AY About You January 2023

MY LA GOS MY WA Y

CAVIAR COLLECTIONS

Make 2023 Your Year for the

Susan with beautiful No Prep Veneers

Beautiful Smile You

With 40 years experience providing clinical excellence you know you’re in good hands. Dr. Wyant is Arkansas’ only Accredited Fellow Cosmetic Dentist.

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501.819.3608

www.pcssd.org/register

Choose PCSSD

The Pulaski County Special School District is committed to providing an equitable and excellent education for all students through rigorous college and career readiness instruction. District administrators work year-round to assure all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive, and continuous efforts of all stakeholders, including teachers, staff, and community members.

School Choice is an Arkansas state law that allows families to register in a school district that is outside of their residential zone. In Arkansas, families must attend school in their designated attendance zone based on where they live. School Choice allows students to transfer from one district to another district and opens our schools to families outside district lines allowing students to be a part of our school family, no matter their neighborhood.

PCSSD serves 27 schools in Little Rock, Maumelle, and Sherwood. Those 27 schools include 16 elementary schools, four middle school campuses, one junior high campus, four high school campuses and an online K-12 school.

Registration is now open for Pulaski County students who are interested in joining PCSSD. The School Choice application period is open from January 2 - May 1, 2023. Registration for students who are currently zoned for a PCSSD school but do not currently attend a PCSSD school, including Pre-K, opens January 9, 2022. Students who currently attend a PCSSD school will be automatically re-enrolled for the 2023-2024 school year.

“We hope you will consider sending your children to PCSSD,” said Assistant Superintendent for Equity and Pupil Services, Dr. Janice Warren. “PCSSD is committed to providing all students with learning experiences that prepare them for college or career readiness.”

If you have specific questions related to registration and school choice within PCSSD, please contact the Office of Equity and Pupil Services at 501-234-2021.

ABOUT PCSSD

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 26 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Heather Baker hbaker@aymag.com

EDITOR AT-LARGE

Dwain Hebda

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS MANAGER

Jessica Everson jeverson@aymag.com

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Sarah Coleman scoleman@aymag.com

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Kellie McAnulty kmcanulty@aymag.com

ONLINE WRITER

Kilee Hall khall@aymag.com

STAFF WRITERS

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PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mike Bedgood mbedgood@aymag.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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Colleen Gillespie colleen@aymag.com

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

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CIRCULATION

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CONTRIBUTORS

Jenny Boulden, DeWaine Duncan, Jamie Lee, Sarah Russell

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Lexie Welborn

ADMINISTRATION

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Vicki Vowell, CEO

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Please submit press releases & news to press@aymag.com

Joe David Rice, born in Paragould and reared in Jonesboro, probably knows Arkansas as well as anyone alive. The former owner of an outfitting business on the Buffalo National River and the state’s former tourism director, his "Arkansas Backstories" is published by the Butler Center.

Dwain Hebda is president of Ya!Mule Wordsmiths in Little Rock. A writer, editor and journalist of some 30 years, his work appears in more than 30 publications in four states. Nebraskan by birth, Southern by the grace of God, he and his wife, Darlene, have four grown children and two lovely dogs.

Katie Zakrzewski is a graduate of the UALittle Rock, and is pursuing a master’s degree at the Clinton School of Public Service. Zakrzewski is also the Communications Coordinator with Citizens’ Climate Lobby and the CEO of a foreign policy outlet, Realist Review. She frequently lobbies in Washington D.C.

Julie Craig began her magazine career while living in New York City as an intern at Seventeen. With fashion and home design as her forte for the past 15 years, Julie is a blogger, writer and editor who has reported stories for Us Weekly and written about and photographed New York Fashion Week.

Chris Davis was born and raised in Sherwood, but now resides in North Little Rock with his wife and seven year old son. When his son was born, his wife asked for a new camera to take pictures of their little one. From there his love of photography grew and he is proud to be one of the newest contributing photographers.

Becky Gillette, based in Eureka Springs, is a freelance writer/ photographer whose work has been published in about 50 magazines and in newspapers nationwide. Her articles have appeared in Ladies Home Journal, Organic Gardening, Utne Reader, E, The Environmental Magazine, Arkansas Medical News, BioScience and Stockman Grass Farmer.

Angela Forsyth lives in Northwest Arkansas. Her articles have been published in AY About You, Arkansas Money and Politics, Food & Drink, Modern Home Builder, Manufacturing Today, Inside Healthcare, Retail Merchandiser and many more magazines. She’s a happy wife and mom to four kids and a dog.

Jenny Boulden has been writing professionally for more than 25 years. She now works at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield but still enjoys freelance writing for AY and other publications. Her creative focus is writing about people, film, books and food, some of her favorite things.

(12 issues). Single issues are available upon request for $5. For

inquiries or address changes, call 501-244-9700. The contents of AY are copyrighted ©2023, and

contained herein may not

copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Articles in AY should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised in the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AY Please recycle this magazine.

Traveling Arkansas & More

The holiday season is over. Most of you know how sad that makes me. When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 26, my tree is down, carols stop playing and the Elves of the Shelf are put away until next season and I am laser focused on 2023 and have a new outlook on life. Who knows what exciting things January has in store!

It is January, and that means we are all thinking it: healthy eating! I am excited that Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe has sponsored our first Bucket List of 2023. Nichole Niemann from KARK’s “Arkansas Style” show and I will visit Taziki’s and showcase delicious healthy eats for anyone, no matter the diet, because they have so many different options. Tune into that show on Jan. 4th at 2 pm.

Another resolution I’ve set for myself this year is to cruise the highways of Arkansas more and phone less. I love to hit the open road in our convertible. I plan to do that more this year. And I plan to do so without worrying about my phone. I spent so much of the last few years with it glued to my ear. Not this year! It’s time for some peace and relaxation. I also want to devote more time to enjoy the outdoors. Arkansas is loaded with great opportunities for outdoor adventures.

You’ll find plenty of outdoor options inside our pages. This month alone, you’ll find several amazing outdoor adventures, including a road trip on AR-21, one of the state’s scenic byways, extending from Clarksville north. It’s smack dab in the middle of fabulous scenery and passes through fascinating places such as Ozone, Boxley and Kingston. Much of the route bisects the Ozark National Forest and crosses the Buffalo River. In addition to the byway, we also feature the 52 amazing state parks, focusing on the all-new Visitor Center that is going in at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. My favorite feature is on some of the region’s most spectacular hotels! After reading, I know you will want to book your next weekend getaway. You’ll find beautiful accommodations at these magnificent destinations that are perfect for the whole family. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy the excellent restaurants, spas, bars with live music, and so much more?

I am definitely a fan of country music and am so honored that AY, won Publication of the Year last year at the Arkansas Country Music Awards for the second time. We are hoping to win again this year. Speaking of country winners, we shine the spotlight on Susan and Cliff Prowse, a musical duo about to hit it big, the couple mentors students on how to market, record and hone necessary skills to make it in the music industry. This issue also features Jettway Performance, the fastest-growing music lesson and performance studio in Arkansas. Learn. Play. Sing. Perform.

I hope you enjoy our January issue. From all of us here at AY, we wish you a happy and blessed New Year!

Heather Baker, President & Publisher hbaker@aymag.com / heatherbaker_ar

READER FEEDBACK

BIG BAD BREAKFAST TO OPEN 2ND LOCATION IN LITTLE ROCK

“Ben Brainard, you have made my dad so very happy”

Elizabeth Purvis

NORTH LITTLE ROCK 7 BREW OPENING

“The staff was full of energy at 7:30 am, it was great!”

Jack Lin

NOW BRING US SOME FIGGY PUDDING: PATTI STOBAUGH, PATTICAKES

“You are amazing, Patti Kuburich Stobaugh.”

Sandy Burrow

SERVER SAYS: VEO TYSON OF SO RESTAURANT-BAR

“Veo is such an awesome guy!!!”

Ericka O’Neal McCarroll

HEBER SPRINGS’ AROMATIQUE MARKS 40 YEARS

“Wow I didn’t realize it has been 40 years!”

Susan Adamson-Ray

PUBLISHER’S LETTER: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

“Heather Baker you are a rockstar! Thank you for all you do!”

Kristi Herndon Mann

FACE BEHIND THE PLACE: EDWARDS FOOD GIANT

“I LOVE Edwards!! It’s what ALL grocery stores should be. Great Deli food. Great meat. Great service. Great people!! Just like stores were when I was growing up. Even takes my groceries to my car!”

Jenni Isaacs Smith

BIG BAD BREAKFAST TO OPEN 2ND LOCATION IN LITTLE ROCK

“BBB offers an incredible breakfast!! We’ve been several times & have never been disappointed!”

Sue Wilke Rupp

TRENDING ON AYMAG.COM

Officer Tommy Norman Remembers Daughter Alyssa, Shares Wisdom for Mental and Physical Health

AY Magazine’s 25 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Heber Springs’ Aromatique Marks 40 Years

Big Bad Breakfast to Open Second Location

People Behind Your News: Brooke Buckner

“The

It can be hard to fill someone’s shoes. But Brooke Buckner, daughter of THV11’s former Chief Meteorologist Ed Buckner, takes great pride in working beside the news legends that her father once did.

A UA Little Rock business graduate is honoring a promise she made to her children to finish her college education.

Barb Jones, wife of Arkansas State University head football coach Butch Jones, had only one directive for Tom Chandler and his crew when it came to the family’s extensive Christmas decorations.

thing that runs through all of us is that we love what we’re doing.” Edwards leadership includes left to right Steve Edwards, Jr., Paul Rowton, Gary Proffitt, Steve Edwards.

Outdoor recreation is a fun way to spend your time, and it’s also full of health benefits. From walking and hiking to fishing and hunting, being outdoors is a great way to get a physical and mental workout.

One way to enjoy our great outdoors is simply by observing wildlife. Scan here to find out how you can get a front row seat to nature.

Sometimes fresh air and family time is the best medicine.

5Top

you just can't miss!

TOOTSIE

Jan. 13-15

Robinson Center - Little Rock

Jan. 17-22

Walton Arts Center - Fayetteville

The Broadway show, “Tootsie,” will be performed in both Little Rock and Fayetteville during the month of January. Both cities will have multiple showings of the comedy musical.

2023 ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BRIDAL SHOW

Jan. 29

Statehouse Convention Center- Little Rock

As one of the largest bridal shows in the state, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette’s annual bridal show will feature everything brides-to-be will need for their special day. With Central Arkansas’ best, and most reputable wedding professionals present, brides can see everything they need in one location.

PROHIBITION

Jan. 21

Hamp Williams Building - Hot Springs

Prohibition is back again this year with lots of eats, drinks and charity gaming –all of which goes toward benefitting the Junior Auxiliary of Hot Springs. As one of the most-anticipated events in Garland County, the night features a silent auction and dancing, while guests are dressed head-to-toe in their best 1920’s era ensemble.

