Hub oct 13

c o m m u n i t y

m a g a z i n e

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Local Postal Customer *****************ECRWSS****

October 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 3

Barbara Miller | Mercy Hospital Ada Sarah Jane Johnson | Ada Chamber

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID EDDM RETAIL

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1500 Hoppe Boulevard Suite 6 Ada, OK 74820

Misty E. Rockford Jamie Parker Manager Assistant Manager

2 • www.adahub.com

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Michael Keith

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Managing Editor

contents

Adam Flanagan

Art Direction

Layers Media, Inc.

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Guest Writer

Sunnie Dawn Smith

Photography

Adam Flanagan

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features

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departments

7 A Home Away from Home 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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4 Healthy Living

12 Spooky Snacks

4 Recipe

15 Live, Laugh, Learn

8 Shop Ada

18 Country Princess (reprint)

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October 2013

11 Marketplace

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Allene Warren, PhD | 116 East Main Ada, OK | 580-279-1798 www.adahub.com • 3

Healthy Living

Gluten Free?

by: Star Edwards

Gluten has received much attention in the press lately, and unfortunately has developed a bad reputation. It is important to understand if you do not have an intolerance to gluten, there is no benefit of going gluten free. If you do have an intolerance, there are health benefits for you. Going gluten free is difficult and can be expensive. You must also be very mindful to ensure you get all the nutrition you need.

Gluten in a protein found in wheat, rye, and barely. There are basically two types of gluten intolerance: gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease. When individuals with Celiac disease consume gluten-containing foods (like bread and pasta) there is an autoimmune reaction that causes small intestine damage. Gluten sensitivity is not as serious as Celiac disease, and while it is difficult to diagnose, it seems like there is a rise in the number of those affected. There is even evidence that some symptoms associated with ADHD and Autism can be minimized with a gluten free diet.

Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include abdominal pain, fatigue, headaches, and “foggy” brain. Symptoms of Celiac disease include nutrition deficiencies and anemia, fatigue, abdominal pain, heartburn, nausea, lactose intolerance, weight loss, joint pain, easy bruising, swelling of hands and feet, headaches, depression, canker sores, infertility, irritability, difficulties concentrating and learning, and rash.

If you think you might benefit from a gluten free diet, first consult your doctor.

While there are tests for Celiac disease, there are no blood tests to diagnose gluten sensitivity. If Celiac disease is ruled out, your doctor will probably recommend a trial of a gluten free diet. Keep in mind that you must strictly adhere to the diet for 4-6 weeks to get a good result. After 4-6 weeks, your doctor might have your slowly add gluten-containing foods back to your diet. If symptoms return, it is most likely you have a gluten-sensitivity.

If you decide to go gluten-free, scheduling an appointment with a Registered Dietitian is a good idea. Here are some things to keep in mind: • Read the ingredients on labels of all foods before you consume them. Avoid “wheat,” “barely,” and “rye.” Note that each of these has many aliases (wheat, for example, might show up on a label as “graham flour,” “bulgur,” or “semolina”). Before you go shopping, look up the complete list of hidden names of wheat, barley and rye.

• While oats do not contain gluten, most oats are contaminated with gluten during processing. You and your doctor will need to determine if you should avoid oats.

• Keep in mind that gluten is often a hidden ingredient in many foods like sauces, salad dressings and soups.

• Most grocery stores now have a “gluten-free” section. Specialty gluten-free products are likely safe, but can be expensive. I recommend sitting down and making a list of everything you typically consume that contains gluten and next to it writing a gluten-free alternative. Use this list to help with meal planning, shopping and meal preparation. My favorite resource is Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case, Dietitian. Two good websites are: glutenfreediest.ca and celiaccentral.org.

Eliminating foods from the diet can be overwhelming until you settle into a new routine.

When my son was diagnosed with anaphylactic food allergies to six of the top eight allergens, these are the steps I took to eliminate his exposure: 1. Found a list of all the alias names of each food.

