ABOUT | August 2009

Kids First at New Dover Primary

a publication of SILVER PLATTER PRODUCTIONS, INC. www.aboutrvmag.com

AUGUST 2009

What Will Interest Your Child or Grandchild?

music?

band?

drama?

science?

lego league?

public service?

math? leadership?

technology?

athletics?

forming friendships?

RUSSELLVILLE S C H O O L D I S T R I C T Educate s, Eq u ip s, an d Emp ow e rs

2 2 0 W. 1 0 t h S t r e e t , R u s s e l l v i l l e , A R

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August 2009

contents 5

Expo makes History, Adding Sales to Venue

7

A Taste of Summer, Out and ABOUT

8

Kids First at New Dover Primary

13

Kechia: The Hole in the Wall Gang

14

Cowgirls for Christ

■■Back-To-School Headquarters!!

Great selection of bags. All sizes, all colors, from Patagonia and The North Face.

Feltner’s Athlete’s Corner 2320 West Main • Russellville (479) 968-6464

■■Get ready for school!

We have a wonderful selection of lunch bags and backpacks, all washable by Dabba Walla. Color me T-shirts, with many logos by Color in Kids.

Rose Drug

3103 West Main Place • Russellville (479) 968-1323

17

Residents Benefit from Foundation Project

18

Conservation Makes the World Go ‘Round

19

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

24

Stephen and Jonya Davis: Celebrating 25 Years

26 Pottsville’s Hostess Lives to Serve 30

The “C” in C&D: Charles Oates

38 Royalty Travelers Given Royal Treatment 40 Taylor Creates, Captures Beauty 42

ABOUT Engagements

■■WHOOOOOO PIG SOOIE!

For the Razorback Fan, we have Razorback FAN-Tastic Collegiate Collection of Martini glasses and Pilsnar glasses.

Huge selection of Razorback stuff.

Gifts on Parkway/Gifts on Rogers

2149 E. Parkway • Russellville • (479) 890-6932 510 S. Rogers, Clarksville • (479) 705-8282

ABOUT our Cover

Cover Photo by Steve Newby

After years spread between as many as eight elementary buildings, Dover Primary School has finally come together under one roof in their new complex located northeast of Dover, off East Camp Road. The project, which came in under budget, broke ground in late April 2008 and was ready for move-in day by July 2009. See their story beginning on page 8.

Our Associates Dianne EDWARDS

Chris ZIMMERMAN

Cliff THOMAS

edito r

graphic design

illustrator

4 7 9 . 9 7 0 .6 6 2 8 e d i t o r @ab o u trvmag .c o m

479.264.2438 chr is@zimcrea t ive.com

479.890.36 3 0 ma ddsignt i s t@gmai l .com

Melanie CONLEY

Vo n n a MARPEL

Jeannie STONE

adv e rt i s i ng

advertising

f re e l a n c e wri te r

4 7 9 . 8 5 8 .2 7 0 8 m e la n i e@ ab o u trvmag .c o m

479.970.4263 vonna @a bout r vma g.com

479.747.0210 jea nnie@a b outrv mag.com

4 ABOUT...the River Valley

August 2009

ABOUT

Business

Expo makes History, Adding Sales to Venue On Wednesday, Aug. 5, River Valley residents are invited to attend “History in the Making,” the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce’s sixth annual Business Expo.

The event is open to the public, free of charge, and gives area businesses an excellent opportunity to meet potential customers, making excellent “business to business” contacts.

Admission to the event is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be held at Tucker Coliseum on the campus of Arkansas Tech University.

Vendors utilizing the “History in the Making” theme will be eligible for a Best Booth Award, the winner of which will receive a complimentary booth at the 2010 Expo.

Exhibitors will be permitted to conduct retail sales at their booths this year, provided specific guidelines are met.

Gen. George Crocker, a Russellville native, will be the Business Expo Luncheon’s featured

August 2009

speaker on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 11:30 a.m. at Chambers Cafeteria, ATU. Crocker graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree. His incredible military career has extended over 45 years. Crocker brings his experiences in

the military to his presentation and draws a parallel to the world of business.

“Gen. Crocker is a much sought-after speaker and we are very fortunate to have him as part of the 6th Annual expo.

Cost is $25 per ticket for chamber members; $50 for non-members. Call (479) 968-2530 for availability.

“Our event sponsors have been great to give us continual support throughout the years and we appreciate them,” stressed Johnna Walker, chair. “Our committee members, as well as the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce staff, plan and prepare for many months to make the Expo a success,” said Walker.

River Valley Business Expo is a program of the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce, 708 W. Main St., Russellville. For information, contact Felecia Turnbow at (479) 968-2530.

See page 37 of this issue of ABOUT...the River Valley Magazine for a list of exhibitors at this year’s Business Expo.

ABOUT...the River Valley 5

ABOUT the River Valley

A Publication of Silver Platter Productions, Inc Vol. IV, Issue 6 – August 2009

OWNERS/EDITOR Nolan and Dianne Edwards Advertising Sales Melanie Conley Vonna Marpel Graphic Design Chris Zimmerman ZimCreative Contributing Writers Kechia Bentley Dianna Qualls Jeannie Stone Contributing PhotographerS Steve Newby Assistant to the Publisher Melissa Edwards

ABOUT… the River Valley

is locally owned and published for distribution by direct mail and targeted delivery to those interested in the Arkansas River Valley.

Subscriptions are available by sending $20 for one-year (10 issues) to: SPPI/ABOUT Magazine P.O. Box 10176 Russellville AR 72812 Material contained in this issue may not be copied or reproduced without written consent. Inquiries may be made by calling (479) 970-6628.

Office: 417 West Parkway Email: editor@aboutrvmag.com Postmaster: Please send address changes to: SPPI, P.O. Box 10176, Russellville AR 72812.

6 ABOUT...the River Valley

A PAGE FROM ___________________________________________________

The Editor’s Notebook Ah, the Dog Days of August. I seem to remember those again as our temperatures crept to the 102 mark recently. Did the earlier rains and mild start to summer cause our memories to falter? I understand the topic of El Nino has surfaced again as an attempt to explain our wacky weather.

But, anyone who has lived in the state of Arkansas understands – this is normal! Ha, welcome to summer in the River Valley. If you don’t like the weather here, wait awhile.

It WILL change.

One way to escape the heat is to attend the 6th Annual Business Expo on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The event, held in Tucker Coliseum on the campus of Arkansas Tech, will feature more than one hundred area businesses. Exhibits are free and open to the public. For more details, see “Expo makes History” on page 5. A list of exhibitors is included on page 37.

Searching for things to do before school begins? Check out our Out and ABOUT Calendar on page 7. To have your event or activity listed in a future issue, refer to the information found at the end of the calendar.

More than 500 elementary students will fill the halls of the new Dover Primary School as the doors open for the first time this fall.

The school will bring students together under one roof, under the administration of Dover’s own Donny Forehand, principal.

Their story begins on page 8.

When is a poster more than just wall decor? When it is used to disguise a hole in the wall of the bathroom shared by brothers. Don’t miss “The Hole in the Wall Gang” on page 13.

“Cowgirls for Christ” on page 14 tells the story of a young woman’s progression of sharing her faith, while filling a need among fellow riders. The organization will soon expand to include cowboys, as well.

What does the Russellville Police Foundation do? Who are they? Check out page 17 to see how foundation volunteers have made Southlawn Retirement Community a safer place.

Carman Watson Stump has taken on the challenge of educating the community about the value of recycling.

Read “Conservation Makes the World Go ‘Round,” beginning on page 18. For a list of locations that accept materials, refer to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Opportunities,” on page 19.

First Baptist Church of Russellville celebrated the tenure of their beloved pastor Stephen Davis and his wife Jonya with an event in June. The couple celebrated 25 years of service to FBC and were both honored and overwhelmed when the congregation hosted a surprise celebration. Read their story on page 24.

Mrs. Jean Oates and husband Charles are familiar faces to many folks throughout the Arkansas River Valley, but do you REALLY know this Pottsville pair? Read “Pottsville’s Hostess Lives to Serve,” on page 26 and “The ‘C’ in C&D” on page 30. You might discover a thing or two you didn’t know about this charming couple.

And yes, we have included the final winning recipes from our ABOUT the Best Cooks Community-Wide Recipe Contest held in April. Satisfy your sweet tooth as you prepare the dishes that begin on page 32. (I think I may have gained a couple of pounds just re-reading them again!)

“Travelers Given Royal Treatment” on page 38 tells of the latest Royalty Tours adventure in association with Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center’s Vintage Club.

There is always room for more travelers.

Discover how you can join the fun.

Mary Jane Taylor is a woman of many talents. While most know her through her nursery business in Russellville, read “Taylor Creates, Captures Beauty” on page 40 and find out how her green thumb might also come from a tube of paint!

This month’s issue is filled with stories about the people you know, or will come to know, as you read about their lives and passions. As you turn the pages of ABOUT... the River Valley Magazine, you will notice one thing in common. The stories are all about local people with local connections, local recipes, local events – you will find original stories, never ‘canned’ copy, in each and every issue of our magazine.

For convenient home delivery of the River Valley’s most talked ABOUT magazine, see our subscription information on page 6. We believe this (and every) issue makes great end-of-summer reading!

Dianne Edwards, Editor/Publisher

August 2009

ABOUT A Taste of Summer

Home Grown

Whether you have grown a fat, juicy tomato in your own back yard garden or purchased one from a local roadside stand or Farmer’s Market, no summer is complete without a vineripened piece of summer’s sunshine. Pity the poor soul who has never enjoyed plucking home-grown vegetables – there is simply nothing comparable.

When most of us were young, our grandparents often farmed simply to feed their families. There were likely rows of corn, peas, beans, potatoes, squash – you name it. A garden was a necessity, not a hobby.

Today, even President Obama, First Lady Michelle and the First Daughters are tending a vegetable garden, breaking ground on the South Lawn of the White House in March.

The garden was the first at the Nation’s Capitol since the World War II victory garden planted by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Why did the Obamas plant the first vegetable garden at the White House in more than 60 years? The garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners. According to Mrs. Obama, its most important role is to educate children about healthful, locally-grown fruit and vegetables during a time when diabetes and obesity have become a national focus.

She hopes that through children, they will begin to educate their families, and will, in turn educate our communities about the importance of healthy eating.

And there’s the added benefit of exercise. Sure, modern technology has eased the burden of plowing and tilling the soil, but there’s still good-old fashioned weeding – good for body and soul. Even the President of the United States will be pulling weeds, promised his wife, “whether (the family) likes it or not,” said the First Lady.

The U.S. is not alone in turning back yard hobbies into a way to feed the family. While the sale of vegetable seeds has risen more than 35 percent in our country, even Britain has noticed a significant increase. The sales of seed packets there has risen 60 percent as people began to “tighten their belt and their purses, saving money where they can.”

Locally, road side stands are springing up, a summer rite of passage. The prices are excellent, often lower than grocery store produce prices by as much as 50%.

Bags of home-grown veggies and fruit can be purchased at the local Farmer’s Market or nearby produce markets for as little as $1-$2 per bag.

So whether you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint by purchasing the bulk of your food locally, searching out a healthier, more organic way of eating, or simply reveling in the joy of feeling warm, wet earth underneath your fingertips as you garden, remember your roots.

Locally-grown produce is healthier for your lifestyle as well as your pocketbook. It keeps your food dollars closer to home. And, perhaps when you bite into a fresh home-grown tomato, you’ll recall your childhood -not such a bad thing as we bid farewell to summer.