KIM’S CONVENIENCE

Jan. 25-Feb. 19

TheatreSquared - Fayetteville

If you loved the award-winning Netflix show “Kim’s Convenience,” then this play is for you. Watch what’s going on at Mr. Kim’s corner variety store at one of the many showtimes.

TAYLOR FEST

Jan. 20

The Hall - Little Rock

Whether you were able to score tickets to see Taylor Swift on tour or not, you can still enjoy a night of singing, dancing and hanging out with other Swifties. Reminisce with music from all of her eras.

By JULIE CRAIG

COLORme happy

Photos By SOPHIE MCGHEE ANTHONY

For 30-year-old Little Rock native Sophie McGehee Anthony, her Arkansas roots are deep and so is her passion for art. Inspired by the new Airbnb trend, her love for design and her grandmother’s art studio, Anthony and her husband, Chris, a Texas native, wanted to create “a fun and happy place for people where they would feel welcome in the city.” Enter the Color Block House, a vibrantly creative Airbnb located in the heart of Midtown and decorated room by room with a different pop of color.

“Midtown, to me, is a perfect, central location for anyone visiting,” Anthony said. “My awesome realtor, Margaret Bell Hughes, spotted the house, which is minutes from our home, so it just seemed just right.”

Anthony added, “My Arkansas roots go back several generations, and no matter where I’ve lived, this has been my home.”

A one-level home built in 1965, the Color Block House features 1,075 square feet, two bathrooms and two bedrooms. The space is the ideal staycation for a family with children, a couples retreat, or even a weekend getaway with friends, as it also features an office/workout room which can be used as an extra sleep space with a blowup mattress. It’s certainly both kid- and pet-friendly. “I really tried to make this house appealing for a wide range of people so that anyone feels comfortable here,” Anthony said, adding she wanted to design “a place that might be a little more adventurous in its decor than many people would try in their actual homes.”

Sophie McGehee Anthony

The pink bathroom is a nod to the overall retro design feel, with the use of colored grout and patterned wallpaper to really level things up.

I wanted to use a lot of bold and fun colors in this house, and the color blocked rooms were a way for me to turn color into a theme.

A range of vintage vinyls are displayed against green leaf wallpaper in the living room to tie in perfectly with the “jungle-inspired corner.”

Top left: A palm tree pendant light coordinates with a fun greenery wall in one corner of the house.

Top center: What Would Dolly Do? Much of Sophie’s design inspiration is from her own Airbnb travels to Nashville and beyond.

Top right: A Smeg fridge is the perfect vintage update for the kitchen. McGehee always kept the guest experience in mind, making sure the kitchen has everything needed to navigate it.

Growing up, Sophie was surrounded by art. “As a child I used to think my parents’ design and art choices in our home were so weird and crazy, and now I look back and absolutely love it and realize it was a big part of what first developed my love for art and bold interiors,” she says. “My grandmother, Jane McGehee Wilson, was also a very skilled artist, and I spent a lot of time as a child in her studio learning about art and watching her paint.”

Anthony, who has no formal training in art or design, was not quite sure how to make the switch in her career in tech sales, but once she started to notice the trend of “themed Airbnb” in cities across America, she loved the idea and being able to have full creative control of something.

“I always knew I had a love for design, but had no experience in it,” she said. “Strangely enough, my years in tech sales helped a lot with thinking about customer experience and trying to see things through their eyes. It was great when setting up the Airbnb in making sure it had everything it needed and was easy for the guests to navigate.”

Traveling with family and friends also exposed her to lots of ideas about design and different approaches to traveling in different cities. Staying in Airbnbs became more typical for Anthony and her friends when they traveled, often in groups and sometimes with pets. “Creating our Airbnb just made sense, both practically and financially, for the way our generation travels and loves new experiences,” she says.

Her own first experience with owning an Airbnb, Anthony started remodeling the home in November of 2021, and used her inspiration from her own travels as well as Pinterest and her favorite online social media accounts. “One of my all-time favorite content creators on TikTok is @taybeepboop, who is famous for her DIYs, Anthony and she gave me the idea for the plant wall that is above my kitchen table (she has a very similar one above her bed).”

So how did Anthony get the “bright idea” to color block the house? “I knew I wanted to do a theme of some sort and initially had about 10 different ideas racing through my head,” she said. “Some ideas I had were a bit more extreme, and I knew since I had no experience with renovating and designing an entire house, I probably needed to tone it down for my first try.”

“I wanted to use a lot of bold and fun colors in this house, and the

color blocked rooms were a way for me to turn color into a theme, as well as give myself a bit more of a challenge.”

After the newlyweds bought the house and started the new project, there were a few changes and some delays in materials that pushed out the finish date, including adding a shower and expanding a deck that added time. “The timing for construction wasn’t perfect, but we were able to finish in May 2022, and I began working on the details of the design.”

Being flexible while working toward a deadline goal is part of any home project, and Anthony had lots of updates in mind for the 1960s home. She began the process by completing an initial walkthrough with contractor Jason Loyed at Mystical Construction. “We went through every update that I wanted, however, a lot of those plans changed and things were added throughout the project,” she says.

Every room is two toned in color, and modern artwork pulls it together and steals the show in the pink room.

“We completely knocked down and rebuilt the back deck, gutted all of the kitchen cabinets and shelves and remodeled them, totally redid both bathrooms - the pink bathroom was only a half-bath and we turned it into a full bath by extending the bathroom into the closet next to it - and, lastly, removed the closet doors in the “yellow room” and turned that closet into a desk.”

Anthony admits the remodel project was a huge learning process and offers others advice. “The main thing you should keep in mind is that projects like this are typically always going to take longer than you plan, and there are going to be many hiccups along the way,” she says.

Of course, choosing the perfect property takes a lot of planning and makes a huge difference in the success. “I didn’t want something too big and difficult to manage, and when I was searching, I felt this house was the perfect size,” Anthony said. “The rooms are just the right amount of space needed for guests, and while the kitchen is small, it’s great for an Airbnb because I would say the majority of the time guests aren’t doing a lot of cooking. I also love the big backyard. Although I haven’t done anything with it yet (other than the deck), I plan to do something fun with it in the future - and adding a fire pit is definitely top of my list!”

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the colorful vintage-style abode is that it does feature a variety of paint colors with every room being two toned (including the trim and doors). “My painters definitely thought I was insane at first!” Anthony says with a laugh.

Paint colors are all by Behr with the living room and kitchen walls painted “Nature’s Gift” and the trim, doors and cabinets the hue “Dragonfly.” The blue bedroom walls are the color “Peaceful Blue,” and the door and trim are a contrasting “Yacht Blue.” The pink room walls are “Retro Pink,” while the trim and doors are “Spiced Potpourri.”

The geometric wallpaper in the pink bathroom and kitchen are wallpaper brand “Jupiter 10,” a definite standout in the space, adding that

extra retro flair. Anthony found the green leaf wallpaper for the living room and thought it tied in perfectly with the greenery wall and the palm tree pendant light.

“I’m loving the fridge and the pendant over the table, in particular,” Anthony said. “I incorporated the use of wallpaper for accent walls, which I think really adds to the fun and funky vibe of the house. I was unsure where to put the greenery wall. I was originally going to put it over a bed, however, I came across this palm tree pendant light and thought it would look so cool with the greenery wall, which is how it ended up in the kitchen, creating a sort of ‘jungle-inspired corner,’ ” she says.

Modern elements that actually suggest a vintage feel are a charming white Smeg refrigerator and other new appliances. “I have a turntable for guests to play records and decided to put in shelves to display the vinyls as a form of art,” she adds.

In addition to carefully mapping out the design, Anthony admits she really tried to think about the guest experience. “I made sure the kitchen is stocked with cooking equipment and seasoning,” she says. “I have a box full of coloring books and fun games for both children and adults, plus a wide range of vinyls for guests to sort through and listen to. I have a dedicated workout space with equipment, which I know is really important to some people, and it’s sometimes not always easy to continue a workout routine when traveling,” she adds. “While I had to stick to a pretty tight budget for this project, I knew which things were important to invest a little more money on, such as quality bedding and sheets, comfortable mattresses and a nice sleeper sofa.”

No detail in color is lost in any room, including the orange bathroom walls painted a striking “Nairobi Dusk,” with the trim and doors the perfect warm “Terracotta Clay.” For the subway tiles in the shower, Anthony chose “Glass Peach.” Lastly, the yellow room walls are “Fresh Croissant” with the trim, desk and doors painted “Apple Turnover.” Of

The peaceful blue room is a great spot for relaxing. A major focus was investing in comfortable bedding and mattresses.

course, they’re all colors with names as appealing as their look!

Original wood floors were refinished, and the existing vinyl floor in the kitchen was replaced with modern vinyl flooring with a concrete look. “One of my favorite things I did was use colored grout!” Anthony said. “In the kitchen, I used square white matte tiles combined with teal grout, and in the pink bathroom, I used matte white tiles and magenta grout,” she says. “I originally wanted to use more bold and colorful tiles, but like I said earlier, this being my first project, I needed to be a little more practical, so colored grout was a perfect compromise.”

Being the owner, it’s always tough top name a favorite with each room feeling like its own treasure, but Anthony does love a challenge. “I might have to say the yellow room,” she said. “Probably because that room was the most challenging for me. Finding a yellow paint color I liked was so much harder than I imagined!

“And figuring out a way to make workout equipment look cool had me stumped for a long time, until I discovered Bala workout equipment. And the checkered wall I painted was a very last-minute idea that took a LOT of patience, but I am very happy with how it turned out!”

To say Anthony feels a big sense of accomplishment might be an understatement. “My goal was to make a place that people enjoyed being in and had a fun and happy vibe, and so far all of my guest feedback has been extremely positive and has made me feel like I accomplished exactly that.”

My goal was to make a place that people enjoyed being in and had a fun and happy vibe.

The checkered wall in the workout room was a labor of love, and Sophie was able to find the most unique workout equipment to fit the fun vibes.

The outdoor deck keeps the color theme alive with a dining spot just as vibrant as the interior.

on the medical staff of The BridgeWay, but, with limited exceptions, are

practitioners who are not employees or agents of The BridgeWay. The facility shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians.

What’s Your Space’s Story?

Interior designer Chris Goddard shares his favorite design tips on how you can

By JULIE CRAIG // Photo By MARK JACKSON/CHROMA

The new year is here, and the new design space you want to achieve is waiting for a fresh look. Unsure of how to start? There are so many components that go into making a space complete. Light fixtures, furniture and all the details in between can be overwhelming, but there are key pieces of advice you can certainly use to cut out frustration and instantly add the designer touch you have been dreaming about. But possibly the most important thing to keep in mind is to make it your own and a reflection of you.

To help you get started in the right direction and turn your space into something you’ll love, AY sat down with Chris Goddard, seasoned interior designer and founder of Goddard Design Group located in northwest Arkansas, to check in with his genius advice. After all, Goddard, who dubs himself the “head bee” and his studio “the design hive,” orchestrates projects all over the world and has most recently appeared on HGTV “Design Star: Next Gen,” the new Discovery+ home competition show. He has trade memberships with the Design Leadership Network, American Society of Interior Designers, and Interior Design Society, where he serves as vice president of the Arkansas chapter. What’s more, Goddard Design Group has been recognized as one of the top 100 firms in the world by the

AY: First, let’s talk about color palettes. How do you choose one and when?

