6640, or email jrhodes@ qualityoflifecouncil. org. For a complete and updated schedule of events, go to www. qualityoflifecouncil.org.

The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce will host two CEO Luncheons in December.

The luncheons, open to all employees of Chamber members, feature CEO level speakers with a stake in Conway and Faulkner County. Both luncheons are scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and will be held in the student center ballroom at the University of Central Arkansas. On Monday, Dec. 1, Jeff Gardner, president and CEO at Windstream Communications, will speak. On Thursday, Dec. 11, Gary Fazzino, vice president of government affairs at Hewlett Packard, will speak. Tickets are $25 each for one luncheon or $40 for both luncheons. Please contact the chamber office at 501.327.7788 to make reservations.

The University of Central Arkansas Madrigal Feaste is back by popular demand. After a one-year hiatus, an evening of Renaissance carols and food is scheduled for a nightly performance Thursday, Dec. 4, through Saturday, Dec. 6, in the ballroom of McCastlain Hall. It will be the 33rd year for the Madrigal Feaste. The dinner menu will include entrees of prime rib, chicken, or a vegetarian plate by former Chef of the Year Don Bingham. Following the feaste, guests will be treated to a seasonal dessert of flaming plum pudding. Tickets for the candlelight dinner and performance by the University’s Chamber Singers are $40 and may be purchased at UCA Ticket Central, 501.450.3265 or www.uca.edu/tickets. The Madrigal Feaste will begin at 7 p.m. with seating starting at 6:30.

The annual lighting of the Conway Regional Tribute Tree will be held 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Conway Regional courtyard, next to the Women’s Center entrance. (See Health Briefs on Page 38.) For more information or to donate, please visit the Conway Regional website at www. conwayregional.org or call 501.513.5778.

The girls at Moravia would like to thank you all for such a nice afternoon at 501 Holidays. The event was fun and very organized. The crowd was nice and I know they had a great time. Thanks again for inviting us to join you. We want to thank all of those who worked so hard to make this event a success – you definitely made the first annual holiday event a hit!

Kim Gullic Moravia-Downtown Conway

I thought the event was fabulous. It was unlike anything that has been done in Conway and I will definitely participate next year.

Sharon Gray Conway

Judging from my rather unscientific research on 501 Holidays, I’d say it was a phenomenal success.

501 Advertising and Publishing/501 LIFE have been in business less than one year, your magazine is growing more and more every month, your 501 Football edition was a hit, you’ve continued to add more clients to your ad agency, you just held an incredible event and you continue to stay fresh.

I think the future looks super-bright.

Congratulations!

A winner with LIFE >>

Mark Wilcox of Greenbrier was the winner of dinner for two at MarketPlace Grill in the magazine’s prize drawing last month.

Mike Binko Conway

I loved the event, thoroughly enjoyed the day and hope you are planning to do it again next year! Chris Norwood was great.

I had a good time, was glad to see you had a good turnout.

Sheila Nash Greenbrier

501 LIFE subscribers are eligible for prize drawings, special promotions, VIP invitations to events, lunch in the 501, and much, much more.

Subscribe today and you could be the next “Winner with LIFE.”

Go to www.501lifemag.com to subscribe to be entered in the next drawing.

Look for this space in each issue to see if you are the next “Winner with LIFE.”

The Candlelight Carol Service at Hendrix College will be presented at Greene Chapel 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, through Saturday, Dec. 6, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7. For reservations, please call 501.450.1495 beginning Monday, Nov. 24. A performance is also planned at 7:30 p.m. Friday, to501LIFE Drop

Dec. 19, at Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church in Hot Springs Village (no reservation required). For information, please go to www. hendrix.edu/music.

The Conway Symphony Orchestra will present “Santa Baby!” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas. The concert, underwritten by Fortier, Inc., will feature holiday favorites with soloist Christine Donahue. Tickets are available by calling 501.450.3265, or 1.866.810.0012 outside of Conway. For more information on the CSO and its programs, contact Vicki Crockett at 501.269.1066, or symphony@conwaycorp.net.

See Petit Jean State Park dressed in its holiday finery during the Christmas Open House on Saturday, Dec. 6. Activities, crafts and seasonal entertainment are planned for the afternoon at historic Mather Lodge. Contact the park for a schedule and more information –501.727.5441, petitjean@arkansas.com or www. petitjeanstatepark.com. Admission: Free.

The University of Central Arkansas Public Appearances will present The Boys of the Lough, a traditional Celtic Christmas concert, at 4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7, in the Reynolds Performance Hall. “A Celtic Christmas” is a celebration in music and song of Celtic midwinter traditions from the Atlantic lands of Northern Europe and North America. For ticket information, please call 1.866.810.0012 or go to www.uca.edu/reynolds.

“A Keyboard Christmas,” a joyous evening of holiday instrumental music featuring five grand pianos and 11 keyboardists, will be presented at 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at Woodland Heights Baptist Church, 4215 Prince St., in west Conway. The event is free. For more information, please go to www.woodlandheights.org.

Children’s Theatre To Go will present “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, and 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at the Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA. Tickets are $7. For reservations, please email

childrenstheatretogo@yahoo.com or call Llewellyn Webster at 501.455.6222. Additional information is also available at www.childrenstheatretogo.com.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s dazzling “Yuletide Spectacular V” is a favorite way to get into the holiday spirit in the 501. The whole family is sure to enjoy the beautiful music, exciting choreography and brilliant effects that make this concert a great holiday tradition.

This year’s program celebrates the best of the past 15 Christmas concerts with conductor David Itkin, with encore performances from artists like comedienne Sharon Douglas, the Irish dance troupe Lark in the Morning, the Old School Bluegrass Band, and “The Little Drummer Boy” with the Parkview High School Drum Corp.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19; and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock. Visit www.

Bethlehem Revisited marks 11th year

Antioch Baptist Church will present its annual Christmas gift to the Central Arkansas community – Bethlehem Revisited – in early December. It’s a Christmas present that they have been giving for over 10 years.

“It’s Antioch’s gift to the community,” said Jason Aultman, senior pastor. With many volunteer hours and resources, church members have created an event that has drawn thousands from throughout central Arkansas and even other states.

Upon arrival, visitors register in the foyer at the church for their tour. They enjoy special music performed by church members in the sanctuary before their tour group is called. Once the group is assembled outside, in front of the church, a Roman soldier guides them to an area where church members portray individuals in the Christmas story in brief presentations.

Then, visitors are escorted to the walled city of Bethlehem a short distance away. Typically, there is a candy store, a bakery, a carpenter’s shop, toy store and others. Visitors enjoy free samples at some of the shops and have opportunities to try their hand at some of the activities.

“Then they are taken to a stable for a visit with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus in the manger,” Aultman said. “It is there we hope everything culminates and they realize this is what the Christmas season is all about –the gift of a Savior.”

Bethlehem Revisited*

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Wed., Dec. 10,- Friday, Dec. 12

Antioch Baptist Church

150 Amity Road Conway

501.329.5153

*Organizers plan the event for two weeks after Thanksgiving each year.

“No greater gift has the world ever seen than the gift of Christmas.”

After the tour, visitors are invited back to the fellowship hall where they are served cookies and hot chocolate.

The event has been particularly popular with families as well as youth and senior groups from other churches. Some churches dismiss their regularly planned Wednesday evening activities and instead encourage members to visit Bethlehem. On average, there are about 1,000 visitors each night.

“Money is usually tight for families, especially at Christmas, and it is hard to find things that are free and appropriate for the entire family,” he said. “That’s one of the great things about Bethlehem.”

Aultman points out that Bethlehem Revisited is not like any other Christmas observance and describes it as a “unique experience.”

“We don’t want you to come and just watch. Bethlehem is really something you experience. You become a part of the city. It is like you’re on the streets of Bethlehem on that first Christmas night.”

At Bethlehem Revisited, church members portray individuals in the Christmas story in brief presentations before visitors are escorted to the walled city of Bethlehem a short distance away.

Cabot Fest offers fun for all ages

by Stephanie Byrnes

Where can you find roller coasters, hot funnel cakes, young talent entertaining the crowd, and a cricket spittn’ contest, all in the same place? The answer would be Cabot’s annual October festival – Cabot Fest.

This year’s 30th anniversary event showcased some exciting activities for the residents of Cabot, including a 5K race for cancer awareness and a car show with some of the hottest muscle cars and motorcycles in the area.

This community tradition has grown through the years from a few booths displaying local businesses and craft connoisseurs to what it is today – an absolute fair complete with food and craft vendors, amusement rides and recognized musical entertainment.

According to local residents, the real draw to Cabot Fest is community support. Residents agree that “Guitar Hero” competitions, face painting and a rock climbing wall are all enjoyable aspects of the event, but it is the opportunity to rally together as a community that really gets them out to the streets to participate.

This passion for the community is evident with the overwhelming growth of the festival because of numerous volunteers. Volunteer service organizations like the Lions Club sponsored a pancake breakfast for residents, while

Faith Missionary Baptist Church organized the 5K walk/ run to raise money for a local cancer organization.

Cabot Fest also provides many opportunities for residents to support their local talents. Young dancers and vocalists have the opportunity to shine on the entertainment

stage, and precious beauty kings and queens showcase Cabot’s gifted younger generation. Also, local craft vendors receive the support of their neighbors by showcasing and selling their art pieces. Campaigning local officials voice their ideas, while businesses promote their establishments with candy, games and coupons.

One thing is certain, not only is Cabot Fest a roaring good time for all who attend, but it is also an event that brings together a strong community full of proud citizens.

Brittney Bowman of Cabot, granddaughter of Debbie Baker, enjoys the amusement rides at Cabot Fest.

Winners of the 5K race receive their prizes.

Faith Baptist Pastor Ed Byrnes and 5K race coordinator Elaine Moran await the start of the race.

Jasmine Hopper bears the evidence of a fun day at Cabot Fest with face paint and an amusing hat.

George Lybrand shows off his 1976 Honda Gold Wing at the Cabot Fest motorcycle show.

Jim Pevia of North Little Rock hopes for a trophy for his antique car in Cabot Fest’s annual car and motorcycle show.

Barbara Holleman and her grandson, Jake Malone, enjoy the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast.

Participants in the Faith Support Ministry for People with Cancer’s 5K race gear up for the competition.

photos by Anthony Byrnes

Maumelle business expo attracts record number

The Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce recently hosted its sixth annual business expo, drawing a record attendance. The theme for this year’s event – held at the Jess Odom Community Center – was “Business is Boomin’ on the Boulevard!”

Described as a “huge success,” the sixth annual expo had a registered attendance of 1,172. “Many did not register at the door so we are sure our goal of 1,200 was reached,” said chamber staffer Louise West. “In 2007, we just made the 1,000 attendance mark.”

The expo attracted individuals from Conway, North Little Rock, Little Rock, Sherwood, Cabot, Benton, Hensley, Vilonia, Danville, Greenbrier, Beebe, Mayflower, Bigelow, Lake Village, Bryant and even Batesville, Miss.

Alan Brooke and Sharonda Trezvant.

Dave Gattinger (left) and Kenny Christopher.

Nita Willis (left) and Dawn Eknem.

Anthony Otwell (from left), Jesica Cox and Angie Dollarhide.

Kim Huntley (from left), Evelyn Witham and Tim Edwards.

Thelma Hall (from left), Janet Goodman and E.J. Goodman.

Gayle Odom (from left), Cindy Sagely and Shannon Odom.

Keith Broyles (left) and Kevin Cothern.

Richard Maupin and Devon Carlson.

Betsy Davies (left) and Beth Lindsey.

Barbara Cordell (left) and Liliana MacPhee.

Louise West and Fred Armbruster.

Lake Overcup community holds annual fish fry

The Overcup Improvement Association, formed in 1986, recently hosted the annual Lake Overcup Community Fish Fry.

According to Clarence Bennett, secretary/treasurer for the association, about 170 people attended and about $1,200 was raised from the meal and donations.

Money will be used to improve the facilities at the lake.

Oktoberfest supports school

The Sacred Heart School Board in Conway County recently hosted its annual Oktoberfest fundraiser. Held for about 20 years, proceeds from the event go to help cover the operating expenses of the school.

Folks gather at the serving line during the annual community fish fry.

Will Sams (from left) with his parents Gary and Helen Sams.

Clarence Bennett (from left), his baby granddaughter Alivia Bennett and Eric Bennett.

Logan County District Judge Brian Mueller (from left), Rep. Johnny Hoyt, Odell Yocum and Conway County Judge Jimmy Hart.

photos by Jim Taylor

Morrilton Police Chief Norbert Gunderman and his son, John. Beverly Paladino of Center Ridge and her daughter, Sandee Bridgeman of Morrilton.

Melinda Cauncon (left) and Mandy Fresneda, both of Morrilton.

Madeline Beck (from left), Lexi Andrews and Chloe Andrews.

Kiwanis Club hosts annual Pancake Days

The Kiwanis Club of Conway recently hosted its annual Pancake Days fundraiser.

The event was held Oct. 17 and 18 at Bob’s Grill in Downtown Conway.

