July 2012 Vol. 2 Issue 12
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Leon Biddy
veteran
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c o m m u n i t y
m a g a z i n e
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July 2012
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Comments or Suggestions? info@adahub.com (580) 421-7874 A rticles and advertisements in the Ada Hub do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine or Twelve Media Group, Inc. Twelve Media Group, Inc. does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising by Ada Hub does not constitute endorsement of the products, services or information. We do not knowingly present any product or service that is fraudulent or misleading in nature. Ada Hub assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials.
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18
features 7 Ada’s Got Talent 2012 12 War Veteran: Leon Biddy
departments 4 Recipe 4 The Latest
17 Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy
7 The Editor
18 Getting Started
8 Shop Ada 11 Marketplace 14 Easy Living
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the latest
Meet Roxie!
recipe
homemade pizza
The winner of the Ada Hub’s “Ada’s Cutest Pet Contest”
Meet Roxie Bear Johnson. She was born December 6, 2011 and became part of the Johnson family February 2, 2012. She is part schnauzer and part scotty dog. Her favorite toy is a yellow chicken whose head is a squeaker, and has a water bottle stuffed inside to make up the rest of the body. Her hobbies include: barking at other puppies on YouTube, stealing socks, guarding the front door, getting her beauty sleep as much as possible, waiting for someone to accidentally drop people food (which is usually her Aunt Chelsea and it’s never an accident), rough house with her dad (Brandon Arnold), cuddling with her mom, chasing lasers, taking baths, watching people play basketball while relaxing on the balcony, going on car rides, getting surprise toys, and swimming in her new hot pink lifejacket. Things she does not like include: playing with her brother Buoy Docker Johnson because he’s too rough, vacuum cleaners, blow dryers, hair bows, getting kicked out of her great-meme’s (Tisha Todd) flower beds, her cousin Tucker Johnson’s baby blue eyes, bugs and being woken up from a good nights sleep. Roxie has been such a blessing to the family and has brought so much excitement, laughter and entertainment into their lives. If you’re wondering where she got her middle name from, it’s her mother Kayla (Bear) Johnson. She is such a good little dog and the Johnsons have really enjoyed having her around..there’s never a dull moment at the house! This contest was held on our Faecbook page!
adahub
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1 - 10 inch Baboli pizza crust 1 - whole bulb elephant garlic (roast in olive oil) 3 - roma tomatos sliced 1/8 inch thick 5 - kalamata olives chopped 1 - 8 oz can artichoke hearts (quartered) 1 - red pepper sliced into rings. 4 - ounces of crumbled feta cheese
Pre-Heat your oven to a nice 400 degrees. While the oven heats up, smear your freshly roasted garlic on the 10 inch Baboli crust. Top that with all your tasty ingredients in what ever order you like. Don’t be afraid to use the crust as a canvas for a culinary work of art. After you have your ingredients masterfully placed, drizzle with the garlic oil left over from earlier and bake in oven directly on the rack for approximately 6 minutes or until you see a nice golden crust. I like the pepper to be a bit crunchy and the crust crisp so I cook the pie for about 7 minutes. Don’t stress, if you burn it a little just imagine your in a pub that has a wood burning brick oven.
TIP: Drive it like it’s stolen and cook it like you like it! Bon Appetit!
Daniel Eul chef Daniel is the chef at Oak Hills Country Club in Ada, Oklahoma. He was born in 1965 in New York at West Point Military Academy and since then, has found himself peppered across the United States. To be closer to family, he wound up here in Ada in 2009. Now we get to enjoy his cooking expertise!