Chris Goddard: Color is where I begin all my projects, as it sets the mood. I can tell a client’s color preference by what they’re wearing. Personal style is always reflected in the colors we wear.

AY: Love it! So tell us about light fixtures. How do you incorporate them without the space being too cluttered?

CG: Size and shape are a good way to mix and layer lighting

Andrew Martin Interior Design Review.

His firm specializes in high-end residential and commercial projects with an approach that encompasses styles from the classically traditional to the ultra-contemporary - always tailored for the client. As Goddard loves to say, “A life worth living is a life well lived,” and “Every space has a story.”

His design approach emphasizes the importance of centering design around the client. He never uses the same fabric or piece of furniture twice and believes a job well done is a job that tells a story and reflects the client. The one unifying factor among his work is quality over trend; he advises clients to be active in the design process and educates them on investing in meaningful pieces in order to make an inheritable, timeless space.

“Every home should be connected to its dwellers, and we strive to tell a story with every look and piece placed in our residential home projects,” Goddard says.

From how to use statement pieces and hang artwork, to proportions and textures, here’s a quick rundown to help with your next home design project.

fixtures. Bigger fixtures are better, as they generate the most impact.

AY: Speaking of impact, what are some examples of great statement pieces that always work?

CG: Art and antiques are my staple for statement pieces, as they exude a personal touch and tell a story.

AY: Are there rules on where to hang artwork, how many pieces on a wall, etc.?

“tell your story” in the new year

CG: Art is very personal, and there aren’t any rules. The key is to hang art at eye level.

AY: So, what are easy ways to “tell your own story” when designing a space without being too trendy?

CG: Start every space with a personal object that has meaning to you. It will never go out of style!

AY: There are so many design terms that can be confusing to a homeowner, like “layers.” What does it mean when a room should have layers, and why is that important?

CG: Layers are what give a room depth and interest. Patterns, textures, building materials and lighting all add dimension to a space when they are made of different but coordinating styles.

AY: In the new year, we often like to switch things up in our home. What’s the key to proper furniture placement so it doesn’t feel cluttered?

CG: This depends on the client, as some people feel cozy in a maximal space where some find peace and calm in the minimal.

AY: How important are varying different proportions?

CG: Mix it up! The greater difference in proportion is much more interesting to the eye.

AY: What are some common mistakes people make when taking on a project on their own?

CG: The biggest mistake is starting without a plan and not educating yourself as to the process and elements needed to complete design work.

AY: How can someone incorporate wood and different textures. Is it OK to mix and match these as well as with furniture?

CG: Layering materials is key, so don’t be afraid to mix it up, and play with lots of finishes from painted to stained to embossed.

AY: Hallways can be tricky. How do you easily update a hallway to stand out?

CG: Lighting, molding details and runners are all quick fixes for a hallway update.

AY: Window treatments can be essential to completing a look. How do you use them properly?

CG: Window treatments frame our view, so consider whether you are creating a focal point or hiding what is outside the window.

AY: When designing a space, which details matter the most?

CG: All details matter. My only rule is quality over quantity.

AY: What should you splurge on versus play it simple when designing a room?

CG: Spend your money on the things you touch and use everyday. Quality can be felt and is long-lasting.

AY: How important is white space?

CG: White space is a general term that means giving the eye a break; however, this can be done in any color in a noncluttered space.

A walk through Arkansas’ Sculpture Gardens

By Sarah Coleman

Public art is valuable in a community, and in Arkansas, there are several places where people can find outdoor displays and enjoy them at no cost. Sculpture gardens are one of the ways art is made available to the masses. The trails at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden, the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail and Garvan Woodland Gardens all provide public art to their communities, and each came about in their own interesting way.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Established in Bentonville by Alice Walton in collaboration with many American curators and artists, Crystal Bridges is known for making great art accessible to the public. This effort has extended past the walls of the museum and into the natural landscape of the grounds, which add up to 130 acres in total.

There are currently 33 sculptures on view at Crystal Bridges, a few of which are on loan while most are part of the museum’s permanent collection. As with all the pieces in Crystal Bridges, placement was very intentional and done in a way meant to lead people through the grounds.

“I know that initially, when the museum was opened, Alice Walton had a lot to do with where the sculptures would be placed,” said Samantha Best, Crystal Bridges’ outdoor interpretation specialist. Subsequent placement is a collaborative effort between trails and grounds and curatorial teams, she said.

Trails are open from sunrise to sunset during museum hours. There are eight trails on campus, with North Lawn Trail and Rock Ledge Trail currently closed due to the expansion of the museum.

In 2022, Crystal Bridges had two outdoor exhibitions on display. The North Forest Trail housed “Listening Forest” by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at night from Aug. 31 to Jan. 1, 2023, and Orchard Trail featured “Architecture at Home” from July 9 to Jan. 1, 2023. “Listening Forest” provided the public with an immersive lights experience, involving all of the senses. “Architecture at Home” was the first outdoor architecture display at Crystal Bridges and is meant to spark conversations about contemporary housing.

“There is something in our outdoor space for everyone,” Best said. “I think that Crystal Bridges is a really amazing place to come and

Redstick by Deborah Butterfield.

(Photo by Stephen Ironside/ Ironside Photography)

just enjoy being outside. If all you wanted to do was walk in a beautiful place, you can do that. If you want to have a picnic, you can do that. If you want to know more about housing, you can look at our outdoor exhibition. There are so many different opportunities to use the outdoor space; it’s a really unique destination.”

Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden

Little Rock has received numerous sculptures over the past couple of decades, thanks to collaborations between the city, businesses, artists and the public. Dr. Dean Kumpuris played a major role in making this possible for the city.

Kumpuris is a practicing gastroenterologist in Little Rock and has served on the Little Rock Board of Directors for more than 20 years. Kumpuris first became interested in sculpture gardens during a trip to Loveland, Colorado, where he was introduced to Benson Sculpture Garden.

“I talked to Dorsey and Lucy Jackson, who were familiar with the garden in Loveland, and we all thought that we could maybe do something similar in Little Rock,” Kumpuris said. “We got with Jane Rogers and proposed that we have a sculpture show in Little Rock, and then we held the first show in the pavilions behind the River Market”

The first sculpture show in Little Rock included several pieces from the National Sculptors’ Guild. According to Kumpuris, the first show contained sculptures from multiple sculptors, some local to Arkansas. In its inaugural show, there were several pieces sold.

“We liked the turnout and what we saw at that first sculpture show and came up with the idea to take some of the money that was profited and start our own sculpture garden. We started off with four to five pieces,” Kumpuris said.

From there, the idea of a sculpture garden in Little Rock took off. In a collaborative ef-

Far Left: Buckeyball by Leo Villareal. (Photo by Stephen Ironside/ Ironside Photography).

Top Right: Turquoise Reeds and Ozark Fiori by Dale Chihuly. (Photo by Stephen Ironside/ Ironside Photography).

Below: Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden. Breaking The Cycle by Kevin Kresse. (Photos by DeWaine Duncan/ AY Media Group).

fort between the Little Rock Parks and Recreation department and philanthropist Robert Vogel, two financial contributions were made in order to build a sculpture park. According to Kumpuris, Leland Couch, director of Little Rock Parks and Recreation, designed the sculpture garden that is located inside of Julius Breckling Riverfront Park, thanks to contributions made by Vogel.

“Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden was designed to grow. Starting with around 30 sculptures, larger pieces were brought in. Now, the garden has 84 sculptures, with Riverfront Park probably having over 100,” Kumpuris said.

Kumpuris has long been involved in the process of revitalizing downtown, and in doing so has been instrumental in a variety of projects in the district, including the River Market building and Clinton Presidential Library.

“I’ve wanted downtown to come back to life, and public art offers something to everyone without costing visitors a thing. Guests can go through the Vogel Schwartz garden and walk through Riverfront Park and just enjoy the pieces. If you look at the artists who created the sculptures around the garden, you’ll see that they have pieces displayed around the world,” Kumpuris said. “It gives people the impression of the city and serves as something to be proud of. Public art helps make the city a place you want to live.”

Explaining that the creation of the sculpture garden was a team effort, Kumpuris credits many in the process of creating the space.

“I want people to understand that the sculpture garden is a nonprofit, and the sculptures, gardens and shows became a reality because of the contributions of Vogel and his family, the city and the Department of Parks and Recreation,” Kumpuris said. “Because of

this, the city has $4 million worth of art that it owns, which is incredible when you consider the fact that Little Rock is a city of 200,000. Our city has amazing people who are generous enough to make this happen. The team effort really is what makes all of this possible.”

John Kinkade and the National Sculptors’ Guild

John Kinkade founded National Sculptors’ Guild in 1992, where he now serves as executive director. In meeting Kumpuris, Kinkade became aware of Little Rock and its plans to create a sculpture garden. The National Sculptors’ Guild has around 25 members and is responsible for placing public art around the country.

“At this time, Dean was very active working with the Clintons on bringing the Clinton Library to Little Rock. We started to work together because he asked if I would help them place sculptures around the Clinton Library,” Kinkade said. “The Clinton Library was a huge investment into downtown. We started with seven or eight pieces, and the project grew from there.”

Kinkade made 15 trips to Little Rock as the development of the sculpture garden was underway. With sculptures, the city also wanted to draw people from the Statehouse Convention Center to the Clinton Library.

“We were in the process of this European way of planning. We focused on how to move people from one place to another using art and sculpture, and we did this by planning out what was already in existence in Riverfront Park,” Kinkade said, explaining that their goal in this was to enhance the area.

The National Sculptors’ Guild at this time was known for its sculpture shows in Colorado, which were becoming increasingly popular. Upon the blooming relationship between Little Rock and Kumpuris, the organization agreed to put on a sculpture show in the area.

According to Kinkade, the annual event was well-received. The success of the show led to the success of building Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden, which boasts beautiful artwork from artists around the country.

“When we think of how things have developed, we’re very proud of

it. We brag about it all the time because we think it’s such a great asset for Little Rock,” Kinkade said.

While not from Arkansas, Kinkade said Little Rock has become his second home over the years, and he has been involved in other projects in the area. Notably, he was asked by the Arkansas Children’s Hospital board of directors to come up with a public art proposal to benefit the organization.

“Dorsey Jackson and I had become friends, and he asked me to come up with a plan for placing art around the children’s hospital. Most of the sculptures are placed in the garden, with a few inside the hospital,” Kinkade said.

In addition to his work in Little Rock, Kinkade has also been involved in placing a piece by Denny Haskew close to the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas.

The Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail

Hot Springs has become a haven for artists to live and create. Mary Zunick, cultural affairs manager for Visit Hot Springs, said the Spa City is involved in a number of initiatives in order to promote all art.