The club has supported a variety of local projects, including college scholarships, representatives to Boys and Girls State, Christmas baskets and the Circle K club at the University of Central Arkansas.

Kiwanis also supports HAVEN (Help for Abuse Victims in Emergency Need), Bethlehem House, the Boys and Girls Club of Conway, Little League and YSAC teams and Counseling Associates.

Danny Sanchez (from left), Becka Hargrave and Chelsea Sutton.

Abby Monnahan and Kentreal Gentry.

Don Bradley (from left), Erick Peebles and Conrad Reynolds.

Karen Hill with grandsons Logan and Landon Seifert.

Rick Sublett (left) and Bruce Hendricks.

Albert Raymond (left) and Bill Johnson.

Presenting Sponsors

Tabletop Festival and Exhibitor Sponsors

• Kitchen Store

• Arbonne

• Bevy’s

• Central Arkansas

Baton Twirlers

• Conway CosMedic

• Conway Regional Medical System-Dazzle Daze

• Edible Arrangements

• EL Clinical Esthetics

Culinary Show Presenters

• Don Bingham

• Jason Knapp

• Jill McCollum

• Scott Pickens

Greenery/Home

Décor Sponsors and Presenters

• Conway’s Classic Touch

• Faulkner County Master Gardeners

• Georg Andersen, Georg Andersen Associates Inc.

• Chris Norwood/ Tipton Hurst

• Go Red and Arkansas Heart Association

• Harrington & Co.

• Interiors Only Flooring America

• Junior Auxiliary of Conway

• K2K Salon/Spa

• KapichE Boutique

• PattiCakes Bakery

• Premier Designs

• Roses Among Thorns

• Spunky Junkys

• Stampin’ Up!

• Tanner Cangelosi

• The Great Arkansas Heart Gallery

• US Compounding

• Whole Hog Café

Fashion Show Sponsors

• HipSway

• Lefler’s

• Mary’s Boutique

• Mommie 2 B

• Moravia

• the Royal We

• Walk This Way

Refreshment Sponsors

• PattiCakes Bakery

• The Brewery

501 Holidays Committee

Don Bingham

Lori Case

Kayla Cooper

Kay Dalton

Karl Lenser

Monica Lieblong

Beth Longing

Trina Mitchell

Deanna Ott

Pat Otto

Margaret Smith

Jan Spann

Beth Tyler

Jennifer Whitehead

Scouting for food

Members of Boy Scout Troop 71 in Conway recently participated in the annual “Scouting for Food” drive to benefit local food pantries.

Scouts collected 1,200 pounds of food and $820 which were donated to Bethlehem House, as well as 75 pounds of food and $75 donated to First United Methodist Church, the troop’s sponsoring organization.

The Conway troop has been involved in the project since 2001.

Hunter Li (front) with Jared Boatner (back, from left) and Haiden Mersiovsky.

James Keith (from left), Caleb Sackhoff and Geoff Carter.

Haiden Mersiovsky (from left), Blake Thompson, Zach Powers, Nick Stow and Jared Boatner.

Russell and his dad, Matt Jeffery.

Celebrating homecoming at UCA

Thousands turned out Oct. 11 for homecoming festivities at the University of Central Arkansas. The event included a parade through campus and the crowning of the homecoming queen, Mallory Tate, prior to the game.

The UCA Bears squared off against Sam Houston State for the homecoming matchup. The Bears won, 48-46.

501 LIFE was on hand for the tailgate parties with a new, fun activity - UCA cheerleader and football player cutouts. “We want to thank UCA cheerleaders Jamie Simpson and Jon Lea for their help with this project,” said 501 LIFE Publisher Sonja Keith. “Those attending our tailgate really enjoyed having their photos made.”

(See www.501lifemag.com for additional photos.)

1 Bill Tate, whose daughter Mallory was crowned homecoming queen.

2 Kaitlyn Witherell.

3 Justin Acri.

4 Bill Johnson.

5 Kristen Norris.

6 Abigail Robinette.

7 Vega Wendy.

8 Amelie Ryschka.

9 Kevin Clark.

10 Tom Poe.

11 Tina Hildebrand.

12 Leila Tiam.

13 Lynne Poe.

ForChe

Players honor former teammate with first ‘senior flag’ auction

Senior members of the UCA football team are reaching out to a former teammate in a unique way that will help many others along the way.

For many years, Coach Clint Conque and his wife, Angele, have taken a personal interest in their players and have encouraged them to give back to the community. “We always try to do something with our group,” Angele said. “It’s like you have your own ministry.”

This year, Angele had an idea for a “senior flag,” a tradition that she hopes will become an annual event. The flag, which bears the numbers of all 12 “Dirty Dozen” seniors on the team, is flown with the university flag during tailgating at home games at the University of Central Arkansas.

At the end of the season, the seniors will sign the

flag and it will be auctioned off.

After getting approval for the project from Athletic Director Brad Teague, Angele presented the idea to the seniors after practice one day and asked them to consider and decide what nonprofit organization would receive the proceeds. “I wanted to teach them that when you do something, they really need to feel something about it,” she said. “I wanted them to put some thought and energy into it.”

The players decided to honor Che Jones, a former wide receiver for the Bears who is in an ongoing battle with Crohn’s Disease. They elected to donate the money in his name to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, which has cared for the young man through much of his life.

The flag is expected to generate a lot of interest

because the seniors represent bridging the gap from the 2005 Gulf South Conference champions – the last Division II team – to what is hopefully the 2008 Southland Conference championship team. In addition, several members may pursue professional football careers.

This year’s senior class includes Nathan Brown, Marquez Branson, Boomer Cunningham, Jeremy Ford, Brad Gordon, Tim Holloway, Dathan Johnson, Corey McMurrian, Mike Neal, Quad Sanders, Eric Ware and Marc Winston.

For more information on the senior flag and to register a bid, please go to www.ucasports.com and click on Senior Flag. The deadline to bid is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19.

Seniors on the UCA football team (pictured with Coach Clint Conque and his wife Angele) decided to honor Che Jones, a former wide receiver for the Bears who is in an ongoing battle with Crohn’s Disease. They plan to donate the money from the flag project in his name to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, which has cared for the young man through much of his life.

by Sonja J. Keith

Neighborhood Youth Foundation –A way to cross over

by Renee Hunter

In a nation where it seems that families eat more meals in restaurants than at home, one in six Arkansas families goes to bed hungry every night.

Calvin and Christy Stone, founders of Neighborhood Youth Foundation – A Way to Cross Over, are doing something about that. They started a food ministry out of their garage in 2004.

“I’ve always had a passion for helping people with food,” Calvin said.

At the time, Calvin was feeling especially thankful

for God’s gifts, so he prayed to be shown how to express that gratitude. God’s response, Calvin says, was to direct him to a family who needed food. Calvin supplied it, using his own money.

“I remember the first box I put together,” he said.

When Christy looked at it, she asked questions – “Where is the sauce to go with that spaghetti?” “Where is the toilet paper?”

“She went to Wal-Mart and finished out my box,” Calvin said.

By the end of six months, the Stones were feeding 100-plus families.

Shortly, the couple realized they couldn’t continue on their own and would need nonprofit status. Calvin telephoned David Bell, a friend in Sherwood who ran a non-profit called Neighborhood Youth Foundation, and asked for his help. Calvin drove to Sherwood, and when he got there, David told him the NYF board had met its objectives and had convened the night before to elect Calvin president.

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Our ongoing goal at Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is to provide the highest quality of care to each resident.

We invite you to come in for a visit. Our sincere professional staff enjoys giving extra attention to service and going the extra mile for residents and their family members.

David handed Calvin the paperwork and said, “You’re now a 501(c)3.”

NYF uses volunteers to find and sponsor needy families. They collect food for their families every two weeks from the NYF warehouse north of Conway. Food is distributed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the Stones stay late one night to accommodate sponsors who work full time.

“The sponsors are the bridge between us and the families,” Calvin said.

Each box of food will feed a family of four with a teenager. Larger families may get two boxes. And Calvin has noticed that NYF is helping more larger families these days, sometimes with as many as 12 members.

“With the price of food going up, I’ve seen an increase in people needing help,” said sponsor Doug Borel.

“We stress to people that this is not charity,”

Calvin said. “This is God showing you that He loves you.”

NYF’s primary goal, stated in its brochure, is “to help people know Christ and to know He is their hope.”

Calvin calls the warehouse “a bait shop.”

“We are fishing for men and food is our bait,” he said.

But the Stones stress that Christ is not forced on anyone. One sponsor was dropped when the Stones discovered he was making church attendance a prerequisite for receiving food. Sponsors ask families if they need prayer, but don’t insist.

“We do lots of prayer … because we believe prayer changes things,” said Christy.

A case in point is that when Christy wanted to give away 30 turkeys for Thanksgiving in 2004, Calvin told her they did not have money for turkeys. But, he told her, if she could find money, he would buy the turkeys. Christy prayed, and enough money was soon received to cover 30 turkeys.

“From that first time, God has supplied turkeys every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she said.

Most of NYF’s client-families need only shortterm help, usually because of a job loss, accident or poor money management. Many families need only one-time help before getting back on their feet, and NYF has a 98 percent success rate for getting them there.

If client-families need long-term help, NYF works with the Department of Human Services and United Way to get it for them. NYF’s few long-term clients are elderly because, Calvin explained, the food stamps allotted to elderly couples aren’t enough to feed them properly.

NYF receives no government aid, but has many businesses that help with supplies or money. It is also affiliated with the Arkansas Food Bank, and Christy often shops sales for basics such as peanut butter, macaroni and cheese and oatmeal.

In four years, NYF has provided more than 1 million meals to 26,000 people, or nearly 26,000 pounds of food.

The Stones have helped start similar ministries in Beebe and in Morrilton. NYF also gives about 100 pallets of food monthly to other food ministries.

Other gifts to the ministry include a truck, a forklift and the warehouse, which is not heated or cooled.

“We’re looking for God to get us a building with heat and air,” said Christy.

‘Cookin’ in Cabot’

Recently retired Air Force C130 instructor pilot Glen N. Williams Jr. has literally flown around the world with a career of service to our country and teaching others the skills of flying.

Admittedly, Arkansas is his “second home,” with “God’s country” being – what else –Texas! Glen carries on that timeless pride of his Texas roots.

admitting to have a lack of confidence in your meat. “I have one sauce.” This husband and wife cooking duo spend hours in preparation of their secret sauce – the one sauce Glen will use – for all his smoking culinary production.

Some of his personal

“rules to smoke by” are:

• Use untrimmed beef.

• Cook low and slow.

His career in smoking and grilling meats began in Bryan, Texas, and the talent and enjoyment of meats and sauces has found him cooking everywhere from Saudi Arabia to the gigantic neighborhood garage sale in Cabot. His equipment is his cherished Klose barbecue unit, brought up from Houston, complete with the chrome cutout of Texas on the side.

• “It helps to have a wife that cleans up the mess!”

“Nothing but salt on the meat – I want to taste the meat,” he said, explaining his philosophy. He does use his own personal rub on the meats – but adds only salt to this personal creation.

Glen and Janna’s two sons – 14-year-old Glenn III and 10-year-old Colton – are already in training and often take over “the family spatula” of grilling. As Glen Jr. did, it is never too soon to start the learning process of great smoking and grilling.

The list of diners could go on and on, and includes squadron Christmas parties, cooking at the “crash pad” in Newark, N.J. (where Glen currently serves as a First Officer for Continental Airlines), and the tradition of “every-Sundaynight half-pound cheeseburgers” at Barberry Cove in Magnus Creek subdivision at Cabot. Glen, along with his wife Janna, have spent five consecutive nights cooking, marinating, turning, storing and preparing meats for weddings.

Glen also considered the whole idea of having six flavors of barbecue sauce as

Glen’s Argentinean Chimichurri Sauce, along with steak and fresh roasted corn are a must for your smoking recipe files. The corn technique is innovative. Fill a gallon container with warm water and butter; place roasted corn for guests to dip the ear of corn in to the container. When the corn is drawn through the water/butter mixture, the ear of corn is perfectly buttered, leaving the eater intact. This is a great way to butter an ear of corn without the hassle. Here are three recipes that are regulars on the Williams smokin’ menu:

Argentinean Chimichurri Sauce

1 cup lightly packed chopped parsley (ideally, flat leaf “Italian” parsley)

3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (optional)

2 tablespoons shallot or onion, minced

¾ cup vegetable or olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Glen Williams carries on the timeless pride of his Texas roots –smoking and grilling meats.

Roasted Fresh Corn on the Cob

Soak corn with husk on in a salt bath for 4 hours. Place on grill and cook for 30 minutes, rotating occasionally.

Steak

1 flank steak 3-4 tablespoons salt

Preheat grill.

Liberally season the steak with kosher salt on both sides and let stand for 5 minutes. Place the steak directly over a hot grill and cook until it reaches desired state of doneness. (Rubs may be used as well.)

leave the Lighton for you this Advent Season at First United Methodist Church!