2. Went through all of the food in my house and made two piles: the first pile was safe food and second pile was allergy-containing foods. Because his allergies were life threatening, we did not allow any allergy containing foods in the house at all. We trashed or donated our second pile. You may choose to have a “safe spot” where you store all gluten-free foods for your gluten-free family member, and the rest of the family still has access to gluten- containing foods, or you can label the packages of your foods with colors to indicate gluten containing or gluten-free.

3. Before eating out, we researched menus on-line and only ate at places that provided allergy information. We printed off menus, highlighted the foods he could have and took the menu with us. When we got to the restaurant, we alerted our waiter of his food allergies.

4. Worked with his daycare to make sure he didn’t get any foods he wasn’t supposed to.

Sometimes this meant I froze extra meals prepared at home and sent with him.

Although overwhelming at first, we soon settled into a routine and now it doesn’t affect our day-to-day activities very often.

4 • www.adahub.com

recipe Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chicken Ingredients 2 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded 4 teaspoons butter 4 cups chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butternut squash halves on a large baking sheet flesh side up. Place 1 teaspoon of butter in the middle of each squash. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast 25 minutes, until flesh is fork-tender.

Place squash in a blender with enough chicken stock to cover and blend until smooth. (Be careful when blending hot ingredients! Make sure you vent the lid of the blender and cover with a towel, and start on low speed.) Once the soup has been blended, you can thin it out with more chicken stock if desired.

Roasted Chicken leg quarters 2 Leg quarters 1/8 tsp butter 1/8 tsp oil Marinade 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp season salt 2 tsp pepper 2 tsp thyme 2 tsp rosemary 1/8c olive oil Add all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix them.

Now place the chicken in the bowl and cover it thoroughly, place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. After the chicken has marinated, heat a large skillet to medium high heat.

Place the oil in the pan and allow it to heat for 3 minutes, and then add the chicken, skin side down. Once the chicken has cooked for 3 minutes, place the butter in the pan and allow the chicken to cook for another 2 minutes, and then flip it over.

Place the chicken in a 375-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Serve along side with the soup and your favorite biscuits. All you need after that is to take a nice long nap!

Vincent Williams Chef Oak Hills Country Club

THE CHICKASAW NATION DIVISION OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES PRESENTS

Experience the Halloween season with spooky stories courtesy of Chickasaw Storytellers

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New & Special Services Surprise Gifts to all Customers

Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Black Box Theatre Arts & Humanities Building 201 N. Broadway Ave., Ada, OK 74820 FREE ADMISSION FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL THE CHICKASAW NATION DIVISION OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES (580) 272-5520 OR E-MAIL ARTISTINFO@CHICKASAW.NET.

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A Home Away from Home by: Sunnie Dawn Smith

It is unfortunate that, as we grow older, various health and mental problems may arise.

It can get to the point, even, where one can no longer stay at home alone because of threats to their safety. For many people, assisted living facilities become the solution to this problem.

However, not everyone who needs care during the day necessarily needs to go to a nursing home. This is where the Ada Senior Center Adult Daycare provides a much needed service.

It is for those who don’t need the full time care of a nursing home yet still can’t stay at home during the day by themselves.

The Adult Daycare has been in Ada since 1987. It is currently located at 301 E. Kings Rd. at the First Presbyterian Church. Though they are not affiliated with the church, they do rent the space from them. Because of the location, the seniors that go there have a beautiful view of lush green grass from their hilltop perch. Chairs and tables sit outside the door so that the clients can relax in the beauty of the outdoors. Upon entering the facility, one is reminded of a large, comfortable home. Right now, since it is autumn, it is decorated for the season. The clients stay in one large room, filled with comfortable couches, recliners, tables, and chairs. A large flat screen television hangs on one wall and the people seem happy, visiting with one another.

