PUBLISHER/ ART DIRECTOR
Jeremy L. Higginbotham
EDITOR
Stefanie W. Brazile
FOUNDERS
Donna Spears, Sonja Keith and Tracy Ferrell
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Paulette Higginbotham
ADVERTISING SALES
Donna Spears and Donald Brazile
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
Levi Gilbert
PHOTOGRAPHER
Makenzie Evans
COPY EDITORS
Andrea Lively and Andrea Miller
FINANCE DIRECTOR
Debbie Flowers
BRAND AMBASSADOR
Lisa Hutchison
SOCIAL MEDIA
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year because it has something for everyone— am I right? The gift of the Christ child gives meaning to our souls, having extra time with family and friends gives us a sense of roots, and funny movies like Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” feeds our imaginations and funny bones! Some people argue that Christmas has become all about the gifts, but I believe that gift-giving is the best part of life.
This issue is themed “A Central Arkansas Christmas,” and in it we highlight people and programs that give joy and hope year-round. On our cover, you are introduced to two of them. The horse is a part of the nonprofit HorsePlay, founded by occupational therapist Erica Kennemer. They provide hippotherapy to children with disabilities. This proven treatment using horses advances efforts to connect the mind and body, narrowing the gaps that cause developmental delays and other issues. What a gift!
Santa Rick Sublett and his lovely Mrs. Claus deliver the magic of Christmas as a gift to children at nonprofit events, to homes that are overshadowed by difficult situations and to senior adult veterans. Taking the role of a jolly gift-giver to heart, Rick said that those who assist St. Nick are made to feel young again when they see the joy in kids’ eyes.
We also highlight two men who give the gift of service throughout the year. Pastor Don Chandler has served Central Baptist Church in Conway for 45 years, and Rep. Steve Magie, MD, has treated patients with vision problems since 1985. Chandler will continue serving his congregation, but Magie is leaving his practice in the capable hands of his partners and narrowing his focus of service to the statehouse.
Our special gift to readers is our Entertaining feature, with Chef Don Bingham’s spectacular Snowflake Cake on a peppermint-themed table for 12. These lush photos of elegant place settings and a centerpiece of red and white roses, red ranunculus and white Casablanca lilies are showstoppers!
The greatest gift of all is Jesus’ love for all mankind. May his love for others be renewed in our hearts this Christmas season and continue as we step into 2025. Merry Christmas from the 501 LIFE Magazine Team!
Mrs. Claus and Santa spent time with Maisyn Carter (from left), AJ Kennemer and horse Katy. In this issue, we share
A True Jewel
Honoring Sissy Jones 20 Couple of the Month:
Dennis and LuVeta Moore of Conway
The Gift of the Magie By KD Reep
Entertaining: Snowflakes & Tablescapes By Chef Don Bingham
The Gift of the Healing By KD Reep 40 Feeding Curiosity: Student Nutrition in PCSSD By Jessica Duff 44 Walking in a Winter Wonderland By Karl Lenser 46 A Man With a Mission By Rita Halter Thomas
50 Kid of the Month:
Olivia Sherbet of Little Rock By Donna Lampkin Stephens
58 Battle in the Brier
60 An Energy Smart Winter By Beth Jimmerson
62 My 501 LIFE in Pictures By Mike Kemp 66 Golden Years Games
67 WLN Presents The Great Gatsby Gala
68 Jolly Old Saint Rick By Becky Bell 74 501 Hometown Hall of Famers
Jim Lee Howell of Lonoke County By David Grimes
76 Meet Me in Menifee By Stefanie Brazile
80 Blanketed in Beauty By Judy Riley
83 UALR Unveils Portrait
of Rotary’s Leader of the Year
8 4 Artist of the Month: Susan L. Peterson
Two Weeks at the Chateau
86 Barbecued ’Possum & Eggnog for Everyone! By Vivian L. Hogue
88 Author of the Month:
Dr. Rebecca Glazier By Susan L. Peterson
90 Person of the Month:
Angie Longing of Faulkner County
Worried you didn't make the nice list this year? A gift subscription of “Good News” can help!
Barksdale Federal Credit Union, 8
Centennial Bank, 59
Conway Corp, 61
Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center, 91
Conway Regional Rehab, 66
Downtown Conway, 42-43
Essence Healthcare, 25
Fig Modern, 31
First Community Bank, 73, 90
First Security Bank, 15, 92
First United Methodist Church of Conway, 42 Float Spa, 23
Freyaldenhoven Heating & Cooling, 23
Glisten in Greenbrier, 9
Greenbrier Community, 56-57
Halter’s Body Shop, 17 Harps, 33
Hartman Animal Hospital, 37 Harwood, Ott & Fisher, PA, 83
Heritage Living Center, 5
Historic Washington State Park, 71
Julie’s Sweet Shoppe, 67
Karen Ferguson Team, 20
Kilwins Little Rock, 71
KVNE 93.3 Radio, 41
Lemon Judy Boutique, 31
Main Street Texarkana, 87
Methodist Family Health, 89
MSC Eye Associates, 79
Ott Insurance, 63
PCSSD, 40
Renewal Ranch, 52
Restoration Wellness, 71
Rik Sowell Architects, 77
Salem Place, 45
Shelter Insurance, 79
Sissy’s Log Cabin, 55
South Conway Schools, 77
Stoby’s, 49
Superior Health & Rehab, 2
The Children’s Clinic of Conway and Greenbrier, 53
The Rustic Jewel, 23
Tipton & Hurst, 54
UACCM, 82
UCA, 79
UCA Public Appearances, 19
Unity Health, 3
Velda Lueders Coldwell Banker, 75
Yours Truly Consignment, 39
KD Reep is the owner of Flywrite Communications, the premier public relations agency of Mabelvale, Ark. She also is the director of communications for Methodist Family Health, a complete continuum of care for Arkansas children and their families. She enjoys napping as much as possible, reading and eating pie.
Don Bingham Recognized throughout the state as an accomplished chef, he has authored cookbooks, presented television programs and planned elaborate events. He was the administrator of the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion for a decade and his wife, Nancy, was the First Lady’s Assistant. They have five children and 12 grandchildren.
Vivian Lawson Hogue is a Conway native and local historian who resides in a 114-year-old historic house in the city. She attended Hendrix College and graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in art education. A retired art and history teacher and obsessed genealogist, she worked in the Conway School District for 23 years.
Dec. 4-22 • North Little Rock
Follow 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for an official Red Ryder air rifle. The movie-based musical received rave reviews on Broadway and is set for the Argenta Contemporary Theatre.
Dec. 7 • Little Rock
The 86th annual lighting ceremony brings the community together for a festive evening. It features fireworks, a tour of the capitol’s wonderland of decorations, a Fallen Heroes Holiday Tree and Santa!
Dec. 6-8, 11, 13-15 • Searcy
The birth of Jesus comes alive as you drive through the streets of Bethlehem. Exotic animals, Roman guards and handmade costumes are part of this multidimensional experience of the first Christmas.
Dec. 12 • Greenbrier
With the theme “Music Notes & Christmas Floats,” the community provides a dazzling, huge parade filled with creative floats, the talented high school band and an appearance by Santa.
Dec. 7 • Keo
Get ready to go nuts! Events include live music, a pecan pie competition, a meet-and-greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus and the Arkansas State Squirrel Calling Contest.
Dec. 13-15 • Little Rock
Featuring live music from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the ballet is the largest holiday production in the state. A community cast, along with professional dancers, tells the classic story.
‘The Breach’ shared the military experiences of veterans through a combination of storytelling and performance artistry.
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre (The Rep) hosted “The Breach” on Nov. 9 as part of The Rep’s Community, Learning, and Public Programs initiative. The performance included stories of honor, integrity and personal courage from veterans who served in the Gulf War, the Global War on Terror and more. It also featured performances by Riverside Actors Theatre and Perpetual Motion Dance.
Before and after the show, a veterans business expo was held and a toiletries donation drive collected items in support of St. Francis House’s veterans’ ministry.
“‘The Breach’ is a stellar example of the many ways that theater can have a positive impact in our community,” said Will Trice, executive director of The Rep. “It allows us to come together to process experiences and then share those experiences with others. It helps us learn more about each other (and ourselves) and makes us want to be better neighbors. The Rep is honored to be able to create a space for this.”
Through this work, The Rep desires to capture the collective imagination and build community by embracing the art of theater in all its forms.
“We recognize the unique ability of theatrical activities to improve mental well-being and emotional development,” Trice said. “We provide a platform for the sharing of varied human experiences to drive community conversations, and we seek out collaborations with like-minded community organizations.”
“A Merrier Motown Christmas” will return for a special holiday performance Dec. 18-23. Returning performers include music director and vocalist Nygel D. Robinson, as well as vocalists Bijoux, Tawanna Campbell and Antonio Woodard. Featured musicians are Corey Harris, Ricardo Richardson and Josh Starks. The production will be directed by Ken-Matt Martin.
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 18 through Dec. 23. Single tickets are on sale now at TheRep.org or by calling 501.378.0405.
Veterans Day is a Good Day thanks to Goodnight and volunteers at annual event
Julie Goodnight, owner of Julie’s Sweet Shoppe in Conway, hosted her annual Veterans Day program on Nov. 11 at her place of business. “It would not be possible to do this without the support and assistance of all of the volunteers,” she said.
The popular event was well-attended and guests were offered breakfast and coffee from Julie’s Sweet Shoppe. The program included Congressman French Hill, Attorney General Tim Griffin, Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson and a performance by the Conway Women’s Chorus. Dr. Loni Briley of HearingLife provided a booth with information. Local businesses donated items and gift baskets that were given as door prizes. On top of honoring the veterans, it gave them an opportunity to catch up and swap stories.
‘Sissy Jones’ kindness and generosity have touched so many lives here at the Ranch and across Arkansas.’
— Nancy Fulton
Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches Dinner honors Sissy Jones, raises $190,000
The Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches raised more than $190,000 at its 29th Annual Arkansas Children’s Award Dinner on Oct. 24 in Little Rock, enabling the organization to continue its mission to provide safe, healthy, and loving homes for Arkansas children.
This year’s Arkansas Children’s Award was presented to Sissy Jones, founder of Sissy’s Log Cabin and long-time advocate for Arkansas youth. She embodies the heart and mission of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches, with a history of caring for atrisk children, a dedication to giving back to communities across the state, and a strong commitment to family values.
“Sissy Jones’ kindness and generosity have touched so many lives here at the Ranch and across Arkansas," said Nancy Fulton, chief executive officer of Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches. "This event is a reminder of how much people like Sissy mean to our work and how, when we come together as a community, we can create a better future for Arkansas children who need our care.”
The event, held Oct. 23 in the Grand Ballroom at the Little Rock Marriott Hotel, had more than 300 people in attendance. The
evening included a reception, dinner, a silent and live auction, and an award presentation. The Master of Ceremonies was former Gov. Mike Beebe, maintaining a tradition he has upheld since the event’s inaugural year. David Bazzel of 103.7 The Buzz hosted the live auction and a giving opportunity to raise additional funds for the organization.
The Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches’ mission is to address, remedy and prevent child abuse and neglect by creating safe, healthy and loving homes for Arkansas children. The organization is a statewide, private 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded in 1976 by the Sheriffs of Arkansas to provide a safe, loving shelter for two boys living in a neglectful home. Since then, the Ranch has served more than 2,300 Arkansas boys and girls in need and is still growing to serve more youth. To keep up with news from the Ranch, visit them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by using the handle @Youth Ranches.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the mission of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches, visit YouthRanches.com.
I am quiet but very observant. I love to make sure everyone is included and serve others. I have a heart for God and family, and those are the things that drive me daily.
NATIVE OF: Faulkner County
CHILDREN: We have Doneshia Boyd (Derrick) and Adrian Moore (Meadow).
EDUCATION: Graduate from Morrilton High School and attended the University of Central Arkansas.
EMPLOYMENT: I have worked at Snap-On for 37 years. I started in data entry, then was an administrative assistant/planner, and now I am a supervisor.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS? I love how Central Arkansas has grown since I planted roots here in 1985. There is a sense of community, and I’ve connected with so many people over the years. Conway is simply home.
WHAT IS YOUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION? Our annual light show in the Centennial Valley neighborhood kicks off the holiday season for us. We also enjoy our family Christmas breakfast, where we give thanks, open gifts and enjoy time together.
CHURCH ACTIVITIES: Very involved with my church, True Holiness Saints Center. I also lead our Greeter Ministry, where we welcome members and guests to our beautiful church family and experience.
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Spending time with my granddaughters: Skylen (11), Demi (3) and Shiloh (7 months), supporting my husband’s business, K9 Corps of Conway, and spending time with my beautiful family.
I am an outgoing person who loves sports and training dogs.
NATIVE OF: Pulaski County
EDUCATION: Graduate of Joe. T. Robinson High, the University of Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Law Enforcement Academy.
EMPLOYMENT: I retired as a Little Rock Police Sergeant after 36 years of service. I worked as a training officer in the academy, detective in several divisions, and the Narcotics Division. I currently work part-time for the department as a cold case homicide detective.
WHAT IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE? Being willing to listen to your spouse and never stop dating her.
HONORS YOU’RE ESPECIALLY
PROUD OF: I was named Officer of the Month on two occasions and Supervisor of the Year for the police department in 2018.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: I serve on the Conway Civil Service Commission, and I’m a proud member of True Holiness Saints Center.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON? Spending time with family and grandchildren and watching their eyes light up as they watch our Christmas lights show.
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Training dogs at my business, K9 Corps of Conway, and competing with my dog Django in Protection Sports Association (PSA).
Continued on page 22
By Lori Dunn
Dennis and LuVeta Moore share a love of the Christmas season. They enjoy putting on the annual holiday light show at their home but also see it as giving a gift to their entire community.
"We are big Christmas people. We both grew up in big families who loved Christmas," Dennis said. "We really enjoy doing it and seeing the kids come by every year."
The Moores’ annual light show on Lost Canyon Drive has won the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Light Up Conway Decorating Contest for three years in a row. They are excited to share this year's light show with their friends, neighbors and the thousands of people who take a tour of lights each holiday season.
The couple has created the light show at their home for about four years. Prior to that, they always hung Christmas lights, but their decorating turned more elaborate when they learned how to coordinate the lights on their home with music over car radios. "It's just grown to where we are now," he said.
He joined a group called Arkansas Light Enthusiasts and learned more about how a light show can come together. "Each year, you always have glitches and some snags to work through," Dennis said. “All of the different pieces have to ‘talk to each other’ to make the entire show a success.”
Hendricks House of Lights in Ward (Lonoke County) helps with
the lighting. Dennis estimates between 12,000 to 14,000 lights are used. The show lasts 10 minutes and songs play throughout the show, including favorites by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and "Jesus" by Patti LaBelle, Kem and Ron Isley. The couple adds something new each year, and this year their garage will have a "Matrix" theme.
The show usually kicks off on Thanksgiving night and is on every night through the holidays. The lights are on from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weeknights and from 6 p.m. to later on the weekends.
Dennis grew up in Roland (Pulaski County) and LuVeta is from Menifee (South Conway County). Though they share a love of Christmas, it was a love of roller skating that brought the couple together in the 1980s. "I was a big skater and we met at a skating rink in Conway,” he said. “It was a big hangout place. She blew me off at first, but she finally broke down and had a conversation with me," he laughed. They reconnected when they were both students at UCA. They started dating and have now been married 36 years.
Dennis retired as a sergeant from the Little Rock Police Department but has gone back part-time to investigate cold homicide cases. LuVeta has worked in the electronics department of Snap-On Equipment for 37 years. She is now a supervisor of the electronic technicians. Her knowledge of electronics has helped tremendously with the light show, her husband said. "I do know the safety aspect pretty well. I was a safety supervisor," she said.
By KD Reep
Steve Magie, MD, doesn’t let anything slow him down. An ophthalmologist and state legislator from Arkansas District 56, Dr. Magie is a husband, father, grandfather, Arkansas delegate to the American Medical Association and chair of the legislative committee for the Arkansas Medical Society. He is also secretary for the Faulkner County Medical Society and served on the Arkansas General Assembly public health, agricultural and economic development, budget and rules committees. And he is retiring as the medical director and one of the main partners of MSC Eye Associates in Conway.
“I’ve been married 52 years, and we have 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren,” Rep. Magie said. “I’m proud of what my wife, Becky, and I built together.”
Dr. Magie’s journey began with his father as a mentor.
“I’ve always had an interest in science, math and agriculture,” he said. “He wanted me to pursue medicine, but when I entered college, I wasn’t certain at that time. Turns out, I loved chemistry, and I was accepted to UAMS.”
He narrowed down his field of study to ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology and urology. Since 1985, Rep. Magie has applied himself to ophthalmology, explaining that what drove him to choose this specialty was understanding diabetic eye disease.
“My grandfather was blind from diabetic retinopathy when I was a child,” he said. “After my eye residency, I was accepted into a postgraduate fellowship in New Orleans, where I obtained additional training focusing on diabetic eye disease, age-related macular degeneration and retinal disease. Becky and I returned to Conway to raise our children and make our lives. Our medical practice grew, and we expanded across the state. In addition to my MSC partners Drs. Smith and Charton, I have another group practice, Arkansas Retina.”
Arkansas Retina has full-time offices in Little Rock, Fort Smith and Conway. “I have been blessed by having medical partners who are not only excellent surgeons and physicians but are also the finest men and women I know,” Magie said. “They are all dedicated to serving, to their families and to practicing medicine at the highest levels. I will be leaving our patients with the doctors I trust to treat myself or any member of my family. I am confident my partners will continue to provide patients the ultimate in patient-focused, excellent health care.”
During his four decades as an ophthalmologist, Rep. Magie has seen vast advances in medical and surgical care related to eye treatments. “It truly amazes me the degree to which care has changed,” he said. “Medical and surgical treatments for conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration that weren’t available or even heard of in 1985 are now commonplace in our management. Now, we have advanced medical and surgical options that prevent blindness. It’s made a world of difference for our patients. Shots in the eye in the office, which were unheard of in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, are now a big part of our daily practice. Eye surgeries that years ago took hours, often with lessthan-optimal results, now take 30-60 minutes, and the results are excellent. Eye conditions for which there was, basically, no treatment are now being treated.”
“Dr. Magie always prioritizes the care of patients,” Drs. Justin Charton and Melanie Smith said in a statement. “He is always willing to see a patient regardless of the time of day or associated complexities. We greatly respect his steadfast dedication to patient care through his decades of practicing medicine.”
What he will miss most about his practice is being at the front end of learning and delivering new, innovative healthcare to patients.
“I know my medical partners will continue to do just that,” Rep. Magie said. “But I’m really not leaving it entirely. Many years ago, I began to realize how important it is to be involved with our community, especially at the state level. It is an honor to serve as a state representative. The people of District 56 have entrusted me to represent them, and I will do my very best to work for all the people and continue to earn that trust.”
His goals as a legislator are to work diligently to advocate for everyone. “Because sooner or later, we will all access health care. I want to ensure all Arkansans have access to excellent quality, affordable health care from the doctor they choose. I want patients to continue to learn about their health issues. People need to be armed with the knowledge to make good decisions. Arkansas needs continued economic and educational improvements. I am going to be part of the solutions for all Arkansans.”
Christmas music is already playing at our house, and menu plans are in the making! Topping the list of our favorite desserts would have to be the pound cake that has been the "go-to" for our wedding cakes, our coconut cakes and now, the Snowflake Cake! I was inspired by a photo we saw in another publication and decided to try my hand with our own recipe that we've loved through the ages and to adapt the fondant/snowflakes for our December Tablescape.
The secret to this recipe is the Mazola Corn Oil. We have never published this particular cake, mostly because the cake does not become a scrumptious finished product if Mazola is not used in the cake. Many of our friends in the culinary world have tried to cut corners when the correct oil was not handy from the house pantry, and the result is never the same rich flavor, texture and delightful heaviness when the oil substitution is made. There are many vegetable oils on the market and all of us like our favorite, but this pound cake demands Mazola Corn Oil. We keep a large container of it on hand at all times!
The tablescape features peppermint! We placed the peppermint dishes on rustic placemats and added additional pieces in the peppermint theme to enhance the table. Tipton & Hurst Florist completed the presentation by bringing a beautiful red, white and green floral piece with peppermint surprises nestled in the centerpiece! Holiday napkins, lighted tapers, antique pieces from the family heirlooms–we all have these items handy, and all we need to do is spend the time shopping in our closets, drawers and storerooms. We often set our table after the turkey and dressing are cleared and leave the sparkle of the Christmas table set for the full month of December!
Continued on page 31
Tipton & Hurst created this peppermint-themed Christmas Centerpiece. The festive arrangement features a perfect blend of red and white roses, red ranunculus, white stock, and elegant white Casablanca lilies, all nestled in a bed of lush Christmas greenery. Accented with berries, pinecones, ruscus, jasmine vine and dusty miller, it’s finished with sparkling ornaments, red tapers and a beautiful ribbon. This holiday statement piece brings the warmth and joy of the season to your home.
The focal point has to be the Snowflake Cake! The cake recipe (with the Mazola Corn Oil) is quite simple to mix, and we have given the recipe doubled to ensure we have enough batter for the stacking of the number of layers you prefer. The cake in the photo is made with two eight-inch round layers and two six-inch round layers, baked in greased and floured cake pans. The baking requires the full amount of time, because the cake layers are dense, moist and heavy. The recipe calls for a slightly lower oven of 325 degrees. You may need to adjust baking time according to the calibration of your oven temperature. Bake until firm and lightly golden on the tops of cakes.