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Ada’s Got Talent by: Adam Flanagan
Most of the time when we hear the term “homeless”, we do not connect it with our community. We think of some other town, in another state or even a far off country. As unsettling as it may be, there are individuals in Ada that are struggling with this reality today. Fortunately for them, there is help. The Ada Homeless Services is a 501c3 Non Profit Organization that provides homeless services to the community of Ada. Ada Homeless Services was originally started in 2004 under the name Ada Area Community Emergency Service and was housed at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in its early operations. It originally started off quaint with a small budget to provide emergency shelter for individuals and/or families experiencing homelessness. The Founding Director, Gayla Callaway and the Board of Directors came together and saw a need in the community that wasn’t being me. They came up with the idea of an organization to assist homeless individuals in our community which became the Ada Area Community Emergency Service (AACES). Ada Homeless Services has funding sources from a few area churches that provide a small monthly stipend to the agency. They are also a Ada Re-
2012
gional United Way Agency and receive a monthly allocation from them; The Chickasaw Nation, Zarrow Foundation and The Department of Commerce provide some additional funding. The biggest fundraiser that they do is the Ada’s Got Talent competition. Ada’s Got Talent was a huge success last year. Feedback from the community was all positive and all the participants seemed to enjoy themselves. The crowds loved watching our local talent perform. Ada Homeless Services raised approximately $13,000 which all went back into their program services fund to provide emergency lodging, food and transportation. Ada’s Got Talent 2012 will be held on July 20-21 at the Pontotoc County AgriPlex. The show begins at 7:00pm each night with performances from musicians, singers, dancers and even magicians who will be competing for the grand prize of $1000.00. Adult tickets are $10.00 and kids 12 years old and under are $5.00. You can learn more about the competition at adasgottalent.com. Ada Homeless Services are continually planning on how they can improve. Jessica Eastwood says, “In the future, AHS hopes to keep the emergency
shelter option available for emergency lodging purposes but wants to focus its mission on re-housing individuals and families without homes. We want to make this possible by providing transitional housing units where clients would enter transitional living with us and during their stay, would work toward self sufficiency through working with a case manager on things such as daily living skills, job searches, financial management, housing searches, etc.” Eastwood also stated that, “ In 2010 Ada Homeless Services provided emergency lodging, food, transportation, partial utility/rental assistance to 1,931 individuals. In 2011 this number rose to 2,032 individuals. The need is continuing to rise in our community. We love serving Ada and providing a much needed service to the community. We encourage everyone to come out and watch the show or register to be a part of Ada’s Got Talent and support a great cause in Ada, Oklahoma.” You can register online at adasgottalent.com. ■
www.adahub.com • 7
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Common Sense Investing Founded on Academic Research Have you ever had a friend, neighbor, or financial advisor recommend an investment that will “considerably increase your return/interest with seemingly no additional risk”? If so, I would like to remind you of a simple investment truth: “Risk and Return Are Related”. If Investment “A” is expected to earn 2% and Investment “B” is expected to earn 6%, then “B” is exposing you to higher potential risk(s) than “A”. Does this mean one is better than the other? Absolutely not, however, it does mean Investment “B” must reward investors with a higher expected return in order to compensate them for taking the additional risk(s). Be aware that there is a Risk/Return tradeoff for any investment you make. If you hang on to this simple truth, you will be more likely to pursue your long term financial goals with greater success.
Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance products offered through LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates.
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ada marketplace
helping small businesses first united bank by: Roy Deering
During difficult economic times, it’s nice to know you have options. For small business owners in the Ada area, First United Bank now offers one more option that may make adding employees, equipment or services a lot easier. “We introduced our SBA (Small Business Administration) loans a few months ago, just as an option for our customers who own small businesses,” said Lucas Clark, Vice President and Loan Officer. “We have always been very active in trying to find ways to help small business, and the addition of this new loan program just gives us more options -- more opportunities -- to reach out to small businesses. It allows us to give them one more avenue as they continue to try to create jobs and help guide the local economy.” Although the loans are actually written by the loan officials at First United, Clark said the fact that the financing is guaranteed by the government makes it easier for local