Annually, Hot Springs hosts Arts & The Park in the spring. Art Moves serves as a display for work premiered during the festival, shown year-round between Majestic Park and Hollywood Park. The works feature QR codes by which the public can learn more about the artwork and artists. The exhibit changes every year, allowing guests and residents to become familiar with different artistic styles.

“Hot Springs is a destination for the arts, and with all of our initiatives, we are able to introduce art to people who may not enjoy museums or may not connect with all forms of art,” Zunick said.

(Left) La Paire D’Amour by Darrell Davis. Together by Mark Leichliter. (Photos by DeWaine Duncan/AY Media Group).

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Garvan Woodland Gardens, a 210-acre, botanical garden owned by the University of Arkansas, features multiple settings for people of all ages to enjoy. The recent addition of sculptures to the children’s area brought a unique feature to the Hot Springs attraction.

In May 2021, Tom and Nancy Vandegrift contributed $120,000 to the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design to create a permanent sculpture garden in memory of their late daughter, Lee Vandegrift Felts. Felts died of cancer in 2019.

“Nancy and I were looking for a way to pass along the memory of our daughter, Lee, in a way that showed her spirit and love. We wanted something for her children, family and friends to remember her by as time passes,” Tom said.

Tom and Nancy are high school sweethearts, originally from El Dorado, who retired in Hot Springs. Residing in the Spa City, the Vandegrifts have been involved with Garvan Woodland Gardens for a long time.

“The people behind Garvan Woodland Gardens are really special. The staff presently and the staff of the past have really poured their heart into this garden,” Tom said.

Felts was mother to two daughters, Taylor and Lexie, and according to Nancy, loved all animals, especially horses. Felts even took her first horse, Detroit, when she moved to Virginia to attend Sweet Briar College.

“Lee started riding hunter/jumper horses when she was 12, and she rode competitively for years. After she graduated college, she turned her attention to racehorses and worked as an exercise rider in the U.S. and then in Canada,” Nancy said. “She eventually owned a thoroughbred farm right outside of Lexington, Kentucky.”

On Nov. 29, 2021, Garvan Woodland Gardens held a dedication ceremony for The Lee Vandegrift Felts Sculpture Garden, which is now open. Taylor memorialized her mother’s zest for life and all living things. She said the sculpture garden perfectly captured that ethos. “This sculpture garden, filled with animals and filled with so much potential for wonder and happiness and laughter between parents and their children, is such a beautiful expression of our mother,” Taylor said. “We are both so thoroughly happy that her name will be associated with such a place.”

Sculptor Tim Cherry created the pieces displayed in the Garvan Woodland Garden. Originally from Canada, Cherry came to the attention of the Vandegrifts 25 years ago when they stumbled across his work at an art show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“Tim is a very unique individual; he was so appreciative of the opportunity, and we are very appreciative of his work, which perfectly decorates the outdoor space,” Tom said.

Cherry’s background is rooted in the out-

doors. Starting his career as taxidermist, he focuses on wildlife art. At 19, Cherry created his first sculpture and has been sculpting since.

“Animals have always been an important part of my life; they were just something very special and something I enjoyed watching every day,” Cherry said. “I take my experience in the outdoors and bring that joy into the sculptures.

“My sculptures are very design-oriented. It is about finding a design I like and orchestrating shapes and lines to create a subject matter. Working in the studio, I find harmony between all of these pieces and find a happy medium in creating.”

Cherry’s work can be seen around the country, including at Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden and along Riverfront Park in Little Rock.

(Clockwise) Otter Motion, Garden’s Edge and Racing Razorback by Tim Cherry. (Photos Courtesy of Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism).

FACE BEHIND THE PLACE

The Keet Family,

Taziki’s

Mediterranean Café

By KATIE ZAKRZEWSKI and DWAIN HEBDA // Photos By JAMIE LEE

When it comes to Arkansans who have impacted the food industry in The Natural State, the Keet family, proprietors of Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe, should be among the first to come to mind.

The Keets — father Jim and sons Tommy and Jake — have been instrumental in bringing multiple chains and esteemed stand-alone restaurant concepts to the state. The family’s current holdings include Little Rock’s Petit & Keet; North Little Rock’s Waldo’s Chicken and Beer; and Count Porkula in Maumelle and just opened in Little Rock.

Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe entered the portfolio 15 years ago. The Alabama-based concept had built a loyal following in its first nine years, focusing on fresh, healthier options served fast, but in a relaxed no-rush dining environment. After sampling the fare and the service, the Keets were the company’s first franchisees.

“Taziki’s had three restaurants in Alabama at the time,” said Jake Keet, COO of JTJ Restaurant Group, the parent company for the family’s restaurants. “We tried it, we liked the food a lot, and we loved their system of delivering food.

(From left to right) Tommy, Jim and Jake Keet pose together in Taziki's Mediterranean Café at the Highway 10 location.

It was extremely high-quality, very fresh and very quick.”

During the early days of the restaurant in Arkansas, Jake and Tommy were on the front lines handling dayto-day management duties, looking to their father for guidance as needed. It was a delicate balance of power among father and sons, but one that ultimately worked, thanks to each leveraging his own unique strength.

“At the very beginning, my brother was general manager, and I was on the floor,” Jake said. “Dad was an investor and a mentor. He’s a fountain of knowledge for us to rely on. We all work well together, every day.”

Today, the Keet family owns and operates eight Taziki’s locations in Arkansas and three in Oklahoma. Jake said the reasons for the success of the restaurant are many, from the unique menu to the quick and friendly service, to ownership’s insistence on using only the highest quality ingredients from both American farmers and

international producers, prepared fresh each day.

“Our cooks and management are in at 8 in the morning prepping to have everything ready fresh that day to serve at lunch time,” he said. “Then we do more prep in the afternoon to serve items that evening.”

The restaurant’s pantry includes imported olives and olive oil from Greece, red pepper from Turkey and basmati rice from India, which Taziki’s chefs combine with other ingredients from American farmers, including cheese and protein. This results in authentic entrees, which are not only fresh, but also a healthier option for diners.

As noted on the restaurant’s website “the Mediterranean … diet [is] primarily plant-based, using healthy oils over butter, herbs and spice for optimal flavor, limiting red meat and enjoying fish and poultry at least twice a week.”

Mediterranean dishes also lend themselves to be easily modified to accommodate customers’ special dining needs, a unique selling point that helps the restaurant stand out in the quick service category.

“The Mediterranean diet has proven to be effective for managing weight and staying healthy in general,” Jake said. “If you’re somebody looking to do the keto diet, for example, it is very easy to do that with our menu. There are numerous healthy veg-

“Our ingredients are fresh, beautiful and have antioxidants, nutrition and healthy qualities that are good for our bodies.”

etables and protein options to help guests meet calorie thresholds and protein goals. We’re easily one of the healthiest restaurants out there.”

If that sounds like idle boast, the company’s REAL certification, awarded in 2015, begs to differ. The restaurant is the first national chain to be certified through the Responsible Epicurean and Agriculture Leadership program. The designation is awarded to restaurants committed to nutrition and sustainability through use of vegetables, preferred cooking methods and moderate portion sizes.

“You hear doctors and nutritionists say that if you want to stay healthy, look to see if your plate is colorful,” Jake said. “Every dish at Taziki’s is vibrant. So many of our salads and entrees pop with vibrant colors. Our ingredients are fresh, beautiful and have antioxidants, nutrition and healthy qualities that are good for our bodies.”

In addition to helping Arkansans eat better, Taziki’s is also dedicated to working with organizations such as Cul2vate and the Hope Project, which works to grow and produce for restaurants and food deserts, as well as provide nutritional education in underserved communities.

As impressive as all of this is, it’s just another bullet point on the family’s resume of success, stretching back decades. Jim Keet, who is closing in on 50 years in the restaurant business, has opened well over 150 establishments in that time. In the Arkansas market, he introduced Wendy’s, a label he grew to 30 locations statewide in the 1970s and 1980s.

The success of Taziki’s is a rewarding chapter in the elder statesman’s storied career, a career that has provided jobs and advancement oppor-

tunities for thousands of people over the years. But the biggest honor of his life in the hospitality industry was being joined in it by multiple family members, an attitude shared by his two sons.

“My brother, dad, and I began working together nearly 15 years ago,” Jake said. “My brother was a lawyer, and I was just getting done with college. My brother and dad asked if I’d like to open some restaurants with them, and I was thrilled at the prospect of working with both of them.”

Judging from the company’s 2023 slate, the good times aren’t about to slow down anytime soon. Last May, the Keets were part of an ownership group that bought Little Rock’s Breckenridge Village shopping center, setting off a stem-to-stern renovation of the longtime neighborhood shopping mall.

At the time of the sale, the Keets announced a reimagining of the dining options that would be available going forward, options that will include expansion of the Keets’ chicken franchise, Waldo’s Chicken and Beer, and the long-awaited second location of acclaimed Hot Springs based DeLuca’s Pizza.

“We have plans to open two Waldo’s Chicken and Beer restaurants in the next year,” Jake said. “We are also going to be working on the expansion of DeLuca’s Pizza [into Little Rock]. We’re also working with the people at Mt. Fuji to relocate their restaurant. So, we have a lot of things on the horizon in the next 12 months.”

Jim Keet holds a Taziki’s Greek salad in the eatery’s kitchen.

Healthy Eats Bucket List

Check off the Healthy Eats Bucket List as you visit a small sample of our favorite places. To watch AY About You’s Bucket List Segment, tune in to KARK on Wednesday Mornings at 5:10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. To see restaurants previously featured on the bucket list, visit aymag.com.

Best 201 8 of

When you walk into the Robinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center you will feel a comfortable atmosphere different from any other facility you have visited. We feature tall ceilings and an open floor plan. We have a lovely dining room and a covered outdoor patio area.

When you walk into the Robinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center you will feel a comfortable atmosphere different from any other facility you have visited. We feature tall ceilings and an open floor plan. We have a lovely dining room and a covered outdoor patio area.

We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services. The short-term rehabilitation area has its own dining area and day room. From the moment you enter our facility, we want you to experience the difference our facility has to offer. From our light-filled day areas to our beautiful outdoor areas, we want you and your loved one to feel comfortable and safe when staying with us. You will also notice the pride we take in our facility by keeping our building sparkling clean from the inside out.

We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services. The short-term rehabilitation area has its own dining area and day room. From the moment you enter our facility, we want you to experience the difference our facility has to offer. From our light-filled day areas to our beautiful outdoor areas, we want you and your loved one to feel comfortable and safe when staying with us. You will also notice the pride we take in our facility by keeping our building sparkling clean from the inside out.

Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment. Robinson Nursing and Rehab offers modern conveniences in a gracious setting. We provide daily planned activities led by certified activity directors, like social events and outings and pastoral services with spiritual care for all religions. We strongly encourage family participation in group activities, meals and celebrating family birthdays and special days.

Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment. Robinson Nursing and Rehab offers modern conveniences in a gracious setting. We provide daily planned activities led by Certified Activity Directors, like social events and outings and pastoral services with spiritual care for all religions. We strongly encourage family participation in group activities, meals and celebrating family birthdays and special days.