In the mornings they have group activities; it is always something that helps them exercise their minds, remembering the past. Then they do chair exercises for 20-25 minutes. The stretching helps keep them limber, which is something that they probably wouldn’t do if they were on their own. They have a morning snack and at lunch time the nutrition center brings them food. After lunch they have a one hour quiet time. Some people choose to nap, others like to sit quietly and work on their crossword puzzles or play on the computer. In the afternoon they have another snack and have another activity. They do something different everyday to keep it interesting.

Sometimes they will do arts and crafts, sometimes they will play games like Yahtzee, Dominoes, or even do Wii Bowling. Though these activities are offered, they are certainly not required.

The director, Jan Harper, started working for the Adult Daycare as a floor nurse in 2008 and took over the role of director in August 2011.

She grew up around nursing homes because her

mother worked in one. She likes this kind of work though because it’s different. It’s smaller and they also get to know each other better than in other environments because they are all in one small room. They can keep them busy and active, which is something that the clients need, especially those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia.

Because many of the clients are there because of health needs, the people at the Adult Daycare are trained to meet these as well. They monitor their vital signs, watch them closely, and can give medications. They have two LPN’s, Jan Harper and Jill Welch, and CNA, Lizzie Benge, as well as an activity director, Kay Sutterfield, and a hostess, Juanita Myrick. So if you, or anyone you know, might be in need of their services, give them a call at 332-2855. ■

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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.

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8 • www.adahub.com

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Pamper Yourself VIP Nails by: Adam Flanagan

VIP Nails is proud to be celebrating their Grand Opening in Ada, Oklahoma. We welcome every customer wholeheartedly and will treat you with great care and respect. We have plenty of parking to accommodate all our guests. Visit our salon for a manicure, pedicure, Acrylic Nails, Shellac/Gel Nails and even waxing. We will also be offering mini facial treatments very soon. At VIP Nails, a new set of clean tools are used for each customer, so you can rest assured that you are getting the best treatment around.

We have several new and unique services in pedicures that are only available in our salon. Try out our “Pearl Spa” where we use fresh pearl powder to promote healthy bone development and it will help your skin be more healthy and lustrous. Perhaps you would enjoy the “Jelly Pedi Spa” that provides ultimate relief for stress and aching muscles while helping with blood

circulation. If you are stressed out, then you must try the “Chamomile Spa” which is an effective herbal therapy for anxiety.

This will help relax and calm you. Not only will our services make you feel relaxed, but our atmosphere with gentle music will help all ladies and gentlemen feel at peace again after a long days work.

Our shop has a great ventilation system that helps with the overall experience when you visit VIP Nails. We even have special services for young princes and princesses who come along with their parents.

In October, we will be offering our

New Facial Services. We will be using a special world-class product that utilizes minerals from the Dead Sea to help your skin become more smooth and brilliant.

We also will provide age-defying special recovery facial service that will help your skin look more youthful.

Our team at VIP nails is professional and devoted to your happiness and satisfaction. We take great pride in what we do and we will always give the best treatment to each and everyone of our clients. Give us a call today at 580-2791982 and be sure to visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VIPNails. ■

JOIN US IN PROVIDING 1 MILLION MEALS TO HUNGRY FAMILIES Donations will stay local and benefit the Salvation Army. arvest.com/millionmeals Member FDIC

www.adahub.com • 11

Snacks Spooky

by: Karrie Flanagan

Monster Lunch

creepy crawler dinner

Vampire Sandwich Using a round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the bread into 2 circles. Fill the sandwich with whatever your child loves the most. Place the sandwich on top of a piece of plastic wrap and then put the sandwich in your hand with the plastic side down. Bring the corners of the plastic wrap up around the sandwich and begin to twist to form the sandwich into a ball. Once you have a nice ball, cut a fruit roll up to shape the hair, eyes, mouth and of course fangs (I used some sprinkles for the fangs).

Homemade Pumpkin Seeds After you have carved your spooky pumpkin, rinse the seeds off to remove any pumpkin guts. Toss the seeds in a skillet with some butter and toast them for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle on a little salt and you are good to go.