officials to offer loans to business owners who might not qualify for more standard loans. SBA provides a number of financial assistance programs for small businesses that have been specifically designed to meet key financing needs, including debt financing, surety bonds, and equity financing. SBA does not make direct loans to small businesses. Rather, SBA sets the guidelines for loans, which are then made by its partners (such as First United). The SBA guarantees that these loans will be repaid, thus eliminating some of the risk to the lending partners. So when a business applies for an SBA loan, it is actually applying for a commercial loan, structured according to SBA requirements with an SBA guaranty. SBA-guaranteed loans may
not be made to a small business if the borrower has access to other financing on reasonable terms. “SBA loans may not be the best loan for every small business, or in every business situation,” Clark said. “But sometimes, especially with many businesses having maybe struggled through some of the recent economic times, it gives us another avenue through which we can help them not only stay in business, but grow and prosper that business.” For more information on the SBA loan programs available, customers can contact Clark, or any other First United loan officials, at (580)3324020. Customers can also visit one of the two First United Bank locations in Ada, at 221 West 12th Street, or 1221 Arlington. ■
Community People Quality Care
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war
veteran by: Sunnie Dawn Smith
leon biddy
World War II is such a part of distant memory that it’s hard to grasp the reality of it; it seems to exist in the world of books, movies, and History Channel documentaries. For Leon Biddy, though, it seems as real as it did seventy years ago, when he first enlisted. He was a journalism student at OU when Pearl Harbor was attacked and so he enlisted in the Air Force because, as he puts it, “That’s what you do.” After training, he went to England so he could begin his first real combat missions. Going to England was a big change for this Oklahoma boy. Not only was he in a different country, but training had turned
“Things happened so quick, I didn’t have time to be scared.” into combat. He would wake up at 2:30 in the morning, go to a briefing and then the flight line. The engines would already be warmed and ready to go. The planes, P-47s, were so large that he would have to have help in order to even get into the cockpit. This was a big change from the planes he flew during training; they were all much smaller. When Biddy first got in the cockpit of a P-47, he was exhilarated by the difference in power. They were so big and powerful, in fact, that Biddy would have to step on the right rudder with both feet, putting all of his weight on it, in order to take off. During his three years in the service, Biddy flew 73 combat missions. He was a fighter pilot, escorting B-17 and B-24 bombers on their missions, protecting them from enemy aircraft. After he safely escorted them, he and the other planes in his squadron would turn around and return to base, strafing the enemy lines and foxholes along the way. Each mission was of grave importance to the war, but perhaps most important were the two missions he flew on D-Day. That day started off as all the others. He woke at 2:30 and went to briefing. This is where things changed, though. He and his fellow pilots were informed of their task for the day. No one could know how important that day would end up being, but excitement still filled the air. The briefing was succinct and to the point and they got to their planes
sooner than usual. He flew for nine hours that day, witnessing the battle from above. Even though he engaged in air battles on a regular basis, Biddy was never frightened. As he says, “Things happened so quick, I didn’t have time to be scared.” It wasn’t until his last mission that an enemy actually hit his plane. Thankfully he made it back to base safely. Others didn’t have that luck. Of the 27 planes in his squadron, he can only remember a few who survived. And even those who did still came away with injuries. If you ejected over the English Channel you might survive in your raft, but the freezing water would still seep in, leaving pilots with frostbite. After the war, Biddy ferried P-51 fighter jets across country and started his own printing company here in Ada—Biddy printing company. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918.” He was also awarded the Air Medal, which is presented to those who have “distinguished themselves through meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.” Even though the war has been over for nearly seven decades, Biddy still has the heart of an airman. As a special treat for him, his son arranged for him to ride along in a P-51—just like those he had once
ferried across the country. When they got up in the air the pilot, knowing Biddy’s history, let him take the controls. Biddy was flying once again as if he had never stopped, though this time without other planes shooting at him and with fifty years out of the cockpit. Not only did he fly as if the war was yesterday, he even did a roll. The pilot who had once buzzed the tower eight feet from the ground to scare some recruits—the man who fought enemy aircraft in the sky and led our bombers to safety on D-Day among other days—was flying again. And he couldn’t be happier. ■