August 2009

Out and ABOUT Aug. 3-7: Summer Arts Camp, Arkansas River Valley Arts Center, 9-noon. Info: 968-2452.

Aug. 5: 6th Annual River Valley Business Expo, Tucker Coliseum, ATU. Info: 968-2530.

Aug. 5-7: Lake Dardanelle Day Camp, “Creature Construction,” 9-4, lunch, snacks, all supplies included.

Ages 8-12. $65 fee. Limited space. (479) 967-5516.

Aug. 7: Sunset Cinema, Back To The Future, Lake Dardanelle State Park 30 minutes past dusk. Cost $1 pp/children under 12 free. Info: 968-2530.

Aug. 7: Country Dance Workshop, 7:30-10:30 p.m., $10 pp. Dance with Joy Studio. RSVP (479) 968-1620, (479) 264-7287 or email: dancewithjoy@suddenlink.net.

Aug. 8: Ballroom Dance Party, 7:30-10:30. $10 pp.

Dance with Joy Studio. RSVP (479) 968-1620, (479) 264-7287 or email: dancewithjoy@suddenlink.net.

Aug. 11: Transitions Bereavement Support Group, 10 a.m., Arkansas Hospice, 2405 E. Parkway; second Tuesday of each month. Info: (479) 498-2050.

Aug. 13-15: Bargains Galore on (Hwy) 64, Fort Smith to Bebee. Info: Linda Hiles, 888-568-3552.

Aug. 15: Cafe’ de la Paix Party sponsored by the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center. Tickets: 968-2452.

Aug. 19: “Forget-Me-Nots” Alzheimer’s Support , Arkansas Hospice, 1 p.m. Info, 498-2050.

Aug. 21: Burgerfest, Pope County Senior Activity Center 4:30 - 7 p.m. Info, Dusqua, 968-5039.

Aug. 22: Junior Auxiliary/ATU Cheerleaders Cheerleading Camp, Boys and Girls Club, 9-noon. Info: Brandi, 968-0272.

Aug. 22: Junior Auxiliary/ ATU Men’s Basketball Team Basketball Camp, Boys and Girls Club, noon-3. Info: Brandi, 968-0272.

Aug. 25-29: Johnson County Fair, JC Arkansas Fair Grounds, Aug. 27: Community Bingo, seniors 55 and older invited; 2-3 p.m. 4th Thurs. of each month; door prizes, grand prize, refreshments. Wildflower, 240 S. Inglewood, Russellville; 890-6709.

Aug. 28: Living Proof Live, First United Methodist Church, Russellville, 7- 9:30 p.m. registration, info: 968-1232.

Aug 29: Punt, Pass, & Kick, Vick Field. Info: 968-1272.

Aug. 29: Living Proof Live, First United Methodist Church, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Info, registration, 968-1232.

Visit www.aboutrvmag.com for a list of activities updated as they are received. To have your event included in the ABOUT Calendar of Events, email: editor@aboutrvmag. com or fax to (866) 757-3282. Deadline is the 15th of the month preceding publication.

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ABOUT...the River Valley 7

KIDS FIRST at new Dover Primary Story by Dianne Edwards Photos by Steve Newby and Dianne Edwards

M

ost parents know him as the principal who opens car doors for his students in the drop off line each morning, cup of coffee in hand. However, as the responsibilities of Dover Primary principal Donny Forehand grew these past two years, he eventually turned over that job to a parent volunteer.

This fall, Mr. Forehand and his staff will open new doors to their students as approximately 550 children – kindergarten through fourth grade – will walk through the color-coded halls of the newly-finished Dover Primary School located off East Camp St. (Hwy. 27) northeast of Dover.

All drop-offs at the new school with occur at the back of the building. Pickups will be from the front and the side.

With a millage issue that took only one attempt to pass, Dover elementary-aged students will now gather under one roof with a single secure entrance, rather than as many as eight buildings as they have in the past.

“With students moving between eight buildings and having uncontrolled entrances and exits, our campus was a security nightmare,” stressed Forehand. “We had kids in and out of the weather, standing in line, wasting precious teaching time.”

“We lost so much teaching time due to the students being shuffled from classroom to classroom, building to building,” said Forehand.

“We are so fortunate to have the support of parents and the community to have this new building. With this facility, we have all of our students under one roof, in classrooms that are built to meet their needs, to prepare all students for the future.”

He credits previous Dover School superintendent Dan Lovelady with many of the outstanding features of the new facility.

“I tip my hat to him. He was involved in the initial part of the design and he took our advice on layout, storage, suggestions for the new school. So many of the features we were able to include were a result of visits to other new schools in the state,” Forehand said.

Gesturing toward bi-fold doors concealing file cabinet storage, Forehand mentions this idea originated from Conway Middle School.

“It’s wonderful. When we aren’t using the storage area, we simply close the doors to conceal what was once an unsightly work area.”

Forehand’s office sits adjacent to the reception area.

“I’m very excited about the size and the storage that we all have here,” he added.

“In our other building, my work was spread over three locations, even utilizing the conference room for stacks of papers.”

He visualizes the desk and side storage that will be in place once the furniture arrives. A large walk-in storage closet with compartmentalized shelving will be a huge benefit for keeping the busy, energetic principal organized. A side wall features a two-way mirror allowing the principal to easily view students who may be spending time under supervision.

Other elements from new pilot schools the building committee toured in Northwest Arkansas were incorporated in the new school. Where ever possible, the newest ideas in design and technology were implemented.

A nurse’s station located behind the main office will offer space for a full-time nurse, three beds and privacy curtains, helping to isolate ill students.

Increased storage is visible in every area, including every classroom, the teacher’s work rooms and lounge. While the shelves are empty just weeks before the start of the school year, Principal Forehand is excited about the prospect of filling the school with students and teachers. The shelves will fill quickly, as well.

Dover Primary art instructor Katie Crow will paint a mural in the main teacher’s work area, depicting a French Café complete with pedestal tables for those brief moments when teachers can enjoy some down time.

Smaller workrooms are available to the teachers and located on each wing.

Motion detectors activating overhead lights are located in most rooms, making them more energy efficient. The flooring was another concern. Plans included a honed, polished “diamond finish” concrete flooring.

“That feature alone will save the district thousands of dollars each year, not having to clean or replace carpeting,” praised Forehand.

“Being the ‘Dover Pirates,’ we wanted to incorporate a nautical theme in our new school,” included Forehand.

Working with the architect during the design phase, Forehand noted the use of natural lighting through the use of overhead skylights. The lighthouse concept, with a two-story open center rising above the library and computer lab, anchors the central base of the school.

The basic structure of the school resembles a dragonfly, with the library and computer lab forming the center of the body. Wings for each grade flow gracefully from the center, ‘wings of the dragonfly,’ he explained.

Librarian Janice Jones hoists a colorful kite, a purchase from the 10,000 Villages at the Heifer Project, that will serve as the theme and color focus of the new library

and lab. She anticipates the displays and components that will be used to capture the imagination of the children using the new facilities. Plans are to decorate with items from all around the world to stimulate and inspire the students “so they can see beyond the walls of a small school and realize what is out in the world,” she explained.

A restroom facility located within the library will keep students in the classroom and focused on their studies, added Forehand.

“This library will never ‘close,’ but will be kept in use throughout the day, with computer labs and reading rooms separate for instruction, as well as using the center for parent and student activities after school,” he said.

Doors open to each wing of the school, keeping travel time between classroom and library to a minimum. >>

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“We’ve probably gained 30-40 minutes of instruction time just due to the layout of this wonderful building,” Forehand added.

A self-contained classroom for use by special needs students is another area of huge pride for Forehand. Himself the parent of a special needs child, Heath, who is challenged by Down’s Syndrome, he understands firsthand the benefits this new area will offer. The rooms will serve students in grades K-12.

“When I was in high school, I helped out in the special education classroom. There I felt the kids were often pushed to the side, not receiving the services they really needed,” Forehand said.

This area features a washer and dryer – ‘because cleanliness is next to Godliness’ believes Forehand – as well as ample room for physical therapy, occupational therapy and a playroom.

A padded therapy area will allow wheelchair-bound students and those with specific physical limitations to exercise and play without fear of injury.

While the special needs area is not uncommon in most schools, one of this caliber is exceptional. Forehand said that Dover’s reputation as being a good provider for special needs students made the addition of this area a natural plus for the district.

Another designated study area – an academic self-contained classroom – will provide a place for ten students to learn survival skills, working on reading and math at their specific levels. A multipurpose room will contain shelves saved from the former Dover school library and be used as a literacy and resource room.

Primary colors direct student to their particular hallways. Kindergarten is yellow, first grade is blue, green is second and third grade, and red is third and fourth.

“It’s very ‘kid-friendly,’” he added.

Each hallway (except for kindergarten rooms which have restrooms in each classroom) features restroom facilities accessed from the hall. A different twist, moving the hand-washing stations to the outside of the restrooms, helps keep ‘horseplay’ at bay, said Forehand.

“I’d venture to say that 85-90 percent of my discipline issues arise from kids horsing around at the sinks in the bathroom,” said Forehand. “By moving this to the outside, visible from the hallway, one teacher can supervise all the students as they wash their hands, thus cutting down on the opportunity for the kids to play at the sinks.”

The restroom areas will be used as storm safe rooms when needed, added Forehand.

Classrooms will each receive a PolyVision interactive board, a brand that’s new to the market but similar to ‘smart boards.’ Most rooms will receive mounted LCD projectors, a document projection camera known as ‘ELMO’ – the modern-day version of an overhead projector.

A ‘transition’ Discovery classroom will be situated on one hallway, allowing an alternative learning environment for those not quite ready to progress into the first grade.

PROUD PARTICIPANT Proud Participant in the construction of Dover Primary School.

Thank You!

10078 Bunting Loop Dardanelle, AR 72834 10 ABOUT...the River Valley

(479) 229-2479 www.buntingelectric.com August 2009

Forehand is especially proud of the new separate art room and music room where the students will receive one 40-minute class period each week of instruction. The art room includes a separate room for a pottery kiln and lots of storage. The music room, complete with risers and ample storage, features a door leading to a ramp with access to the school’s new staging area.

Forehand is excited about the possibilities the staging area, gym and cafeteria will offer to the 500-plus students and their families. He visualizes lots of events to utilize the facility.

The kitchen is state-of-the-art including two serving lines, a walk-in freezer, a double steamer for fresh vegetable preparation, infloor drainage, stationary basting pans and three convection ovens. Dry storage racks encircle the walls of the large storage closet and offer easy visibility for the kitchen staff.

Forehand says that five or six workers will be needed to work the kitchen area.

While the school office is located left of the front entrance, a “Parent Hub/Counseling area” is located to right of the main entrance.

The area will provide a location for visitors to gather, house a conference room and provide an interactive area for preschool kids visiting with their parents. Two counselors will work from offices in the hub, one of which splits her job between counseling and other district responsibilities.

Forehand hopes that one day soon the office will house a Parent Center Coordinator, a position dissolved last year by the current superintendent, he said.

“I hope that we can get that position back,” explained Forehand. “We need someone to work with the parents and PTO to coordinate activities, events and fundraising activities.

Anytime you see a successful, large school, you have someone to coordinate between the parents and the school. It’s a huge responsibility, and honestly, last year – without a parent center coordinator – our PTO was not as actively involved,” said Forehand.

Forehead said all schools struggle with openness to the public.