Banana Ghost Take one fresh banana and slice it in half. Place 3 chocolate chips to form the eyes and the mouth. Take a moment to rest.

Cheesy Witch Finger Cut a couple of mozzarella cheese sticks in half. Then, cut a few thin strips out to form the knuckles. Get out your trusty fruit roll up and cut that into a creepy fingernail.

Hard Boiled Eye Ball Boil an egg and chop it in half. Use a food marker to draw red lines and then place a chocolate candy in the center.

Skeleton/Yougurt Jacuzzi Empty a GoGurt Packet or a pack of Yogurt into small bowl.

Add a plastic skeleton from the local dollar store, then dust with sprinkles and a few chocolate chip bugs. Slurp it up through a straw for a little extra fun.

English Muffin/Spider Web Cut an english muffin in half and spread on some pasta sauce from a jar. Pull apart a piece of string cheese and lay the pieces out like a spider web. Place it on a pan in the oven for a few minutes to warm up and melt the cheese, I mean the web.

Chocolate Banana Spider Slice a banana to make a circle and decorate with small candies. Make the legs out of chocolate chips (our spider lost half of it’s legs before the picture, proving the fact that children do indeed like chocolate).

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) This class will cover ArcView geographic information system (GIS) software for visualizing, managing, creating, and analyzing geographic data. Using ArcView, you can understand the geographic context of your data, allowing you to see relationships and identify a pattern in new ways. Course includes tutorial manual and a 180 day trial version of ArcView 10.

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Like us on Facebook www.adahub.com • 13

Car-Load Night 1000 E 32nd Ada, OK (580) 332-3023

Up to 6 skaters ONLY $14 Thursday, Oct. 17th 6-9pm

starska te.com Costume Party

14 • www.adahub.com

Costume contest for a Month of FREE skating!

Oct 25th 7pm-12am $10

60 Seconds With by: George Snyder

Mayor Greg McCortney

learn live, laugh

by: Sunnie Dawn Smith

Sometimes it’s difficult to manage everything we are expected to do. We have jobs, family, and a host of other obligations. Though this is true for most people, it is especially true for women.

This is one of the reasons why Stacey Golightly and Becky McKenzie decided we needed a women’s conference in Ada, Oklahoma. Many of the topics that are covered at this year’s conference entitled Empowering Women to Live, Laugh, and Learn will help women to move forward with confidence in their careers and their personal lives. Conferences of this quality are usually held in larger metropolitan areas like Oklahoma City or Dallas. When you are already overbooked and busy, it can be hard to find the time, money, and motivation to travel out of town. These ladies wanted to host a top-notch conference in our community that would address women’s issues and ideas by promoting selfimprovement and personal growth.

Prior to the first women’s conference

held three years ago, Ada didn’t have anything like this for women employers or employees—especially employees from different places in their careers.

Sometimes big companies have the funds to send their employees to conferences, but that only affects a small portion of our population. Because the cost of the conference is only $55.00 per person, it allows businesses to send an employee(s) to the conference so they can get that spark, and return to work refueled to become a better employee. It is also possible for individuals to attend the conference on their own.

Three years ago there were a little over a hundred in attendance. Each year the number in attendance has grown significantly. This year it is being held in the new Chickasaw Business and Conference Center on the ECU campus and they are expecting an even larger crowd. Though it is a lot of work to put a conference of this caliber together, Stacey Golightly and Becky McKenzie

feel fortunate to have a wonderful team of community leaders who split up the duties and make the process go as smoothly as possible.

The conference will be held on Thursday, November 7th and will last from 8:15-4:00. The cost of the conference is only $55 which includes lunch. The keynote speaker will be Patty Hendrickson from Wisconsin and she will be giving a talk entitled “Celebrating Your Significance.” The organizers researched many speakers, looking for someone who would be entertaining as well as giving the attendees vital information that they can apply to their own lives. Hendrickson certainly fits this description. She is a Certified Speaking Professional, an honor given by the National Speakers Association and less than 700 people in the world hold this title.