1610 Prince St., Conway, AR 72034 www.conwayfumc.org

Sunday worship times: 8:45, 9:00, 11:00. More information: call 501-329-3801

Jam Cake

One of my treasured possessions is a glass pedestal cake stand that belonged to my mother. It is over 60 years old and very beautiful. The only time I ever remember mother using this cake stand was at Christmas to display her “Jam Cake.”

Right after Thanksgiving, mother would begin to gather her cake ingredients which included blackberry jam, raisins and nuts. It was a real challenge for her to find “seedless” blackberry jam. What a relief when that item was purchased and safe in her pantry. On occasion, she didn’t find the seedless jam, but that did not prevent her from baking a jam cake. It just had added fiber – the seeds!

The raisins and nuts were hand ground with a sausage grinder that was attached to our kitchen table. Guess who had the exciting task of turning the handle over and over and over to grind those nuts and raisins? ME! That was my job and I surely did complain about my poor, hurting arm.

When the grinding and mixing were complete, the batter was poured into three iron skillets to bake. The cake had to be carefully watched so that it would not burn or overcook. Several times I saw mother cut off the burnt bottoms before applying the icing. The icing had a candy base with butter, sugar and water, with more ground nuts and raisins added. (Now do you feel sorry for the poor grinder?) When applied to the cake, the icing would harden and seal the cake and keep it very moist. The finished cake sat in splendor on the buffet for all to see.

I remember all these details about mother’s jam cake, but I do not remember ever eating a piece. It was not forbidden fruit. I just never wanted to eat or taste that cake. Today I really like fruit cakes and I would love to have a piece of my mother’s jam cake to taste.

by Marilyn Mathis

In the Psalms we read, “O taste and see that the LORD is good” and “How sweet are Thy words to my taste (Psalm 34:8; 119:103).” Have you tasted the Lord and found Him to be good? Are His words sweet to your taste?

The prophet Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart (15:16).” Another prophet, Ezekiel, when told by God to eat His words, said, “I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth (3:1-4).”

Luke 2:19 tells us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, “treasured up all these things, pondering

them in her heart.” What things? What did Mary cherish and consider carefully? Words shared with her about her son! She tasted them, valued them and kept them in her heart.

In this season when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, let’s remember to “taste and see that He is good!” Words about Jesus are the best “sweet” you will ever eat and they are available everyday, not just once a year like my mother’s jam cake.

Open your Bible and enjoy the feast.

A Conway resident, Marilyn Mathis is a wife, mother, Nana and teaching leader for First Wednesday Lunch Break. Readers can reach her at marilynm@cyberback. com

Youth group explores social causes Serving the hungry

On a recent Wednesday evening at the Conway First United Methodist Church, over 150 people were seated at bare tables around the sides of a large room for their evening meal – a small bowl of beans, a piece of cornbread and a glass of water. In the center of the room, eight lucky people (their names had been drawn at random) were seated at a banquet table, complete with china, white tablecloth, candles, and a tuxedo-wearing server. Their threecourse meal, followed by coffee and dessert, seemed to be enjoyed. Scattered around the room were posters which displayed some very sobering facts:

10 million people die every year from hunger and hunger-related diseases.

Nearly 3 billion people (about one-half the world’s population) live on less than $2 per day.

Between 25,000 and 30,000 children die every day due to hunger and poverty.

In between the seats of the “rich” and the “poor” were barriers with signs which read “Immigration Control – Keep Out.” At the beginning of the evening, all participants seemed to think the division of the groups was somewhat amusing and many quips and comments, offered in good fun, were thrown to and from the center of the room.

As the evening wore on, however, and especially when the food at the outer tables was exhausted and the desserts were being served to the select few, a quiet and more subtle air of resentment began to settle in.

This hunger awareness meal was planned and produced by the church’s YES Team – “Youth Empowered for Service.” The 15 young people, ranging in age from 13 to 18, gather each week to learn about the biblical and ethical principles underlying one’s call to Christian service, to explore

the causes and consequences of many of the world’s contemporary social problems, and to engage in service opportunities at the church and in the broader community.

Funds generated from the meal were donated by the group to Seeds Ministry, a non-denominational feeding ministry headquartered in Greenbrier which is providing food on a daily basis for children and families living in the Kipsongo slum in Kitale, Kenya.

As an adult leader of the YES Team, it is exciting to see and experience the awakening which occurs as the members of the team discover new aspects of their community and their world and work to find their place in it.

Some of their comments:

“I had no idea I was so rich.”

“I didn’t know so many people lived like that.”

“It isn’t fair.”

“What difference can I possibly make?”

Watching and listening to their questions, seeing them grapple with complicated and sometimes conflicting choices, and being pulled along by their enthusiasm and dedication to a new-found cause is a great personal privilege. I am so proud of and inspired by what they are doing. Their expanding knowledge about societal problems and their growing list of hands-on service – building and repairing houses for the poor, helping to provide temporary shelter for the homeless, providing care for those who are sick and cannot afford services, stocking a food bank or providing a hot meal to the hungry – is impressive.

Even more impressive is the knowledge that they join the ranks of so many other young people in Faulkner County in our public and parochial schools, our religious institutions, and our higher

by J.D. Gingerich

education institutions who are similarly engaged in and dedicated to community service. We “older” residents have much to learn from them and so much of which to be proud.

YES team members (front, from left) Melissa Lammers, Pat Crowder, J. D. Gingerich, Natalie Clark, Josh Blaylock and Tanner Smith: (back) Emily Keith, Kathryn McElwee, Henry Bowen, Makayla Roberts, Morgan Warneke, Zach Gingerich, Ryan Predmore and Rusty Predmore. Not pictured: Anna Cain.

A homemade touch

Couple reaps rewards from canning

by Renee Hunter

Brenda Williams of Vilonia is enjoying the fruits of her labor – literally. She has been making jellies for years, and recently started canning.

Brenda’s mother, Luciel Wharton, canned and made jellies. “I got used to her homemade jellies, and I didn’t like the store-bought,” Brenda said.

Early in her marriage, Brenda made her first jelly using wild muscadines, which she prefers to the domesticated variety. Her favorite muscadine recipe was given to her by a friend, and uses the skins. It is timeconsuming because the skin of each grape must be popped but the result is worth the effort.

Brenda’s next effort, with the help of her husband, Bobby, was crabapple jelly made from the fruit of a tree on her parents’ farm. The recipe she used, like several of her recipes, does not call for store-bought pectin because crabapples contain a lot of natural pectin.

“It will turn to jelly while you’re cooking it, almost,” Bobby said of the crabapple juice.

In fact, crabapple juice can be added to other jellies instead of store-bought pectin.

“When you make your preserves without SureJell®, there is just more flavor,” Brenda said.

Her strawberry preserves also contain no added pectin. After cooking, the berries are placed in shallow pans and allowed to sit for 24 hours to cool and gel using the fruit’s natural pectin. The preserves have a syrup-like consistency and are delicious on pancakes, according to Bobby.

“I don’t pick the strawberries anymore,” Brenda said. “I’m too lazy.”

This year, Brenda got 14 half-pint jars out of the two three-gallon flats of fresh strawberries she purchased from The High Patch in Vilonia.

Brenda and Bobby also made six jars of blackberry jelly and eight jars of jam out of the nine gallons of

wild blackberries he picked. Instead of draining the cooked berries through cheesecloth – the usual method – Bobby ran the fruit through a juicer, which removed the seeds, but kept the pulp. The resulting jelly was cloudier than the cheesecloth variety, but had a lot more body and flavor.

Brenda, often with Bobby’s help, also puts up peach and grape jelly. This year, she made 44 half-pints of jelly, including seven of peach and nine of grape, with the help of her sister, Carol Stroud. For the first time, she used the low-sugar recipe for those made with storebought pectin.

Jelly-making is time consuming by the time seeds are removed and the fruit is cleaned and cooked. The messy work is done outside using Bobby’s fish cooker and some other special equipment he designed. Adding the pectin, putting the juice in jars and sealing is “a fiveminute thing,” Bobby said, and is done in the kitchen. Making a batch of strawberry preserves takes three to four hours, and grapes and blackberries take even longer.

“Anything you have to take the seeds out of is going to take time,’ Bobby said. Apple jelly is probably the cleanest and fastest jelly to make, he added.

Brenda came to canning late because she “wasn’t interested,” she said, explaining that when Luciel Wharton canned, her daughters did the menial labor – snapping beans, shelling peas or cutting corn off the cob. Brenda decided the taste wasn’t worth the effort.

But when she retired, Brenda’s attitude changed. For one thing, she needed to do something with all the produce from Bobby’s garden, which includes okra, tomatoes, green beans, purple hull peas, beets, greens, cucumbers and several varieties of squash. For another, she had more time.

Many of the vegetables Bobby grows can be frozen – corn, peas and bell peppers, for example. But others

taste better canned, and homegrown tastes better than store-bought.

As with the jellies, all the messy work of canning is done outside. Luciel Wharton’s 1930s-era pressure cooker does the finish cooking inside.

Bobby is in charge of pickling. He has been pickling beets for years, using Brenda’s grandmother’s recipe. He put up 16 pints this year, adding squash, onions or jalapeños to some jars. For the first time this year he tried his hand at pickled okra, which he loves. He and Brenda also put up 16 pints of okra and tomatoes with onions for the first time this year, and Brenda and her sister also canned green beans – 10 pints – for the first time.

In years when the tomato crop is overwhelming, the couple cans tomatoes and makes green-tomato relish. Bobby’s “tomato routine” makes the job easier: The fruit is blanched in the fish cooker, cooled in a series of baths in ice chests, and skins are removed before the next step.

“It’s not as necessary to enjoy doing the work,” Brenda says of canning, “as to enjoy the food.”

Strawberry Preserves

2 cups prepared whole strawberries (piled high)*

3 cups sugar

Juice of half lemon

1 teaspoon butter (to reduce excess foam)

Use a large, heavy pan with a thick bottom to eliminate burning.

Bring to a rolling boil that can’t be stirred down and boil for 5 minutes. Stir continually.

Skim off any foam.

Pour into a shallow pan and leave for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

Pour into jelly jars and seal the conventional way or with paraffin.

*It is OK to slice in half the larger berries.

Please go to www.501adsandmags.com for some of Brenda’s favorite recipes.

Bobby and Brenda Williams.

A celebration of holidays

by Lillian Petrucelli

This is the stuff of the holiday season: trimming the tree, miles of ribbon tying piles of gifts, endless parties, cookies and candies not found any other time of the year, dreaming of a white Christmas, over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s condo, gluttony at a holiday dinner where the table is literally a groaning board. Praise the Lord and pass the bi-carb!

Why do we do this? Why this annual assault on mind and body?

There are many reasons. Of course there are the childhood memories, now blurred by the realities of adulthood. Fantasies at best, or conditioned reflex at worst. And then there is the really serious reason… the commercials and stores that have had us in their sights since Columbus Day.

For too long now, the world has carried the weight of too much seriousness. We worry about everything – taxes, war, obesity, bad grades, endangered critters, halitosis. But with all that worrying, are we any better off?

What exactly is a holiday? Isn’t it a time for celebration? Break the word down, and what do you get? Holy day.

We have come to think that stuff and having stuff is all somehow bad. And that is not the case. Stuff is one of God’s brightest ideas. When He thinks up a duck, for example, you don’t get the thought of a duck, or a plan for a duck, or a prototype of a duck. By golly, you get a duck – feathers, quacks, waddles! The whole nine yards of quacking duck stuff.

Let’s go back to that creation story in the Book of Genesis. What did God do every evening when he got

off work? He looked at the stuff he had made that day, sat back, smiled, and said “That’s good! That’s really good!”

But what do we do? We are so into spiritual hot air that we never get around to the marvel of all the stuff that is all around us. For example, let’s take snow. Christmas card prettiness or automotive disaster. Why can’t we simply marvel at the beauty?

The problem is our unwillingness or inability to open up an astonished heart and truly celebrate.

And what is the solution to this problem? It’s simply to celebrate the holidays as feasts were always meant to be celebrated. We celebrate at certain times precisely because we don’t celebrate at most times. We set out hefty hams and monstrous turkeys for the feast. We surround them with too many vegetables and shameless excesses of potatoes. We wash them down with rivers of wine or tea or even Dr. Pepper. And then we eat with gusto and with crowds of friends and family members. We share all the good holiday stuff that we’ve waited for all year.

And why is that a good thing?

It’s a good thing because unless we give

ourselves a good slap upside the head every once in a while, we run the risk of forgetting there’s more to life than years of ordinary meals.

The essential thing is to experience the holidays. Put yourself out. Throw yourself into it. Do it all – the planning, the preparation, setting the table, the cooking, the serving, and above all, the feasting. Help, of course, is permissible because it’s sociable, and sociability is one of the great elements of feasting and celebrating.

In other words, look out at all the gorgeous stuff in front of you. Few people ever die of holiday meals, however lavish.

Yes, the holidays are about remembering. But look carefully at the word. Remembering – putting back together – here and how, at this table, in the company of these people – of the dismembered fragments of our lives.