To help you plan your visits, we provide a monthly event calendar and a monthly meal planner. Robinson Nursing and Rehab does not have set visiting hours. We view this facility as the “home” of each resident.

To help you plan your visits, we provide a monthly event calendar and a monthly meal planner. Robinson Nursing and Rehab does not have set visiting hours. We view this facility as the “home” of each resident.

We try our best to communicate with patients and families to help alleviate the anxiety that accompanies this journey. Our team of nurses, therapists and support staff work closely together to develop a plan based on the individual needs of each person. We recognize that rehabilitation involves not only the patient, but the entire family.

We try our best to communicate with patients and families to help alleviate the anxiety that accompanies this journey. Our team of nurses, therapists and support staff work closely together to develop a plan based on the individual needs of each person. We recognize that rehabilitation involves not only the patient but the entire family. 501.753.9003 • 519 Donovan Briley Boulevard, NLR • www.robinsonnr.com

BodyNourishing & Soul:

Cultivating Culture with Margie Raimondo

By BY SARAH COLEMAN // Photos By CHRIS DAVIS

To understand author, filmmaker and entrepreneur Margie Raimondo’s love of the culinary arts, you have to understand the intersection of culture, family, farming and exploration in her own life.

The kitchen was the focal point of action in Raimondo’s childhood home. It was full of life, a place where family gathered and friends were fed. It was a place where she shadowed her grandparents and great-grandparents as they cooked, the place where her mother baked goods flawlessly and where her Nona taught her to can. A key place, holding her fondest memories, the kitchen is where Raimondo’s passion was lit.

“You’re never alone in the kitchen,” Raimondo said. “Everything you do in the kitchen allows you to invite someone back into your life. It might be when you’re making pasta for your guests, and you’re reminded of your memories on the stool kneading dough. It could be when you’re seasoning your food, and you’re reminded of your aunt’s special blend of spices.”

Farming was also standard in Raimondo’s childhood. In the diverse suburb of Lynwood, Los Angeles County, California, everyone grew what they could, and there was always a lot of food on tables throughout the neighborhood. Raimondo got her first taste of farming early on, raising rabbits and chickens on her family’s property.

Ever since coming to Arkansas as an adult, Raimondo has been an integral part of the culinary scene in the state by teaching classes, owning Urbana Farmstead, recently releasing her cookbook, “Mangiamo” and producing an award-winning documentary, “The Soul of Sicily.”

“Everyone in an Italian family thinks that they are the chef of the family. If you asked my family, my brother would say he’s the best, and my sister would say she is, but really, I’m the best,” Raimondo said, playfully. “Everyone wants to be the family chef, and we all love to cook. This is something that I think is probably not that different from a Southern family.”

In the predominantly Italian section of Los Angeles where she grew up, Raimondo said she was fortunate enough to learn how to cook from her family, who immigrated

from Italy. On her 16th birthday she was given her very first pasta maker, which she still uses today. Meals were highlighted by lively conversations, including lots of discussion around planning for the next meal.

Among the things she loves most about cooking is its time-traveling nature, allowing her to make new connections to those remembered from the past.

“It all starts in Nona’s kitchen. I spent so much time in my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ kitchens, learning from them. My mom was a phenomenal chef in her own right, and she could not fail at baking,” Raimondo said. “When you’re a child in an Italian family, you cannot wait to be tall enough to sit on a stool to make pasta with everyone. My fondest and many of my first memories are of making pasta.”

Fostering this culture, it is no surprise Raimondo would eventually go on to make a career in culinary arts, albeit belatedly. After graduating from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, she started her professional life in high tech. Raimondo traveled a lot early in her career, immersing herself in the local culinary culture of places she visited.

“Every time I would go somewhere, I would try to find a place to take a cooking class. I took a lot of classes and really enjoyed being able to identify different dishes in different cultures,” Raimondo said. “I found that you could really be in any part of the world, and all people would really be the same in the fact that they love to meet at the table.”

Leaving her first career, Raimondo embarked on a new journey. Eventually, she found herself in the Arkansas Ozarks in 2006, living in Mountain Home until 2014. In these years, Raimondo bought Blue Lady Resort and Raimondo Winery and taught cooking and canning classes. Throughout, she found the process of this career change incredibly natural, especially because food was so important in her culture.

In 2014, Raimondo set out on another adventure keen to her traveler’s spirit, packing up everything she owned and moving to Italy and southern Spain for 16 months to participate in Farm Away, a program that encourages sustainability through local organic farming.

During the program, Raimondo worked six hours in the field and six hours in the kitchen. Sinking into the farming and culinary culture of these locations, she gained hands-on experience in the farm-to-table process. This experience was similar to her own childhood, however in a rural setting as opposed to the urban farming she was accustomed to.

“I learned a lot about the preservation of food at this time. It brought me back to my early days in L.A. because it was such a similar experience,” she said. “This really sparked my interest in the commitment

“The goal is not just to eat – it’s time for family and friends to converse and enjoy each other’s company.”

Margie Raimondo preps food in her kitchen. Raimondo is a chef, author, filmmaker and urban farmer in Arkansas.

of these farmers, their tradition of family and creating really good food. This taught me so much about how people lived off the food that they were cultivating.”

After her time in the program, Raimondo moved back to Arkansas, this time planting herself in Little Rock. Inspired by her recent quest, she was determined to return to her urban farming roots, and in doing so created Urbana Farmstead, located at 2400 Kerrie Drive, with her partner, Chris Beaver.

“I had the USDA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service help me plat out my space. Then I applied for a grant to start growing food and expanding on the outside,” Raimondo said.

She also built a farmhouse kitchen inspired by those she’d spent time working in abroad. The kitchens in many of these homes had different stations, with meat and cheese locations different from the sweet ones. From her kitchen, she teaches others how to cook and can hosts private events and high tea on the farm.

The property perfectly aligns with Raimondo’s vision, connecting her further with her own heritage. Raimondo’s paternal grandmother, Susie Raimondo, instilled a love of food preservation in her family. In teaching preservation classes, Raimondo passes down her Nona’s wisdom and teaches valuable skills.

“I laugh now, but her lessons really shaped me,” she said. “I remember when she visited me once, we were driving down the highway, and she was shocked at the wild fennel growing. She was so in awe of the Finnochia, I had to pull over so we could pick the wild fennel, and we ended up cleaning it and cooking it.”

Nona Susie’s love of herbs inspired Raimondo, and this inspiration has translated into her own farmstead.

“When you come to my farmstead, you’ll see all kinds of herbs. If it wasn’t for my Nona Susie, I might be growing lilies right now instead of wild herbs, but she really inspired me,” Raimondo said.

While living in Sicily, Raimondo heard stories of the local farmers, some of whom had been cultivating crops for as many as five generations. In wanting to tell their stories, she flew back to Italy in 2021 with two videographers for 21 days to film “Soul of Sicily,” a documentary project she also wrote and directed.

“Making films is an intensely personal form of creating art for me,” she said. “Telling stories, infusing these stories is such a purpose for me. “Soul of Sicily” is a little bit more than just a documentary, it instills a sense of inspiration and a greater sense of purpose. It gives a voice to these beautiful people who are farmers and food producers, people who typically don’t have their own way to give a voice. I had this opportunity to give a voice to these families.”

“Soul of Sicily” tells the story of the people who live in the area, people who are dedicated to keeping their family traditions alive through farming, leading tours and creating restaurants. The documentary has won multiple awards at film festivals. Among them, Best Documentary at Andromeda Film Festival, Best Documentary and Best FirstTime Director at Abori Soulplace Film Festival, Best Documentary Short at Golden Lion International Film Festival and many others.

In creating her cookbook, “Mangiamo,” Raimondo also drew inspiration from her heritage and the heritage of other cultures she has experienced. While she grew up in an Italian household, Raimondo has always been able to differentiate the cooking of her mother’s Napolese heritage and her father’s side from Sicily. Both regions have distinct methods in the kitchen.

“Heritage in terms of cuisine is so different for my parents,” she said, explaining how food allows cultures to celebrate their uniqueness. “Sicily was conquered by multiple empires, and because of that, has a spice profile that is very different from Campania. Our foods from these different areas represent different cultures. The way people look, act and exchange with each other while cooking is expressed in so many different ways.

“Wherever you’re from, there are particular spices, herbs, processes and particular foods that celebrate your heritage. Food cannot be disconnected from culture.”

“Mangiamo” was released in November 2022 and serves as an ode to the celebration of culture, including recipes from her own family and travels. The cookbook is a collaboration of a life lived cross-culturally and places emphasis on the nourishment food has on our souls.

“Family plays a central role in Italian traditions; the meals are relaxed affairs with several courses and may take hours. The goal is not just to eat – it’s time for family and friends to converse and enjoy each other’s company,” Raimondo wrote on her website.

Ultimately, Raimondo’s goal in her work is to get people to pause as they eat and think about how the food on their plate is connected to a multitude of farms and the challenges facing the global food system, with farmers being the most fragile link in the chain.

“I hope that the one thing people gather through my work is that I try my best to celebrate and revere the farmer, because without the farmer, we really wouldn’t have anything,” she said. “Farmers connect us to a really vast web.”

“Mangiamo” is available online at raimondostudio.com/mangiamo and on Amazon as of Dec. 10, 2022. “Soul of Sicily” can be rented on demand via Vimeo. For more information about Raimondo or Urbana Farmstead, visit urbanafarmstead.net.

Urbana Farmstead is an urban farm located on Raimondo’s property in Little Rock.

“Mangiamo” features Mediterranean recipes from her culture.

The Woman Who Says Yes Judy Adams of Catering to You:

By JENNY BOULDEN // Photos By JAMIE LEE

Judy Adams does too much.

It’s what everyone says. That she’s endlessly giving as a person, cook, business owner and volunteer. That she’s capable and driven to get the details just right. That she’s got a giant heart. That she just doesn’t stop or sometimes even slow down.

But aside from close friends, few really want her to change. She’s too good at it all, and makes it look easy.

The exceptions are Adams herself and husband, Don. After more than 40 years building Catering to You in Central Arkansas, Judy Adams the entrepreneur is nearing retirement with a hopeful eye.

“I sometimes feel like I’m running in 10 different directions,” she said. “Lately I have worked seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day. … And I am ready to slow down. I run three different parts of the business. It’s a lot.”

Adams is referring to Catering to You’s gift shop, take-and-bake business (which saved the company during the pandemic) and the catering work that’s established the company as one of the most respected in Little Rock. It’s a legacy Adams hopes will outlast her, if she can find the perfect buyer.

GRANDMA’S GIRL

Little Rock is Adams’ community, through and through. She grew up as Judy Lee in a house on Beech Street (now renamed Beechwood Street) that her grandfather had once built. Her father owned Lee Grocery in Hillcrest, and her grandparents lived next door. Their proximity had a profound effect on her

life.