“We want to be open to the public, offer hospitality, a warm feeling that personifies our school and invites conversation and interaction between the parents and the staff,” he urged And while Forehand encourages an open dialogue, he knows the safety of his students and staff is paramount – safety issues are much easier to control in the new construction.

The new building features only one public access door, a single entryway that opens directly to the school office. The main doors of the building, all outside access doors – even each individual classroom – is keycoded for secure access.

One of the first persons that visitors will see upon entry into the office is Beth Donnell, a woman that Forehand describes as ‘a saint.’

“She’s been my assistant for the past eight years,” recalled Forehand. “And she’s a perfectionist. She isn’t happy until things are ‘done right.’ She juggles so much for us. And in this new building, she’ll have her own office for the very first time,” added Forehand proudly.

When the Dover native assumed the principal’s helm at age 29, he was one of the youngest administrators placed in that position.

The first of five siblings to attend and complete college, Forehand grew up doing things for others, learning from his parents. Mother Barbara was a stay-athome mom; Father Clyde was a veteran of WWII working hard as a concrete finisher, wanting his children to complete their education through college – “even bribing us with a car if we would graduate,” recalled Forehand.

Dynamic, energetic Donny Forehand is driven. From the time he assisted with special needs students while a high school student himself, Forehand wanted to be a teacher. He admits that his own path to education was littered with difficulties.

s n o i t a l u t a r g n o C and Thank You for allowing

us to be a part of Dover Primary School!

Van Horn Construction Tyler Road, Russellville | 479.968.2514

August 2009

Continued on page 21

A special thanks to the subcontractors who worked with us on this project: • Architectural Concepts, Inc. • Arkansas Automatic Sprinkler • Blackstone Construction LLC • Blind Ambition, Inc. • Bowden Specialties, Inc. • Bunting Electric, Inc. • Byrd Masonry, Inc. • Calvin Bennett Const., Inc. • Commercial Drywall Acoustical • Evergreen Landscaping, Inc. • Frank Rhyne Painting Co., Inc. • Harbour & Drake • J&J Plumbing • Kirby Specialties Corporation • Koolvent Aluminum Awning Co. • Miller Roofing • Razorcrete LLC • Roberts-McNutt, Inc. • Russellville Janitorial Service & Supply • Sims Floor Covering, Inc. • Southwest Fence Company • Staley Glass Co., Inc. • Supreme Fixture Co., Inc. • Traco Construction Co., Inc. • Willis Parks Construction • Project Architect: Morris & Associates

ABOUT...the River Valley 11

1

ABOUT

... the Best Products

■■1 It’s back to class time!!

Make your first impression count......Shop III’s Company and give your style an “EDGE”!

2

III’s Company

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■■2 Rose Ann Hall colorful speckle glassware.

Pitchers, drinking glasses, water and cocktail available by Designs.

Rose Drug

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3

■■3 Decorative Kitchenware

Trivets, coasters, and bamboo cutting boards are just a few of our many wonderful kitchen products.

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2149 E. Parkway • Russellville • (479) 890-6932 510 S. Rogers, Clarksville • (479) 705-8282

■■4 Busy Livin’

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KAVU Bags in new fall colors and styles now available. These are made with eco-friendly fabrics.

Feltner’s Athlete’s Corner 2320 West Main • Russellville (479) 968-6464

■■5 Authentic Mexican Pottery

5

We have unique collections for any home decor, as always excellent quality at affordable prices.

Copper Pig of Clarksville #4 Colonial Square • Clarksville (479) 754-6912

■■6 Brand new, exclusive to PJ’s Corner....Forever Flower Jewelry!

Real miniature flowers, encased in acrylic & surrounded by sterling silver. Unique, one of a kind pieces. Miniature flowers will vary, and will not fade.

PJ’s Corner 903 W. Main • Russellville (479) 968-1812 12 ABOUT...the River Valley

6 August 2009

ABOUT

The Hole

Wall GANG

in the

Story by Kechia Bentley • Photo by Steve Newby

The fact that my husband has not run away from home after almost 25 years of marriage and fatherhood is a miracle. This poor man lives in a house with

three boys and a wife who somehow manage to supply him with an endless list of things that need to be repaired. All three boys have accidently, and at times purposely, put holes in the walls or doors of our home.

I know many parents would find this totally unacceptable and inexcusable. I, on the other hand, will keep my mouth shut because long before the boys were big enough to put holes in walls, their dear mother had an accidental-onpurpose hole of her own.

Many years ago, when the boys were very young, I had spent countless hours carefully packing away the winter clothes and arranging the summer clothes.

The winter clothes, in their big brown boxes, were awaiting a trip to the attic.

Now, I knew little boys and big brown boxes were a perfect match, but it never occurred to me to tell the boys to leave these boxes alone. That was a huge mistake. Probably an even bigger mistake was leaving these boxes in their playroom.

Yes, you guessed it. I walked in the playroom to find the clothes thrown out onto the floor and three little boys happily playing in the boxes. A better mother than me would have probably laughed, but I was frustrated to the point of tears thinking of the hours of work that had just been undone in a matter of minutes.

Trying to keep my emotions in check, I leaned up against the nearest wall and kicked it. I had never kicked a wall before and, much to my surprise, my foot went right through it. At that point, I crumpled to the floor in a crying mess. The children just stared at me in disbelief.

That was the very first hole in a wall my dear husband was called upon to fix.

August 2009

Family The children have definitely surpassed me in that they have gone on to break windows with golf balls, skateboards and baseballs. The oldest has even managed to run into a shopping cart in a store parking lot, resulting in a broken headlight.

The middle child has backed into a “set-in-concrete steel mailbox”. That thing was not moving. The bumper and trunk lid on my son’s car, however, crumpled like a piece of paper. The youngest has driven his car with a broken oil pan -- ruining the transmission. (This was after he had been told not to take his car on the gravel road that resulted in the broken oil pan.)

Now, we have had the children pay for most of the repairs, but it still falls on good old dad to see that the repairs occur. I know that he feels like “Mr. Fix It Man” most of the time and it doesn’t help that his wife is just as bad as the children sometimes.

Just the other day I was mowing and managed to run over a grounding rod – whatever that is. Anyway, it freaked me out because I thought I had cut some kind of cable that was going to cause our house to burn down or electrocute someone if they touched the wrong thing.

Donald, my husband, received a frantic phone call from me saying I needed him immediately. He asked me to explain what this “cable” looked like. All I could tell him was it was black with copper wires. Not exactly a precise description but I was too afraid to get very close. That poor man rushed home just to discover that my emergency was no big deal – thank goodness.

But the other day he experienced a moment to beat all moments. It began when I walked into my boys’ bathroom. My boys have been known to put up posters all over their rooms and bathrooms. It has never been a very artistic endeavor so I never paid much attention to the hodgepodge way they have hung them.

One sign in particular is strategically place near the toilet and reads, “No Dumping”. The boys think this is so funny and I must admit it has brought a smile to my face a time or two. It is such a guy thing.

Anyway, as I walked into their bathroom several weeks ago, one of the posters had fallen down and behind it was an enormous hole. I immediately summoned my youngest son and loudly inquired ‘what in the heck had happened?’

He informed me that he and his brother Dillon were messing around one day many months ago and he “accidently” shoved Dillon, causing his rear-end to go through the wall. It gives a whole new meaning to ‘butt hole.’ This was a big hole.

I guess my youngest decided that confession was good for the soul because he continued to inform me that there was a smaller hole behind that infamous “No Dumping” sign – the result of another long ago shoving match.

When Donald got home from work that day I told him he had to go look in the boys bathroom. Of course, he asked why, and I said, “Oh, you will see.”

My poor husband just rolled his eyes when he saw the hole and headed off to gather his drywall tape and mud.

While he was at it, he decided he might as well fix all the holes that have been placed in all the walls around the house. This meant removing all the posters searching for long forgotten mishaps.

Fortunately, no new holes were discovered but you can bet that if a new poster goes up anywhere in my house, I will be checking the wall behind it. n ABOUT...the River Valley 13

Christ Story and Photos by Jeannie Stone

Sherry Hales is a blue jean visionary.

She is not bedecked with robes, chanting or waving an incense ball. She simply saw a need that needed filled, dug in her spurs and set out to fill it.

In 2000, Hales and her fellow caballeros founded Cowgirls for Christ, a non-denominational Christian association where girls can come together 12 times a year to develop competitive rodeo skills and celebrate their faith in the dusty world of the rodeo arena.

The idea of Christian cowgirl rodeo events began pricking her soul when Hales became convicted of her backsliding ways. A longtime church-goer, she had rejected her longtime desire to attend church on Sundays and, instead, gave into the desire to barrel race.

As a member of the Arkansas/Oklahoma Barrel Racers Association and the National Barrel Horse Association, she participated in local events for a girl like her. And then she noticed that there were a lot of girls like her - only much younger.

“I felt they needed a church were they could feel comfortable, a church where they could wear their jeans,” she said.

She felt a real hurt for the girls who were basically un-churched – at least during rodeo season. That is when the Lord sent a vision, the framework for Cowgirls for Christ, which compelled her to start a ministry allowing girls like her to combine their love of rodeo with their love for Christ.

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The shows, alternating between the Atkins, Russellville, Clarksville, Danville and Dardanelle arenas, are part exhibition, part competition and part worship.

“It really gives girls the chance to compete on a smaller, nurturing platform where they don’t have to travel so far and can make relationships,” Hales said.

In the beginning, the organization was all about Christian modeling, developing horsemanship and offering competition.

The group soon began identifying neighbors needing a helping hand such as storm and fire victims, elderly friends living on fixed incomes, and abandoned children. Benefit shows became part of the outreach.

Church services were added in 2005, and the following year brought the formation of the Barrel Racing Association. The 90 members are comprised of beginners, ages 3 to 5, and youth, 18 years and younger.

Parents and grandparents are members as well. They gather in groups looking for shade and trying to stay away from chiggers as they park their trailers in the wild grass surrounding the Russellville arena.

One grandpa leans on the fence watching his granddaughter warming up her horse. A mother brushes the tail of her daughter’s horse, and a couple dozen adults already sit in the stands fanning themselves and waiting for the service to begin.

Lily Tramel on Prissy, left, and Whitley Tramel, 7 on Heidi, both from Danville, and Bailey Jo Dawson, 8, on Wildy, of Plainview get ready to ride into the arena.

Riding instructor Ariel Finkenbinder has her eye on several students.

“I have a lot of students I bring to Cowgirls for Christ,” she said. “This was Mary Katherine’s first year. We did jackpots and she won a saddle at their banquet. They did the banquet up really nice, and that alone was a good experience for the girls.”

Finkenbinder is grateful the program sets affordable entry fees.

“All the money collected from the fees go right back into the program,” she said.

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“The best part is I feel good bringing my students on Sunday because they can still attend church.”

V.E. Shepaerd of Dardanelle agreed about the church part but also gave some credit to the power of working with horses.

He laughed.

“These horses will teach these girls more about respect than their parents can,” he said.

“You can tell we are in God’s will. He has blessed us so much.” There has been an outpouring of support from local businesses and individuals she said.

“The girls have chances to earn points through attendance, participation and performance. At our December awards banquet we gave 12 buckles and nine saddles. The top 10 riders in each division took home even more prizes than that,” Hales said.

“We couldn’t do this without our friends in the community.” >>

ABOUT...the River Valley 15

Recently, Cowgirls for Christ has made the decision to alter their target membership by allowing boys to join the organization.