So does any of this make any sense? I can’t prove a word. But since it’s so much nicer than a lot of dismal things I’ve heard all my life, I buy it gladly. All it requires of me is food, drink, a stove, a table, some work, and a few friends – and the willingness to shut up about the evils of stuff.

Lillian Petrucelli has written and directed a dozen mystery dinner plays for the University of Central Arkansas since 1992. An actor and director with the Conway Community Arts Association, she lives on Beaverfork Lake with husband Fred and two dogs.

Kicking off the holiday season

501 LIFE kicked off the holiday season with fun and style at a unique, one-day-only

Held Nov. 2 at the Wellness and Athletics Center at Hendrix College, 501 Holidays drew more than 400 attendees and featured “big names” in culinary arts and home décor. Offering something for everyone, 501 Holidays also featured a spectacular fashion show and a variety of tabletops that showcased local businesses as well as holiday decorating

Presenting sponsors for 501 Holidays were Dalton Designer Smiles, First Security Bank

“There were so many businesses, groups and individuals that made 501 Holidays happen,” said 501 LIFE Publisher Donna Spears. “We want to thank everyone involved

Designed with a beautifully-decorated mall area that created a hubbub of energy and activity, 501 Holidays presented the sights, sounds and smells of the season to get those attending in the holiday spirit.

The event was divided into several segments, including:

“The Sideboard of Holiday Confections –Chefs on Parade”

“Festive Fashion on the Runway – Rich Colors of the Season”

“Decorating Made Fresh” – Gloriously nostalgic fresh swags, drapes, berries and simple evergreens.

“Tabletop Festival – Simple to Elegant” with tablescapes featuring ideas and suggestions for decorating this season.

“Looking Good for the Holidays” – Holiday hair and makeup tips from local salons and day spas.

“Among my cherished memories of the 501 Life Holidays event was the networking of the Central Arkansas community! I not only worked with new talented people, but established relationships that will continue,” said executive chef Don Bingham, a presenter and a member of the 501 Holidays Committee. “What a grand way to start the new season!”

Other presenters included: Georg Andersen – Owner of one of the premier design firms in the world.

Jason Knapp – Executive chef, Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.

Jill McCollum – Chef and director of dining services, Central Baptist College.

Chris Norwood – Designer, Tipton Hurst. Scott Pickens – Certified executive chef, Hendrix College.

Other members of the 501 Holidays Committee included Lori Case, Kayla Cooper, Kay Dalton, Karl Lenser, Monica Lieblong, Beth Longing, Trina Mitchell, Deanna Ott, Pat Otto, Margaret Smith, Jan Spann, Beth Tyler and Jennifer Whitehead. The committee was also assisted by interior design students in the Family and Consumer Sciences Department at the University of Central Arkansas.

“The fashion show, emceed by Laine Berry, was incredible,” said 501 Publisher Sonja Keith. “We greatly appreciate HipSway, Lefler’s, Mary’s Boutique, Mommie 2 B, Moravia, the Royal We and Walk This Way for their participation.”

In addition to the ideas and suggestions offered by the presenters, each person attending was given a commemorative booklet that listed the recipes for the dishes prepared at the event as well as detailed holiday tips – from fashion and food to home and health.

Those attending were also treated to free refreshments, courtesy of The Brewery and PattiCakes Bakery.

501 Holidays supports scholarship programs at Central Baptist College, Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas. (Check out the January issue of 501 LIFE for additional photos from the event and an exciting announcement about 501 Holidays proceeds.)

Go to www.501lifemag.com for additional photos and a video presentation from the event.

“501 Holidays is sure to become an annual holiday tradition for those in the 501 area,” said 501 LIFE Publisher Tracy Ferrell. “We’ve already begun planning for next year’s event.”

501 LIFE kicked off the holiday season with fun and style at a unique, one-day-only event – 501 Holidays.

Local businesses and individuals shared holiday tips with those attending during the Festival of Tablescapes.

Chris Norwood of Tipton Hurst offers valuable holiday home décor tips.

Kristen Riddle models clothing from Mary’s Boutique during the fashion show.

PattiCakes, a new business coming to Conway, was among the tablescape participants.

Robin Moore of Harrington & Co. (standing) demonstrates holiday tips for hair on Sara Hart.

Georg Andersen addresses one of the groups at the home décor demonstrations.

K2K representatives offer gift ideas to those attending.

Laine Berry emcees the festive fashion show.

Don Bingham – along with Jason Knapp, Jill McCollum and Scott Pickens – provided culinary demonstrations. Recipes for the dishes that were prepared, as well as other holiday tips, were presented in a commemorative booklet presented to each person attending.

2

Mikes the

by Don Bingham

Quality and value on the menu at Downtown Conway restaurants

“The two Mikes” — that’s Mike Coats and Mike Kraft, co-owners of Mike’s Place and Michelangelo’s in Downtown Conway — have brought new dining experiences to the 501 LIFE demographic.

All have been produced with the customer’s trust being first and foremost in the realized goals and objectives.

“Value of what we do — the quality of our product and price, this is what we strive for in our consistency,” said Mike Coats.

The two restaurant concepts were born out of a successful “MarketPlace” Restaurant in Springdale in 1996. With the encouragement of Johnny Allison, Dale Bruns, Bill Hegeman, Brad Lacy and the Progressive Citizens for Conway — Mike and Mike have successfully launched two restaurants that have become known as two of the area’s premier dining establishments.

One of the unique aspects of both Mike’s Place and Michelangelo’s is their weekly “Manager’s Meeting” — when all participants are invited to bring to the table a suggested menu item. Everyone tastes, tweaks and suggests ways the new potential could be a success on the menus.

Out of this concept came the localized answer to the “Diner” phenomena of daily specials like meat loaf, chicken pot pie, turnip greens

Mike Kraft (left) and Mike Coats are the owners of two Downtown Conway eating establishments — Michelangelo’s (pictured) and Mike’s Place.

and pot roast. Both restaurant entrepreneurs boast of the “10 chef’s” concept — where expertise and experience is put into practice from all employees... it truly is a team effort and a family atmosphere in management.

Of the two restaurant owners, Mike Coats would be considered “The Ultimate Entrepreneur” and even the “Chairman of the Human Resource Department,” and Mike Kraft is the analytical, overachiever — and the one constantly “taking care of business.”

It was amazing to discover that both Mike’s Place and Michelangelo’s still make their own stocks! This would explain the rich quality of their sauces — especially in the flavors of the fishbased bisque and soups.

When asked about future goals, the concept of “Chef’s Night Out” — with area-known chefs working along side the staff to produce an evening of gourmet dining on the newly completed “third floor” at Michelangelo’s — was a near-future dream. There was also the continuing of the DJ with music and dancing for the younger demographic; and maybe a tea hour during special times of the year. The two owners are always watching for more quality fish options for the menu — a constant goal.

Success is apparent. The two restaurants encourage and use local flavors, as they continue to be “the gathering place” to make connections as well as a local reservoir for good food and conversation.

It takes 160 employees to make this happen — and to make sure it happens with the consistency and excellence that the two Mikes expect.

When you’re looking for an Italian themed restaurant or a classy New Orleans ambience — both with a diversified menu with something for everyone — Downtown Conway is the place to go!

The hours for Mike’s Place — located at 808 Front St. — are 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The hours for Michelangelo’s — located at 1117 Oak St. — are 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Whether it’s the guest experience or the employee experience you’re a part of — Mike’s Place and Michelangelo’s offer a delightfully delicious dilemma — which “Mike” will we visit?

HAVEN Coffee Committee members (front, from left) Nancy Moix, Melanie Conner, Pattie Murphy, Sharon Rietzke , Norma Hull, Gerri Crisp and Debbie Weaver; (second row) Stacia Adams, Teresa Vaughn, Jan Stone; (third row) Kim Gullic, Nancy Williams and Beckye Ezell; (back) Laurie Smith, Lori Quinn, Jan Hicky and Kristen Norris. Not pictured is Karen Heath, Marilynn Nabholz and Susan Salter.

Food & fellowship

HAVEN Coffee helps girls in need

by Sonja J. Keith

Festive food and fellowship have been at the heart of an annual holiday event hosted by a group of caring women committed to extending a helping hand to girls in need.

The Conway group has hosted the HAVEN Christmas Coffee each year to raise money to purchase gifts and support the girls served by the agency that works with abused and neglected children.

Last year’s event (pictured) was held in the home of Johnny and Stacia Adams in Adamsbrooke.

“About 15 years ago, a group started doing this to provide extra Christmas gifts for girls at HAVEN (Help for Abuse Victims in Emergency Need),” said Laurie Smith, chairman of the HAVEN Coffee Committee. “It’s a great way to share the holiday while also raising money for gifts. We have a lot of generous ladies.”

The committee sends about 700 invitations to the event, and between 200 and 300 usually attend. “We’re very thankful to the gracious hostesses who open their home and the guests who open their hearts to HAVEN.”

Information about HAVEN is available by calling 501.336.8300 and donations can be mailed to HAVEN, 1701 Donaghey Ave., Conway 72032.

Some of the recipes prepared for the event:

Pattie Murphy’s Cheese Ball

1 pound cream cheese (softened)

8 ounces crush pineapple (drained)

1 cup pecans (chopped)

¼ cup bell pepper (chopped)

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

1 ½ teaspoons seasoning salt

¼ cup sugar

Combine ingredients and mix well. May be served with crackers as a softened spread or refrigerated and formed into a cheese ball.

Bacon Tomato Cups

(From Rosanne Johnson)

8 slices bacon, fried crisp and chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dried chopped basil

1 can refrigerated, butter-flavored flaky biscuits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix bacon, tomato, onion, cheese, mayonnaise and basil. Separate each biscuit into three pieces. Lay each one over a mini muffin pan cup. Press into cup. Fill with bacon mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Pecan Tassies

(From Beckye Ezell)

Dough:

Stir in 1 cup flour and blend together. Cover and chill for one hour.

Shape into walnut-size balls and place in mini muffin tins.

Flatten balls into bottom and around sizes of each cup.

Filling:

Beat together 1 egg, ¾ cup dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon soft margarine. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, a dash of salt and 2/3 cup chopped pecans. Beat until smooth. Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until set. Makes two dozen.

Chocolate Pecan Cups

(From Debbie Weaver)

1 cup Karo dark corn syrup

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup pecans, chopped

1 ½ cups Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

Pie crust

Stir together the first five ingredients. Mix in pecans and chips.

Shape small circular crusts into mini muffin tins. Spoon mix into each. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 48.

Please go to www.501adsandmags.com for some more recipes from the HAVEN Coffee.

Holiday_501_XmasClub.qxp 10/2/2008 12:12 PM Page 1

Soften one 3-ounce package cream cheese and ½ cup margarine.

1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla

Even Santa has joined the club.

A Christmas Club Account from First Arkansas Bank & Trust is a wonderful and easy way to save for your holiday season purchases.

• Payment option plans in various denominations, from $2 to $50.

•Weekly coupon payments make it easy to save.

•After you make your 49th payment, the bank will make your last payment for you!

•Checks are mailed during the first part of November, so you’ll have plenty of time to do your holiday shopping.

one-dish wonders

by Tiffany Block

Food…it’s everywhere you look – at home, in the office and at every conceivable celebration. Oftentimes, it’s the focal point at any particular event. If the food was scrumptious, everyone will know. If the food was unpleasant, everyone will know.

I’ve found that when I am preparing foods for an event/celebration or when trying to put a satisfying meal on the table for my family, one way that I can rarely go wrong is to make a one dish meal.

Quite honestly, they are a timesaver. Let’s face it; free time is a luxury for most of us. The last thing we want to do is spend it in the kitchen over a hot stove. I can usually satisfy everybody’s craving by preparing one of these versatile dishes.

While one-pot meals come in various forms, they all have the common concept of putting a variety of ingredients into a single vessel and cooking them all together. A few basic kitchen ingredients and VOILA – dinner is ready!

I have also discovered that many one dish wonders can also be classified as comfort foods. Comfort food is typically inexpensive, uncomplicated and easy to prepare. Many people turn to comfort food for familiarity, emotional security or as a special reward. The reasons a dish becomes a comfort food are diverse but often include pleasant associations of childhood. Comfort food has always been the staple of informal restaurants, as well as home cooking.

Some of my favorite winter meals/comfort foods are soups and stews. I usually take a trip to the grocery store. From there, I see which meats are priced just right for my budget on that particular day. And that is what determines which soup or stew I will make.

Whether it’s a hearty beef stew or a pot of white bean chicken chili, it’s all quick, easy and delicious!

One-dish meals include everything from light stirfry and hearty skillet meals to heavy casseroles made with cans of soup. Enjoy!

From stir-fry to casseroles, these filling meals are a snap to make

Hearty Beef Stew

Hearty Beef Stew

2 lbs. cubed stew meat

¼ cup flour

1 package of stew meat seasonings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups water

5 cups of vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, etc.)

Macaroni and Cheese

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni

9 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

8 ounces cubed processed cheese food

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente;

Coat cubed stew meat with flour. Brown in vegetable oil in large pot or dutch oven. Drain excess fat. Stir in water and 1 package of stew meat seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 ½ hours or until meat is tender.