After the cake has cooled, we slice the layers in half and spread the top of each one with strawberry jam or preserves for Christmas, and sometimes apricot jam or preserves for fall. The cake needs to be frosted (crumb coated) with the frosting of your choice to enable the fondant to adhere to the cake layers when applied. We like to use a light coating of the traditional Italian Cream Cake frosting, which is offered in the recipes section.
Once the cake is lightly coated with frosting, begin the process of rolling out the fondant. You may make your own fondant, but I choose to purchase mine from a local craft store in a tub container. One of the keys to working with fondant is to have everything at the right temperature so the fondant will roll to the thick/thin covering you desire.
[The optimal temperature for using fondant is 86°F-93°F.]
Sprinkle your work service with powdered sugar, dust your rolling pin with powdered sugar, and knead carefully about two cups of the fondant mixture and roll into a round circle, square, or rectangle–according to whatever size pans and cake you are building. I use my hands to pick up the fondant and place it over the layers of cake; some roll the piece of fondant onto the rolling pin and transfer it over the cake layers in that manner. You may want to cover the larger layers, top and sides, first, then roll out the fondant, cover the top two layers and place on top of the larger bottom-covered layers.
If you are making the Snowflake Cake, roll out a large round of fondant and cut out snowflakes of fondant with your favorite cookie cutter. Let the snowflakes "cure" or harden overnight or for several hours before coating the back side of each snowflake with light Karo Syrup and affixing them randomly on the cake. Then sprinkle the cake with crystal sugar confetti and spray with pearl spray, both available in the cake decorating section at the craft/hobby stores. Fondant frosted cakes are a small challenge to cut, but use a sharp knife and cut slowly.
We have included some wonderful hot beverages to enjoy for the holidays as well!
The weather may be frightful but the fire is so delightful--and since we've no place to go, let it snow a delicious Snowflake Pound Cake with Snowflake Frosting!
See Chef Bingham's recipes on page 33
4 cups all-purpose flour • 4 cups granulated sugar • 2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups Mazola Corn Oil • 2 tsp. vanilla 4 tsp. baking powder • 1/4 tsp. salt •6 eggs
Mix ingredients together and pour into prepared cake pans. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes or until lightly golden and done in center.
1 stick softened butter • 1 box powdered sugar
4 ounces softened cream cheese
Mix thoroughly until smooth and spreadable.
This makes enough for a light coating of the traditional frosting for Italian Cream Cake.
6 cups water • 1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. almond-extract
Juice of three small lemons or two large lemons
3 cups strong brewed tea • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix well. Heat thoroughly in a non-metal pan. Do not boil. Serve hot.
1 quart grape juice (red, white or purple)
3 cups water • 1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks • 8 whole cloves 4 whole allspice
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and pour into mugs. Serves 8.
FIND THE FRESH INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR CHEF BINGHAM’S RECIPES AT YOUR LOCAL HARPS.
By
Erica Kennemer has never let much stop her. Growing up in Searcy, she tagged along with her older sister to a camp, where they would volunteer at the stables. As a 10-year-old, she began to move up from cleaning those stables to helping with trail rides, dressing and saddling horses for more than 10 campers.
“You can say my love for horses goes way back,” Kennemer said. After volunteering during the summers, she attended Harding University and earned her bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. In three consecutive days, she graduated college, married and moved to Texas.
“I was accepted into graduate school for speech in Beaumont, Texas, and I kid you not, I went for two days and came home to my new husband, Justin, crying,” she said. “I told him, ‘I just know I don't want to be a speech therapist anymore, but I love therapy!’ I didn't feel challenged in the right ways, and I was pulled to do something else.”
Kennemer took a year off, working part-time and earning prerequisites for an occupational therapy degree while her husband studied in Galveston, Texas. They both graduated and worked in occupational therapy before getting another pull to do something different. “I was driving home, and the radio guy said more than 300 people were moving into Houston every day, and they've lost land space so they're going to start building these highrise apartments that just follow the highway. I called Justin and said, OK, I'm done. We need to go back home to Arkansas.’ We packed up and headed to Greenbrier, and we’ve been here ever since.”
Her experience working in different sectors–acute care, ICU, and the burn, transplant and cardiac units, as well as working in teaching and prison hospitals–gave her an idea of where she wanted to go next. “I had both experience and a good base of knowledge,” Kennemer explained. “I found some pediatric work in 2017, which was, I think, one of the best things I've ever done. There was a continuing education opportunity that came across
for hippotherapy, and I needed the hours. That first day, I was just enamored. I was like a kid in a candy shop with all the information, the research base and both the simplicity and complexity of hippotherapy. It’s unbelievable to see how effective a child or adult’s movements are more fluid after having ridden a horse, how some don’t have to have a walking aid afterward, or you can see how much their balance has improved. It inspired me, and after talking with Justin, we decided to open HorsePlay, which is now in Conway, Greenbrier and Morrilton,” she said.
Hippotherapy is a unique form of physical, occupational and speech therapy using the natural movement of horses to help individuals with a wide range of physical and neurological challenges. At its core is the horse’s movement, which provides a rhythmic, multidimensional motion similar to the human gait, which gently encourages the rider’s body to respond, promoting core strength, balance and coordination. Unlike traditional physical therapies, which may use machines to simulate gait patterns, hippotherapy offers a natural and adaptable platform where the movement changes subtly with each step, turn or stop.
“Hippotherapy is how a physical, occupational or speech therapist uses equine movement as an integrated part of the care plan, so we're working on the same things we would be working on in a normal clinic, but we're using the horse’s movement and how that stimulates the brain as a tool, just like you would a therapy ball or a balance beam,” Kennemer said.
Trinity Brown, whose son, Rowan, has been in the HorsePlay program for several years, can attest to hippotherapy’s effectiveness.
“He loves horses, so Tuesday mornings are his favorite day of the week,” she said. “We have seen drastic improvements in his core strength, balance and ability to follow complex directions. His language skills have improved, too. Before we started the lessons about four years ago, he rarely responded to things we said to him. Then one night, my husband put him to bed, and Rowan said, out of nowhere, ‘I love you!’ We cried.”
Continued on page 38
A horse’s gait helps stimulate muscles in the trunk and pelvis, improving sitting and standing posture, walking ability and even basic motor skills like reaching and grasping. It’s also a low-impact therapy, which reduces strain on joints and is ideal for patients who cannot participate in weight-bearing exercises.
For individuals with sensory processing disorders, autism spectrum disorder or traumatic brain injury, the sensory feedback received during a hippotherapy session can significantly aid in sensory integration. Hippotherapy provides balance-related and awareness of body position inputs, helping patients better interpret and respond to their environment. Many therapists find children with autism, for example, show improvement in attention span, communication and sensory processing through hippotherapy. Riding a horse also can be emotionally empowering, fostering a sense of independence and confidence. The bond between rider and horse often becomes an essential part of the therapy itself. This emotional component can be especially beneficial for individuals struggling with anxiety, depression or PTSD. Additionally, hippotherapy often happens outdoors, further promoting a sense of relaxation and connection to nature.
Kendra James, whose daughter benefits from hippotherapy at HorsePlay, was so impressed by the gains she saw in her child that she authored a book, “Charlie Horse,” to educate young children and their parents about hippotherapy. “I just felt so inspired by everything I was seeing, just the atmosphere of the program, the kids thriving and feeling on top of the world, and the families, the therapists and the staff. It was just truly inspiring,” James said. “I wasn't sure what that inspiration would turn to, but I got home after one of the sessions, and this little children's book story just poured out of me out of nowhere. Basically, the theme of the story is, while you might not be able to gallop like Charlie the horse, you do have so many beautiful things to offer the world, and you just have to find those things within yourself.”
Kennemer said she wants HorsePlay and a new venture, Therapy Monkey, to be the hub for information and resources for specialneeds children who need help navigating therapy. “We're always looking for ways to improve what we can offer kids in our area. We are child-based, play-based, and we're constantly looking internally to see what else we can do to offer valuable services to kids in Arkansas.”
By Jessica Duff
The dedicated student nutrition staff of Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) is focused on serving nutritious, tasty and affordable breakfast and lunch options in each of the district’s 25 school cafés. This school year, 19 out of 25 PCSSD schools are participating in Provision 2 of the National School Lunch Act, which provides meals at no charge for all students on campus. For the Maumelle Feeder, this means students at Pine Forest Elementary, Crystal Hill Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary and Maumelle Middle can all receive free meals, regardless of eligibility category.
Even with Provision 2 in place, Student Nutrition Director Regena English urges each family to fill out the free and reduced lunch applications. “There are several benefits to getting approved for free and reduced lunches,” she said. “First, of course, it eliminates breakfast and lunch costs for families approved for both free and reduced lunches. But the benefits go beyond meals at school. It also allows students to take the ACT test at no cost.” Other provisions include Title I funding for students, reduced internet costs and a $120 EBT card sent to each student who qualifies for summer meals.
To provide both nutritious meals and enriching educational programs, the district partners with Chartwells K12, a food management service. Chartwells K12 District Manager Brady Martin shared PCSSD’s most recent Student Nutrition Events and what’s coming next. Throughout the fall, PCSSD secondary students all had the chance to cast a vote for menu items they’d like added to their cafeteria menu during Chartwells Student Choice events. Students had the choice between Asian chicken hoagie with Thai slaw and a Hawaiian flatbread. For elementary students, Martin’s team introduced new foods through a program called Discovery Kitchen.
Designed to introduce secondary students to a new authentic dish from a different culinary culture, Global Eats is one of Chartwells’ newest initiatives. “Global Eats encourages students to taste new foods and flavors while learning about different cultures around the world, highlighting unique ingredients and flavors from India, Korea, the Caribbean, Mexico, China and Italy and more. Recipes for Global Eats are developed by the Chartwells K12 Culinary Innovation Council in partnership with a series of celebrity chefs who specialize in global cuisines,” said Martin. In the spring, during an elementary program called Mood Boost, students will learn about ingredients aimed to help fuel specific moods or feelings, such as alert, calm, confident, happy, smart and strong.
PCSSD school cafes also participate in National School Breakfast Week (NSBW). “This is a time to celebrate the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success. This special observance during the first week of March celebrates the National School Breakfast Program and the many ways it gives kids a great start every day,” said English.
Both English and Martin agree that student nutrition is an integral ingredient for success in the classroom. “Scholars need fuel to learn and they get that by eating a well-rounded breakfast and lunch. Our menus are carefully put into place to add the nutrients students need to learn and grow while at school,” said English.
“The better our students are fueled and focused, the better they will perform academically,” Martin said. “And students who are performing better are more likely to have fewer absences and be more enthusiastic about their education. And beyond the scholastic element, it is important to instill healthy eating habits into our youth as early as possible to help set them up for a healthier and more successful life after they walk out of our doors for the final time.”
Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in Central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 25 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927. PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.
Executive Director, Conway Downtown Partnership
Downtown Conway in December is filled with festive activities, holiday cheer and community events. Here are some of the highlights:
Holiday Madness—the second Saturday in December is all about Mistletoe Madness. The day marks the “12 days until Christmas” countdown.
Conway Christmas Parade—A beloved tradition, the Christmas Parade takes place in early December. Floats, marching bands and local organizations participate, bringing holiday spirit to the streets of downtown Conway. The event is hosted by and benefits Toys for Tots.
Christmas Open Houses—Downtown retailers host holiday open houses throughout the month featuring special sales, extended hours and festive decorations.
Visits with Santa—Santa Claus often makes appearances downtown, giving families and children the chance to meet him and take holiday photos. Look for special events at local businesses or community spaces.
Holiday Concerts & Performances—Local schools, churches and performing arts groups host holiday-themed concerts, plays and musical performances at downtown venues
Festive Dining Experiences—Many downtown restaurants offer holiday menus or seasonal dishes. It's a great time to enjoy a cozy meal after a day of shopping or attending an event.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Services—Churches in and around downtown often hold candlelight services on Christmas Eve, providing a peaceful and reflective way to celebrate.
Last-Minute Shopping—The week leading up to Christmas is perfect for last-minute gifts, with many businesses offering wrapping services.
The festive atmosphere, combined with various holiday events and activities, makes December a special time to enjoy Historic Downtown Conway.
By Karl Lenser
The winter season is upon us, and that usually means the temperatures are steadily falling and the days continue to exhibit a smaller number of hours of daylight. In addition to chillier temperatures and shorter hours of daylight, the cloudy, rainy and possibly icy/snowy season is also in full throttle during the months of December, January and February.
These conditions definitely present a challenge to exercise enthusiasts who enjoy being outdoors while walking, cycling or running. The darkness factor alone is a major obstacle to maintaining a consistent outdoor exercise regimen. For those of us whose only time to get outside to walk or jog is before or after work, it is additionally challenging as the darkness is present in the early mornings and after 5 p.m.
The good news is that there are strategies and tactics that can be employed to overcome the challenges of the rainy, cold and dark season that will be upon us for the next few months.
For individuals who belong to a fitness center, the winter season will probably have a lesser impact on one’s fitness routine since the workouts can be done inside in a warm and dry environment. Despite this advantage, I have found out from many years of experience in the fitness industry that the cold and dark mornings make it difficult at times for even some of the extremely serious fitness fanatics. (“The warm comforter was too warm and too comfortable.”)
If you do not have access to a fitness center, there are some tactics that may be beneficial. For instance, if you enjoy outdoor walking or running and wish to keep up your routine, the most basic and practical guideline is to “dress for success” to combat the elements. Outdoor walking and running necessitate keeping your head and hands warm so you stay comfortable and enjoy the physical activity. Cold ears and fingers will quickly turn a positive and enjoyable walk/run into a negative one. To increase the comfort level of your hands when temperatures drop below 30 degrees, the
ideal choice for hand warmth is to wear mittens since the fingers are held closely together in the mitten and the heat from each finger helps the entire hand stay warm. For walkers or runners who venture out during the early mornings or in the evenings, be sure to wear a reflective vest, reflective wristbands or a headlamp that will help motorists see you in the darkness.
When it is not possible to walk outside, indoor mall walking is another option that one can utilize if a mall is relatively close to home. Another indoor option would include going to Walmart, Lowe’s or Home Depot or other large accessible areas that are safe and warm. Walking the circumference of these large stores can definitely assist you in achieving your step goal for the day.
In addition to boosting your cardiovascular fitness, strength training can also be done without a fitness center. Strength bands, tubing, kettlebells, stability balls and your own body weight can be used to tone muscles and enhance daily functionality. Investing 20 to 30 minutes three or four times a week can make a big difference in getting leaner and stronger. For some exercise ideas, consider checking out personal trainer/coaching apps online or on YouTube, as these will have free workouts for a wide range of fitness levels. Ask friends or co-workers for help in finding some workouts that match your fitness level and goals.
Another great strategy that will definitely help in conquering the winter doldrums is to find a walking or running partner. Having someone to whom you are accountable can make a huge difference in your workout consistency and overall success. Partnerships are a win-win factor—especially when the conditions outside are not ideal or when your motivation level is at a low point.
The winter months ahead do present an obstacle for maintaining a fitness routine for those who choose to exercise outdoors. Keeping fit in these cooler and wetter months can be done with a little bit of planning and preparation that can guide you in achieving your fitness goals.
By Rita Halter Thomas • Photos by Makenzie Evans
Learning the Word, living the Word, and loving people are principles Don Chandler has applied to ministry for 57 years.
“You cannot talk to a man about God until you talk to God about a man,” he said, emphasizing prayer as key. Chandler currently serves as the senior pastor of Central Baptist Church in Conway, a congregation he has led for 45 years.
Serving that long in one location is itself phenomenal, and equally unique is to have all his children and each of their families as members of the same church. Until Maggie, his wife of 53 years, passed in 2020, there were 15 Chandler family members at church every Sunday, always dining together afterward. “My wife and I could not have been, for all those years, any more blessed,” he said of the privilege to pastor all his children and their spouses, and to pastor and baptize all seven grandchildren.
Central Baptist Church, established in 1952 on the corner of Lee and Watkins streets, saw an average Sunday attendance under 100 when Chandler came. Under his care, the church grew to more than 350 in attendance over the next 20 years. Literally running out of room to build or park, they sold the property and purchased 30 acres on Dave Ward Drive, their current location. Average attendance now exceeds a thousand. “We average about 110 to 115 additions every year,” Chandler said. “It’s an active church and folks keep joining. It’s just been a wonderful experience,” he said. It takes a lot of hands to shepherd the sizable flock. Chandler feels blessed to have hired some of the best staff ministers available, and credits God for bonding them together in service. “We are great friends…I have a remarkable staff. I have surrounded myself with guys who know what they are supposed to do and how to do it, and I have tried my best to let them do that,” he said.
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‘You are somebody’s preacher when you stand before them and teach every Sunday, but you become their pastor when you visit in the hospital, [preach] a funeral service of a loved one, marry their kids, or counsel with them... that is how you become somebody’s pastor.’
— Don Chandler
Wanda May, director of membership care, has served with Chandler the longest, for 44 of his 45 years. “Having been a member since birth, I’ve been through several pastors. He has been a great shepherd and leader for our church,” she said, adding that Chandler is also a good mentor and friend to others in the ministry.
“One of my passions is to leave behind what God has taught me along the way,” Chandler said. After a trip to Israel in the early 1970s, Chandler was inspired. Since then he has taken 20 trips, leading more than 500 others to the Holy Land, trips he says contributed to everyone’s spiritual growth.
“Our folks are very aware of missions. We support national and international and local missions,” he said. Locally, the church gives to Renewal Ranch, Soaring Wings Ranch and Life Choices. Nationally, the church gives through state associations being dually aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Missionary Association. Internationally, the church is heavily involved in Guatemala, making several trips annually to take medical teams and share the gospel. The church also supports a full-time missionary couple serving in Budapest, Hungary.
Central Baptist Church serves the local community by hosting events like the annual Drive Through Christmas. Visitors drive through the parking lot, then wind their way through scenes of Bethlehem and Jerusalem to view the manger scene, a marketplace, live animals, and members dressed in Bible-period costumes. This year, Drive Through Christmas is 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 5-7.
Chandler builds relationships. “You are somebody’s preacher when you stand before them and teach every Sunday, but you become their pastor when you visit in the hospital, [preach] a funeral service of a loved one, marry their kids, or counsel with them...that is how you become somebody’s pastor,” he said.
When asked the secret to his service longevity, Chandler said, “You cannot lead people that you don’t love. Paul said if you have all the spiritual gifts mentioned in scripture and you don’t have love, you don’t have anything,” he said, reiterating the need to spend “mega time” in prayer.
To learn more about Central Baptist Church, visit conwaycentralchurch.org.
KID OF THE MONTH
LITTLE ROCK
By Donna Lampkin Stephens
Photos by Makenzie Evans
For the Sherbet/Lo family of Little Rock, the holidays are all about “The Nutcracker” ballet.
Their daughter, Olivia, 10, will play Clara in Ballet Arkansas’s “Nutcracker Spectacular” with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 13-15. The Sugar Plum Ball, part of CARTI’s Festival of Trees, is a tradition on the family’s calendar. And from midNovember through the holidays, their home brims with nutcrackerthemed decorations, thanks to Christina Gore Design Studio.
Drs. Daniel Sherbet and Monica Lo are cardiologists at Arkansas Heart Hospital.
“It’s all Christina,” Lo said. “She knows that Olivia’s really into ballet. One year, she surprised us with a nutcracker tree. Since we’re both physicians, we don’t have a lot of time to really pick out stuff, and she knows, just from working on different projects with us, what we like and that we get easily overwhelmed with too many choices. I tell her, ‘You do you,’ and she goes with it. The nutcracker tree was a real big surprise. And a good one.”
Olivia is the family’s first ballerina. “We’re a lot more left-brained,” Lo said of herself and her husband. “But I’m learning a lot about it. We put her in different activities just to kind of explore different things, and she really gravitated toward ballet. She was 3 when she started, and she did different sports, and in the end, we consider ballet the most graceful sport. You have to be athletic to be able to do ballet.”
Olivia’s “Nutcracker” experience goes back several years. Lo said she debuted as a little mouse, then became an angel and then a party girl last year. Rehearsals began shortly after Labor Day.
Between those and her other lessons, she is dancing seven days a week.
“We look forward to this time of the year,” Lo said.
Gore, too, is a “Nutcracker” alumna. “I was a baby angel, and I ran across the stage,” she said. “I have the best memories from that. I relate to Olivia so well.”
Gore has worked with the family on several decorating projects in multiple homes. “I’d gotten to know the family very well, and I knew Olivia had a love for dance, especially ballet,” she said. “And what is more Christmas than ‘The Nutcracker?’”
When the family moved into their current home, Gore created all new Christmas decorations for them. “Olivia also plays the piano beautifully, and the piano is near the Christmas tree, so I just thought with all the beautiful music in ‘The Nutcracker’ and then with her loving ballet, it fell into place for me, and this is what we needed to do,” Gore said.
The tree in the family’s piano room is decorated with scenes from the ballet, nutcrackers are on the mantel, and Gore transformed the dining room with a sugar plum theme. Lo remembered the family’s first glimpse of Gore’s nutcracker handiwork several years ago. “We gasped,” she said. “Olivia jumped up and down. Just seeing that magic in her eyes was just great. You can pick out all the details on the tree, every scene of the ballet. It’s just great to be able to find little surprises in the tree. Every year, she adds a little something different, special ornaments she finds.