That’s because her grandmother, Agnes Lee, loved to cook and entertain and delighted in throwing big parties, and Adams grew up right by Grandma Lee’s imaginative side. For instance, when she’d get a new doll for Christmas, her grandma got creative, Adams said. She would say, ‘I think that doll needs some clothes. We need to throw a baby shower for that baby doll!’

“We would send out invitations and cook the food. I would go downtown to the dime stores and register things that I wanted for my baby dolls just like people do for real babies. We’d eat lunch, then we’d go over where the baby clothes were, and they’d say, ‘Are you here to buy something for the doll shower?’ And I’d say, ‘No, the doll shower is for my baby!’ [Grandma Lee] loved any reason to throw a party.”

Her grandmother also taught Adams about appreciating each moment. One day, she accompanied her grandma to an eye appointment, where Agnes learned she had macular degeneration, then untreatable, and would go blind. That day, after their downtown lunch, they did something a little different.

“There was a peanut man on the east side of Main Street,” Adams said. “He was dressed

like a peanut, and when you walked by, he’d put peanuts in your hand. I can remember that day we walked by him three times. Grandma said, ‘I just want to enjoy watching that man put peanuts in my hand.’

“I asked if she was upset about her eyes, and she said, ‘Well, sure. I don’t want to go blind. But I can see now, so I’m going to enjoy life.’”

FOOD AND FAMILY

Adams graduated from Hendrix College in Conway with a degree in elementary education. In her senior year there, she met Don Adams, who was working in Southwestern

Exterior of Catering to You, located at 8121 Cantrell Road in Little Rock. Catering to You became a reality due to the hard work of Judy Adams and her husband, Don.

Quiches cool at Catering to You. The full catering menu at the eatery offers several quiche options, including spinach, mushroom, ham or bacon.

Bell’s incubator program, which fast-tracked young executives to upper management. They married, and in time had three children, Brian, Blake and Ashley. Two now have careers in the food business: Brian owns Whole Hog restaurants in Bentonville and Fayetteville, and Blake is with Ben E. Keith Foods in Little Rock

“He’s actually my salesman!” Adams said, beaming.

Her daughter, Ashley Anderson, teaches pre-K at Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock. She’s the exception in terms of family food careers, but Anderson says she and her kids love to eat the food her mom often brings by. Her kids’ favorites are Adams’ chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cream pie, pumpkin bread and pork tenderloin with rosemary sauce.

“My mom has always cooked. She cooked for our family, and she has always, always loved entertaining,” Anderson said. “Some of my fondest memories are family Christmas

parties, where all of our friends and their parents and even their grandparents would come to our house for a party including a surprise visit by Santa. It was the highlight of every year. She threw superb birthday parties and dinner parties.”

Anderson said as kids, she and her brothers loved helping out with the cooking. These days, it’s the six grandkids who continue the tradition.

“My 12-year-old daughter and 16-yearold son love working for her on breaks from school.” Anderson said Adams recalled the words of a friend who, after answering the business’ phone one day recently, said, “You know, your name is Catering to You, but you have got to stop catering to every person’s whim.”

“She told me I say yes to everybody. And I do! We want our customers’ experience to be effortless, so we put in the effort for them. That’s supposed to be our job, after all, Catering to You. And it’s hard for me to say no to

requests. It truly is.”

SAYING YES TO NEW CHALLENGES

But saying yes has served her well.

Adams’ catering career started with an open house she and a friend threw for a friend’s new cardiology practice, as a favor. That party led to several other catering requests. The catalyst for her business evolution was friend and businessman Walter Smiley, founder of Systematics, a corporate predecessor of Alltel and Verizon. Smiley fully launched her catering career when he asked Adams if she’d fix lunch once a month for his board.

“I said, ‘Oh, yeah. Sure, Walter.’” Adams said. “He said, ‘No, really. We have an executive dining room, and this is just what I want them to eat.’ He told me I could charge him anything I wanted. Well, how can you turn something like that down?”

She said yes, and not long after that, Smiley came back, asking her if she’d also prepare meals for all the employees who came to Little

There’s nothing that can make me feel better than doing for someone.

A hot meal catering order sits prepared for delivery. Several savory options are available to order with a 10-person minimum.

(From left) Judy, Christa and Abby pose together, hard at work.

Rock to train. It was a lot more work, but she said yes, agreeing to the daily meals for dozens, prepared from her home kitchen. But that got old fast, and she told Smiley she needed a kitchen on-air. He built her one.

Then, Systematics decided they needed an employee cafeteria for their expanding campus. Adams prepared a simple proposal competing against a major corporation with a many times more sophisticated bid. She won, taking on the cafeteria.

Next, Smiley said they wanted a Systematics gift shop, would she run that, too? She said yes.

“Then they said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we could handle employees’ dry cleaning?’” Adams said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘OK, I draw the line there! I know nothing about dry cleaning!”

However, when management explained they only wanted her to contract and manage a vendor, she said yes to that, too.

“Suddenly, I was in charge of dry cleaning, a cafeteria and a gift shop, none of which I had any experience in. But we did well,” Adams said. She took on a partner and together they managed the business, by then called Catering to You, for the next five years.

“Her business grew and grew, with weddings and parties even outside of Systematics. But her love for entertaining made the work fun for her,” Anderson said.

When Systematics sold to Alltel, the new company offered jobs to Adams’ staff but decided to use their existing food services. This led her to set up Catering to You’s tearoom on Cantrell Road near Stein Mart, while Adams cooked out of the kitchen at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church.

Before long, she’d added her own gift shop and a take-out service as well as multiple side projects along the way, including the then-volunteer-run tearoom at the Arkansas Arts Center and servicing the Oasis Renewal Center. When the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences wanted to add an employee food service area, Adams took on that work, too.

A company milestone came when the building at 8121 Cantrell Road came up for sale. From the beginning, Adams knew she’d found Catering to You’s permanent home. Today, a number of her employees have been with her since the early 1990s, following her every step of the way. Others rotate in and out; she’s a big believer in giving people fresh chances.

Dr. Karen Kozlowski has known Adams for more than 25 years, first as her physician and then, in retirement, as an employee, pitching in when Catering to You needed some extra hands on deck. “Judy’s very much handson, all the time, from cooking in the kitchen to ordering the gifts for the storefront, to eyeballing things to make sure that tray that goes out looks beautiful,” Kozlowski said. “She’s worked her tail off. She’s too busy in many

ways because she tries to do more than one person should be required to do.

“The dedication she has as a business owner is a dying art. I don’t think there are many people today who would work the hours and put in everything that she puts into it. It’s remarkable what Judy gets done.”

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Still, Catering to You is far from the only major endeavor Adams has her hands in. She was on the board of Our House for seven years, serving as president the year they started the project to build a children’s building that recently broke ground. She’s active at Pulaski Heights UMC. And she gives much of herself to serving on three boards at UAMS: the Advisory Board, the College of Medicine’s Board of Visitors and the board of the Psychiatric Research Institute, where she was a founding member.

Leslie Taylor, vice chancellor for communications and marketing at UAMS, is deeply familiar with Judy’s contributions.

“When Judy ‘sits’ on a board, there is nothing stationary about her service,” Taylor said. “She’s enthusiastic, determined and gives generously of her time, her wisdom and her resources. When she recognizes a need, she goes to work.”

For example, Taylor said, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adams showed up in front of the hospital with lunches prepared at Catering to You to feed nurses, doctors and other exhausted staff who couldn’t leave the hospital floor long enough to eat, just to make sure they knew they were appreciated.

“She also helped lead the creation of an endowed chair in maternal fetal medicine and was instrumental in the creation of the Psychiatric Research Institute,” Taylor said. “Judy’s passion is reducing stigma around mental illness and making it easier for those who suffer to have access to treatment. She never seeks the limelight, but instead leads quietly from behind the scenes, keeping her focus on the need and the mission.”

“She’s always taken care of others, fam-

ily or not,” said Lillie Adams, Adams’ eldest granddaughter. “I remember once when I was 14 or 15, I came down to stay, and she had a couple staying with her. She didn’t know them three weeks before, but their babies were patients at UAMS, and they needed a place to stay. So, she opened up her doors to them for as long as they needed.”

Lillie, a senior at the University of Arkansas, said she loves traveling with her grandmother, something they do frequently, and she often turns to Adams for advice.

“For me, she’s always been my person,” she said. “She’s never going to know how much she means to me fully, but she’s one of the most important people in my life.”

Adams’ reputation for giving back at every opportunity to help someone out is accompanied by a penchant for deflecting credit and acknowledgement for her quiet kindnesses. However, Adams insists her motivations are entirely selfish.

“People will say, ‘Oh, you’re so generous!’ And I’ll say, ‘Nah. I do it for the feeling it gives me,’” she said. “I hope that it helps along the way, but I think giving helps me more than it helps anyone else. There’s nothing that can make me feel better than doing for someone. This business has been a very good outlet for me to be able to do that.”

One big motivation for finding the right buyer to carry on Catering to You’s reputation for excellence is freeing Adams to do even more volunteering.

“I’d also love to go out to lunch three or four times a week!” she said, laughing.

In the meantime, Catering to You carries on, filling orders for the ever-popular wild and cheesy chicken, sour cream chicken enchiladas, broccoli salad, spicy pimento cheese, beef tenderloin, coconut cream pies and hundreds more recipes customers love.

Asked to describe her cooking style, Adams gives a gentle smile.

“It’s simple,” she said. “It’s the kind of food we hope helps you remember your grandmother. Because that’s where mine came from.”

(From left) Taylor, Neil, Betty, Emanuel, Judy, Kevin, Rose, Karen and Gorge gather around menu items in the kitchen.

Slice, Slice Baby

By SARAH COLEMAN

In January, the nation will celebrate two major holidays: New Year’s Day and National Pie Day, Jan. 23, not to be confused with National Pi Day, which takes place March 14. This glorious day is sponsored by none other than the American Pie Council. In Arkansas there are several local eateries and bakeries for you to celebrate with a nice, warm piece of pie.

Patticakes Bakery Conway

Patticakes Bakery, owned by Patti Stobaugh, is the other half of Stoby’s restaurant. While the bakery makes a multitude of treats, it also make a whole lot of pie in nearly every flavor imaginable. Offering slices and full pies for every occasion, there’s surely a slice for you to enjoy in this location, whether you prefer pumpkin or apple, cherry or possum, or perhaps coconut or Kentucky Derby. With so many flavors to choose from, there wouldn’t be any judgment in trying out two or three flavors. It is a holiday after all.

DeVito’s Restaurant Harrison

DeVito’s Restaurant is not pie-specific, however the eatery does offer a few homemade pies for guests to sink their teeth into after enjoying a meal made from scratch. A recent sampling found DeVito’s serving LJ’s apple pie, coconut cream pie and chocolate bourbon pecan pie in addition to its other desserts.

“We get here at daylight in order to make all of our menu items from scratch,” Joe DeVito, DeVito’s co-owner said. “Back in the day, our dad, Jim DeVito, used to make them, but now my brothers and I make everything that is served.”