Add vegetables and simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

drain well and return to cooking pot. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter; stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Add the half and half, 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges.

Chicken Spaghetti

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 pound processed cheese food

1 jar/can of mushrooms (drained) Salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch garlic powder

Boil chicken in a large pot of salted water. When chicken is done, remove from pot, keeping water/broth at a boil. Shred chicken and set aside. Put spaghetti in boiling chicken broth and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. When done, drain broth. Return pot with cooked spaghetti to stove, put over low heat. Add shredded chicken, mushrooms, soup, diced tomatoes and cheese. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. When cheese is melted, dinner is ready!

A Conway resident, Tiffany Block enjoys cooking and has been catering for friends and family for about four years. She considers cooking an art. “The best part for me is seeing the finished product.” In addition to cooking, she enjoys reading, writing and poetry.

Chicken Spaghetti

Feel good about food

by Kellie Turpin

It seems everywhere you look people are obsessing about eating and how much they weigh. Preoccupation with food and dieting has become an unfortunate part of our culture. Many people have tried different ways to get their eating under control. It seems the harder they try to follow a diet, obsession with food increases and unfortunately, food becomes a negative force in their life.

Strict diets are unappealing and willpower will only take you so far. A strict diet will have you feeling hungry, deprived and feeling negative about food.

People often view food in terms of black and white – good or bad. Good for you food tastes bad and bad for you food tastes good. Once you start to view food in those terms, the so-called bad food becomes more important and appealing. Thus starts the vicious dieting cycle of diet – deprivation – hunger – overeating bad food – guilt – diet – deprivation, and so on. This unfortunate cycle is very hard to break. To break the cycle it is important to change the way that you relate to food.

First and foremost, try to turn food into a positive experience. Foods are not all good or all bad. Think of all food as being good and think of moderation in your food choices. Let moderation be your guide: moderation of portion sizes and moderation of types of foods.

Most of us know by now what foods we should be eating more of. Be liberal with vegetables, fruit and high fiber foods and moderate in fats and sweets. Don’t outlaw favorite foods. Allow yourself to work in small amounts when you crave them. If you deny these foods, you may be more likely to binge on them at a later time.

One thing that a strict diet interferes with is your ability to feel hunger and fullness. A strict diet that is too low in calories will cause hunger. If you continue to follow the diet and deny your hunger, you may stop feeling hunger. This is not a good thing.

When you stop feeling hunger, you may start skipping meals and eating less often. This

will cause your metabolism to take a nose dive. Denying your hunger and reducing your appetite will soon cause an even bigger problem. You not only lose your ability to feel hungry, but you will also lose your ability to feel full. Once you begin eating, you may find it hard to stop. Thus starts the cycle of undereating and overeating.

If you find that you don’t eat often enough, but you overeat when you do eat, you will set your body up to store fat. Your body wants to store fat when you starve and it wants to store fat when you overeat. You can see how strict diets can promote fat storage. Few people can keep the weight off after a strict diet. Losing your ability to feel hungry and feel full can cause you to lose touch with your body’s internal signals.

Pay attention to your hunger and fullness. If you have a hard time recognizing when you are hungry or full, you may need to get on a schedule of eating every 3-4 hours. This will help retrain your body to get used to eating regularly. Eat slowly and check often to evaluate how full you are. Put your fork down after each bite to help slow you down.

If you find yourself in a negative dieting cycle, it is important to turn it around. Food should be a pleasurable experience, not to be accompanied by guilt. Give yourself permission to eat your favorite foods in moderation. Practice listening to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness. A strict diet can do damage to your metabolism and your attitude about food and eating. Just as it took practice and attention to follow the strict diet, it also takes practice and attention to eat in moderation.

Physical activity

How much is enough?

The answer to this question lies within an exercise model that is known as the Physical Activity Pyramid. Many of us understand the importance of physical activity and the many benefits that can be derived from structured and unstructured bouts of exercise. Several of these benefits include weight (fat) loss, a higher metabolism, a reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a reduction in the risk for heart disease and an increase in work capacity and self esteem.

But how much activity does it take to obtain these benefits? Is a daily walk of 15 minutes going to help my waistline? Will raking leaves and gardening put enough of a dent in my caloric expenditure goal to make a difference in my health? Do I need to lift weights daily or will 2x/week be sufficient to obtain an increase in muscle mass and metabolism?

The answers lie within the Physical Activity Pyramid. Modeled after the Food Pyramid, this model illustrates a variety of activities that are placed on four distinct sections or layers of the pyramid. Each level comes with guidelines or recommendations that address the frequency, intensity and duration of exercise that is specific to each level.

The beauty of this model is that it is specific to individual fitness levels and activity interests. It provides a menu of physical activities that anyone can utilize no matter if they are a rookie to exercise or a well-seasoned fitness enthusiast.

THE PYRAMID

At the base is Level 1 which is considered the base or foundation for the pyramid.

Many of the activities within Level 1 are called “Lifetime Physical Activities” and include things that one would do on a daily basis and are easy to do, yet burn calories. Examples would be raking leaves in the yard, taking stairs instead of the elevator, walking the dog, playing golf (walking the course), fishing and bowling.

See PYRAMID on Page 38

A Conway resident, Karl Lenser is the director of wellness programs at Hendrix College. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. An accomplished runner, he can be reached at lenser@ hendrix.edu.

by Karl Lenser

- Taken from Cristobal Mendez’s Exercise Book, published in 1533.

“The easiest way to preserve health and with greater profit than all other measures put together is to exercise well.”

Source: Adapted from The Activity Pyramid, Pyramids of Health, Park Nicollet HealthSource, 2002.

Advanced Physical Therapy Center of downtown Conway is committed to providing individualized treatment plans for people recovering from orthopedic injuries, postural strain, and neck and back pain.

Our Our talented staff includes (pictured left to right) Angela Sewell, PT Assistant & Marketing Director, Jennifer Massey, PT Tech, Belinda Bogle, Business Administrator, and Owner and Physical Therapist Ellen Haverstick.

As people age, they tend to gravitate toward this part of the pyramid because the activities that are within this level are low intensity, easy to do and are simply part of living and carrying on daily activities that require minimal skill and effort.

Level 2 is categorized into two sections with one titled “Active Aerobic Activity” and the other side labeled as “Active Sports and Recreation.”

The activities within this level are more intense and structured than Level 1 and may include group exercise classes, jogging, cycling and competitive games such as basketball, racquetball and tennis. Since the intensity is moderate to high in these activities, one can perform these activities on only three days per week to obtain health and fitness benefits.

Level 3 of the Physical Activity Pyramid includes Flexibility and Muscular Strength and Endurance exercises. Flexibility exercises, according to the pyramid guidelines, should be done at least three days per week and the muscular strength and endurance exercises performed at least two times per week. The main thing to remember with strength training is that building muscle tissue will boost your metabolism and will help you with your body shape, body image and daily functionability.

Level 4 is essentially the “Couch Potato” level because it lists video gaming, television viewing and Internet surfing as the main activities. The calorie expenditure in this level is virtually non-existent. Minimize the time you spend at this level.

health briefs

Helpful holiday tips

To help ensure a joyful and pain-free holiday season, Advanced Physical Therapy Center offers some tips on how to avoid common injuries this time of year:

Make multiple trips or get help when carrying heavy shopping bags, groceries and firewood. Use a safety ladder, have a helper and wear sturdy shoes when decorating inside or outdoors.

Keep rock salt on hand to de-ice sidewalks, driveways and steps on your property.

Wear sturdy shoes, take frequent breaks and place your foot on a step stool to avoid low back strain when working long hours in the kitchen.

Tree lighting Dec. 2

Those living in the Conway area will have an opportunity to honor loved ones with a light, ornament, angel or other gift on the Conway Regional Tribute Tree this December.

The annual lighting of the Tribute Tree will be held 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Conway

The Pyramid of Fitness: Guidelines to follow

Not one single activity can “do it all” for your health goals. Try to use activities from levels 1, 2 and 3 for variety and a well-balanced fitness plan.

Something is better than nothing. The main idea is to do what your body will allow you to do and try to keep yourself moving on a regular basis. Movement and motion will improve your health and reduce your risk for chronic diseases.

Plan for success. Preparation and discipline are pivotal in whether or not you readily adopt a healthier lifestyle. Find a workout partner and establish some sort of exercise routine that you can adhere to.

Beyond the pyramid. All physical movement helps you expend calories. Occupational calorie burning can also be included in helping you meet your caloric expenditure goals. Jobs that require walking, lifting and other active tasks help keep your calorie meter running. Follow former President Ronald Reagan’s advice on exercise. He was an avid exerciser who once stated in an interview, “I have found that one key to exercise is to find something you enjoy. The other key is to keep the exercise varied.”

Regional courtyard, next to the Women’s Center entrance.

The lighting ceremony is open to the public and will include a moment of silence, unveiling of honorees, recognition of endowed lights and holiday music. Refreshments will be available immediately afterward, and Santa Claus will be on hand to visit with children of all ages.

After the ceremony, the lists of honorees will be displayed in the hospital lobby and on the hospital’s website through the end of the year.

Names will be updated regularly as new Tribute Tree contributions are received. The tree will remain lit throughout the end of the year.

This year, Tribute Tree proceeds will be used for the James S. Garrison, MD, Endowed Scholarship Fund which helps area students pursue a career in health care. Dr. Garrison was the first full-time radiologist at Conway Regional. Gifts include endowed lights, stars, angels, ornaments and red and white lights.

For more information or to donate, please visit the Conway Regional website at www. conwayregional.org or call 501.513.5778.

by Don Bingham

Being a ‘natural’ at floral design

While there are times I call our local florists or make a quick stop by the local grocery for those inexpensive gladiolas, nothing is more rewarding and pleasing to the eye than bringing the outside in and using God’s created masterpieces for floral arrangements.

Just wandering through the house, in closets, storerooms and the garage will produce a plethora of containers – right at your fingertips. More often than not, a clear glass container with some height is my first pick.

Most of us have shrubs and evergreens, and if we are lacking, one of our neighbors would surely appreciate some trim work done during the coming holiday season. Our backyard is full of wonderful vines, ferns and plants that add that touch of elegance from outdoors.

The beauty of these creations is the fact that there can rarely be a poor arrangement due to lack of ability on the part of the designer! The more cascading and whimsical, the better – the more sticks and branches, the more relaxed and stylish the arrangement.

The key is to create an arrangement as close to the way the flowers or greenery would grow outdoors – nothing to tight and stuffy – just varying heights and spiraling to delight the eye.

I like to use solid color containers, as well, and place a small object or two at the base of the arrangement, perhaps even in the container if it is clear – almost like a natural surprise to delight the eye.

Fall presents us with a smashing array of brilliant colors to use! Leaves, drying foliage, evergreens – all pointing to harvest, the holidays and winter.

Berries will soon be out, and to fill a simple container with greenery and berries of every sort can take me back to the basics in an artistic palate of what nature has for our enjoyment.

The following tips are used by most professionals to help make floral arranging a sure success:

It’s best to trim stems at an angle with floral clippers. Stems that are more hardy will need to be split a few inches up the center for better water absorption. When it’s time for arranging, rinse the stems again to dispose of any of the residue of loose leaves that may distort your crystal clear water, especially when using a glass container. Freshen water every other day to help ensure the arrangement stays fresh and enjoyable for longer periods of time.

These wonderfully fresh arrangements are truly available at our door step and will rarely place stress on the household budget! While we all have a “larger than life” appreciation for the trained professional floral designers, you might be surprised at how NATURAL you can be at flower arranging for the coming season!

Deck the halls

Holiday decor reflects love of family

by Sonja J. Keith

When it comes to decking the halls for the holidays, the Susie and Tommy Walker home in Conway is rich with tradition and love of family.

Like a kid at Christmas, Susie begins her holiday decorating after Thanksgiving. While there is much time and planning involved, Susie is quick to point out that she loves holiday decorating year round, especially at Christmas time – her favorite.

Susie takes her cue from her mother and the wonderful childhood memories of growing up in Blytheville. “I love anything Old World or that reminds me of what my mom had,” she said. “I love remembering what she did and put out. I’m always looking for vintage holiday stuff everywhere I go.”

Susie recalls that it was her task as a child to create the holiday scene under the family’s Christmas tree, with reindeer, a sleigh with Santa and snow.

Today, her favorite holiday task is decorating the family Christmas tree, which has hundreds and hundreds of ornaments. In all, it takes about eight hours to decorate.

But Susie doesn’t mind. As she places items on the tree – which range from a child’s report card and a handmade snowflake to a photo with her sister – she recalls special moments with loved ones. “To me, that’s the most fun.”

One of the items on the tree is a note from her oldest son written in 1994. “It was a really sweet note that he wrote, and something special to us so we wanted to put it on the tree.” Another special keepsake is a silver bell ornament that belonged to Susie’s grandmother. “It is the only thing of hers that I have.”