“I can’t wait to see what I find when I come home.”
This year, Gore has added silver and gold nutcrackers to the curved staircase, extra branches and ribbon for the tree and a pair of 9-foot illuminated nutcrackers for the front porch. “We want it to be really magical,” she said. “We try to incorporate something from every scene (of the ballet). You can stand there a good bit and follow the scenes.”
Gore said when she watched Olivia in last year’s Ballet Arkansas production, she thought she could be Clara. “I was trying not to be partial, but I thought she did a beautiful job,” she said. “I wasn’t really surprised when Monica texted me this year that she got the part.”
Lo said the role was almost like every little girl’s dream. “This is so fun, just magic,” she said. “When she found out she was Clara, she was jumping up and down, screaming. It was so exciting.”
They will entertain family and friends from across the country and beyond for the performances. Lo and Sherbet moved to the 501 from Texas more than a decade ago. Her mother is coming from Taiwan and an uncle is coming from California to support their little Clara.
Olivia and her passion have influenced her family in other ways as well.
“I didn’t know anything about ballet, but because of her, I’ve learned a lot,” Lo said. “I’ve joined the board of directors of Ballet Arkansas. It’s great to have a company like this with the opportunity for her to be able to do this on stage with professionals.”
“The Nutcracker Spectacular” is Arkansas’s largest and longest-running holiday production presented with live music by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, according to balletarkansas.org.
Greenbrier has quickly grown to be a hot spot in Central Arkansas to create special holiday memories with your family and our calendar is packed full of opportunities to celebrate the season. Enjoy a magical winter experience in Matthews Park. We have something for everyone—from skating on the FAB&T rink, to listening to beautiful Christmas carols sung by Greenbrier public school choirs and meeting Santa and the Grinch. Enjoy the amazing light display and the magnificent return of the Piccolo Zoppé Circus! On Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m., you will not want to miss Central Arkansas’s largest Christmas Parade featuring larger-than-life floats, antique cars, walking groups and more.
Our small businesses are ready to servE you all month with last-minute gifts.
To learn about what we have to offer and so much more, visit greenbrierchamber.org or gogreenbrier.com
The Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce hosted a night of unforgettable entertainment and nonstop laughter on Nov. 14. Greenbrier's Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown was held at Herschel Hall, where local "celebrities" took the stage to compete for the coveted title Lip Sync Star and various other awards.
Greenbrier's Supremes, Dolly, Cher, Taylor Swift, Spice Girls, Justin Bieber, Vanilla Ice and various other acts made appearances. The event was sponsored by Centennial Bank and B Hive Catering. “We raised $4,000 throughout the night that benefits the Matthews Park Amphitheater capital campaign,” said Greenbrier Chamber President/CEO Ashton Pruitt. “To learn more about the chamber's capital campaign and our community's dream of constructing a beautiful amphitheater in Matthews Park, visit greenbrierchamber.org/news.”
By Beth Jimmerson
Whether you prefer a light touch or are the next Clark Griswold, holiday lights are a part of the season.
While traditional string lights and decorative lights are a staple, they can use significant amounts of energy. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that annually, American Christmas lights consume 6.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity — that’s enough to power 14 million refrigerators.
At a time when we’re already worried about additional shopping, traveling and hosting, you don’t need to worry about your next utility bill. Luckily, there are a few ways to decorate for the holiday while keeping efficiency in mind and your energy costs down.
It’s time to toss out your old strings of lights. Today’s newer LED lights let you shine through the holidays for a fraction of the cost. Outdoor LED lights use 80 to 90 percent less energy than incandescent string lights so you can stay festive while saving energy. Plus, they last up to 100,000 hours – around 10 years –versus the 3,000 average lifespan for incandescent Christmas lights.
If you have a typical modest Christmas display on your home, your energy costs would be approximately $10-15 for incandescent lights but only around $2 for LEDs for the entire holiday season. And the savings improve with every addition to your holiday display.
For heavy usage, where people slow down to see your house, the typical energy costs would be approximately $115 for traditional lights versus $15-20 for LED lights.
For a jaw-dropping display where people make your house a destination to admire your holiday cheer, the costs could be more than $300 with traditional lighting versus a modest $40-50 with LEDs.
It’s clear that LED holiday lights are the front-runner for economical Christmas decoration. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy calculates that the cost of lighting a 6-foot Christmas tree with LED mini-lights for 12 hours a day only adds 82 cents of additional power consumption over the holiday season. But that’s not the only benefit.
With traditional lights, you can only connect four or five strings of lights together to one outlet, limiting the amount of lights you can safely use in one area. With LED lights, you can safely connect 20-plus light strings together. If the ultimate decorations are your holiday dream, LED lights are the safer solution.
LED Christmas lights also come in a wider range of colors, are generally brighter than incandescent light strings and even come in strings connected to dimmers for different lighting effects. Look for warm white to recreate the look of incandescent bulbs. LED light sets are generally rated to last decades, not just a season or two, meaning you can keep adding to your holiday collection each year instead of merely replacing burned-out old versions of the same lights year after year.
LED lights burn with less heat, which reduces the risk of fire. But electrical safety with Christmas lights is still an important topic. According to the National Fire Protection Fire Association, nearly half of home Christmas tree fires were caused by faulty electrical plugs or lighting equipment. The easiest way to avoid the issue? Use an artificial tree that is labeled fire retardant. If it does catch fire, it will resist burning and the fire will be easier to put out.
For indoor decorations, make sure any extension cords are rated for the number of lights you are plugging in and the distance the cord is running. Occasionally check the extension cord at the electrical outlet – if the outlet or extension cord is warm, that’s a problem. Unplug the lights and talk to an electrician.
Extension cords also play a big role in outdoor lighting safety. Use an extension cord that’s rated for outdoor use and based on how far the power needs to travel. If you need a longer cord, purchase one with a 12- or 10-gauge weight. For strings of lights, use a 16-gauge extension cord for light runs of 25 feet or less and go with a heavier-duty 14-gauge cord for runs over 25 feet.
You can always save energy and have a safer Christmas by skipping decorations altogether, but it’s just not the holidays without a few twinkling lights. It’s easy to stay safe and save money while still enjoying all the season has to offer. If you haven’t switched to LED lights, now is the time.
Looking for more ways to save this winter? Conway Corp’s Energy Smart program offers free residential energy audits to help customers identify how much energy their homes consume and what measures may be taken to make their homes more energy efficient. The analysis will show a homeowner any problems that may, when corrected, save significant amounts of money over time. A home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes while evaluating what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient.
During the audit process, a Conway Corp certified energy professional will perform a walk-through inspection of your home using various techniques and equipment to determine its energy-efficiency level. The inspection will help you understand the efficiency level of your home’s heating and cooling systems, look at how your windows and doors seal, inspect insulation levels, show you ways to conserve electricity, and help identify leaks in your home.
Annually, homes that have received a free audit from Energy Smart save more than $1.9 million combined in utility costs. Over the lifetime of the program, these homes have saved more than $12 million. Some solutions are simple and inexpensive. For example, a $4 tube of caulk might save you $100 in energy costs. Other improvements might be more expensive but can be made over time, like installing efficient low-wattage lighting fixtures, adding insulation or upgrading to Energy Star-rated appliances.
By Mike Kemp
After 161/2 years, I’m shifting focus in my work and am stepping away as Photo Director for 501 LIFE Magazine.
I started working with 501 LIFE in March of 2008. Sonja Keith—who hired me at the Log Cabin Democrat some 15 years earlier—was launching the magazine with her partners Donna Spears and Tracy Ferrell and approached me about doing some freelance photography for the publication.
I will now be writing a quarterly column about my love of motorcycling. It has been a rewarding experience, watching the magazine thrive while other forms of media experienced upheaval and change.
The variety of the assignments has helped scratch an itch formed during my days as a photojournalist. From month to month, there was always a new set of stories to illustrate life in the 501 area code, each with its unique challenges.
From the first issue, where I spent a couple of afternoons wandering downtown Conway to illustrate revitalization efforts, to my last issue in September of this year, being able to connect with the people I met through my work has been truly meaningful.
Some were people I knew, such as Rodney Sanders, who posed with his son and nephew at the Conway Fire Department training facility for a cover shoot on a cold December night. Struggling with wind and the timing to balance the exposure from my flash with the flames and lights from a fire truck, it was a memorable experience to capture the exact image my mind’s eye had envisioned.
Another time, it was with my friend Richie Ryerson, who shares a passion for two-wheeled transportation. He just likes buzzing through the forest, whether it be under his own propulsion or through internal combustion.
We needed to illustrate a “Wheels” theme, and he met me on a trail at Cadron Settlement Park. Due to a scheduling conflict, I arrived late and set up in a light rain. Despite
dwindling light and precipitation, we created a photo I still am proud of—and there was only one close call where Richie almost collided with me.
Others I had never met, such as Bill Ledbetter, a veteran of WWII who I photographed in his home. Although age had robbed his mobility, his mind was still very sharp—he remembered with great clarity the sound of bullets whizzing through his Jeep as Japanese soldiers fired at him.
That shoot was memorable not only for the conversation with a battle-hardened veteran, but it also produced a portrait that was placed in the Professional Photographers of America’s loan collection. That’s an honor I’m still quite proud of.
Another time, I met champion duck caller Jordan Case at sunset, also at Cadron. After quick introductions, we piled into his boat and zipped across the Arkansas River to an island he was familiar with. As the sun lowered, I quickly set up a light and set my exposure to grab a shot that made it look as though he might be waiting on ducks at sunrise.
My khakis provided little warmth as we rushed back across the river on that late fall evening. I was in a time crunch due to a teaching commitment that night, but by the time I got to class, I was showing the students the images I took from the screen on the back of the camera. I was pumped with the results.
One of the most profound shoots was two years ago with A.J. Turner. It was a quick session in my studio with a boy who had survived leukemia only to face a life-threatening bacterial infection which caused him to lose his hearing.
It was challenging to communicate with him, but the story of his survival against the odds pushed me to produce something that would be impactful for the magazine’s readers. Although it was a bronze-level award winner in the Professional Photographers of America’s International Photo Competition, the words his mother, Katrina Morris, said about the image were the biggest prize I could receive.
“This photo is one of my favorites of A.J. because it explains everything,” she said. “It is every one of his sacrifices, all in one picture.”
It is my hope that the work I’ve done has held the same significance with all my subjects.
Conway organizations recognized at AHCA Olympic event
The Arkansas Health Care Association District 1 hosted its Senior Olympics at the Conway Expo and Event Center on Oct. 23. Facilities from the area were encouraged to get into the Halloween spirit as they participated in friendly competitions like wheelchair races, bean bag tosses and a dance showdown. More than 100 people attended the event thanks to the help of volunteers and facility staff. Awards were given for Best Banner, Best Spirit and Best T-shirt.
Best Banner Award
Salem Place Nursing & Rehabilitation in Conway.