DeVito’s was inherited by siblings James, Steve, Chris and Joe who all run the business today. As for Joe, while he enjoys all of the desserts at DeVito’s, his favorite would have to be the chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

Terri-Lynn’s

BBQ and Deli Little Rock

Beginning as a local grocery store, Terri-Lynn’s has grown into a beloved deli and barbecue joint. In addition to all of its savory offerings, Terri-Lynn’s keeps two flavors of pie on its menu year-round.

According to Colby Harlan, general manager, these flavors include chocolate chess and pecan. Guests can order these flavors by the slice, and they can also buy the whole pie as well. Asked for his particular favorite flavor, Harlan doesn’t mince words. “Nothing beats the chocolate chess,” he said.

Nellie B’s Bakery and Eatery Fayetteville

Nellie B’s Bakery serves all kinds of baked goods, including pie. Known for its catering options and more, the bakery began in Elkins and is now located at 2421 N. Center St. in Fayetteville. If you like the traditional-looking pies with lattice work and fresh fruit, Nellie B’s is the place you want to visit on National Pie Day. Some of these great flavors include fresh strawberries, cherries, blackberries or other fresh, in-season fruit.

Blue Cake Honey Pies Little Rock

Blue Cake Honey Pies is a family-owned business in Little Rock that specializes in – you guessed it – cake and pie. Making everything from scratch, the finished baked goods come professionally decorated, as em-

ployees enjoy turning their guests’ dessert visions into reality. Blue Cake Honey Pies makes cakes and pies to order for every special occasion, including weddings, showers, birthdays, graduations and other events. According to its website, guests can walk in to try a piece of pie, or they can order a whole pie with one full day’s notice. The pies have been on the menu since 2019, and are made with an all-butter crust and scratch-made fillings. Headlined by the famous Arkansas Possum Pie, Blue Cake Honey Pies has a wide selection of flavors to choose from, including coconut meringue, lemon icebox, key lime, chocolate pecan, cherry crumb, pumpkin, peanut butter and more. Pies can be ordered in several sizes, including 9-inch whole pies and four-4 mini pies.

Charlotte’s Eats and Sweets Keo

Charlotte’s Eats and Sweets is famous for its homemade pies. That isn’t an exaggeration; the small cafe and bakery in Keo is used to long lines of patrons looking to enjoy both a savory meal and the sweets to go along with it. Whatever classic flavor of pie you may be craving after this holiday season, it’s offered at Charlotte’s. If you are a fan of the classic fruit varieties, such as apple pie, or if you live by the philosophy that sweeter is better — thus preferring chocolate — you can definitely find a favorite slice to dig into at Charlotte’s.

Arkansans love their pie, and there are many, many other places to visit in the state to mark the pie holiday. Some other standouts to consider include Cafe 1217 in Hot Springs, Gooseberry Handmade Pies in Bentonville, Briar Rose Bakery & Deli in Farmington and Rymolene’s Pies in Fayetteville.

Patticakes Bakery chocolate pie.

An assortment of pies from Charlotte’s Eats and Sweets.

DeVito’s Restaurant

The doors of DeVito’s Restaurant were opened by Wisconsin native Jim DeVito in November of 1986. After graduating from college, DeVito’s four sons came home to partner with their parents in the business; with this fifth generation of Italian cooks making everything from scratch, the restaurant was an instant success.

The original DeVito’s restaurant was destroyed by a fire in 2000, but that didn’t stop the DeVito family. They rebuilt and reopened the following year better than ever. Today, the restaurant is still going strong. DeVito’s offers experiences from upscale dining to fishing for trout and has had the pleasure of serving a substantial number of hungry friends, family and people from all over the world.

The restaurant is owned and operated by the brothers Steve, Chris and Joe DeVito. They actively work, in the kitchen and out on the floor, to ensure your dining experience is held to the DeVito standard of perfection.

From appetizers like toasted ravioli, to an array of ways to enjoy delicious rainbow trout, to the Italian dinners made from tried-and-true family recipes, the only way to improve your visit to DeVito’s is with a slice of Grandma Steve’s chocolate layer cake or LJ’s apple pie.

Come see for yourself why the DeVito’s Restaurant has rightfully earned its seat as an Ozark Mountain tradition. Trout fishing available by appointment.

The Gilbert General Store

TheGilbert General Store, established in 1901, is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The store is also the home of Buffalo Camping and Canoeing, a registered concessionaire on the Buffalo National River. Our front porch is an excellent place to relax and enjoy the company of a fellow traveler or one of our colorful locals. Inside, you can explore the history of Gilbert and nearby areas.

We are a living and working museum, so feel free to take a look at the original post office boxes, our arrowhead collection and other knick-knacks we have collected over the years. Or, have a seat in a rocking chair and enjoy an ice-cold coke from a glass bottle – the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

While you are in the store, ask us about a cabin or a canoe trip to add to your adventure. Once a booming railroad town, Gilbert now makes a quaint vacation spot within walking distance of the Buffalo National River. From guesthouses with room for 10 to a tent made for stargazing, we have a lodging option to suit every taste.

A LITTLE R&R!

61% of AY readers reported that they intend to purchase vacations / travel during the next 12 months.

110,943 Vacation / Travel Purchases

Loop N., Harrison 870-741-8832

devitosrestaurant.com

Even if you don’t have time for a trip on the river or a stay with us, come by and see us. We are just a short three miles off the beaten track (Highway 65). Buffalo

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At an average annual expenditure of $1,999 AY readers will spend $221,775,057 over the next twelve months.

HOTELS

UNCOMMON ACCOMMODATION S

New breed of Arkansas’s luxury hotels cater to every taste.

There’s a hospitality revolution going on in Arkansas. In hotels across the state, luxury is in as a new breed of accommodations take their place in the market. As unique as they are distinctive, these fine establishments meld the best amenities for work or play featuring tastefully appointed rooms in the heart of the action, luxe lobby bars and award-winning restaurants. Luxury hotels have been around for generations, and the most current crop honors this rich legacy in ways glam and glitzy or

stately and elegant. No longer just for special occasions, these properties exist to elevate more ordinary visits.

You have to stay somewhere, why not pamper yourself? From the nonstop Spa City to the bustling Rivermarket; from picturesque northwest Arkansas to unexpected locales throughout The Natural State, you’ll find something to suit your mood and the moment.

HOTELS

AC HOTEL

The AC Hotel Little Rock is a new Marriott hotel occupying two iconic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hall and Davidson buildings were repurposed to develop a space that honors this historic structure, incorporating classic elements of its European Renaissance Beaux Arts style. The white marble walls, intricate crown molding and penny

Little Rock

tile floors were preserved to showcase the original historic finishes, while the exterior was restored to its original grandeur.

AC Hotel Little Rock is helping to anchor the cultural and artistic evolution of a city that is constantly pushing boundaries, facing adversity and bringing world-class ideas to the next generation of travelers.

AC Kitchen

Signature Spaces

AC Hotel welcomes you with a wide, open entry, providing spaces designed to offer our guests places to congregate for visits or work, wait on transport or just relax.

AC Lounge

The AC Kitchen serves a European-inspired breakfast featuring freshly baked croissants, sliced prosciutto and cheese, savory and sweet breakfast tarts, yogurts and fresh fruits.

Purposeful Designs

The AC Lounge offers an assortment of sharables and small plates, as well as a full bar featuring our signature AC Gin & Tonic, local microbrews and Spanish wines.

Modern Refinement

Elegant spaces that echo the vintage look of the architecture blend with the refined, urbane design and highlight local artists and lush seating.

Each room is outfitted with luxury bedding and a sleek minimalist design equipped with all the high-end amenities you need. The bathrooms are a stunning example of the modern aesthetic of AC Hotels.

HOTELS

THE ALLUVIAN

SOUTHERN. MODERN. LUXURIOUS.

The Mississippi Delta. The soul of the South. This fertile land has been everything from the lifeblood of economic progress to the muse of many a great Southern writer and musician. It is an enchanting place with a powerful hold over locals and visitors alike. Here, within the historic town of Greenwood, Mississippi, in the heart of the Delta is where travelers will find The Alluvian. The hotel’s name has deep roots within the region. The Mississippi Delta is considered an alluvial plain, a level land created by extensive amounts of mineral-rich soil deposited for centuries by the great Mississippi River, resulting in a deep connection

Greenwood, Mississippi

between bountiful crops and the farmers who harvest them. According to legend, Tennessee Williams once referred to the people living on this land as Alluvians.

Upon entering the Alluvian’s gleaming, marble-floored lobby, there’s an immediate aura of something special — warm, Southern charm coupled with exquisite modern luxury. The Alluvian Hotel offers beautiful guestrooms, a multitude of meeting spaces, a quaint courtyard and premium guest services.

A COSMOPOLITAN BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN THE HEART OF THE DELTA

Giardina’s welcomes guests to an elegant Southern dining experience served Deltacasual style. They can enjoy a classic cocktail at the bar, then dine in a spacious dining room or secluded away in a cozy private booth. The menu features steaks, seafood and Italian cuisine, all served with the utmost Southern hospitality.

Giardina’s bar, reminiscent of a bygone era, features the same dark wood and tile of the restaurant while offering today’s premium liquors, wines and liqueurs.

Dining & Cocktails at Giardina’s

Hotel Entertainment

Behind the grand lobby lounge is the Delta Room, which opens onto an inviting courtyard.

Rejuvenate at The Alluvian Spa

Guests can be pampered from head to toe at the Alluvian’s luxurious full-service spa offering a complete menu of treatments including face and body care, massage therapy, therapeutic baths, hand and foot care and cosmetic and hair services. On top of that, Studio A offers yoga classes and workshops for those seeking a connection between body, heart and mind.

Guest Rooms & Suites

Viking Cooking School

Both refined and intimate, The Alluvian Hotel offers 50 beautiful guestrooms, including five suites. Each room features custom furnishings in colors and textures reflective of Delta earth, foliage and sky. Guests can sink into the essence of all that makes the this region proud.

Event & Meeting Space

The Alluvian has the perfect spaces for meetings or social events. Whether it’s a business meeting, wedding, corporate retreat or cocktail party, this luxurious hotel mixes unmatched charm and ambiance with outstanding gourmet catering.

The Viking Cooking School, right across the street, is the place for culinary enthusiasts to indulge in their culinary passions or discover hidden ones. Locals and visitors alike agree that no trip to Greenwood would be complete without a visit. People come from far and wide and make repeat trips just to partake in this unique experience.

HOTELS

CAPITAL HOTEL

A little piece of history for everyone to enjoy!

The Capital Hotel has been a beacon of Southern culture since it first welcomed guests in 1876, and throughout the years, it has been continuously reinvented to characterize the very best of the South. With such exquisitely styled guestrooms, two restaurants and five meeting rooms, the historic Capital Hotel

Little Rock

is noted for its traditional “Southern Comfortable” hospitality. We are your home away from home, from the living room feel of the Mezzanine to the gathering on the front porch. Guests will experience a treasured classic among American hotels, touched with character that can only be earned through more than 140 years of excellent service.