www.adahub.com • 13
y a E $
g n i Liv r
n Mille
by: An
Reducing Utility Costs With the possibility of another hot summer this year, many of us are anticipating that dreaded $300+ electric bill. However with a few minor changes in our households and consumption habits, we can bring utility bills down to a manageable expense. Electricity is the utility service that we usually spend the most money on, in particular in the summer months with the air conditioner running full blast. With a few simple tips and techniques you can reduce your electric expenses each month. Replacing regular light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs can save you $60 over the lifetime of the bulb. While CFL bulbs may cost more up front they last 10 times longer than regular bulbs. Another way to reduce your electricity costs is to disconnect devices from the power source when you aren’t using them. These energy “vampires” use 40% of the power they consume when they are off, because they are waiting for you to use the remote to turn them on. A smart surge strip will disconnect power from these devices with a click of a switch and reduce your household’s total energy consummation. Radio Shack has a smart surge strip for $40 that turns off the power to all the energy saver outlets when you turn the power off on the master device. Heating and cooling drive household utility costs up and can make or break your budget for the month. If you adjust the temperature one degree higher in the summer or one degree lower in the winter you decrease your utility costs by 3-4%. A programmable thermostat will reduce your utility costs even more, and they now make programmable thermostats that connect to your house’s wireless 14 • www.adahub.com
internet, so they can be adjusted from your cell phone or computer. Tuning up your furnace and air conditioner every two years can also help reduce energy costs and prevent costly repairs. Replacing the duct air filters regularly will also reduce utility costs. OG&E customers can sign up for the SMART hours service, which reduces your overall electricity costs, if you don’t use electricity during the peak hours of 2-7 PM. By postponing heavy electric activities, such as using the clothes dryer and oven until after 7 PM, it will reduce your electric bill significantly. Whether your water heater is gas or electric, your utility bill reflects the cost to heat water to be used in your household. If your water heater was installed before 2004, it’s recommended that you insulate it with a water heater blanket. These blankets cost approximately $25-30 and will pay for themselves in a matter of months. Additional savings can be achieved by turning the temperature on the water heater by a few degrees. When washing clothes, use cold water unless clothes are heavily stained. Always run full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher, because they will use roughly the same amount of water and energy on a smaller load than on a full load. Installing low flow shower heads and toilets will help reduce household water consumption. Watering lawns and plants in the early morning hours will also reduce water usage. Most homeowners over water their lawns; generally lawns need to be watered only one hour a week. These are just a few simple, frugal tips that will reduce your utility costs. By implementing these strategies, you can save enough money to make additional more expensive improvements to reduce utility costs. Adding insulation, replacing old doors and windows, and purchasing energy star appliances are just a few examples of what your savings could be invested in. By reducing your utility costs, not only are you saving yourself money but you’re also reducing your carbon footprint and impact on the environment. ■
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Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy by: Sunnie Dawn Smith
T
he arts have wonderful powers. They can broaden the mind, inspire creativity, and cause people to think in ways they’ve never dreamed. The arts are important for people of all ages, but more so for those who are young, with active minds still developing. This is one of the reasons why the Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy was founded, continues to grow, and plays an important role in the lives of many young people. The Academy began in 2005. At that time there were only 50 students, ages 10-19. This year they are planning on having 156 students attend. In the beginning, students would major in one discipline and minor in another. Now that they have grown, though, they offer two levels. Level I, for ages 8-12, is also called the rotation level. They move from class to class, studying Visual Art, Vocal Music, Theater, Dance, Creative Writing, and Arts Alive (an interactive study of Chickasaw culture). Level II is for the older students, ages 13-19. In this program, most major in one subject and minor in another. The exceptions to this are music composition, textile design, photography, video production, and Technical Theater, where students focus entirely on a single subject. Even though it is a two-week summer program, it is not a camp; it is an academy where the students, staff, and instructors take their roles seriously.