Best Spirit Award
Superior Health & Rehab in Conway.
Best T-Shirt Award
Greenbrier Nursing & Rehabilitation in Greenbrier.
The nonprofit Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) at the University of Central Arkansas hosted the Great Gatsby Gala on Oct. 17 at Legacy Acres as a fundraiser to support their mission of providing opportunities to connect women from various backgrounds. Several hundred people attended, donning flapper dresses, dapper suits and vintage accessories for a night of glamor, fun and philanthropy. They stepped back into the roaring twenties and enjoyed a meal by Pasta Grill, a silent auction and a Gaming Speakeasy. Bijoux provided live music, and the décor took the audience back to the golden age of the roaring 1920s!
Rick and Peggy Sublett are always ready to be Mr. and Mrs. Claus for a Cause
By Becky Bell
Photos by Makenzie Evans and Mike Kemp
There is magic in the air as the days count down to the most wonderful time of the year.
And part of what makes it the best time of year in Central Arkansas is a special Santa Claus, who when he is not working at the North Pole is also known as Rick Sublett.
He is so real, he is married to a Mrs. Claus, his wife Peggy Sublett, and they even have a mini-Australian shepherd dog, Dasher, named after one of Santa’s famous reindeer.
Every year, when the calendar turns over to November, Santa Sublett puts on one of his two costumes–the traditional one in Coca-Cola red, with a fur-trimmed collar and reindeer-embossed belt, or the one with a green vest and robe, which can be less cumbersome on some of the home visits he makes and when Santa needs to cool off a bit.
“Oh, it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It makes you feel young
to see the joy in the kids’ eyes when they come up to see Santa Claus. It’s really rewarding.”
It all started about 16 years ago in Conway, when there was a Festival of Lights at the soccer fields. Next, there was an idea to bring something extra to the Conway Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast, which is hosted around Thanksgiving each year. That something extra was naming the event Breakfast with Santa and giving attendees the opportunity to take a photo with the big guy.
“In the first year before Santa, we would have maybe 150 to 200 people through the door for all you could eat pancakes and sausage,” Santa Sublett said. “After we started offering photos with Santa and would also post on the website so people could download on the website, we have about 700, other than during COVID-19.
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Sublett, 64, has evolved into his role as Santa over the years as he certainly never looked like one as a younger man. Peggy said when she first met him while working as a bank teller in Conway, he was a “skinny rodeo cowboy,” which is about as far from a plump, jolly, joybringing Santa as you can get.
“I
used to use a padded belly, but over the last 10 years, it has gotten better or worse, however you want to describe it.”
—
His beard is also the real thing. For years he had to add one, but now when the tiny tots tug at his beard to check the authenticity of the one who fills their stockings and slides presents under the tree, they know they are dealing with Santa himself.
For Santa Sublett, meeting children at Breakfast with Santa and similar activities is rewarding, but the home visits where he goes to visit families in need are some of the most special moments, spreading the spirit of the Christmas season.
An example of a home visit which still makes him become mistyeyed is one year when a fellow Kiwanian purchased a home visit with Santa Sublett to be given away to a family. This Kiwanian and his Sunday school class wanted to bless a single father who was a construction worker and hadn’t been able to work for several months due to an injury.
And as it turns out, a visit from Santa was just what this family needed to believe in the magic of Christmas during a season of hardship in their lives.
“I went in with gifts in my bag over my shoulder,” Santa Sublett said. “These kids were older, and they didn’t have a great outlook on Christmas that year. I gave them clothes and shoes, and you would have thought I gave them the world. There was joy in their eyes and joy in their dad’s eyes.”
Santa Sublett said as he left the home of the injured father that day, he happened to look back and saw the man in the driveway with tears in his eyes. Those are the kind of moments that keep him suiting up each Christmas to spread Christmas cheer.
“He didn’t think his kids would get anything for Christmas, and I was a small part of that,” he said. “It helped him and showed him that people did care.”
Those kind of home visits and visits to Children’s Hospital to hand out stuffed animals to children too sick to spend Christmas with their families are deeply special to him.
Another special visit to share the love of Christmas was at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Little Rock. Taking blankets to the veterans and thanking them for their service was not something he will ever forget or take for granted.
“The veterans there have been there for a while and felt completely forgotten. They were just as excited to see Santa as any child ever was,” he said, looking back. “There were a lot of tears that day, lots of prayers. But I wouldn’t take anything for that opportunity. I’m glad we went.”
Santa Sublett will be out spreading his Christmas magic again this year, and you never know Central Arkansas—you might just see him coming down a chimney near you.
By David Grimes
This is the first in a series of articles about the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) inductees from the 501.
The ASHOF museum is located inside Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.
The initial ASHOF banquet was held in downtown Little Rock at the old Hotel Marion. That once-grand venue was razed in 1980 to make way for a new development that included the Excelsior Hotel, which later became the Peabody and is now a Marriott. Also constructed was the adjoining Statehouse Convention Center, which would later host several ASHOF induction banquets
For this first profile, we feature an inductee from the very first class. In 1959, Jim Lee Howell was part of the inaugural group of ASHOF selections, along with Bill Dickey, Ivan Grove, Wear Schoonover and Hazel Walker.
Howell was born in Lonoke in 1914. He grew to 6’5” and 210 pounds and attended the University of Arkansas, where he played both football and basketball.
Playing for basketball coach Glen Rose, Howell earned varsity letters in 1934, 1935 and 1936. As a guard, he helped the Hogs win Southwest Conference regular season championships in 1935 and 1936 and was named All-SWC in 1936.
That 1936 team finished 24-3. The NCAA Tournament that has become a fixture each March was not yet in existence, but this Razorback squad had a chance to qualify to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics, where basketball was an official sport for the very first time. However, the Hogs fell just short of making the trip to Berlin.
On the gridiron, Howell played receiver and defensive back and lettered in 1933, 1934 and 1935. Howell had the opportunity to play in the NFL when he was signed by the New York Giants in 1937. He remained with the team until 1947, but like many professional athletes of the era, Howell put his career on hold during World War II, missing three seasons while serving in the Marines.
Howell maintained ties to home during his playing days, returning during the offseason to help run the family farm. He even got elected in 1940 to the Arkansas House of Representatives for Lonoke County, serving one term.
During his career, Howell played 72 games, hauling in 61 catches for 921 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was a part of the Giants team that won the NFL championship in 1938.
In 1947, Howell was named head football coach at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. After seven seasons he returned to the
Giants, where he would enjoy great success as head coach from 1954 to 1960.
His Giants won the NFL Championship in 1956, crushing the Chicago Bears 47-7, and Howell was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Sporting News. He coached several future Pro Football Hall of Fame players, including running back Frank Gifford and linebacker Sam Huff. But it was the coaching staff he assembled that really stood out.
Running the offense for the Giants was Vince Lombardi, and heading up the defense was Tom Landry. Both men would go on to win two Super Bowls each, Lombardi with the Green Bay Packers and Landry with the Dallas Cowboys. Both also have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1958, the Giants made a return trip to the NFL title game, but came up just short, losing 23-17 to the Baltimore Colts. Often called “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” it was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in sudden-death overtime. Many consider this the key game that helped popularize pro football in America, due to its dramatic finish that was broadcast to a national audience by NBC during the early days of television.
Howell’s career record with New York was 55-29-4, and his winning percentage is among the best in NFL history. After his retirement from coaching he remained with the Giants organization, serving as Director of Player Personnel and in other various roles until his retirement in the 1980s.
Howell has been inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Wagner College Athletic Hall of Fame and the New York Giants Ring of Honor. He passed away in 1995 in Lonoke at the age of 80.
By Stefanie Brazile
For those of you who like to veer off the interstate and drive the highways of yesteryear, I encourage you to take Highway 64 out of Conway and head towards Morrilton. About 10 minutes into your drive, you’ll pass from Faulkner County into Conway County, and through a small town named Menifee.
The city of nearly 300 people doesn’t have a gas station or a grocery store, but there is a rich history that lives there in the hearts and minds of its residents. Leaders are working to educate younger adults about a time when Menifee was the center of education for Black youth in the county. And as you turn back the pages of history, you find Menifee’s roots began at Jamison Station, which is located a half mile west of what natives refer to as “Old Menifee.” Jamison Station was established at the river crossing known as Menifee Ferry.
I was fortunate to hear about the town’s history on an October morning when Mayor Terry Coleman gave me a tour of the town he was raised in and is proud to serve. “I want people to know that we have a rich history, and that we do care about what goes on here,” he said. Coleman is in his second year as mayor after serving on the city council for two decades. He has several goals in mind during his administration.
As mayor, he wants the community’s history to be documented and taught. He also wants to host annual events to bring citizens together to rebuild a sense of community that he believes has been gone for 40 years. To that end, Coleman appointed a History Commission, with Menifee native Dr. Alice Hines as chair.
On Aug. 27, Hines and other History Commission members started on the mayor’s mission. They met with more than 50 community members in the multi-purpose room at City Hall to present “Reaching for Dignity Through Education.” The interactive session took attendees back to 1872, after Emancipation, when Jamison Station was founded.
“You have to understand what Emancipation meant to people,” Hines said. “Black people settled and founded this town as early as 1872, and it was later folded into Menifee. Jamison Station was settled because these people wanted to come into an area where they could be safe and have control over their lives.”
Over time, the women of Jamison Station pressured their husbands to build one-room, log cabin schools around the community, and three were constructed. Later, the schools were centralized onto the property where City Hall and the gym stand, just off Highway 64.
“At one time, Menifee had more than 500 people, a train station and the first post office in the state with an African American postmaster,” Coleman said.
Those three schools went through two movements. The first was in 1919, when parents from the region consolidated nine Black schools from communities in the county, according to a history published in 1982 by Estelle Mitchell Spearman. They became East Side School District Number Five, and students were bused to the large campus where seven buildings stood, including the gym and homes on the property where instructors lived.
TOP LEFT: A mural and plaque dated 2013 captures the history of Menifee. It states: This project was made possible through a Hearst Foundation Grant and Hendrix College. It was completed under the thoughtful guidance of Dr. Alice Hines, Hendrix College Professor Emerita, longtime Menifee resident and inspirational community leader. Dr. Alice Hines is pictured below the mural.
Photo by Mike Kemp provided courtesy of Hendrix College.
BOTTOM LEFT: Mayor Terry Coleman stands behind the headstone of Buffalo Soldier Joe Davis. The headstone is on the left of the photo. According to the headstone, He was a Private in the Pioneer Infantry during WWI. He was born in 1890 and died in 1953. Photos by Stefanie Brazile.
“I want to make a difference for my community and see progress. We will celebrate our 60th birthday next August with a huge celebration!”
— Mayor Terry Coleman
On Aug. 27, 1965, Menifee was incorporated as a town. Old Menifee had multiple churches, an ice cream parlor, a movie theater, Stell’s Grocery, Mitchell’s Grocery and a gas station according to Coleman, who took me to the sites where the businesses operated. We also visited the city park and the Menifee Community Cemetery, where a Buffalo soldier who served in WWI was buried in 1953.