The change has been made in keeping with the group’s desire to offer an event the entire family can enjoy. The new name is Cowgirls – Cowboys for Christ.

The stands seem to have turned into a huge front porch with folks sipping, sweating, talking and laughing. It certainly feels like fellowship.

Above: Patricia Montgomery of Danville, Jim Rose and his daughter Jade Rose, 8, of Dardanelle follow the scriptures quoted during the sermon.

Left: Brother John Hooser of Westville, Okla., compares the discipline required to barrel race to the discipline of living your faith in his short and casual sermon during the church service. Hooser pastored in Prairie Grove 14 years before starting a new ministry.

Before you know it, strains of Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord roll over the bleacher pews. The sounds of a guitar and sweet voices stir the loosely assembled congregation into singing.

Brother John Hooser, from Oklahoma, is introduced and totes his black Bible before the worshippers. He opens the service with a prayer request for a little girl who’s broken her arm. “Bless her heart,” a nearby woman remarked.

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A big black horse softly neighs at the rear of the bleacher pews as the praise singers conclude the service with the beloved hymn I’ll Fly Away. On the horse’s back is a teenage girl who has just opened her eyes from prayer. There’s no doubt about it. This is Cowgirls – Cowboys for Christ.

For more information log on to www. cowgirlsforchristbarrelracing.com. The next show is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 6th at n the Atkins arena.

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Residents Benefit from Police Foundation Project Members of the Russellville Police Foundation participated in a community service project in June for the Southlawn Retirement Community, 1701 South Detroit.

The group worked to rebuild 16 porches for the residents, whose median age is 65.

More than a dozen participants shoveled sand, moved rock pavers and repaired porches which had sunken and were seldom used by the residents. By restoring the porches, residents will be outside more; more visibility reduces the opportunity for crime, says RPD public information officer and Neighborhood Watch program coordinator Josh McMillian.

The foundation is comprised of volunteer citizens who have completed the Russellville Police Department’s (RPD) Citizens Police Academy. The purpose is to serve the communities in which they live, peforming at least two service projects each year. The foundation assists the police department with

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financial responsibilities which fall outside the department’s budget, and serves as a liaison between the police department and the community.

The Southlawn Community is part of the RPD’s first Neighborhood Watch program formed in May 2008. The watch area for Southlawn encompasses locations between Arkansas and Erie, and from 16th St. to 19th St. A second Neighborhood Watch area formed recently in the Old Town Historic District near Downtown Russellville. A third area, around the 400 block of North Frankfort, is currently being organized, said McMillian.

For additional information about the RPD’s Citizens Police Academy or Neighborhood Watch Programs, contact Josh McMillian at (479) 968-3232. To learn more about the Foundation, contact or Dr. Keith Scott, organization president, at (479) 967-6704.

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ABOUT...the River Valley 17

Carman Stump

Conservation Makes the World Go ‘Round Carman Stump has a love affair with our planet, and it all began when she fell in love with a high school Rotary exchange student from environmentally-aware Australia.

Carman, a community volunteer dedicated to educating the River Valley community with the benefits of living green, ended up marrying the boy from the Outback.

Carman and Heath fell in love during his short time at Russellville High School. When he left to return home, 17-year-old Carman was crushed. Her father Norman Watson, dismayed at his daughter’s heartbreak, promised her he’d find a way to bring Heath back to Russellville. Through his perseverance and community support, Watson was able to raise enough money to pay for Heath’s tuition at Arkansas Tech University.

The pair reunited and attended Tech together, both earning degrees in Accounting. They married after graduation and soon left for Australia where they lived for seven years while Heath attended veterinary school.

Carman was shocked to discover how committed her new home was in regards to conservation issues. “Recycling is just part of their lives,” she said of her Australian counterparts. “The children aren’t allowed to attend school unless they have a wide brimmed

Angela Allen

By Jeannie Stone

hat for recess,” she said. “Because of the hole in the ozone layer, Australians are much more conscious of the ill effects of unprotected exposure to the sun.”

The ozone layer, located in the stratosphere and surrounding the entire earth, partially protects the planet from harmful UV-B radiation cast from the sun. Because of the hole in the ozone layer located over the Antarctica, Australians are the most at risk for diseases such as skin cancer caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

“Boy, I sure learned a lot living there,” Carman said. She didn’t waste any time sharing her convictions once she and her husband returned to Russellville where Heath is part owner of the Russellville Animal Clinic.

“I formed the green team at church,” she said, “and one thing just led to another. We live in a Class A city, and I couldn’t believe we didn’t have curb-side recycling yet.”

So, between raising two sons, three-year-old Luke and two-yearold Will, Carman joined the community recycling team having been invited by recycling educator Jim Kelley. “Things just blossomed from there,” she said. Carman then joined forces with City Alderman Cliff Kirchner to bring about a one-hauler system to Russellville.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ATU Recycling Container: Provided by GreenSource Recycling, located behind Chambers cafeteria; bag paper together; aluminum, tin and plastic together. Cardboard unbagged.

Cunningham Metals: 3408 S. Arkansas (479) 968-1574; M-F, 8 to 4:30. Turn aluminum cans into cash!

E Commerce Recycling: 264-2655; recycle electronic goods -- computers, monitors, TVs, cell phones, household batteries, CDs, etc.

Free Cycle: Pick up or discard items with your neighbors including appliances, animals, clothing, equipment, etc.

Russellvillefreecycle@yahoo.com.

Goodwill: 2100 N. Arkansas, 967-6319; Recycles household items (no furniture).

Call for hours.

GreenSource Recycling: 754-7475; Recycling facility in Clarksville which processes Russellville’s recycling items. Call for product acceptance.

Her grass roots campaign is still going strong as she incorporates other conservation issues into her traveling power point titled “Living an Environmentally Conscious Life.”

Carman, who speaks to concerned citizen groups and civic clubs, recharges with every encounter. Her vivacious personality and the depth of her knowledge are accentuated by her passion.

Keep Arkansas Beautiful: Report littering. 1-866-811-1222.

Lee’s Trash: 5008 W. Main St., 968-3465; Drop-off bin for recyclables. No sorting necessary.

Please sign in at front desk. Call for hours, fees and information.

Marva Workshop, Inc.: 1205 S. Arkansas Ave., 968-4420; Call to set up free commercial recycling.

Recycles paper, cardboard, aluminum, household items and baby food jars.

Pope Co. Road Dept.: #5 County Complex Rd. (near WalMart); 968-6400. Recycles working and non-working household appliances, air conditioners tires, batteries and oil.

Hazardous waste cleanup in Spring and Fall. Open M-F, 7-3.

Recycle Works: Russellville Recycle Drop-Off Center, 3115 S. Mobile (adjacent to animal shelter off Hwy 7T) 968-1944. Recycles paper, aluminum, plastic, tin cans and cardboard (must separate into appropriate bins). Cost is $5.43 per

“This has been awesome,” she said. “We are all connected, and I am so humbled that I found God’s purpose for me.”

“I remember Smoky the Bear and the ‘Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute’ campaigns from when I was a child,” she said.

“But the image that really stuck me was the Iron Eyes Cody commercial from the 70s.”

truckload to drop off yard waste.

Composts yard waste. Compost may be purchased for $10.85 per load. Free if you load it yourself (tip: remember shovel). Call for information and appointment for compost pickup.

Rick Taylor, Inc.: 3640 S. Frankfort, 890-2662. Free commercial recycling available for cardboard, paper and metal. Accepts household recyclables (paper, aluminum, tin cans and cardboard – no sorting necessary). Does not accept plastics.

River Valley Recycling: 1479 Sparksford Dr. 264-9688.Turn your aluminum cans into cash! Recycles all metals. Open M-F, 8-4:30.

Salvation Army: 1801 S. Arkansas, 967-4559. Recycles household items. Open M-F, 9-3. Sat. 9-1.

Glass recycling available in Maumelle. Call (501) 851-2812.

Carman welcomes any questions or comments at (479) 747-0228 and accepts email at carmanstump@yahoo.com.

The commercial showed a Native American paddling a canoe through a polluted waterway, and upon disembarking the canoe, came to a highway filled with cars. Everywhere, people were littering, and as he stood there someone threw trash at his feet prompting him to turn, face the camera, and release a tear. >>

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The commercial was produced to promote the second Earth Day in 1971, and it is cited as one of the Ad Council’s most memorable commercials of all time.

“My affect on the planet is about seven generations. We live in a disposable age,” Carman said. “Recycling preserves landfills and energy.”

There are 1,000 homes in the city limits without any trash service contract Carman said. “The (local paper) ran a survey asking readers what they did with their trash, and the response was unbelievable,” she said.

The survey responders reported that 18.9 percent burn their trash, 19.4 percent use a commercial dumpster, and 14.1 percent dump trash in parks and on the side of the road. “That is just unacceptable,” Carman said. “A one-hauler service will help so much with that.”

“Every five seconds Americans use 60,000 plastic bags,” Carman said. “If one out of five people used cloth bags, that would save us 1.33 trillion bags a year.”

Littering alone is a global issue. In the Pacific Ocean, a vortex of floating plastic twice as large as the continental United States continues to grow and threaten marine life, Carman said. The mass stretches from 500 miles off the coast of California, past the Hawaiian islands and almost to Japan.

“Cruise litter accounts for 20 percent of it, and street litter accounts for the remainder,” she said.

“We are killing a million marine creatures every year. They are finding birds and turtles filled to the brim with plastic. They are now finding breast cancer in whales.”

“Changing from plastic water bottles to reusable containers is a huge boost for the ecology,” Carman said. “Curb-side service, which begins in October, will also help tremendously. For those not living in the city limits there will still be a drop-off center at Recycle Works.

Angela Allen, district educator of the West River Valley Regional Solid Waste Management, praises Carman’s work. “She has done an excellent job pushing the one-hauler system through,” Allen said. “We are behind the times, and Carman has done a great job educating people.”

Allen considers educating youth key to effective strategizing. “Once you get a kid involved it goes a long way,” she said.

Carman agreed. “What motivates me are those images from my youth. “And, remember,” she said, repeating the original Earth day campaign slogan, “people start pollution, people can stop it.” n

August 2009

Continued from page 11

“I struggled so much with school, I didn’t apply myself. I was quiet and reserved, and I didn’t feel like a very smart kid,” admitted Forehand, who also explained that he is Attention Deficit.

Doors opened for Forehand when, at age 12, he joined the Dover 4H program. It was there he began to blossom.

“Even though I struggled academically, I found my gift in public speaking. I was very articulate so I began competing in public speaking at state and national 4H competitions,” Forehand recalled.

The program gave Forehand a voice and offered him the opportunity to travel.

Trips carried him to Louisiana, Colorado, Washington D.C. “I’d never really been anywhere up to then; our family vacation each year was loading up and going to Piney Bay. It opened my eyes to other places. It was a huge gift,” Forehand said.

One teacher really can make a difference, believes Forehand. For him, it was a college professor who urged him to drop out of a college class and quit as he struggled with freshman studies.

“He basically told me I didn’t have what it took to be in college and that I should drop out,” recalled Forehand. “I was so angry, but it spurred me on to study even harder than

I already had been. The next test, I made a B. It was a turning point in my life.”

He was the only sibling to receive a car, earning a bachelor’s degree in education with focus on the mildly handicapped.

After working for a half-year in Paris, Ark., and several years in the self-contained classrooms at Gardner Junior High, he began focusing on the curriculum and revamping for the program, earning the respect and support of Dr. Dan Raines, the principal of Gardner at the time.