The attendees will attend various breakout sessions that deal with a variety of topics that include: working > www.adahub.com • 15

continued from page 15

smarter not harder, dealing with change, health issues, how to become a better leader, how to increase job productivity, stress management, and day to day coping skills.

Some of the specific sessions that will be offered are: “How to Leverage Personal Technology”, “How to Recognize Addiction in Your Family and Workplace,” “Heart Health”, and “Care-isma: The Key to Real Meaningful Leadership. The participants will get to attend the session that will best apply to their lives.

Rhett Laubach will conclude the conference with a talk entitled “Moving Forward with Momentum”. Laubach is charismatic, exciting, and funny, yet he still provides a meaningful message. His presentation will give the attendees momentum to put into action the things they learned at the conference.

In addition to the speakers and breakout sessions, there will also be informative and retail vendor booths. For instance, one booth will be checking participant’s blood pressure. There are still a few spots

available. If you would like to set up a booth, contact Sarah Jane Johnson at the Ada Chamber of Commerce, (580) 3322506.

This event has been made possible through the efforts of many institutions in our community, including The Chickasaw Nation, East Central University, Mercy Hospital Ada, First United Bank, Vision Bank, Citizens Bank, Arvest Bank, Tinker Federal Credit Union, Communication Federal Credit Union, Legal Shield, REI, Colonial Life, Pontotoc Technology Center, and Ram Jack. Anyone who lives in our community, or even our region, is encouraged to attend. Even though it is a women’s conference, it is also open to men. The lessons taught can be applied to anyone’s lives. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to attend a topnotch conference at an affordable price.

Early registration is only $55.00 until Friday November 1 and after that date it increases to $60.00 to register, or for more information, go to www.adachamber.com. ■

Patty Hendrickson

Rhett Laubach

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Country by: Adam Flanagan

princess

Joei Whisenant was born in Lawton Oklahoma in 1997. Her parents, Chris and Patricia, decided to move their family back to Ada just several months later. Joei started off in public school and then became a homeschool student when she began her third grade year. This decision proved useful in many ways, especially when Joei decided that she would enter Miss Ada’s Outstanding Teen pageant for 2013.

Joei signed up for the pageant when she heard some of her friends talking about it. She thought it would be a fun experience and didn’t really know what it was all about. It didn’t take long for her to learn all the benefits of being involved in such an activity. Joei grew a bond with the other girls entered in the pageant and they really developed good, positive friendships.

“It’s different than what the TV portrays a pageant to be. It is more about how you can serve your community, the beauty of your heart and how to be a good role model for the younger kids who look up to you,” Joei expressed with a big grin. There is a lot that goes into preparing for the day of a pageant. The categories for the Miss Ada Outstanding Teen are Interview, Evening Gown with on-stage question, Active Wear and Talent.

You must shop for all your different outfits, you have to rehearse and fine tune your talent, and if that’s not enough, you have to learn how to walk all over again.

Contestants must also come up with a platform that they are passionate about. Joei’s platform was “The Adoption Aid”. She spent time helping families that were involved in the adoption process. She helped make meals for them, she helped them with getting clothes for their families and she also interviewed couples to learn more about the adoption process.

The day of the pageant came and the first step of the competition was the dreaded interview. Joei was nervous about this portion, so she enlisted friends and family members to mock interview her in the weeks leading up to the event. “I remember walking into the room and one of the board members was just sitting in the back flashing me a big smile. It made me feel so comfortable and I wasn’t nervous anymore,” Joei said as she reflected back on the big day. She made it through the interview and there was some rest time and more practicing for the opening number and talent portion. The pageant kicked off at 7:00 with a big opening number and went straight into Active Wear. Talent was next, so Joei strapped on a guitar and sang her heart out to one of her favorite tunes.