Hines was the perfect appointee to head the History Commission, which will play a role in planning the birthday event. She taught English and Fine Arts at Hendrix College for 36 years, retiring in 2017 as the C. Louis and Charlotte Cabe Distinguished Professor Emerita of English.
“Education was so important to the founders,” Hines said. “We believe in the significance of education and are proud of who we are and our ancestors. We have no issue identifying them and the contributions they made to sustain this place, and we plan to sustain it. Also, we are intentional in reclaiming and honoring our history.”
Part of that history includes a devastating tornado that destroyed five of seven buildings on the school campus in May 1960. Only
the gym and the high school remained, and Hines recalls several people dying from injuries. Because of the destruction, more homes and businesses were built along Highway 64.
Another event that changed the course of Menifee occurred in 1979. Because of desegregation and a lawsuit, a Federal District Court ordered that Morrilton, Plumerville, and Menifee school districts merge to form the South Conway County School District. Coleman said that no one thought of it at the time, but it decentralized the community. “Through this 40-year absence [of a local school], we have not been brought together. This is a great community and when a tragedy happens, they come together. But I want to bring them together each year and expose them to our history.”
Hines, Coleman and other Menifee natives are working to remind people that Menifee has a rich history that deserves to be celebrated. I encourage you to veer off I-40, lighten up on the accelerator and take 64 to or from Morrilton. As you pass through Menifee, imagine the hustle and bustle of a thriving community that was the center of educating Black youth for more than a century. Imagine families and friends celebrating birthdays, Christmases and milestones and then remember—they still are.
a gorgeous
By Judy Riley
We rarely think of barns as art galleries, but more than 700 of them in the Natural State are just that. At one time, barns dotted the countryside in rural Arkansas, primarily as storage for hay and equipment. Barn Quilt Trails are Arkansas’s newest nod to the history of quilting traditions. Quilt making is purely an American craft, considered the only creative outlet for many women in colonial times. They used scraps of fabric to piece together warm bed coverings. A splurge was purchasing new fabric to make a quilt in honor of an event, such as a wedding or a new baby. There was a common thought that every quilt had to have at least one minor flaw because only God could make anything perfect. It is common to find one piece a different color or an appliqued piece slightly imperfect on older quilts.
While the workmanship of most quilts is often hidden in closets or displayed on company beds, there is an opportunity for a windshield tour of quilts on barns in White County. Fifteen barns, mailboxes or front porches currently display one or more hand-painted quilt patterns. Most are made of aluminum or wood and depict both traditional and newer quilt patterns.
Quilt tops are either pieced or appliqued. But barn quilts lend themselves to patterns that would have been pieced. Besides church going, quilting and quilting ”bees” were often social events for women. While quilt tops
were typically sewn by ladies in their homes, the process of quilting (where the quilt top, batting and lining are hand-stitched together) was a social event. Groups would gather, often in a church, to complete the task. Creating and touring barn quilt trails rekindles that social process.
Barn quilts have their own unique history, dating back to the arrival of immigrants from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. It is widely believed that barn painting of quilt patterns originated in Pennsylvania with these immigrants and spread to much of New England, then on to midwestern states. It soon became an excellent way for travelers to find families or crossroads, as folks would tell visitors which pattern to look for. Common early patterns were mariner’s compass and drunkard’s path.
During the early part of the 20th century, barn quilts slowly gave way to more pragmatic forms of barn decorating, namely advertisement. Gone were the colorful quilt patterns and in their place came the paid ads for Red Man chewing tobacco, Ceresota flour, Morton salt and Calumet baking powder. Today, barn quilts are one of the fastestgrowing community-driven art movements in the country. In Arkansas, after 12 barn quilts have been displayed in a county, a map is developed that guides viewers to their locations. The map includes an address, a photo of the square and a short explanation of the meaning or tradition
associated with the owner and/or the pattern. Information about each quilt and its meaning and the address where it can be located is available at arkansasquilttrails.com.
Quilt patterns can be placed on barns or on any type of structure, from houses, garages, sheds, mailboxes and fences. They must be visible from the road. As the barn quilt tradition moved to the Midwest, the Ohio star and its variations became popular. Several examples can be seen on the 15 quilts included in White County’s list. Some of the patterns are a recognition of a family’s history of quilt making, even a favorite tractor, as in Marilyn Townsend’s “John Deere Green.” Many sport red, white and blue colors as the patriotic “Jones Star” of Marisue and Oscar Jones, and “Kaylor’s Navy Star” as the owner honors those in her family who have proudly served in the Navy. For those wanting to register a barn quilt or learn where barn quilt painting classes will be conducted, contact White County’s chair, Christie Davis, at christiewhiteaqt@ gmail.com.
As fall and winter get in full swing, enjoy a pleasant day following Arkansas’s Barn Quilt Trail. You will not even have to get out of your car. In touring, you will discover a new appreciation for an old tradition. You will be glad you did.
Scan the QR code to learn more about White County barn quilts at arkansasquilttrails.com.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Little Rock (Club 99), honored Elizabeth Smiley Glasbrenner as the 2024 recipient of Rotary’s Business and Professional Leader of the Year Award.
To commemorate her achievements, a portrait of Glasbrenner, co-founder, president, and CEO of Smiley Technologies, Inc., was unveiled in the Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development, celebrating her exemplary leadership and contributions to the business community.
“I am truly humbled and honored to receive this award from Rotary and to stand here among so many esteemed colleagues and friends,” she said. “My journey has been one of dedication, hard work and a commitment to serving others, and I am grateful for the support I’ve received along the way. This recognition is not just mine. It belongs to everyone who has been a part of my life and my career.”
Glasbrenner’s father, Walter Smiley, also received the prestigious award in 1989 for his role as founder of Systematics, Inc., one of the state’s first technology-based corporations. Smiley and Glasbrenner are the first father-daughter duo to be awarded the Business and Professional Leader of the Year Award.
“The Rotary Business and Professional Leader of the Year Award represents the best of what our community has to offer–leaders who are not only successful in their field, but also committed to making a difference in the lives of others,” UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina S. Drale said. “Elizabeth Glasbrenner is one such leader.”
“Today, Elizabeth’s company is a thriving, successful industry partner to a growing number of financial institutions and community banks,” Drale said. “People choose Smiley Technologies because they invest in relationships, they invest in innovation, and they invest in their community. This is the Elizabeth Glasbrenner legacy and why we are honored to recognize her.”
I spent two weeks living a dream last March. I participated in an art residency at the Chateau d’Orquevaux in France. Studio space was provided, delicious meals were served, and creative energy flowed from the 22 participants from six countries. And to think I almost didn’t go.
The Château, located south of Paris in the small village of Orquevaux, is a private home. Since 2015 it has operated as an International Writers and Artists Residency Program, hosting visual artists, writers and musicians from around the world. Owner Ziggy Attias and artist Beulah van Rensburg open their doors with the mission of providing an international environment where artists can empower their creative spirits.
The concept of combining art and France appealed to me. I love all things French–the language, the food, the wine, all the people I have met. And since retirement, I have been creating art. I’ve explored painting in oils, acrylic and pastels. I also explore pottery and have created everything from bowls to magnets to wall sculptures.
The application was detailed, but I bravely sent it off, and in fall of 2023 I was accepted! But I was hesitant to choose a date, second guessing if it was the right thing to do. Traveling alone was not a problem. I questioned if the time and money would be worth it. After all, couldn’t I just paint at home? Mostly, I wondered if my work was good enough. I never responded.
A few months later I received another email asking if I was still interested. I wrote back and was noncommittal but told them to contact me again if there was a last-minute cancellation. Then I talked to my friend and fellow artist Marilyn Rishkofski. She lit up at the topic of a residency: “Oh, can you imagine how wonderful that would be to experience something like that?” she exclaimed. I felt a stab of regret.
Then a few days later, there was a cancellation. It seemed fateful. I said yes and started making last-minute travel plans.
On the morning of March 17th, several of us who chose to take the train from Paris met at the station with our suitcases loaded with clothing and supplies. Soon, we were whisked off on a speeding train south to Chaumont and then picked up by vans from the chateau.
As the entourage of writers and artists entered the village of Orquevaux, we got a glimpse of the chateau through the justbudding trees. We were not disappointed. Beulah and Ziggy, the owner and director, were on the steps to greet us, along with a few other artists who had already arrived.
We were given our room assignments and studio spaces and then reassembled a few hours later for wine and orientation. Beulah gave us a brief tour of the site. She reminded me of a Cheshire cat, but without any of the smugness. She appeared and disappeared magically, and knew answers to all our questions. And then the fun began.
We were told, “Do whatever you want; just don’t disturb others if
you get up in the middle of the night. And, it’s ok if paint gets on the studio walls—just don’t paint them black.” In the basement, we toured the extensive wine cave that opened every evening at 6 p.m., the costume room burgeoning with colorful clothing, an art supply closet and the laundry.
Our days began with a breakfast of fruit and freshly made baguettes and croissants. The first days were spent organizing the studio space and exploring the hiking trails or strolling through town. I enjoyed conversing with some of the 75 local townsfolk in French.
But mostly, we were getting to know each other.
At 6 p.m. we would gather in the sitting room, drinking wine and recounting our accomplishments for the day. The dinner bell would chime at 7 p.m., with Chef Marie presenting the menu in her best English, “And ’ere we have zee local beef with… .”
There was Naja, the only person I’ve met from Greenland. “There aren’t that many of us,” she quipped. There was the Israeli woman who left a prominent law position to explore dance and art. A young graphic artist from San Francisco introduced herself as a social worker and Mary Ann, who wrote of her daughter’s struggle with cancer.
We raided the costume room and dressed outlandishly for dinner, donning feathered hats, furs, capes and ball gowns. We roasted marshmallows over the fire pit under a full moon. We sang, played music and danced, and while the pond was a bit too chilly for a dip to me, that didn’t stop some of them.
Creativity abounded. There were 22 strangers from six countries, including another Arkansas artist, Bentonville’s Kellie Lehr, who was assigned the studio next to mine. I enjoyed watching her turn yards of material into stunning wall art.
Brandon conducted a “burning” of his work during the full moon, melting cellophane into glistening sculptures. Mark made large patterns that extended from the walls to the floor. Michal played music and had us put paint on the canvases that she then dispersed with her bare feet. Monet-like flowers adorned Sonal’s studio.
For two weeks we became a family living in a world of inspiration, imagination, and encouragement. I came home with several paintings, one of which is now hanging in my living room, and we each donated one work to the town of Orquevaux.
Our decisions direct the stories of our lives. Looking back, I don’t know why I hesitated to say yes to this experience. Now in my 73rd chapter of life, I hope to continue to say yes, to embrace new adventures and discover more about our wonderful world.