“I have enormous respect for Dr. Raines. He was and is so sharp. He was so receptive to my suggestions for the program,” Forehand acknowledged.

But his goals included returning to Dover Schools and obtaining a principal’s position before he was 30. He realized that in the classroom he could affect 2530 kids a year, but as principal, he could serve as a positive influence on 300-500 kids every day.

The now-veteran principal graciously acknowledged the acceptance of the Dover staff, most of whom were older than he when he began as principal.

“While I hadn’t spent years in the classroom as most traditional principals have done, they were wonderfully supportive of me and of what I wanted to accomplish,” he added.

The “door opening” for students was a direct result as his first day as principal. He describes it as another defining moment in his life.

“I remember asking the teachers, ‘where do I stand?’ They suggested the front parking lot, and from there, I began opening the doors for the car riders as they were dropped off each morning,” he remembered.

That was 14 years and three different campus buildings ago.

Donny Forehand – the student who was told to ‘drop out’ -- went on to earn his master’s degree in instructional leadership from UCA in 1994. He works energetically each and every day to show students that they are special and that they matter.

“Kids First, Parents Second, Teachers Next and then me” – It’s the motto by which Donny Forehand will lead the new Dover Primary School into the future. n Note: Donny Forehand and family, including his wife of 22 years -- Leigh Anne, a teacher at Center Valley -- and sons Blake, 17, and Heath, 13, make their home in Dover.

Forehand wished to acknowledge “Mr. Chuck” who assumed his duties as official car-door opener along with other “WatchDog Dads” who serve the Dover Primary with their volunteer efforts.

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Staffed by Master Technicians Kenny Woods, James Richardson and Scotty Freeman, our Service Department hours are 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday. “The Parts Department keeps a large inventory on hand to ensure maintenance and repairs can be made in a timely manner,” says Bryan Brock, Service Manager.

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ABOUT...the River Valley 21

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ABOUT...the River Valley 23

Stephen & Jonya Davis

Celebrating 25 Years

By Greg S. Sykes, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church of Russellville Photos by Melissa McCrotty Photography

24 ABOUT...the River Valley

A A

twenty-fifth wedding anniversary is so rare it’s called a “silver” anniversary.

A twenty-fifth anniversary at a job is equally rare, often rewarded with a special vacation or a gold watch.

But 25 years as the pastor of the same church? In this day and age of mobility among pastors and impatience among churches, such an anniversary is a rare commodity indeed.

Yet First Baptist Church of Russellville was able to celebrate 25 years with its pastor, Dr. Stephen Davis, on June 14th, 2009, in a special surprise worship service.

Davis and his wife Jonya first came to Russellville in June of 1984, after three brief pastorates in Sparkman and Fordyce, Ark., and Guthrie, Okla. The rest, as they say, is history.

In the 25 years since their arrival at First Baptist, the church has nearly tripled in size, baptized over 1500 individuals, and raised over $8.7 million for missions work both in the United States and internationally. And the congregation is yet again making preparations for future expansion, with plans being discussed for an expanded preschool area and a new worship facility.

During the special service recognizing this milestone for the Davis’, a compelling portrait emerged of two special individuals who have never deviated from love for each other, their family, their church, and the community of Russellville.

Russ Barksdale, the pastor at Rush Creek Church in Arlington, Texas, put it this way during the service: “Life presents big challenges for us all but for 25 years Stephen and Jonya Davis have been coming alongside others, setting the example, and helping others achieve a preferred future.”

It seems that Davis has always been about coaching others to experience a deeper, fuller walk with God than that to which they were accustomed.

“When he gets in that mode, his eyes narrow, his spine stiffens, his voice lowers, and he’s got that coaching hat on,” Barksdale added. The congregation at FBC has become accustomed to that look in the pulpit, as well.

But Davis’ coaching always came with a huge measure of humility, at least according to Bill Elliff, pastor of Summit Church in Little Rock.

August 2009

“He has always been humble and teachable before the God of the universe.

He understands his need for Christ,” Elliff said. Elliff went on to add that Davis’ life was characterized by brokenness, meekness and prayer, all elements that helped make him successful as the pastor at FBC Russellville.

Davis’ oldest son, John-Paul, added to this picture of humility.

“I’ve never met a person was more sure of what you were doing wrong and yet less sure of what he was doing right than my father,” John-Paul said. “But Dad is the first to admit when he is wrong, and he was never afraid to ask you to forgive him.”

Dale James, an FBC member and the chairman of the committee charged with organizing the special recognition, said, “Having the same pastor for 25 years has, in my opinion, contributed greatly to the growth and ministry of FBC. The stability in leadership has allowed the church to have a single continuous focus for this entire period, with priority placed on ministering to area families and spreading the gospel to our community and around the world.”

Of course, some of the special praise was reserved for the pastor’s wife, as well.

“Jonya truly has a heart for ministering to the women of our church,” James added.

“She plans and organizes women’s events with the ultimate goal of sharing the love of Christ to all and ministering to the needs of our ladies by providing inspirational speakers and activities.”

When asked to put the special day in perspective, Davis called it “a blessed experience.” He felt indebted to “be a part of a church family that was willing to believe and support a vision to be an Acts 1:8 church, on mission with God.” And he felt it was a special privilege to serve in one place for 25 years so that he could be a part of an individual’s physical birth, spiritual birth, spiritual growth and establishment of their new family.

Obviously, over 25 years, Davis has learned many valuable ministry lessons. For church leadership, he’d encourage pastors to “stay in God’s Word to get God’s insight, wisdom and methods to build and grow a church that pleases, honors, and obeys Him.” When asked about practical life lessons he has learned, he said, “Keep your

the Board of Trustees of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1993-2003. He is a former trustee of both Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, and Golden Gate Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.

The Davis’ are the parents of three children, a daughter – Stephanie, married

conscience clear, always chose humility, stay away from anger and defensiveness, and try not to take things personally.”

He added, “Be honest with yourself and with others in a loving manner, and be courageous when there is opposition to God’s truths and practices.”

Davis is a native of Oklahoma, having been born in Muskogee and growing up in Midwest City. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism before working in the television and marketing industries in Oklahoma and California.

But, at the age of 28, Davis accepted Christ as his Savior and, soon after, attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. While there, he met Jonya, who is the oldest daughter of Dr. John B. Wright, former pastor of First Baptist Church of Little Rock, Arkansas. They were married in March of 1975, one year before he completed his Master of Divinity Degree.

It was after completing seminary that he served briefly in Sparkman, Fordyce, and Guthrie. Since coming to Russellville, Davis has completed his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Trinity Theological Seminary in Newburg, Ind., in 1990. He also served on

to Marty Collier, a minister in Arlington, Texas – and two sons, John-Paul (married to Breanne Riley of Russellville) and Caleb.

The Davis’ have four grandchildren, AnnaKatherine, Cole, Davis and Riley.

The anniversary event was a complete surprise to the Davis’, with special guests and family entering the service at a prearranged moment. Three special speakers, Barksdale, Elliff, and Gary Smith, the pastor at Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, handled the service.

Those three pastors are friends and accountability partners with Davis. And the Davis’ were presented with a special love offering and other gifts in recognition of their years of ministry, with a reception held after the service.

The church also compiled albums of handwritten “memories” from the congregation, as well as videos and letters regarding the occasion from such dignitaries as Rex Horne, President of Ouachita Baptist University, Emil Turner, Executive Direction of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Jerry Rankin, President of the International Mission Board, Johnny Hunt, President of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Sharon Trusty, Arkansas State Senator. n

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(479) 968-1429 • www.russellvilleccs.com ABOUT...the River Valley 25

Story and Photos by Jeannie Stone

O

n a hot summer day Pottsville resident Jean Oates manages

to flash a smile at a visitor touring Potts Inn, the historic stagecoach

station in the center of town. After the sweltering encounter, Oates

escorts the guest across the road

toward the Drugstore Museum and, along the way, cheerfully answers questions in the brazen heat of the mid-day.

26 ABOUT...the River Valley

Pottsville’s Hostess Lives to Serve “Would you like to join my husband and me for lunch after we finish up?” she asked. “You look like you could use a tall glass of iced tea.”

Perceiving the needs of others is one of the traits daughter Brenda Oates Harrison has long admired of her mother.

“Nobody ever asked for seconds at our table,” she said. “Mom was always watchful. ‘Brenda, you need more potatoes,’ ‘Honey, couldn’t you use some more butter?’ She taught it better than anyone.”

Over the years, Oates has developed quite an interest in promoting Pottsville. Through her past involvement on the Potts Inn Board, her 58 year marriage to retired pharmacist Charles Oates, and the raising of three children, she has invested her heart and taking pride in her community.

Her hospitality skills have come in handy.

“Mom has always been such a gracious hostess,” Harrison said.

“There was no telling who or how many people my father would bring to the dinner table. Mr. Jim Bell was the superintendent of the schools and a bachelor. He would be one of those frequent guests, and mother would welcome them all into our home with open arms.”

Oates prepared three meals a day for her family Harrison said.

“Every Thursday my grandfather would bring the field hands over for lunch. Even when I was married, I would go over there on Thursdays.

It was such a production.”

“Unless it was the night Gunsmoke came on TV, when we ate on TV trays, we were at the table being pampered by my mother,” she said.

A hostess in her own right, Harrison, the Public Relations director for St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, credits her mother for her influence. “I think my mother trained me for this job,” she said. “It’s doing everything I ever wanted to do all rolled up into one.”

August 2009

Current Potts Inn Board members: Pam Scarber Kenny Smith Lisa Whitten John Heflin Rebecca Stowers Margaret Motley Buford Smith David and Sandy Vance David Oates Van and Ginny Tyson Mary Baker David Duffield Anna Fields Charles Oates Sue Wheeler Bert Mullens Harrison also remembers her mother filling her life with beauty.

“She took me to tea parties and taught me to appreciate the lovely side of life,” she said. “In fact, I remember when she dressed me up to go see the doll exhibit at Dillard’s. That was in the 60s.”

When the Potts Inn Board was thinking of how it could become more attractive to visitors, Jean Oates recalled the wonderful doll exhibit which featured likenesses of presidential as well as Arkansas first ladies.

The Stagecoach Inn, known for its hospitality, lent an opportunity for Mrs. Oates to promote the historical significance of the community.

“We have so much more than the restored rooms and period furniture gracing the Inn,” she said. Acquiring the dolls seemed a natural thing to do.

The First Ladies Doll Exhibit, a unique addition to the growing menagerie of permanent displays, is only one of the several collections on display to the public.

The dolls were originally created by Sue Taylor who began the project in 1963. After her passing, Gertrude Buchanan picked up the pieces and completed the dolls, left in varying degrees of completion and brought the collection up to date.

“At the time we were discussing the acquisition of the dolls I heard someone say we didn’t have a place to house and display them. I told her that I would just stand here holding them until we found a place,” Oates said.

In addition to the dolls, dressed in replica inaugural gowns, visitors are also treated to a visit of the original

smokehouse – turned doctor’s office and now a museum, and the well house which operated as a refrigerated building for storing eggs and milk.

A barn, donated by Boyce Sinclair, houses an impressive collection of antique farm equipment, and a one room pioneer log cabin, donated by the “Piney” Page Estate gives an authentic architectural presence to the grounds.

Two servant houses call attention to the original dependence on slavery. In fact, Kirkbride Potts, the master of the homestead, brought two families of slaves with him when he arrived by covered wagon to the area from Pennsylvania.