As the decorations conjure up precious memories,

The holiday decorations in the Walker home reflect tradition and a love of family. According to Susie, her grandchildren enjoy checking out the drawers in the wooden Advent box placed on the hearth each year.

A grandfather clock in the entry way is the perfect spot to hang stockings and garland.

The tree in the Walker home is adorned with hundreds and hundreds of beautiful as well as meaningful ornaments and items.

While there is much time and planning involved, Susie Walker is quick to point out that she loves holiday decorating year round, especially at Christmas time – her favorite.

so do some of the goodies that Susie prepares year after year, like Sticky Buns and Peanut Butter Balls. “I have a file of things that we do at Christmas,” she said. “Those things give you that continuity, knowing that your family has been preparing them for 40 years.”

While many of the holiday decorations are used every year and have their own special place, Susie selects a different theme each year for the decorations, with a particular dinner party with close friends in

mind. The Bible study group, which formed in 1990, includes Susie and her husband Tommy, Georg and Annabelle Andersen, David and Janet Crow, and Arnold and Shari Hameister.

Held the first Sunday night in December, the group enjoys the same meal although a different theme is observed. “There’s just something about the tradition of it.” After the meal, the group gathers around the tree to open gag and real gifts to one another.

See HOME on Page 43

The holiday decorations in the dining room add a festive touch to gatherings with friends and family.

A little bit of greenery and a few decorations add a festive touch.

going green

Living with the land

by Angie Howard

My family and I just arrived home from an extended stay at Walt Disney World, and are currently in the detox/recovery mode.

Our oldest will return to his preschool class tomorrow morning, a realization which has lead me into a state of fervent prayer for his teacher since I literally fought to pry the “mouse-ears” off his head two days ago and patiently explained over and over that cotton candy is its own food group only at Disney World; and our days will no longer

feet of the pavilion are dedicated to experimental horticulture techniques in hydroponics, irrigation techniques, and integrated pest management.

Once you rest your Disney-fatigued bones on a cruise through the attraction, your voyage takes you through a tropical rain forest, African desert and the American plains giving a firsthand insight into the latest developments in aquaculture and desert farming.

A show-stopper on our cruise was the trip through their “creative greenhouse” which displayed some curious methods in the future of agriculture. Tomato, lettuce, squash and other varieties of fruits and vegetables were on display grown through the process of Aeroponics (nurturing plants via a mist of water and nutrients sprayed directly on the exposed root systems). The boys loved seeing a pumpkin dangling from its vine on a system of support grids that was “earning its ears” with a little help from a plastic Mickey-shaped encasement.

be ending in million-dollar firework productions...entering back into the real world hurts.

My confused 20-month-old has been roaming aimlessly around the house for the past couple days searching and calling for “P-O” (Pluto), “Dumbo” (we had to peel him off the elephant, 1-year-olds don’t understand that some rides only last 30 seconds even though you wait in line for two hours), and “Fe-Fries” (he lived the happiest two weeks of his life off French fries, apple juice and fresh air.)

As for the grown-ups; my husband, mother, and I are nursing sore and blistered feet, whittling down over 1,500 digital pictures to our 200 favorites to fit in the official Disney photo book, and trying to shake the theme from “It’s a Small World” from our heads.

While on our Disney dream vacation, we visited Epcot and rode one of my all-time favorite rides, “Living with the Land.” The wonderful little boats that navigate you through “Living with the Land” provide a true oasis for parents and grandparents still disoriented from the spinning Teacups, Kali River Rapids and Tower of Terror (there’s a reason it’s named that). Apart from a respite for the weary theme park guest, “Living with the Land” provides fascinating insight into the advancements being made regarding conservation, especially in reference to agriculture.

“Living with the Land” is appropriately located in “The Land” pavilion at Epcot. Over 43,000 cubic

Along with the “creative greenhouse” another favorite of our group was the “Temperate” and “String” greenhouses, featuring monster-sized crops including a nine-pound lemon and a “tomato-tree” which produced over 32,000 tomatoes in a 16-month period and was dubbed by the Guiness Book of World Records as both the largest and most productive tomato plant in the world.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the “Living with the Land” attraction is that it is not only an attraction. Each year more than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables seen thriving at The Land pavilion at Epcot are served in Walt Disney World restaurants.

Somehow, the “Imagineers” have managed to make “Living with the Land” not only a favorite attraction of the adult members of our entourage, our children love it also, and you don’t even mind that you’ve learned something about responsibly caring for the environment that nurtures us along the way. It is, no doubt, a minor miracle in its own right to capture the interest of sugar-laden, nap-deprived, severely over-stimulated preschoolers on a leisurely float through a greenhouse when the “Nemo and Friends” animatronics/high definition clam shell ride beckons attractively next door. I guess you’ve got to realize nothing is too impossible for Disney; a place where elephants fly –even if it is just for 30 seconds.

A Conway resident, Angie Howard is the recycling coordinator for the city of Conway and the Faulkner County Solid Waste District. She is also the executive coordinator of the Keep Faulkner County Beautiful Organization and serves as the information education specialist for the Faulkner County Conservation District.

A photo from the Howard Family trip to Walt Disney World.

Decorations placed above the door to the dining room reveal last year’s theme “Star Light, Star Bright” that Susie selected. “The decorations above the door change every year with the theme.”

Susie enjoys decorating with greenery and natural elements, and incorporated them into her centerpiece and throughout the dining room. “I try to include fresh greens as much as I can.” Last year, she also used the color brown with her greenery. “I bought a bolt of brown velvet ribbon. I love having the brown tones with the green.”

Susie recalls one year the theme was “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and there was a special guest, who recited the poem. Another year when the theme was the “Three Wise Men,” three of the guests arrived at the door in full costume, much to Susie’s surprise.

Last year, Susie selected a “Star Light, Star Bright” theme for her decorations (pictured with this feature) and the selected Scripture was “We have seen His star in the east (Matthew 2:2).” This year, she plans to use “Joy” as the theme, taken from Luke 2:10, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Susie collects Old World ornaments that she displays in a bowl at Christmas.

The special dinner party is one of the many holiday traditions that the Walkers enjoy. Another is spending time with their three grown boys and their families.

“I’ve been collecting those for 20 years,” she said. “I have about 75, and I love them.”

When the last ornament is placed and the greenery is all hung at the Walker home, Susie is ready for the most enjoyable aspect of the holiday season – “having family home and together.”

Santa gets some help with organizing gifts for the Walker’s grandchildren with decorative signs that signal which items belong to which child.

HOME from Page 41

Presents are ready for family to arrive.

funky frugal

by Tanner Cangelosi

>> Thinking outside the box for dinner parties

I stumbled across a fabulous find this month - the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store (right off of Interstate 40 at the Levy Exit in Pulaski County). What a thrill!

I quickly grabbed a cart and my wheels began to turn. Amidst so many old doors, windows and furniture I almost started to hyperventilate with excitement. As I was filling my cart with all kinds of wonderful junk, I began to think about my holiday table. I wanted something different to entertain my guests this year, something that no one else would have.

I chose a holiday theme but any party theme could work when you think outside the box.

I found myself in the “holiday aisle” and discovered some vintage records (my plate chargers), ornaments (or place cards), and three golden candles….PERFECT! I would need some unusual candleholders, so I found some mix and match bowls and glasses. All of a sudden I couldn’t

wait to get home and decorate for Christmas! And now the Lord was giving me an opportunity to practice my patience, until after Thanksgiving! When I walked through the door I displayed all of my cheap thrills to my husband. As he continued to watch his Louisiana State University Tigers play, I began to work writing names of those who would come to the dinner party on their own sweet ornament. (You could also reuse these as “To:/From: Tags” on your Christmas presents.) With some fun lettering and ribbon, these old ornaments had new life.

I then wrapped the table like a present in my butcher paper that I bought from Coleman’s Office and School Products. I already had a large roll of it…you never know when you might need a really large piece of paper!

I then set out my record “chargers,” plates, napkins, ornaments for place markers, and the “hodge podge” centerpiece of dishes. For the centerpiece, I thought that adding some color and sparkle was needed….so I rummaged through an old trunk for Mardi Gras beads! Finally, I added some pizzazz…with funky black checks, painted silverware and most important Swirlie-Doos (this is a very technical term, only used by the best artiest).

This was a project that requires anyone to see objects not for what they are…but what they could be. So, bring on the yummy food and serve your guest with place settings that will knock their socks off!

Total cost

Butcher Paper: $0

(I had some but you could purchase it from any education store for cheap!)

8 old Christmas Records: $2

Assortment of random dishes for candleholders: $1.50

12 old ornaments: $0.50

Old wooden cake plate: $0

(Salvaged from my grandma’s barn)

Mardi Gras beads: $0

(My husband is from the New Orleans area… you could get beads at a craft store for a couple of dollars.)

Paint: $1

Plates and Napkins: $0

(I already had some festive plates, but clear glass plates from the Dollar Tree/Wal-Mart would work very nicely)

TOTAL: $5

A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, Tanner and Cory Cangelosi live in an Old Conway home that they have refurbished. Tanner owns her own business – t.losi art - and has done a variety of projects, from individual home decor items to painting murals in private residences. For more information, Tanner can be reached at 501.908.1338 or tcangelosi@newlifechurch.tv.

We all know the fruitcake has been a Christmas staple for as long as we can remember, so why not give the tradition a new look with fun shapes? There are a wide variety of sizes and shapes for your pastry baking, including pans small enough for candies to pans large enough for a full-size bundt cake. These wreath and ornament shaped baking pans are sure to bring cheer to your dessert table!

Small Bundt pan: $35

Middle Bundt pan: $29.98

Large Bundt pan: $29.98

Seasoned with style

Food is always on everyone’s mind around the holidays. For most of us, some of our favorite holiday memories come from the foods we spent time preparing and enjoying with our families and friends.

Here are a few ideas from The Kitchen Store in Downtown Conway to help make this season just as fun as years past.

Before the guests arrive and all the presents are passed out at your holiday party, many of us spend hours in the kitchen preparing the party feast. The tedious tasks of chopping vegetables and basting the turkey are necessities in the routine. There are a few kitchen gadgets to help shorten time in the kitchen, and so you can enjoy the holidays. A great new mixing bowl has been introduced to the market in the last few years. The handle and pour spout on these bowls allow for a smoother transition of the contents from the bowl to its serving dish,

by Kayla Cooper

All items fromThe Kitchen Store 704 Locust Ave. Downtown Conway 501.327.2182

and the variety of sizes available is great for any mixing situation. The electric potato peeler is also a tremendous help when making mom’s homemade mashed potatoes. The automatic peeling device can cut your preparation time in half, leaving you more time for other tasks. Another fun device that’s new this year is the garlic mincer on wheels! Just pop in a clove or two of garlic and roll the device across the counter a few times and you have chopped or minced garlic in no time. It’s also a great way to let the kids help with the cooking.

Tablescapes are becoming more fun to play around with each year, so feel free to experiment and mix items together to create your own unique style this season.

Here are a few simple rules to help guide you through the process. Try to choose a few colors that you would like to highlight in your tablescape; mix in neutrals to help them pop. The red and gold are the focus of this place setting, with subtle hints of green and white as accent. When creating your centerpiece, remember to include different heights for interest, such as the tall glass canisters filled with splashes of color. The difference is in the details. Little items that really polish off your setting will make the impact this holiday season. Try to choose bits of sparkle or unexpected novelties, such as the snowflake or the holly berry napkin ring. These bits of fun will also be great conversation starters.

Tablecloth: $36.99

Gold charger: $3.99

Garlic mincer: $9.99

Potato peeler: $19.99

Small mixing bowl: $13.99

Large mixing bowl: $17.99

Joy platter: $41.99

Stand: $4.99

After your Christmas Eve party has settled down and you’re ready to put the kids to bed, you can’t forget to leave cookies out for Santa! The Santa platter and mug set is great for having fun with the kids when performing this task. Fun cookie cutters, ranging from the tree and sleigh seen here, to stars and gingerbread

are available in various sizes. Not only can this set be nice to have around your house, it can also be a fun gift idea! Pair it with a recipe for cookies and any guest would be ecstatic to receive your gift. The silver-plated measuring spoons for dashes and pinches are also a cute novelty gift for any cooking patriot.

Santa platter and mug set: $19.99

Sleigh cookie cutter: $7.99

Christmas tree

cookie cutter: $1.25

Silver teaspoons: $18.99

Napkin: $5.99

Napkin ring: $1.99

Tall glass canister: $49.99

Short glass canister: $49.99

Gold pinecone: $1.75

Red jingle bells (set): $3.99

White plate: $9.99

Fleur de Lis saucer: $12.99

Red bowl: $6.99

Snowflake: $2.98

Red glass: $8.99

the royal treatment

Women in the market for a special frock are in store for the royal treatment at Downtown Conway’s newest boutique – the Royal We.

by Sonja J. Keith

The business, which opened its doors Sept. 15, is the collaboration of owner Shelley Kelley of Jonesboro and designer Laine Berry of Conway. Owner of Clark’s Formal and Bridal, Shelley was looking for a Central Arkansas location for another store.