Who knows what the next chapter will bring.
Susan's paintings and/or pottery are available at Fig Modern on Front St. in Conway, The Showroom and Gallery 26 in Little Rock, and the North Central Arkansas Art Gallery in Fairfield Bay. She also sells directly at local art markets and events.
Artist Susan L. Peterson (top, center photo) was accepted to an art residency at the Chateau d’Orquevaux located south of Paris.
Studio space was provided, delicious meals were served, and creative energy flowed from the 22 participants from six countries.
A private home, the Château has operated as an International Writers and Artists Residency Program since 2015.
BOTTOM CENTER:
Susan's pottery is available at Fig Modern store on Front Street in Conway.
A
Here’s a question for you. If Jesus had not been born, what would we do from Thanksgiving to Jan. 6? I assume it would be normal business days with no year-end sales. We would have one less parade, no mulled cider or eggnog, Yule logs or decorated utility poles. No elves-on-the-shelves or Christmas trees, and dollar stores would just have displays of bunion wraps and anti-itch cream. Card companies would only have sentiments for birthdays, anniversaries and condolences. We would not have Rudolph, Handel’s “Messiah,” Nativity scenes or Charlie Brown, who actually told the real purpose of the celebration!
But we do have Christmas, and out of all of the dither does come some fine memories. Searching for a 12-foot Arkansas cedar Christmas tree was a highlight of the season for my family. In my youth, it was quite a party of four siblings and dad forging onward despite rain, snow, sleet or bullets flying over our heads. After gaining permission to search on someone’s land, three of the brothers, dad and I would stomp through fallen limbs and knee-high weeds, many with stick-tight seeds. I carried the ax. We never took a yardstick as dad measured in ax handles. Until we found the Perfect One, we rejected those with double trunks, lack of density or those that were too skinny. The sound of the ax chops reverberating through the cedar glade was a thrill as I imagined the tree decorated and reaching our ceiling.
By 1991 and at the age of 91, dad wasn’t up to traipsing through the woods looking for a tree that only he and I would hunt, cut, drag to and into his vintage station wagon, then into the house. I told him that Gerald, my soon-to-bebetrothed, and I would do it. I had only recently introduced the two, so I think he was impressed that this unsuspecting fellow would volunteer. The tree was found, cut down, hauled to the car, tied on top and headed homeward. We carried it to the porch where dad had readied the homemade wooden tree stand. Soon his temper got the best of him as he was not able to nail on the supports. It was not yet known to him that my betrothed-to-be was a country boy and knew his way around such things. Gerald quickly had it attached and upright in the house, and dad decided he was a keeper. The next year, we purchased a metal stand with a water bowl.
Part of the sounds of Christmas were from our renowned Aunt Zula, who would sit down at our beautiful solid-oak upright piano and open up the Broadman Hymnal. She
would roll those chords and sort of sing along. This is the same aunt who played piano every Sunday in her country church until the town population dwindled and the church closed. Aunt Zula had a key, though, and she played every Sunday morning in case someone entered the door.
In the kitchen, mother could be heard making peanut butter fudge, Hershey’s Fantasy Fudge and pecan, pumpkin, mincemeat and custard pies. Perhaps the most memorable event was the one and absolutely only year that Aunt Zula brought a barbecued ’possum. It lay supine in a grease-filled pan, causing nauseated family members to exit the room.
A favorite treat was mother’s eggnog without the nog. There was also a completely ugly, hairy coconut, into which dad would twist a spiral corkscrew into two of three “eyes” to drain the inner milk into a cup for me. By only seeing the corkscrew out of a kitchen drawer once a year, I never knew of any other need for it. The empty coconut was beaten with a hammer to expose the delicious white meat.
On Christmas morning, there would be a large, foot-long log of peppermint candy, which would again need the hammer. Our hanging hunting socks contained sock-lintcovered ribbon candy, fruit and various nuts. We opened our gifts of mainly homemade clothing. I never understood why mother couldn’t afford to buy everything we wanted because all she had to do was tear off a counter check at a store and fill it out.
New Year’s Eve arrived, and my dad prepared to make hot toddies. Mother had likely never had a drink in her life so he thought he would surprise her with something new. He reached for the powdered sugar, hoping to make it tastier for her. He stirred his mixture and handed it to her. She reluctantly took her first and last sip, as it tasted worse than rotten potatoes smell. He had unknowingly added alum (used for pickling) instead of sugar. I think mother learned to whistle that night because her puckered lips prevented conversation.
For all of these Christmas memories, we thank God for giving us His son on that Holy Night! He has one more gift. Actually we know what it is, but not when we will receive it. Hint: For believers, it involves a trumpet sounding and a first-class flight to Heaven, hopefully soon! What a Christmas reunion with beloved family and friends THAT will be…with absolutely no barbecued ’possums!
OF THE MONTH
By Susan L. Peterson •
Places of worship are especially important for individuals and families during the holiday season.
“Faith and Community: How Engagement Strengthens Members, Places of Worship, and Society” is a newly published work by Dr. Rebecca Glazier. Using Little Rock as her open-air research project, she discovered the many benefits of religious engagement and the vital role it plays in communities throughout the year.
After earning her doctorate, Glazier came to the 501 area in 2009 as an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Here, she said, people asked her a question she had never heard before: “Do you have a church home?”
She recalls that, in 2012, it was that question combined with the political atmosphere at the time (the Obama vs. Romney election) that led her to develop a long-term, community-engaged research project entitled “The Little Rock Congregations Study.” She and her students wondered how people were thinking about religion and politics. To find answers, Glazier offered her students the opportunity to go into the community and get responses directly from the people.
Various methods were used, such as focus groups, interviews, surveys and in-depth case studies. The project grew year by year, and by 2024 they had surveyed more than 4,000 congregants, interviewed nearly 300 clergy, and conducted in-depth case studies with seven congregations.
Although the first part of the book may be heavy with statistics, later chapters offer a more narrative tone. One reviewer writes that the book “offers readers close looks at a number of Little Rock religious organizations—Christian, Islamic and Jewish—as they relate to Little Rock’s very specific history and community. These descriptions are rich and affirming. The stories and observations Glazier offers are powerful because they are both data-driven and alive with the presence and the voices of so many of the amazing people she met along the way, both leaders and followers.”
Glazier has reported on her study at numerous academic conferences and congregations. In 2023, she was awarded the American Political Science Association's (APSA) Distinguished Award for Civic and Community Engagement. It is presented annually by the APSA “to honor significant civic or community engagement activity by a political scientist which merges knowledge and practice and has an impact outside of the profession or the academy,” according to politicalsciencenow.com.
Data from the project illustrates how community engagement benefits individuals, congregations and democracy and offers a solution to “what ails religion in America today.” She believes her research has implications for religious leaders seeking to grow and involve their congregations. Although many church leaders say they don’t have resources or time, engaging volunteers and developing a culture of service reaps multiple benefits. Her study also supports the finding that young people are looking for this type of involvement. Ultimately, developing a culture of service benefits not only the community, but the nation as a whole.
Also emanating from the research is a free resource guide for congregations interested in pursuing faith-based racial justice and reconciliation work.
Today, Glazier is a full professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In addition to religion and politics, other research interests focus on foreign policy, political communication and pedagogy.
In addition to an impressive list of articles and book chapters she has published during the past decade, she also authored “Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport between Teachers and Students,” published in 2021.
Glazier received her Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from California State University Channel Islands in 2004. She then continued her studies, earning a master’s degree in 2006 and a doctoral degree in 2009 in political science from the University of California Santa Barbara. She had never been to Arkansas before taking the position at UALR. But through her research, she has become an integral member of the Little Rock community, helping Arkansans understand the continued impacts of race, religion and economic opportunity.
In 2024, Glazier joined the board of the Interfaith Center of Arkansas, and she plans to focus on the impact of interfaith work for the next stage of the “Little Rock Congregations Study” research. She has received funding from APSA, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, the Arkansas Community Foundation and multiple denominational foundations in support of her work over the years.
Glazier lives in Little Rock with her husband, Andy Manchester, and her 12-year-old son, Wilk Glazier. More about her can be found at rebeccaglazier.net, where there is also a link to the findings of the “Little Rock Congregation Study.” Her books are available in paperback, hardback and digital formats from Amazon.
PROUDLY PRESENTS
PRESIDENT OF CHI ST. VINCENT MORRILTON AND CHIEF NURSE EXECUTIVE FOR THE ST. VINCENT ARKANSAS MARKET
“It is an honor to serve alongside and lead nurses, clinicians and professionals who work diligently to care for patients and families. We have the unique opportunity to care for people who are celebrating their most joyous occasions, as well as supporting those who are experiencing their most challenging time. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a nurse, but I had no idea what a journey this career would take me on. Rounding on patients and talking with them is my favorite part of my work week as it allows me to connect with our patients and family members and thank them for trusting us with their care for themselves or their loved ones. This is a true blessing.”
— Angie Longing
HOMETOWN: I was born and raised in Beebe (White County), also known as “your dream hometown." I have lived in Conway since graduating from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in 1994. (Go Bears!)
CAREER: I am the President of CHI St. Vincent Morrilton and Chief Nurse Executive for the St. Vincent Arkansas Market. I am proud to say I’ve been with the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Market for my entire 30-year nursing career, beginning as a new graduate nurse at St. Vincent Morrilton. I was appointed President in October. During my career, I have had the opportunity to serve in multiple roles, with responsibilities spanning several of our hospitals.
EDUCATION: I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UCA, and a Master’s in Health Administration from Webster University.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: I have been the board president of the Arkansas Organization of Nurse Leaders since 2023. I am a board member for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas and was a board member for the Children’s Advocacy Alliance from 2020 to 2022.
PERSONAL INTERESTS: My family brings me so much joy and spending time with them is my favorite! We live in the most beautiful state to spend time outdoors and I try to take full advantage of any opportunity for boating, hiking and playing golf. I’m an avid reader, although it’s mainly audio books these days. I travel as much as possible and enjoy live theater, concerts and sporting events.
I hold a Professional Board Certification as a Nurse Executive through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2013, I received the Sister Margaret Vincent Blandford Award for Leadership Excellence; in 2018, I was named a Great 100 Nurse - Arkansas; in 2020, I graduated from the Conway Leadership Institute and was named North Metro Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Administrator of the Year. In 2021, AY Magazine recognized me in the categories Intriguing Women, Best Boss and Person of the Year.
Earlier this year, you were honored with the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award, which is described as “a prestigious honor recognizing extraordinary nurses who have devoted their lives to the care of others.”
What was your reaction?
I was completely surprised! My family was there, which was very special to me as they have always been so supportive of my career. It was humbling and emotional to be recognized by my coworkers. I have been so blessed to work alongside so many special people who have made a significant impact on me throughout my career. My hope is that I will make a positive impact on healthcare and be an encouragement to coworkers.