Along with the interesting facts, charming vignettes and antique furniture displayed in the Potts Inn, the community’s original post office is situated in the wide foyer, as Mr. Potts also acted as the postmaster. >>

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August 2009

ABOUT...the River Valley 27

The Start of Something Wonderful “Wildflower is a wonderful retirement home. Lots of fun things to do and keeps you young.”

Evelyn & Woody Harris

WILDFLOWER Senior Living

240 S. Inglewood Ave, Russellville, AR 72801 • (479) 890-6709

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Oates and the resident caretaker Emmy Lee breathe life into the old house with stories and anecdotes concerning the Potts family, the original brood consisting of 11 children.

Another structure, a small cabin moved from Norristown, houses an amazing clothing museum featuring a breathtaking hat collection donated by former Russellville milliner Michael McLean. A large collection of mannequins posing in period clothing further enthralls the visitor.

“Just look at the handwork on those petticoats,” Oates said. “Isn’t that just amazing?”

The doctors exhibit is fascinating, as well. The office, preserved with the original belongings of the family’s physician Dr. Charles Teeter, allows visitors to observe the rudimentary tools available to the medical profession.

The total property offers an unparalleled step back in time for guests and provides a rich learning experience for students of all ages.

Plans are in the works to add another chapter to the living museum. A generous donation of Native American artifacts, given

by Rev. Robert and Ellen Bearden, will open to the public soon.

“We have some real nice things from the Western tribes,” Oates said, “but we are open to receiving a few more items from the local tribes that inhabited this area.”

After completing the rounds at the main campus, Mrs. Oates ushers the visitor across the street past the antique Dipping Vat, where farmers would bring their cattle to dip for tics. Another oddity is frozen in time and preserved by the board for future generations.

The Drugstore Museum is another marvel and antique Coca Cola signs, along with her children’s toys from the 1960s, add a fun element. Antique tools of a trade that has seen phenomenal changes throughout the 50 years her

retired husband practiced, sit gleaming in the temperature-controlled room.

The building, also listed on the historical register, houses a thriving photography business next door and the original bank in town.

Mrs. Oates eyes a run-down store across the street and begins extolling its virtues as a restored mercantile complete with a meeting room in the rear and handicapaccessible bathrooms with enough space behind the building to accommodate school buses.

“Oh, it could be grand,” she said, eyes twinkling.

Over a long table heavy laden with fresh produce and sandwiches, Mrs. Oates suddenly eyes my glass and says, “Don’t you need some mint in that tea?” n

The Potts Inn Museum operates Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact Lee at (479) 9688369 or (479) 968-1877.

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28 ABOUT...the River Valley

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ABOUT...the River Valley 29

c The“C”in the C&D c Story and Photos by Jeannie Stone

“The pendulum has swung,” retired pharmacist Charles Oates of Pottsville said with a great sweep of his arm. “We used to stock salt tablets in our drugstore, thousands of them. All factory places provided them for their employees. But nowadays, too much salt is bad for you.”

Oates is a man to reckon with when considering the growth of the community. He was one half of the founding force behind C&D Drug Store in neighboring Russellville. Oates enjoys reminiscing over the generations of people whom he served.

He tries to keep abreast of changes in the profession and is mindful of the passing of time when he visits the Drugstore Museum he and his wife Jean have created in the historic district in Pottsville.

“Nothing has impacted the pharmacy profession more than computers,” Oates said. “All that information is at the fingertips of today’s pharmacist.”

Technology allows pharmacists to counsel patients, maintain patients’ profiles, and research the side effects of drugs Oates said.

“Of course, the regulations and insurance rules are a lot different, but computers have made pharmacists so much better prepared than we were. We were prepared for our time, but even college requirements are greater than ours were. Back then, you could get a pharmacy degree in four years. It can easily take seven now.”

30 ABOUT...the River Valley

Oates, whose great grandparents settled in the area in 1852, takes pleasure in growing deep roots. His great grandfather, a Confederate soldier, survived a shot in the neck only because his grandmother took their children in an ox cart and drove to Jenkins Ferry. “She nursed him back to health,” Oates said.

Oates studied Pre-Veterinary Medicine at College of the Ozarks before going into the service. When he returned from WWII as a surgical tech, he continued with his college plans, but his studies were thwarted.

“They’d changed all the requirements while I was away, so I switched to pharmacy,” he said. “I practiced in Waldron for six years, where I met and married Jean, and then practiced in Mountain Pine for a couple of years before coming home.”

“My family has a rich history with Charles Oates,” pharmacist R.D. Walker said. “He joined my uncle, S.A. Walker in 1958, about the time my dad did. It was called ‘Walker’s Drug’ back then. After awhile, the present building came up for sale, and Charles and my dad decided to go in together.”

August 2009

(Left) Confederate money, one of the treasures displayed at Potts Inn, was found when restoring the Gentlemen's Parlour.

(Bottom Left) The dining room featuring china that was very similar to an original platter used by the Potts family. The watercolor painting were painted by a granddaughter and great granddaughters of Kirkbride Potts.

Governors, military officers and Cherokee chiefs all dined at this table.

(Right) A well appointed bedroom

“I think S.A. had a reputation for being really strict – or kind of old school. Anyway, my dad and Charles were anxious about letting him know of their plans to fly the coop, and Charles told my dad, ‘You tell him. He’s your brother.’ Oh, we have a lot of stories, and it’s been a wonderful relationship,” he said.

“My dad died when I was 18, and Charles always provided me the same warmth and compassion he paid to everyone.”

“Both my parents were wonderful role models, both so kind, gentle and quietly

giving,” said son David Oates, a local veterinarian. “The whole time I lived at home I never heard a cross word between them.”

David’s decision to practice in the medical field was directly linked to his privileged childhood.

“We had everything a kid could want,” he said. “We had both wild and domestic animals – horses, all manner of injured birds, even crows and skunks. Even though we lived in town it wasn’t unusual for a horse or calf to be in the backyard. Dad would even bring home

turtle eggs and place them in a jar to hatch. It was wonderful. I have the greatest family.”

His father’s interest in the animal kingdom was not solely focused on the healing arts.

“He had the habit,” David said, “of teaching our horse tricks. Then, he’d gather the neighborhood children and perform for them.”

The Walkers had three children, and so did the Oates. The Oates’ children, Brenda, Bonita and David all have memories of playing and helping in the drugstore as children.

Continued on page 41

Sue Ann Strait ABR, CRS, GRI Executive Broker

O. (479) 968-1430 C. (479) 890-1133

River Valley Realty, Inc

River Valley Realty, Inc 800 East Main • Russellville, AR 72801 800 East Main • Russellville, AR 72801

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August 2009

ABOUT...the River Valley 31

ABOUT

Food

n e v E More

Winning Recipes Dianna Qualls About the River Valley Food Editor

In May and June, we published the first and second installment of recipes submitted to our first-ever ABOUT the Best Cooks Community-Wide Recipe Contest. This month, we publish our final collection from those ‘winning recipes’ submitted by some of the best cooks in the River Valley. Here you will find something to please every sweet tooth in the family. And while you are sampling these favorites, we hope you consider which recipe(s) you will submit for our contest next April. Enjoy!

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SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE Recipe from Kelly Hardgrave 1 tsp. vanilla ½ tsp. baking soda 6 eggs 3 c. flour 1 c. sour cream 3 c. sugar 2 sticks butter Topping: Combine with a fork: ½ c. finely chopped nuts ½ c. brown sugar ¼ c. butter In large bowl cream butter and sugars; add sour cream. Sift flour and soda. Add flour mixture to the cream mixture alternating with an egg. Add vanilla; pour into a tube pan or a spring form pan.

Sprinkle with topping.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean at 325 degrees about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

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AUNT URSIE’S BROWNIE MACAROONS Recipe by Betsy Harris

(River of Life Cookbook, 1st Presbyterian Church, Dardanelle) 1 (14-oz.) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk 3 heaping tsp cocoa 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 (3 l/2 oz) can of Angel Flake coconut 1 c. pecans, finely chopped Place condensed milk, coconut and cocoa in the top of a double boiler. After the water in the lower section reaches a rapid boil, cook for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pecans and allow to cool slightly.

With the tips of your fingers, shape rounded teaspoons of the mixture into the size and shape of a Hershey’s Kiss. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Watch closely, as these macaroons burn easily. Makes about 3 l/2 doz. cookies.

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32 ABOUT...the River Valley

August 2009

Pillsbury (no other) Chocolate Cake mix Hershey Syrup in a can Hershey Chocolate chips (large) Hershey Chocolate chips (small) Hershey Chocolate Almond Bars Hershey Chocolate Squeeze Bottle Hershey Caramel Syrup Hershey Fudge Marshmallow Cream Sliced Almonds in a bag Whole Almonds in a bag Land-o-Lakes Butter, salted (unsalted, if you want to be healthy) Mix and cook cake, set aside. Melt butter in a pan on low heat-do not burn the butter, if you do, wash pan and start over!

After the butter is almost melted, place the bag of sliced almonds in the pan using 1½ sticks of butter per bag. In another pan cook the whole almonds w/ butter the same way, but place a cover and heat 9-13 minutes, low, low heat!

Mix everything in a crock pot using only one heaping tablespoon of fudge, one to two heaping tablespoons of caramel and marshmallow cream. Everything else, pour or mix into crock pot. Heat on low for 4 hours.

Cut cake into squares, place a piece into a bowl and using a ladle, pour Principal Bill’s “MUD” (the stuff that’s in the crock pot) over the cake and ENJOY!

RASPBERRY WINE CAKE Recipe from Theresa McPherson 1 c. Raspberry Wine 2 pkg. Raspberry Jell-O 1 c. oil 4 eggs separated 1 ½ c. sugar 3 ¾ tsp. baking powder 2 ¼ c. flour ¼ tsp. salt

Cream oil, sugar and add egg yolks, beat until creamy. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Then add the Jell-O and wine, stir, then fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in Bundt pan at 350F for I hour.

While cake is warm drizzle the following: 1 cup of powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons of wine, mix till thin and smooth. Drizzle over cake, garnish, serve.

CARAMEL-PECAN POUND CAKE Recipe from Theresa McPherson 1 ½ c, butter, softened 2 ¼ c, dark brown sugar, firmly packed 1 c. sugar 5 large eggs 3 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp.. salt 1 c whole milk 1 ½ c. toasted and chopped pecans Garnish: confectioners’ sugar and glazed pecans Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until smooth.

Stir in chopped pecans.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cover top of cake with foil, if necessary, to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with confectioner’s sugar and glazed pecans, if desired.

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TOPPING: 1 c. sugar (granulated) 1 tsp. vanilla 1 ½ c. pecan pieces 1 c. evaporated milk 3 egg yolks 1/2 c. butter 1½ c. coconut Combine first five ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Over medium heat and gently boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut and pecans.

Cook to room temperature. Reserve 1¼ cup topping in a separate bowl.

COOKIES:

1 pkg. German Chocolate Cake mix 1/3 c. melted butter Remaining topping mixture in saucepan Combine cookie ingredients and mi thoroughly. Make into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Gently press an indention in the center of the ball. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes.

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and remove to a cooling rack. Place ½ tsp of the reserved topping in center of each cookie. Makes approximately 2½ dozen cookies.

LEMON CAKE Recipe from Theresa McPherson 1 Lemon cake mix 2 pkg lemon Jell-O pudding 1 ½ c milk (cold) Bake cake mix as directed in two 8-inch round pans Cool cake. Mix Jell-O and milk till thick, spread between layers.