The full service boutique – located on Locust Avenue – is only about 700 square feet but Laine and Shelley have maximized the space with a great selection of dresses for a variety of occasions –from beauty pageants and homecoming to cruises, weddings and galas.

“We have special occasion clothing, including everything high school and college-age girls need for prom and formal,” Laine said.

The name of the boutique is taken from the approach that monarchs take when speaking of themselves as if they are actually speaking for an entire kingdom or country. The name also identifies some of its clientele – beauty pageant royalty.

“We thought that play on words would be fun,” Laine said.

Laine’s husband, Kevin, actually came up with the name for an online business the couple owned. They have since sold it to Shelley. “She thought the name was cute and kept it.”

The boutique represents a dream come true for Laine, who had hopes of designing formal attire for many years. A communications major at the University

This green dress is a custom piece by the Royal We.

Rebbecca Smith models a gown from the spring Jovani line.

photos by Mike Kemp

Laine hopes to do custom bridal gowns for clients, and encourages brides with a picture or something in particular in mind to contact the store. “We already have one-of-a-kind dresses from the couture line from our manufacturers.”

Chanley Painter in a red, custom-design gown by the Royal We, that she wore for the evening gown competition (and won) during the Miss Arkansas Pageant this summer.

of Central Arkansas, Laine’s interest was sparked after spending “more hours than I can count” working on costumes for theatre productions on campus.

“I loved it…I dreamt of doing it on a professional level and God opened doors and presented this opportunity. I feel very blessed.”

Laine’s dream has already had tremendous success, with two dresses worn by contestants who were in the Top 5 in this year’s Miss Arkansas Pageant. “Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen was also wearing one of our custom, oneof-a-kind pieces.”

Clients looking for pageant gowns have the benefit of Laine’s experience and expertise when selecting just the right piece.

In addition to pageant dresses, Laine also hopes to do custom bridal gowns for clients, and encourages brides with a picture or something in particular in mind to contact the store.

“We already have one-of-a-kind dresses from the couture line from our manufacturers.”

Clients wanting custom pieces are encouraged to call the boutique at 327-1555 to schedule an

appointment. Information about the shop will also be available at www.royalweonline.com.

With the royal theme carried throughout the boutique’s décor, one wall may sum it up best for clients – “Yes, you are the fairest of them all” at the Royal We.

This pink and orange cocktail dress is also by Jovani.

Holiday fashion survival tips

by Jennifer Cunningham

With a little planning and a few helpful tips, most women can enjoy the holiday season with style and ease.

>> Some helpful holiday tips

1. Keep it simple

With so many things to worry about during the holidays (gifts, travel, parties — just to name a few), what woman has time to worry about what to wear? Don’t wait until the day before the “party of the season” to find a terrific outfit. Shop early to allow time for alterations. A great little black dress can be re-worn with different accessories each time for a fresh, new look.

2. A little goes a long way

Aren’t the holidays the perfect time of year to wear your bling? Absolutely, but don’t overdo it. I am all for layering several necklaces or one big bold piece, but be careful not to ruin the perfect outfit with too much shine. Don’t be as decorated

as your Christmas tree! Also, metallic clothing is in this season, but don’t do that look from head to toe. A metallic shirt or handbag will give you the right amount of sparkle.

3. Find a balance

Underdressed? Overdressed? That is a concern for most of us as we are planning an outfit for a party. Whether dressing for a formal event or a business casual occasion, we can find a happy medium and not stand out in the crowd in a bad way! Find out the dress code in advance. Remember, a few key pieces can be dressed up or down through the use of accessories.

4. Skin is out!

There are, believe it or not, ways to show some skin and look classy while doing it. I’m not talking about a too-short mini-skirt or midriff baring top. Choosing elegant pieces that suggest showing skin are a much better way to go: a slim pencil skirt with a short slit up the back to show a little bit of leg or a shoulder-baring halter dress are fabulous.

5. Nothing to wear?

So you’ve received an invitation to a wonderful party, and the first thing you think of is that you don’t have anything to wear. The key to this situation is to keep a few key pieces in your wardrobe that can, at the last minute, be thrown on and look fabulous. Some suggestions to have on hand are a little black dress, a metallic shirt/ shell, a pair of flat-front black pants, red and black turtlenecks, and a statement jacket. Remember to wear larger earrings to take up to 10 pounds off your appearance.

John S. Harwood, MS Tax, CPA

Tray Ott, CPA

Connie Cody Fisher, CPA

A native of Conway, Jennifer Cunningham has been selling Premier Designs Jewelry for over 10 years. She is a stay-at-home mom of two boys.

by Sonja J. Keith

The BREWery A recipe for success

Business owner Stacy Crone’s recipe for success is simple. Mix great food and delicious beverages with a pleasant atmosphere and a healthy dash of friendly service. The result is The BREWery, a warm and inviting neighborhood restaurant and coffee shop.

The BREWery – located at 2159 B Prince St. at the corner of the roundabout – is the place to enjoy a good cup of coffee (hot or cold), a grilled panini sandwich, a delicious salad or yummy homemade soups. Plus, there’s the “world famous” Monkey Buns, a signature item.

“The Monkey Buns are made fresh daily and are not only delicious; they are a fun topic of discussion,” said Stacy.

The Crones moved to Conway about three years ago. Stacy recalls driving by the cute coffee shop and thinking one day she would like to own it. Her dream became reality earlier this fall when presented with an opportunity to

The BREWery

Owner: Stacy Crone

Established: 2008

Address: 2159 B Prince St.

Conway

Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Web: www.thebreweryconway.com

The BREWery is home to the Monkey Buns, a signature item.

The BREWERY owner Stacy Crone (right) with employee Shealyn Sowers.

purchase The BREWery.

“When Robert Haskett approached me about buying the business, I had an instant feeling of excitement and hesitation. I did not think it was possible for me to own a business, much less a coffee shop – my dream job. I have been very blessed and honored to take over this venture. It has been a roller coaster ride that I do not want to get off of.”

Customers enjoy a variety of tasty hot drinks at The BREWery, including Espressos, Cappuccinos and Lattes as well as custom-made hot chocolate. Fresh-baked pastries, cheesecakes and pies are available to accompany your drink.

The menu also includes breakfast items, appetizers, soups, salads and sandwiches. In addition, The BREWery serves a variety of glutenfree muffins.

Situated in a quaint part of Conway, the gourmet coffeehouse and eatery is within walking distance of the University of Central Arkansas, Laurel Park and Conway High School-West. Patrons can enjoy eating indoors as well as outside, thanks to the outdoor heated patio.

With free wireless Internet, The BREWery is also the perfect place to check email or work on a laptop while enjoying a warm beverage. It is also ideal for cozy gatherings with friends, small meetings and study groups.

Takeout is available at The BREWery as well as catering services. The

eatery is also available for private parties.

“We are more than just a coffee shop. We are the coffee shop full of fun surprises. You recognize this when you are addressed by name upon entering the shop or having your drink ready when you reach the counter.

“I have the best staff on the planet and we all love our jobs,” Stacy said. “Hopefully this is reflected in the pride that we take in our work.”

Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, stop by and visit The “Brew Crew,” call 32-ROAST (327-6278) or go to www.thebreweryconway.com.

A variety of cold and hot beverages are available at The BREWery.

DISCOVERING America 13-50

by Don Bingham

Central Arkansas is full of great dining options and we’ve discovered a new one that recently opened — it’s called America 13-50 (named for the 13 colonies and 50 states).

Chef Mark Ricker is the chef and you simply must go visit America 13-50, located at 1020 Garland St. in Downtown Conway.

My wife and I visited the restaurant on a Tuesday evening. The grand opening has past and crunch time to “make it” was obvious. As we sat enjoying a delicious meal, made with fresh ingredients and artfully placed on the plate — I was delighted to know Conway has another wonderful dining alternative — and one with quality and excellence.

America 13-50 is in a nonassuming building, one you could

almost miss, but the inside is clean, fresh and alive with talent!

As I sat there, memories flooded my mind and heart of the myriads of kind and gracious folks who supported our years in the restaurant business. To this day, we think of those who came regularly — those dear customers who became friends that enabled us to survive.

I thought, too, of one of my favorite movies “Mr. Holland’s Opus” — you may recall the movie with Richard Dreyfuss — the story line is how great numbers of the community folks retuned from “far and wide” to celebrate the sacrifices of Mr. Holland, the town’s beloved band director.

I decided to write many of my acquaintances and invite them to join me on a given night, to eat at America 13-50. The purpose would be to see a community come together to encourage a young man, a young entrepreneur, a budding chef — to celebrate the memory of all those who had encouraged me in the food and hospitality industry.

Well, the result was amazing! There is still hope — there are still those who care — even with all the despair of economy issues and “wars and rumors of wars. The heart of man can still be generous and kind!

The streams of customers began at 6 p.m. I ordered the Colorado Cowboy (flat iron steak, marinated in red wine, seared to perfection and covered with buttery sauteed mushrooms - $13.99).

My wife ordered the Brown Derby Cobb ($7.99) and Soup of The Day ($2.99). I don’t know what the other 100 folks ordered! We were not only served great food, but all the ingredients for encouragement for the young chef to “persevere” were piled “higher and deeper.”

Mark, owner and executive chef, is a longtime Conway resident, an alum of the University of Central Arkansas and a graduate of the Culinary Academy of Long Island, N.Y. He has interned at several New York restaurants as well as “Capriccios” with the Peabody Hotel Group in Little Rock. Before opening his restaurant in Conway he worked at So Restaurant in Little Rock.

America 13- 50 even has a hospitality manager — Rob Hefley — who is on hand for all “front of the house” needs, and Pastry Chef Meagan Madden is no stranger to the dessert productions.

The restaurant is full of talent and has much to offer — dining in and carry out!

Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Sunday brunch. For more information, email america.13-50@conwaycorp.net or go to www. america13-50.com.

Central Arkansas and the 501 LIFE area continue to grow with new business ventures, including great dining experiences. America 13-50 is a one of a kind that offers the talents of young venturesome risk takers like Chef Mark Ricker and his staff!

Recognized throughout the state as an accomplished chef, Don Bingham has authored cookbooks, presented television programs and previously served as the executive chef at the Governor’s Mansion. He is now the director of special events at the University of Central Arkansas.

Mark Ricker is the owner and executive chef of America 13-50, located at 1020 Garland St. in Downtown Conway.

Expanded ArtsFest a big success

With an expansion in both time and offerings, the recent ArtsFest, Conway’s premier mini-festival of the arts, was a big success in Downtown Conway and on the campuses of the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College and Central Baptist College.

“The greater the city and the higher the quality of life, the more arts are infused into the community,” said Conway Mayor Tab Townsell. “The growth and success of this year’s ArtsFest is proof of a great and growing arts culture in this city.”

Now the attention turns to next year with nominations being sought for members of the board of the Conway Alliance for the Arts.

Sponsored by CAFTA and its board of directors, the festival was expanded this year to a four-day, community

photos by Richie Ryerson

festival celebrating the arts from a one-day event in 2007 centering on the community mural designed by Morton Brown as a part of UCA’s centennial celebration.

Among the offerings in 2008 were art exhibits, concerts, a film screening, a walking tour of Conway’s historic downtown architecture, theatrical productions and an art and music walk. The highlight events were UCA Artists in Residence the Brentano String Quartet and author Scott Russell Sanders, who did readings and booksignings. Schools and the colleges came together, as did arts organizations in the community, to showcase their arts talents.

“The overall highlight was the way this community and arts organizations came together,” said Wendy Shirar, president of CAFTA.

Sponsors included ARAMARK, Arkansas Arts Beautification Society, Independent Living Services, Kroger Food Stores, Lonnie’s Meat Market & Catering, Personalized Bottle Water, PPC Plumbing, Salter Properties Inc. and Steve Strange.

For more information, go to www.artsinconway.com or call 501.450.3295.

The focus now turns to planning the third ArtsFest for the fall of 2009.

CAFTA has openings on its board. Those interested in

Three-fourths of The Bonafide Trombone Quartet.

Bill Ward and some previews of his upcoming book on the history of Faulkner County at Pictures Et Cetera.

The Farmers – Reggae band from Conway.

Artist Jean Turley of Little Rock.

Reasons to celebrate

by Donna Lampkin Stephens

Christmas will be more special than ever for Monty and Shonda Smith of Conway this year.

In a span of just a few weeks in 2008, they experienced deep lows and extreme highs. They faced life-threatening triple bypass surgery for Monty in April, followed by months of rehab. But on the eve of their 14th wedding anniversary in early July, they received the phone call they’d been waiting years for — Bethany Christian Services called to tell them they’d been selected by a birthmother to be her child’s adoptive parents.

“They asked what we were doing for lunch the next day, which was July 2, our anniversary,” Monty said. “To be honest, my wife was going to have lunch with some of her friends, and I was going to be with some of my former players. They said, ‘Do you think you can cancel those plans and instead have lunch with your birthmother?’