Her performance won first place in the talent portion of the pageant. The night continued with Evening Gown and the On-Stage question, when Joei was asked who inspires her most. Her response was, “My mom. She

is always there for me. She is very encouraging and always pushing me to reach my dreams”. It was finally time for all the contestants to come out on stage and wait for the winner to be announced. Joei remembers thinking, “Well, if anything, this has been a great experience”. First Runner-Up. Joei’s name had not yet been called, so she thought it was over with. Then it happened. “I just couldn’t believe it when they called my name as the winner. It was one of the greatest moments I have ever experienced,” Joei recalled. Her mother Patricia said, “I knew she had done really well and I was so excited for her. I also began to think of the great things she would be doing over the next year.”

After performing the chariots of fire stance while they placed the crown on her head, Joei went back stage where she was congratulated by friends and family.

She was ready to get out of the uncomfortable dress and put on some comfy clothes.

Afterwards, as she was sitting at home, her two brothers came in and asked her if she was ready.

“Ready for what,” Joei said hesitantly. After a few persuasion techniques that brothers often implement to sway their siblings decisions, Joei was out the door in the pouring rain, pageant hair still adorning her head.

In one moment she was on stage being crowned Miss Ada’s Outstanding Teen, and in the next, she was off to the woods to camp with her brothers. Joei expresses her thoughts about that event in these words, “I went from princess to country girl can survive”. I forgot to mention that Joei also likes riding four wheelers, wake boarding and skiing. She’s not all pageant girl.

Joei carried out her “Queenly Duties” by reading books to kids, speaking to groups about purity in relationships and focusing on being a mentor to young children in the community. She even came up with the idea of S.W.A.P. It to get her point across when talking to kids about purity. S=set standards. W=wait.

A=avoid dangerous situations. P=purify. “This is not something every girl gets to do. I just have to keep reminding myself how blessed I have been to get this opportunity”, Joei said. The winner of Miss Ada’s Outstanding Teen also gets an opportunity to compete at the state pageant. Joei just thought she was busy preparing for the local competition.

She began her journey six months in advance with more shopping, vocal training, a customized fitness plan and round table discussions with the pageant board members. Her vocal coach, Shari Townes, helped her pick out a new song to sing in the talent portion along with tips on how to maximize her singing ability. She also remembers her telling her to “talk like a Disney princess all the time”. Joei then went

through a phase where she spoke this way in her daily life. Trainers at Whiterock Fitness came up with the “Pageant Plan” so she could gain the muscle definition to dominate the active wear portion of the competition.

Along with 33 other girls from around the state, Joei arrived at the Mabee Center in Tulsa to prepare for the Miss Oklahoma Outstanding Teen Pageant. There was a huge choreographed opening number and the stage there was much bigger. The interview questions were deeper and much more difficult. However, the on-stage question was fun. “What TV Series would you say you relate to the most?” Joei responded, “Duck Dynasty. My family is just like them, minus the beards.” The pageant went on and Joei made it to the Top 10, then later to the Top 5. When they called fourth runner-up and it was not her name, she was stunned.

The announcer called Joei Whisenant as the Third Runner Up and she was happy, happy, happy. She also tied for first place in the Active Wear portion of the pageant as well as Outstanding Rookie. Joei recently competed at the Edmond Liberty Fest Outstanding Teen and won First Place there. As she pondered over the last year she said, “I thought it would be a onetime thing, but after going to state I have realized how it really changes each girl who is involved. It is such a tool to help young girls prepare for life. It has taught me about inward beauty, given me a sense of who I am as I become a woman and it teaches girls how to succeed no matter what. I feel like I am prepared to be a leader in my community”. Joei plans to keep being involved in pageants and is getting ready for the state pageant in June of 2014. So, whether you are a country girl who likes four-wheeling or feel more at home with your hair up and sporting an evening gown (or maybe you’re a combination of the two), you might just be pageant material. ■

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