Frost with 8 oz. Tub of cool whip.

Refrigerate and serve

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ABOUT...the River Valley 33

SOPAIPILLA CHEESECAKE BARS Recipe from Pam Halverson-Walton Voted Russellville’s

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2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened 1¼ sticks (10 T.) butter or margarine, softened, divided use ½ c. granulated sugar, divided use 2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided use 2 (8 oz.) pkg. refrigerated crescent dinner rolls ½ tsp. ground cinnamon Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 4 Tablespoons of the butter.

Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

Gradually beat in 1 cup of the sugar.

Stir in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Unroll 1 package of crescent rolls. Place in bottom of prepared pan (do not separate rolls). Arrange dough to edges of pan, pressing to seal perforations. Spread cream cheese mixture in even layer over crescent dough. Unroll remaining package of crescent rolls. Place on top of cream cheese layer.

In small saucepan, melt remaining 6 Tablespoons butter. Stir in remaining 1/2 c. sugar, remaining teaspoon vanilla, and the

cinnamon. Spread mixture evenly over top crescent dough layer. Bake 30 minutes or until top is slightly puffed and golden brown.

Cool before cutting.

CAN PIE Recipe from Kelly Hardgrave Filling: 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 large bananas, sliced ½ c pecans, chopped Small carton of Cool Whip Crust: 2 egg whites 1/8 tsp cream of tartar ½ c chopped pecans or walnuts ½ c sugar ½ tsp vanilla Boil the un-opened can of milk for 4 hours. Keep it covered with water. Let it cool before you open.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until foamy; add sugar and beat until stiff. Fold in vanilla and nuts. Spread in a pie pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes.

Layer the bananas, nuts and boiled milk on the crust. Top with Cool Whip.

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FRIED PIES Recipe from Bonnie Ring

(River of Life Cookbook, 1st Presbyterian Church, Dardanelle)

FRIED PIE CRUST

4 c. all-purpose flour, sifted ¾ c. shortening 1 tsp salt ¾ c. milk (can use more if needed) 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 c. sugar

IRISH CREAM POUND CAKE Recipe from Theresa McPherson 1 ½ c. butter, softened 2 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1 c. sugar 5 large eggs 3 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder ½ t. salt ¾ c. whole milk ¼ c Irish Cream Liqueur Irish Cream Glaze (recipe follows) Garnish: fresh mint, sliced and fanned strawberries Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12-cup fluted pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the Irish Cream. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Drizzle Irish Cream Glaze over cake.

Garnish with fresh mint and sliced strawberries, if desired.

IRISH CREAM GLAZE Makes about ¾ cups 2 c. confectioners’ sugar 3 T. Irish Cream Liqueur In a medium bowl, combine sugar and Irish Cream, whisking until smooth.

August 2009

Sift flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together in large bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Gradually add milk until dough clings together.

Divide this dough into three or four pieces. Use one roll at a time. Keep other rolls in a cool place. Roll each piece out into a 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured board. Use a large glass, flour it, and use as a cutter. Or use a can or biscuit cutter. Will make about 10 circles for pies.

Make your favorite filling and place about 1½ tablespoons into each center.

Fold over and moisten each edge with

milk. Seal edges together. Press down or use the tines of a fork to press the edges together.

Fry the pies in at least 2 inches of oil, heated when you put the pies into pan. We like chocolate filling. Some like peach or apricot. This dough works for any of them.

FRIED PIE FILLING

½ c. sugar 2 T. butter or margarine ¼ c. all-purpose flour ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder ½ c. milk Combine sugar, flour and cocoa in a small saucepan. Stir in milk and butter.

Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook one more minute on med-low heat. Stir in vanilla.

Cool to make the pies. Place about 1 tablespoon filling in center of each circle. Fold over, crimp and fry in hot oil until brown on one side, turn over and fry on other.

Takes about 3 minutes each side. Place n on paper towel to absorb the fat.

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Serving the River Valley Since 1970

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Bill & Marlene Newton, Owners • (479) 968-4185 • 715 West Main, Russellville, AR

Before you get on the bus, come see us!

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FAMILY

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We Cater to Cowards

3105 West Main • Russellville AR

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ABOUT...the River Valley 35

Safe Sitters Grace Hendren of Russellville, Stephanie Wood of Pottsville, Julia Hagerty of Atkins, Kylie Dennis of Russellville, Josie Dixon of Russellville and Brooklyn Tarbox of Dardanelle recently completed the June session of Saint Mary’s Safe Sitter babysitting workshops. August 11-12 is the last session of the summer.

Call 964-9379 for registration information.

Brooklyn Tarbox of Dardanelle practices infant choking rescue at the recent Safe Sitter workshop at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center.

River Valley moms, grandmoms, aunts and friends gathered with Dr. Neylon Pilkington in June to learn more about keeping kids safe and healthy throughout the summer months. Pictured with him here in the Saint Mary’s annex are (l to r) Anna Claire Pilkington, Valarie Smith, Nikole Baker, Joy Bishop, Hannah Montgomery and Carol Morgan. Pilkington’s presentation was sponsored by the Saint Mary’s Goodmoms program, and was the first in a series of children’s wellness seminars with the pediatric staff of Saint Mary’s and Millard Henry Clinic. These fun and informative events will cover health topics pertinent to the health and well-being of kids from infancy into the adolescent years. Call 964.5333 for more information.

Dr. Robert Thurlby drew a full house of River Valley seniors at a recent Vintage Club luncheon at Saint Mary’s. Photo by Jeannie Stone.

Dr. Robert Thurlby presents on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis at Saint Mary’s Vintage Club “Lunch with your Doctor” in May. Photo by Jeannie Stone.

36 ABOUT...the River Valley

August 2009

ABC Block & Brick

DQ Grill & Chill

River Valley & Ozark Edition

TEC Staffing Services

ABOUT the River Valley Magazine

Entergy - Arkansas Nuclear One

River Valley Equipment Sales, LLC

Teen Challenge

Equestrian Zone - Riding For A Reason

River Valley United Way

Tee’s Carwash & Detailing

River Valley Vacuums

Telcoe Federal Credit Union

Russellville Adult Education Center

Turnage Employment Service Group, Inc.

Alpha Counter Tops, Inc. AmCare Senior Life Partners American Cancer Society APEX Communications Arby’s Area Career & Technical Center

Express Employment Professionals Exxon Tiger Mart Farmers Insurance- Amanda Shipman & Mike Palmer

Arkansas Hospice Russellville

FCS Home Mortgage/ Farm Credit Services

Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Fleet Tire & Retreading

Arkansas Insurance Department

Frontier Steel Co., Inc.

Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels

Gary’s Sharpening Service & Machine Shop

Arkansas Tech University

Green Source Recycling

Arvest

Healthy Chocolate/ Mel Welch

AT&T East Main

Home Instead Senior Care

Beacon Tire Company

The Home Theater Store

Belk - Russellville

Jackson Hewitt

Best Security Services

Lee Ann’s Fine Jewelry

Bethany’s Design Center

Liberty Bank

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Mirage Day Spa/ River Valley School of Massage

Bird’s Hospitality Boys & Girls Clubs of the Arkansas River Valley

Russellville Christian Center Russellville/ Conway Cleaning Systems Saint Mary’s Saladmaster Healthy Cooking Center Salvation Army Securitas Security USA

U of A Community College at Morrilton Vspa Waste Management Wells Fargo Advisors Whitten Reprographics Wight Office Machines, Inc.

Shelter Insurance

Wildflower

Simmons First Bank

Window World

Suddenlink

Winthrop Rockefeller Institute

TDS Xerox

Wireless Experts List of exhibitors through publication date

Morning Star Mountain Enterprises

Bridgestone Firestone

National Home Centers

Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, Inc.

NEW

The Bug Man, Inc.

Notto Chiropractic Health

Bunting Electric Heating & Air

Nuera Transport

CenturyTel

Ozark Conference Center

Chartwells Catering

Penmac

ClickRiverValley.com

Peters Family Living

Code Camey and Associates, Inc.

Pope County Democrats

Coulter Physical Therapy, Inc.

Prestige Home Mortgage, Inc.

The Courier

Regions Bank

Cowell Steel Structures, Inc.

Remax First

The Dog House

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Joann Hays, Owner

Joann’s

FASHION BRAS For the Hard-to-Fit

ABOUT...the River Valley 37

P. Allen Smith answers questions from Vintage Club members and other quests of Royalty Tours during an elegant outdoor lunch on his Garden Home estate.

P. Allen Smith greets Saint Mary’s Vintage Club members and other guests of Royalty Tours at his garden home retreat near Little Rock.

Royalty Travelers given royal treatment P. Allen Smith greets his guests under a majestic oak when giving tours of his Garden Home Retreat near Little Rock. “This tree could be as old as 250 years,” he says, “and is just perfect.”

Saint Mary’s Vintage Club members and other guests of Royalty Tours enjoyed this and other magnificent sights recently on a personally-guided tour of Smith’s estate. The Garden Home Retreat is the culmination of his idea to “blur the line between indoors and out, bringing the home into the garden and the garden into the home.” Spectacular horticulture, architecture and breathtaking views were all part of the package as Smith led the group through the grounds.

After the tour, guests enjoyed an elegant lunch with the gracious host. Smith autographed several books, answered questions and offered expert advice to the gardeners in the audience.

Doris and Emmitt Morris of Russellville were on their second trip with Royalty Tours, and were delighted to share a table with Smith at lunch. They talked some about his vegetable garden, which Doris reported, “isn’t doing very well just yet.

It’s just in its first year, and has a little way to go.”

Tracy Rood, also of Russellville, most enjoyed the architecture. “The whole trip was wonderful,” she said, “but I really wanted to see the house.” Smith’s house, though less than three years old, was designed and constructed to appear as if it could have been standing since around 1870. “It was immaculate,” said Rood, “and he let us roam around and look at just about everything.” Rood questioned Smith some about

his livestock as well. In addition to sheep and chickens, he also raises Heritage Blue Slate turkeys. These turkeys are actually blue in hue. Smith did admit that those turkeys that he does not sell are likely to end up in his freezer.

Smith’s approachable nature impressed the group as a whole. Mary Jane Taylor of Taylor Nursery in Russellville enjoyed the horticultural aspect of the visit, of course, as well as the beautiful art displayed in the home. “The oak tree in front of the house just took my breath away,” she said. Taylor came home from the trip in search of a plant that Smith had called “verbena on a stick.” She found it and planted it at an old house she is renovating.

“It was a real treat to get to see this beautiful location, and we all came away with good memories and some piece of newfound knowledge,” said Sandy DeVore of Royalty Tours. Upcoming Royalty outings include the annual October “Mystery Trip,” which is always a great success, and a beautiful “San Antonio Christmas” tour. The reservation deadline for October’s trip is August 25. Call DeVore at 479.890.6774.

Many guests of Royalty Tours are also members of Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center Vintage Club. While travel with Royalty tours is not exclusive to Vintage members, membership does have its advantages. Through the Vintage program, Saint Mary’s provides River Valley seniors with health and wellness information as well as social and travel opportunities. Joining Vintage Club is easy. Call (479) 964-9355 for information and an application. n

Doris and Emmitt Morris of Russellville relax on a porch of the main house on P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home Retreat.

P. Allen home: P. Allen Smith discusses the design and décor of the main house with guests with Royalty Tours on a recent trip to his Garden Home Retreat.