“I was fixing spaghetti and didn’t have an anniversary card, so I went to Kroger and brought one back and wrote, ‘I hope you can cancel your plans tomorrow, Mom.’ So on our anniversary, we met this woman who was going to be giving us her baby.” Carter Wilson Smith arrived about a month later.

Heading into the holidays, Monty is contemplative about 2008.

“Just how much I’ve been blessed by God,” he said when asked to sum up the year. “In a lot of ways, this was the hardest year I’ve ever gone through, but it’s also been the most blessed. I don’t ever want to go through it again, but yet I would.”

Shonda expects a lot of emotion during the holidays.

“We went to visit Santa and I could’ve cried,” she said. “Everything that we ever wanted has come to be, and it feels like this is how it was always supposed to be.

“If God told me today I could have a baby but I’d have to give up Carter, I’d say no. We have him and he’s perfect.

“It’ll be an emotional Christmas.”

GROWING UP

Monty grew up in Yellville and earned a degree in mass communication from the University of Central Arkansas in 1994. Shonda had grown up seven miles from him in Flippin, but the two didn’t meet until they got to UCA. She majored in art education; they married in 1994.

Monty broadcast UCA women’s basketball games for the campus television station, Channel 6, from 1991-94 and picked up the coaching bug from former Sugar Bear coach Ron Marvel. After graduation, he dabbled in his field some before deciding to return to UCA to get his teaching certification. His first teaching job was at Conway Christian; Shonda took a job teaching art at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock.

After six years coaching girls basketball and volleyball and serving as athletic director at Conway Christian, Monty went to Episcopal. Shonda moved to Ellen Smith Elementary in Conway that year as gifted and talented teacher.

Although basketball was king at Conway Christian, Monty has developed the volleyball program at Episcopal over the last six years into a perennial state tournament team. The Lady Wildcats finished 17-5 overall in 2008, running through the 3A-South schedule a perfect 10-0. He has been chosen conference Coach of the Year the last three seasons.

“Episcopal is a program that when I got there had won seven basketball games in four years, and my first year we went 10-14. I was so mad because it was the first losing season I’d ever had, but the girls were as excited as they’d ever been in their life. It put it all in perspective.”

There were also a few adjustments to be made after he replaced a wellloved coach. When his freshman volleyball team won the district tournament his first season, he was named Coach of the Year.

“The girls didn’t like me as much as the other one, and when I was named Coach of the Year, they just stared at me,” he remembered. “But when that group was seniors and we won the conference, they gave me the Coach of the Year award. It was a tough beginning, but it grew into a pretty special bond.”

HEART PROBLEMS

That bond was tested by adversity in April.

Monty has a family history of heart disease, but nothing indicated a problem for a man in his mid-30s. He is assistant softball coach, and the night before the Lady Wildcats were to play in the district tournament, he felt chest pains.

“I thought it was indigestion, but it wouldn’t go away, so my wife took me to the emergency room,” he said. “They did an EKG, which was normal, so they sent me home. The next night I had the pains again, so I went back in and they kept me that night.”

Shonda admitted to being annoyed the first time.

“I was like, ‘Come on, have you taken a Tums? What did you eat? Why did you do that?’” she remembered. “The second night, I was a little more scared.”

The following morning he had an angiogram, and the doctor came in and told the couple Monty would be having triple bypass surgery.

“It was very surreal to me,” Monty said. “I just started laughing and said,

Monty and Shonda Smith with their son, Carter.

‘Well, school’s out in a month.’ And they said, ‘No, it’s going to be Thursday.’ I said, ‘So I’ll tell the school I’ll be out a week or so,’ and they said, ‘No, you’re done for the year.’

“The first thing I asked the doctor was, ‘How did I do this to myself?’ And he said, ‘Unless you’ve smoked crack for 37 years, you didn’t do this.’ It was genetic.”

Dr. E.J. Chauvin performed the surgery at Conway Regional Medical Center. Shonda remembers being in the waiting area surrounded by family.

“I was really at peace with everything,” she said. “I knew he had a really good surgeon. We were just exhausted at that point. The worst time was when we went in to see him. That was awful, the moment when it really kind of hit what had happened.”

His volleyball players remember the worry. “I was just scared when I found out,” senior Amelia Ray said. “The first thing I did was get in touch with him to see how he was doing and talk to the rest of my team to gather our thoughts about it. We sent him cards and texted him and made sure he knew we’re all here for him while he was in the hospital.”

Meghan Miros, a junior, said the coach’s surgery was the first time many of her teammates had faced a life-threatening health situation.

“I’d think about what’s going to go on, next volleyball season, what if he’s not able to coach us?

What if he’s not able to go on?” she remembered.

Monty remembers the recovery.

“I would walk three steps and feel like I just ran the Boston Marathon,” he said. “Any time I wanted to sneeze or cough I’d hold my breath as long as possible. You feel worthless around the house — you can’t mow the lawn or do anything.

“I felt bad that when I first got home. I told my wife I’d put away the laundry; I think I folded three towels and then slept for four hours.”

Although some doctors say it can take a year to recover from such heart surgery, Monty said in October he thought he was pretty well over it.

“Energy was the big thing, and it still is some,” he said, praising the Conway Regional heart surgery,

post-op and cardiac rehabilitation services. “Now I eat better. I gave up the hardest thing in the world, Cokes, and switched to Diet Coke. I lost 30 pounds.”

Susan Langford, Episcopal’s assistant volleyball coach, has been amazed by Monty’s response to adversity.

“He’s gone through a whole lot and held up probably better than about anybody I can imagine,” she said. “His sheer fight to recover from heart surgery was absolutely phenomenal.”

By the time school started, Monty was almost back to full strength.

Monty will return for checkups every six months, but doctors told him the surgery would last 15 to 20 years. “I’m trying to do everything to at least keep it to 20,” he said.

A FAMILY

The Smiths had been trying to start a family for about seven years when they received the call from the adoption agency.

Monty’s recent health problems weighed on him, but not on Shonda.

“I was scared about how much would I be able to do,” he said. “I hadn’t recovered completely after two and a half months; how much would I be able to participate?”

Bethany Christian Services has potential adoptive families prepare an album for birthmothers to use to help them make their choice, and the Smiths’ album helped the 35-year-old birthmother make her decision.

“She had a 14-year-old daughter and a sister and her mother, and they all picked us together,” Monty said. “We had lunch with them the next day after the phone call. Shonda said going in she wasn’t going to cry. She had wanted to look at the sonogram, but she didn’t think she’d get the chance, but when the woman came in, Shonda went to shake her hand and the woman handed her the first sonograms. Shonda lost it.”

The birthmother told the Smiths she wanted them there when the baby was born. The call came

in the late evening hours of Aug. 3; they arrived at the hospital in West Memphis at 2:10 a.m. on Aug. 4; Carter was born at 2:22.

“At 2:30 the door opened and they told us, ‘It’s time to meet your son,’” Monty remembered. “They set us up a room in the hospital, and we’ve had him ever since then.”

Although Carter is an only child, he has plenty of people watching out for him.

“My volleyball team has adopted him as their own,” Monty said. “They threw a shower for me that just blew my mind.”

LIFE CHANGES

Shonda said Carter’s arrival has changed the couple.

“I think it made us realize that we’re responsible for somebody else,” she said. “We’d been selfish for so many years. It was all about us — if we wanted to take a nap, we’d take a nap; if we wanted to go shopping, we’d go shopping; if we wanted to go out to eat, we’d go out to eat.

“It’s changed our focus. Our focus is completely on Carter and not on us anymore.”

Susan said determination and love helped her coaching colleague meet his rehabilitation goals following his surgery.

“His love for these girls is absolutely amazing,” she said. “I can’t imagine coaching with anybody else. He is the epitome of not only determination, but heart. His heart is just huge. His loyalty to these girls is absolutely phenomenal. When they walk in his room, no matter what he’s doing, he drops it to talk to them.”

According to Amelia, the Lady Wildcats are wild about the new member of the family and what he represents.

“It shows the blessing in disguise,” she said. “(Coach Smith) got this better thing out of the whole terrible situation. Like my mom says, ‘If God closes one door, he opens a window.’

“He survived so he could have this baby. That’s how we see it.”

MEET: The Bennetts

Owners: Justin, Natalie and Holt Bennett

Hometown: Conway

Occupation: Justin - Project manager for Boyd Corley

Construction

Natalie - Third grade teacher at Marguerite Vann Elementary

Pet’s name: Cooper Reid Bennett

Age: 4 years old

Type of animal: Golden Retriever

Where/when did you meet your pet: “We found Cooper on www. puppyfind.com. A breeder in Maumelle had him. When we went to pick him up there were so many puppies that every time we would pick one they would all scatter and we could not remember the one we picked. Cooper was the only dog that did not come up with the group. He was the biggest one and had his head stuck in a cup over by the fence so we picked him.”

Activities you enjoy together: “Cooper’s favorite thing to do is go for a ride. We also love walks and an occasional swim.”

Other info: “Cooper is just now getting his hair back after his summer shave so it is not as long as he would normally like. He loves people and attention!”

“Life is good!”

Cooper

Photos by Stuart Holt

Holiday lights, festivities plentiful

It’s “Over the River and Through the Woods” for the 2008 Arkansas Trail of Holiday Lights.

With several great stops in the 501, you’ll want to gather the family and head out for a night of amazing holiday lights, a parade or two and of course, Santa.

Little Rock Take part in Little Rock’s Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade Saturday, Dec. 6, ending in front of the State Capitol. Following the parade, stay for the Capitol Lighting Ceremony featuring fireworks, music, children’s activities and more.

North Little Rock’s “Hometown Holidays” celebration will include a drive-thru light display in Burns Park, 6-10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, through Tuesday, Dec. 30. Admission: $5 per car.

Conway Downtown Conway will be ablaze with more than a million lights. Plus, you can enjoy the holiday Festival of Light each night, Thanksgiving Day through Saturday, Dec. 27. The event, featuring a drive-thru light display, indoor model train display and a variety of entertainment on scheduled evenings, is held at First State Soccer Park located off of Dave Ward Drive.

Jacksonville will begin celebrating the Christmas season with the Holiday Lighting Ceremony 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4, at Jacksonville City Hall. The 51st Annual Christmas Parade will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in downtown, where Santa will make his first appearance.

Sherwood will host its Christmas parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, along Kiehl Avenue. Drive through the Enchanted Forest at 1111 W. Maryland Ave. The trail includes over 60 lighted displays along a secluded, tree-lined road. This drive-thru extravaganza is 6-9:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, through Tuesday, Dec. 30. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Searcy lights it up at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec.

6, with the Holiday of Lights Christmas Parade in Downtown Searcy. Berryhill Park will be adorned with beautiful, twinkling lights, with a horse-drawn carriage to take visitors through the park. Thursday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 7, and Thursday, Dec. 11, through Sunday, Dec. 14, visitors can enjoy a drive-thru “Living Nativity” at Benton and Cloverdale. Admission is free.

Heber Springs On Saturday, Dec. 6, the Light Up the Park Christmas Parade begins at 6 p.m. and ends with Santa, music and lights in Spring Park. Snowflakes line Main St., and 500 luminaries will glow throughout the park and around the lighted historic Cleburne County Courthouse. A live nativity scene is planned on the east side of Spring Park.

Hot Springs From Tuesday, Nov. 25, until Thursday, Jan. 1, visit Christmas Lights on the Arlington Lawn. From Saturday, Nov. 22, through Wednesday, Dec. 31, check out Lights on the Landscape at Garvan Woodland Gardens. For family fun, take everyone Ice Skating in the Park at Hill Wheatley Plaza from Wednesday, Dec. 3, through Saturday, Jan. 3. Friday, Dec. 5, brings the Gallery Walk, and 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, is the Christmas parade.

Saline County/City of Benton At 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, the Saline County Celebration of Lights will begin the holiday events with the Benton Hometown Christmas Parade. Afterward, Santa will visit children at the Saline County Courthouse gazebo from 7-9 p.m. Free cocoa and cookies will be served during Santa’s visit, and local talent will perform on the courthouse square.

For complete details and a map of the Arkansas Trail of Holiday Lights, visit the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism web site at www. arkansas.com.

Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs is just one of the places in the 501 to find holiday cheer. Photo courtesy of Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism.

Christina Yarnell

Family: Husband Jay Snider and their bloodhound, Henry.

Education: Double major, Vanderbilt University, Nashville.

Enjoys most about her work: “Continuing a legacy and tradition started by my greatgrandfather and great-grandmother.”

Last book you read: “Keeping Faith” by Jodi Picoult

Favorite book: The Bible

Favorite meal: “Mmmm, that’s tough. I love good food!”

Most enjoyed weekend activity: Cooking.

Favorite quote: “Keep humor.” - Albert Yarnell

No. 1 vacation spot: The beach!

Favorite place in Arkansas: Eden Isle in Heber Springs.

What do you love about living in the 501: “It’s a fabulous place to live and work!”

Working full time as chief operating officer, Christina Yarnell represents the fourth-generation involved in the privately-owned Yarnell’s Ice Cream Co., headquartered in Searcy. Mike Kemp photo