They still manage to have fun, but it is fun that is centered around their craft. In order to be admitted, Level I students must submit an essay detailing why they want to come and also submit a resume. Level II students do the same, though they have the added requirement of auditions. This not only helps the instructors choose the best students for the program, but also gives students the experience of auditioning, which can sometimes be more stressful than the end result. These high standards ensure that all students are serious about their craft; it also enables an artistic community to develop, where the students can freely discuss their work with one another, exchanging ideas in an open, yet educational, environment. Though the program has more than tripled in size through the course of the past seven summers, they are not through growing. This year, the oldest of the Level I students will learn from guest artists in the more advanced fields and will have the opportunity to discuss the Level II experience. This will function as a transition for them. In the future, they plan on adding a transitional level to the program that will allow for more students and also serve as a stepping-stone from exposure to focused, intensive, study. The Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy is truly unique; to our knowledge, there is not another program like it in the entire country. One of the things that make it so
special is that it focuses on both fine arts skills and also cultural values. The arts are an important part of Chickasaw culture and heritage and this is an opportunity to instill this in the youth—both native and non-native. Each year the Academy has a specific theme; this year it is “Visions of Brilliance.” This refers to the fact that these students are leaving their own legacy, their own imprint upon the culture. Not only do these students have the potential to shape the world around them, they are shaped as well; it is a life-changing experience for many who attend. Several students have gone on to pursue their chosen discipline with full scholarships, partly because of the inspiration they find while studying at the Academy. At the conclusion of the two-week program, the students present their work at the Festival of the Arts, held at the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center on the ECU campus. Festivities begin at 9:00 am, in Ataloa Theater, with the Level I students singing, dancing, and even performing a play that they write the first week of the Academy. After a short break, the Level II students perform. The gallery is filled with the visual arts that the students have created during their studies. So come support the arts in our community and let yourself be inspired. Perhaps while seeing the visions of youthful brilliance, you will have some of your own. ■ www.adahub.com • 17
Getting Started healthy lifestyle
Star Edwards
Whether you are running a 100 meter dash or a marathon, it all starts with the first step. The same goes for those who wish to run towards better health. Readers just like you are asking the question, “How do I get started on my journey to a healthier me?” We asked the same question to Star Edwards, MS, RD/ LD, and this is her response. It is very difficult for some people to change their eating habits, and I strongly believe a person must really want to make improvements to be successful. There are several tools I always encourage people to use. First, I look at their current intake and decide where the deficits are. This can be as simple as going to ChooseMyPlate. gov, creating a personal food plan and comparing how much of each food group a person currently eats, to how much is recommended. This website also has a “Super Tracker” and I recommend clients track their intake over several weeks and look at the reports that average intake for each nutrient. The reports will specifically show what nutrients are lacking and which are in abundance. From there, I recommend setting two to three achievable food related goals. For example, “have 3 cups of low-fat dairy each day”, “eat 1 cup of vegetables with lunch and dinner,” or “eat only at the dinner table.” I like to tell people to track their progress with their goals each day for one month. At the end of the 18 • www.adahub.com
month, we re-visit the goals. If they have successfully met their goals, we set new goals for the upcoming month. If they weren’t successful, we continue to work on the current goal. It is difficult to change one’s eating habits, so I recommend a few tips and tricks to help make the process more successful. You don’t need a diet, you need a plan. Go to ChooseMyPlate.gov, and complete the personal plan. This will give you a pattern to follow. All foods fit into the plan. You need more of some foods and less of others, but you aren’t going to be cutting any foods out. Don’t try to rigidly follow the plan either. If you have 4 cups of fruits and vegetables one day, don’t worry, the next you might have 6. The important thing is that you get close on most days. Here are my top 7 tips for making the change: 1. Don’t focus on what you can’t eat, instead focus on eating foods that are good for you. 2. Know that you are making a lifestyle change you can live with and that will help you live longer. 3. Get your family on board. This is a new way of eating for everyone. It is just how you do it. 4. Fill the cupboards with healthy foods and fill the trash with junk (processed foods high in fat, sugar and sodium). 5. Eat more at home and eat out less.
6. If you usually eat fatty foods or a lot of sugar containing foods and beverages, it may take a while for your taste buds and body to get use to more nutritious foods. Once you have eaten less fat and / or sugar for a while though, your body won’t like your old way of eating anymore, so stick with it long enough for your body to adjust. Trust me, it will. 7. Make the foods you love healthier. This is my favorite tip. You don’t have to give up the foods you love. Many people think pizza is unhealthy, and the pizza you are eating might be. Homemade pizza is one of our favorite family meals. There are so many ways to make homemade pizza: choose a crust (a pita bread, tortilla, pre-made crust or home-made crust), add marinara, low-fat cheese, veggie toppings and meat (low-fat hamburger or Canadian bacon) and cook in the oven until melted. You are getting a lot of healthy nutrition and little fat. Remember how the run starts with the first step? We all have something we can change about our health and the important thing is to recognize what that is. Once we recognize the what, then it’s time to take the first step. So, lace up those shoes and let’s all start taking steps to being more healthy. ■
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