By P. Allen Smith

ABOUT

Community

Motors for Miracles

The Arkansas River Valley Chapter of Circle of Friends for Arkansas Children’s Hospital is hosting a new event, Motors for Miracles car show, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. This is the first year for the show, however organizers plan to make this an annual event in the community.

The car show will be held at the National Home Center parking lot, Hwy. 64 East in Russellville. Participants may register online at www.archildrens.org/motorsformiracles or by mail to 300 S. Sidney Ave., Russellville, AR 72801.

Vehicles will be judged in several categories with trophies awarded for first and second place.

Categories include: Best of Show, Best Paint, Best Engine and Best Interior.

Classes include: original car and truck, Corvette, special awards, Pre-1950, 1954-69; Special Interest, 1950-1979,1970-present, 1980-present and participants choices; Modified car and truck class, Mustang class, Rat Rod Class, Muscle car and motorcycle class, among others.

Cost is $20 for preregistration by Sept.

13; $25 day of show (8-11 a.m.) Second car, $15. Online information is available at archildrens.org/MotorsforMiracles.

Judging will begin at noon. Trophies will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Each participant will receive a goody bag and will be entered to win door prizes that have donated by local businesses. Food will be available for purchase on site, courtesy of the local Kiwanis club.

All proceeds benefit the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The event is being sponsored by Cogswell Motors and Circle of Friends, an organization of volunteers from Pope and Yell counties who support Arkansas Children’s Hospital through fundraising, health and safety education and community projects.

“We are very excited about the prospect of hosting this year’s Motors for Miracles car show,” said Alisha Beason of Cogswell Motors.

“It will be a great opportunity to serve Arkansas Children’s in our community.”

Additional information is available

by calling Beason at (479) 331-0089 or (479) 747-1966, or via email: abeason@ cogswellmotors.com.

Walk to Cure Diabetes

Area residents soon will have an opportunity to “take steps” in the fight against diabetes by supporting area walkers participating in the “Walk to Cure Diabetes” on September 12 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

This year’s theme is ‘Be A Hero to a Child.’ Cheryl Pledger of Clarksville is committed to the fundraiser. Both of Cheryl’s children, John and Holly, were diagnosed with juvenile diabetes a number of years ago and the family walked as a team in last year’s event. She will be joined by their family -- “Jo-lly Walkers.

“Tax-deductible contributions in support of our family are welcome and easy to do by email to deuculano@jdrf.org,” said Cheryl.

Checks payable to the JDRF may be mailed to: The Jo-lly Walkers,” 2149 E. Parkway, Russellville AR 72802. Information is also available by calling (479) 774-1346.

You’re Driving Home Our Reputation

Jamie Sorrells President

Eric Hartzell VP & Gen. Mgr.

1903 S. Arkansas • (479) 968-3991 August 2009

ABOUT...the River Valley 39

Creates, Captures Beauty

Taylor

M

Story by Jeannie Stone Photos by Gabriel Stiritz

ary Jane Taylor, owner of local business Taylor Nursery, loves to create beautiful landscapes for her customers.

Following her through one of the greenhouses to show a customer a potential plant, Taylor rattles off the names and traits of each plant that elicits an “ooh” or an “ah.” Mary Jane, orchestrator of this magical beanstalk of a nursery, chooses a different medium to capture beauty. For the purpose of posterity, Taylor paints with watercolor.

Though she fell in love with the heart-shaped cyclamen during a recent trip to Israel Taylor, a former Russellville High School business education teacher for 30 years, doesn’t paint flora.

“What I love to paint are old structures,” she said. “I like old houses, old trains and antiques.”

Her subject matter, for the most part, is local landmarks often unrecognizable to folks who did not hail from Pope County. Some of her paintings depict scenes such as downtown Hagarville, the old Pope County Courthouse, an old cotton gin, the old Pottsville train depot, the Tech barns, the lovely Augsburg country church with a white-steepled spire. Each painting represents 15 to 20 hours of time.

“One of my family friends, Charles Oates, gave me a photograph of the old Galla Creek bridge in Pottsville. Those are the types of things I like to paint,” she said.

Not surprisingly, Taylor’s taste in books compliments her painting focus. She reads historical novels.

Taylor learned painting while taking evening classes from Polly Loibner, who taught across the hall from Mary Jane.

Taylor learned the basics of watercolor from Loibner but laid her painting aside to address the multiple responsibilities she faced in her life without husband Raymond who passed away in 1988.

“After the funeral, my nephew (Bob Taylor) and I were looking at each other over the table in the nursery office and wondering what we were going to do with the business my husband started,” she said.

“Bob had already been working with my husband, and we decided we could make a go at running it together. We have run it over 20 years together. I guess we make a pretty good team.”

The business celebrated 32 years on July 4th. “And I’ve been here almost every day,” she said.

Running a business has been hard work, and to off-set the stress of paperwork, bills and serving customers, Taylor returned to her painting.

“I carry my camera anytime I go on a trip, and I add the images to the gobs of ideas I carry in my mind for painting ideas,” she said.

“I decided I needed to do something for me.”

Taylor loves to travel on her own and with local groups. “I go on Royalty Tours two or three times a year. It doesn’t matter to me where they go. I always have a good time. They are good people.”

Taylor laughs as she describes her painting style. “There’s not a teacher on this planet who would teach the way I paint,” she said.

“I make a royal mess, but I just enjoy piddling.”

Although the public is welcome to view her paintings on display in the nursery office, they are not for sell.

40 ABOUT...the River Valley

August 2009

“I do not sell. I do this for me,” she said.

Many of the paintings are renderings of places that carry sentimental value for Taylor like the painting of the path leading up the mountain.

“I still have the first watercolor I did, and one of these days I might even frame it,” she said.

Taylor has sown plenty of verdant Russellville gardens and has rendered interpretations of local landmarks for future generations, but her piece de resistance, representing the essence of the beautiful world of Mary Jane Taylor, is the love she has artfully poured into the people surrounding her.

“I have a lot of really good employees,” Taylor said. “They try really hard to please the customers, answer questions and help them find what they’re looking for.

“Her employees all love her,” employee Mary Hollabaugh said. “She’s very compassionate and art-wise with the plants as well as her painting. Even her old high school students come in here and tell her how much she meant to them.”

“She’s a good person all the way around,” fellow employee C.W. Gilbreath added.

“Trust me; she has a good heart.”

Taylor recently bought an old house in Russellville, built in the late 1800s by Dr. Campbell, known locally as the old Bubba Houston Insurance house.

“It is a two-story building full of opportunity,” she said. “I took out some of the concrete, and put me up a black rail fence, and I put in a flower here and there,” Taylor said. You can see her draw the picture of possibilities in her mind’s eye.

“Currently, I’m painting the old Palace Hotel which was on Dennis Lowe’s Auto Parts parking lot. Then, I’m going to do a watercolor of my old house,” she said.

To Mary Jane Taylor life is all about creating beauty and art. n

Continued from page 31

Brenda Oates Harrison, Community Relations director for Saint Mary’s Hospital, remembers the drugstore as a place that never closed.

“My father would go out in the middle of the night, and do it cheerfully. We’d wake up and want to go with him,” she said.

Harrison remembers the drugstore was open all the time. “The store would close for a one hour lunch on Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she said, “and it closed half a day when Dale Walker passed away.”

“Dale and I had a fantastic relationship,” Oates said. “Banks weren’t real fond of lending money to partnerships because so many times it didn’t work out,” Oates said. “They used us as an example of how it could work.”

The motto of C&D Drugstore was and still is Courtesy and Service, Harrison said.

“And they lived those words,” she said. “Growing up in the drugstore, there was nobody better than you or less than you. My parents would say that we were grateful for the people who traded with us. They are still passionate about supporting local businesses.”

Harrison has carried the spirit of the homey drugstore motto which hung over her play area into the corporate world.

“When our hospital administration attended a retreat to hone our vision and mission statements, I told them the same story,” she said. “I learned courtesy at an early age, and that was a valuable lesson for me.”

“Getting to watch them work together was the best education I could ever receive,” Walker said.

“The special thing about Charles is just the way he treats people. He is so nice to everyone. That impressed me. If I needed to seek advice he’d be the first person I’d turn to.”

Walker wasn’t the only one impressed with the courtesy learned at the hand of Oates.

Local businessman and childhood friend Jim Bob Humphrey paid Harrison a compliment she holds dear to this day.

“He told me that he always appreciated me when he was growing up because I was always so nice to everyone,” she said.

Besides volunteering for Potts Inn, Oates spends his days bush-hogging, tending to cattle and growing poultry for Tyson’s.

“When I got around to living my second childhood, I broke my first team of oxen,” he said, with obvious satisfaction. “I am spending my second childhood right where I spent my first.” n

ABOU T at your Service!

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Pet Care for Russellville & Surrounding Areas No more worrying about your animals while you are away. Let them stay home.

For more information call: Pam’s Pet Care (479) 495-0235 Be the first service professional that comes to mind when your prospective customer needs a product or service you provide. Have your business or service included in the next issue of ABOUT…the River Valley, contact Melanie Conley at (479) 967-4899 or Vonna Marpel at (479) 970-4263.

August 2009

ABOUT...the River Valley 41

Catherine’s Cakes

Making Your Special Day Even Sweeter!

Wedding and Groom’s Cakes • Petit Fours Cupcakes and More For All Your Special Occasions Early Orders Appreciated!

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passion opportunity

Where meets

ABOUT

Engagements

Calendar listings of engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements on the pages of each issue of ABOUT … the River Valley are available at no charge. They may be mailed to: ABOUT Magazine, P.O. Box 10176, Russellville AR 72812 or sent via email to: editor@aboutrvmag.com. (A phone number must be included for verification.)

– August 1, 2009–

– September 26, 2009–

Billy Cotton and Noel Betner

Jenny Andrasik and Vic Fulton

Monica Fite and Casey Oliver

Emily Fulmer and Jacob Ward

Ashley Denison and Bradley Martin

Ashley Fincher and Jared Brasher

Marissa McAnally and Zac Treadway

–October 3– –August 8, 2009–

Lacey Martin and Derrick Freeman

Samantha Mosley to Montana Hoing

Ages 18 months thru Adult Visit our website

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Huge Storewide SaleS!

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Stephanie Galbo and Charlie Loup

–October 17– Kelsey Boyd and Jerome Cox

–August 29, 2009–

Katie Whitlow and Chris Watson

Callie Woodard and Alex Ruiz

–October 24– –September 19, 2009–

Layne Smith and Cody James

Kim Bennett and Justin Davis Victoria Reynolds and Michael Lunn

–November 7–

Mandy Brown and Phillip Golleher

Julia Ratzlaff and Caleb Chaney

Registry listings courtesy of Gifts on Parkway/Gifts on Rogers and Millyn’s of Dardanelle.

To have your engagement or wedding published in a future issue of ABOUT Magazine, send your information, photo and a check for $57.50 to: ABOUT Magazine, PO Box 10176, Russellville AR 72812. Word count is limited to 225 words. Deadline is the 15th of the month preceding publication. For additional information, call (479) 970-6628.

Come to The Other Foot & More for your back-to-school shoes. Your exclusive Toms Shoe retailer.

968-4900

2143 E. Parkway • Russellville 42 ABOUT...the River Valley

Rendezvous

208 West Main St. ~ Russellville, AR 72801 Mon-Fri 11-6 ~ Sat 10-3 479-890-7766 ~ www.gownmarket.com

August 2009