An ahhh Moment

As you enter the lobby of the Capital Hotel, you are taken aback by the grandness of the marble and tiles, the columns and high ceilings and, of course, the stained glass up above.

Elegant Rooms

All 94 guest rooms, including four Grand Suites, feature Frette linens, custom designed mattresses, spacious closets, and 14-foot ceilings. It’s perfect comfort for your corporate traveler or the weekend bride and groom.

The “front porch” of Little Rock

The “front porch of Little Rock” is a favorite place to relax and escape. Overlooking Markham Street, you may catch the streetcar passing by or a sunset off to the west.

Indulge, Enjoy

Savor the culinary touch in One Eleven, where, the finest available ingredients are meticulously prepared and offered in a contemporary setting.

Let’s get down to Business

The Capital Hotel offers five meeting rooms, ranging from “the Board Room” to a 130-person space for a sit-down lunch/meeting. Every room is equipped with state-of-the-art audio/visual technology.

The Capital Wine Cellar is a hidden gem. Tucked back behind the kitchens lies the beautiful dark wood and brick of the cellar. From an intimate dinner for two to a celebration for 18 -- it’s a place for all occasions.

Two offerings synonymous with the Capital Bar & Grill are our pimento cheese with house-made crackers and our spiced pecans. They’re a must for everyone!

HOTELS

THE 1886 CRESCENT HOTEL & SPA Eureka Springs

Perched high above the Victorian village of Eureka Springs, Arkansas is the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, a stately structure and destination resort known widely in the Ozark Mountains as the “Symbol of Hospitality” for the state. The hotel is perfect for a nearby getaway or memorable celebration. Guests can enjoy a wide range of seasonal activities, from ice skating and soaking pools in the winter to hiking trails, hatchet throwing and swimming in the warmer months. The hotel’s attentive and friendly staff, including resort hosts and bellmen, are

always on hand to ensure that guests have a comfortable and enjoyable stay.

In addition to the hotel’s many amenities, guests can also enjoy relaxation at the New Moon Spa & Salon, fun times at SkyBar Gourmet Pizza, thrills on the nightly ghost tour and delicious meals at the Crystal Dining Room.

Live The Legend of the Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Crescent Ghost Tours

Known as America’s Most Haunted Hotel by the likes of Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, an abundance of extraordinary experiences have always attracted the attention of paranormal investigators traveling to the property to study the hotel’s supernatural activity. The Crescent offers year-round haunted tours, chilling shows, ghost stories and thrilling events for visitors.

New Moon Spa & Salon

New Moon Spa is widely recognized as the finest spa in the Northwest Arkansas region. Enjoy personalized attention and find peace with a day of invigorating and relaxing treatments with unparalleled views of the Ozark Mountains.

Frisco Sporting Club

An outdoor sporting club filled with activities for your family and friends. Show off and compete at hatchet throwing, sharpshooting skills, cornhole, horseshoes, bocce ball & more. Or, you can just relax on the Frisco swings, listen to live music and enjoy hanging out at the Frisco Bar.

Overlooking Eureka Springs, SkyBar Gourmet Pizza treats its guests to breathtaking views, abundant atmosphere, cold drinks and gourmet pizza. Known for its “almost world-famous” Crescent Calzone, the Sky Bar menu includes 11 gourmet pizzas with our signature crust, wings and salads.

SkyBar Gourmet Pizza

Accommodations

The guest rooms are a favorite choice of those who are in search of Eureka Springs lodging. Designed with Victorian accents and modern conveniences, choose from a variety of rooms with balcony views, parlor or penthouse suites.

Weddings: The Crescent Hotel blends a classic, traditional backdrop with modern romance, offering you a beautiful and exceptional atmosphere for your Northwest Arkansas wedding venue.

Local Points of Interest

• Downtown Downtown Eureka Springs is the place to be for fun and excitement! This little Main Streets of America mountain town boasts several eclectic, oneof-a-kind boutiques, galleries, shops, restaurants and much more.

Winding trails, small lakes and pocket parks traverse the inspiring landscape in Eureka Springs. Take a walk, and be on the lookout for a stack of stairs or shrouded-but-worn footpath that will lead you to discover some of the most tranquil and beautiful spots in Eureka Springs outdoors.

• Hiking

HOTELS

OAKLAWN

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in beautiful Hot Springs, is the perfect destination to stay, play and get away.

Relax in our luxury hotel with unparalleled views of the historic Oaklawn racetrack and the surrounding Ouachita Mountains. Unwind at the Astral Spa, where you can choose from a variety of luxurious treatments — massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and more.

Hungry? Practically endless on-site options include upscale dining at The OAK room & bar or The Bugler, diner

Hot Springs

classics at Big Al’s and bar favorites at Silks Bar & Grill. When you’re ready to play, find 24/7 excitement in our nonsmoking casino. Here, you can enjoy live craps, blackjack and roulette, popular slot games, live music, promotions and more.

Sports fans will love our new state-of-the-art Mainline Sports Bar, featuring 90+ large-screen TVs, three Topgolf Swing Suites, axe throwing and a sportsbook area. Plan your getaway today at Oaklawn.com!

The newly remodeled Pop’s Lounge is the ultimate place to enjoy some of the best live entertainment around. Every weekend, hear great local music artists play all your favorite hits.

Pop’s Lounge

The Astral Spa offers innovative services that incorporate local healing waters, salts and gemstones. With a variety of luxurious treatment offerings, guests are sure to engage their senses and experience profound rejuvenation.

Astral Spa

THE OAK room & bar

The OAK room & bar is Oaklawn’s newest upscale dining experience, located just steps from the casino floor. Enjoy an extensive wine list and signature dishes like cioppino lobster pasta and filet mignon.

Our luxurious hotel amenities include 100% cotton Frette® bed linens, plush bathrobes, 65” TVs with Chromecast, in-room tablets, quartz vanities with lighted mirrors, rain showerheads and more. Book a trackside room for even more excitement on race day.

Luxury Rooms

Oaklawn Racing

Thoroughbred racing is where it all began at Oaklawn. Visit on race day to enjoy the excitement from our beautiful infield, or find the perfect seat in the grandstand to cheer on your picks.

With more than 1,500 slot machines on our property, and denominations starting at just 1 cent, we are sure to have the perfect game for you. Make yourself comfortable at a machine and let the good times roll.

Gaming

HOTELS

SOUTHLAND HOTEL

A beautiful new hotel with a secret...

It’s also a casino. Southland Casino Hotel is full of surprises. From gorgeous guest rooms and suites to inventive new bars and restaurants to an enormous gaming floor, get ready for the most fun you’ll have all year.

Looking to relax in style? Southland’s gleaming glass high-rise hotel awaits. With 300 brand-new rooms, including pet-friendly and luxury suites, the party doesn’t have to end just because the night is over.

Only seven minutes from downtown Memphis, Southland Casino Hotel has been voted the Best Casino in the Mid-South for five years running. But how does the best get even better? We’ve completely renovated our entire complex, with our newly-built 20-story hotel, upscale new dining venues and expansive casino floor.

Come see the region’s most thrilling destination for yourself. Book your stay at SouthlandCasino.com or call (833) 703-3350 today.

Everything and the sink

At our brand-new hotel, the elegant touches just keep coming. Even our bathrooms are customized with you in mind. Enjoy plenty of counter space for your things so you can get on with your day.

Not just a shower, an escape.

Check in to extraordinary

Welcome to luxury. Welcome to Southland. One foot into our spacious hotel lobby, you know you’re someplace special. From elegant design to friendly staff and comfy seating, you’ll want to settle in and stay a while.

The royal treatment

Once you step into our deluxe king room, you won’t want to check out. This exquisite space features floor-to-ceiling windows, modern décor and even drapes that open and close with the press of a button. Look, you deserve it.

Welcome home

Every aspect of the environment here aims to please, and that extends to our showers. For extra invigoration, try our refreshing overhead shower fixture, where the water falls right from the ceiling.

At Southland, excitement comes standard. Our deluxe queen room delivers two comfortable queen beds and an unforgettable stay. With stylish décor, a mini refrigerator and DirecTV, you can recharge here for your next win on our gaming floor.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Southland specializes in energy. Looking to get in a workout? We can help. Our new exercise room features free weights, treadmills, exercise bikes and more.

If the gaming floor isn’t enough of a workout

HOTELS

THE RESERVE AT HOT SPRINGS

Hot Springs

An elegant estate steeped in history, The Reserve at Hot Springs is a truly unique luxury destination offering a contemporary take on elevated Southern hospitality traditions.

The iconic W.C. Brown House, a former private mansion and national heritage landmark, has been fully restored to its Gilded Age glory as the centerpiece of our luxurious Arkansas hotel and event venue. Thanks to these restoration efforts, The Reserve will receive an honorable mention for Excellence in Preservation through Rehabilitation from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Commission in 2023.

With 12 fully renovated guest rooms and suites on property and numerous common gathering spaces, The Reserve is the perfect

destination for your next getaway or event.

Each morning begins with a delicious, complimentary, threecourse breakfast that is prepared fresh daily by our renowned culinary team. Guests also enjoy the outdoor porches and beautifully landscaped grounds highlighted by several fire pits and water features. The property’s idyllic setting is conveniently located to the Oaklawn Race Track and numerous other Hot Springs destinations.

The Reserve is truly a one-of-a-kind luxury retreat that doesn’t sacrifice convenience and is the perfect place to relax, unwind and reconnect. To learn more about our property and amenities, or to book your stay, please visit our website at thereserveathotsprings.com!

Beautifully Renovated

The W.C. Brown House offers guests a beautifully restored atmosphere with guest rooms conveniently located to a variety of common areas. Just steps away, the luxuriously renovated Legacy House rooms provide a private restful retreat still close to the action

Culinary

The Reserve’s talented culinary team provides the highest quality cuisine to our guests during their stay. Highlights include the delicious 3-course breakfast, picnic lunches, and a fresh-baked afternoon dessert. Guests are also able to book private dinners with custom menus.

Events and Meetings

The Reserve offers an experience for all the senses, from the beautiful sights and luxury linens to the renowned cuisine and unmatched service. All rooms include a complimentary three-course breakfast and will leave you with memories to last a lifetime.

Luxurious Accommodations

Outdoor Spaces

With event space for up to 160 guests, a world-class chef on site and 12 luxurious rooms available for up to 26 guests, we can help host a wide variety of meetings, small conferences or events.

Staying at The Reserve is more than just a wonderful guest room, guests also enjoy a variety of relaxing outdoor spaces during their stay. No matter where you are on property, there are numerous areas to relax, unwind and reconnect.

Weddings

From an intimate elopement to an extravagant wedding celebration, The Reserve at Hot Springs is here to help you create an experience your guests won’t soon forget. We offer a select number of wedding dates each year at the property.

HOTELS

THE WATERS

Nestled in the natural and historic beauty of Arkansas’ Hot Springs National Park, The Waters is the perfect accommodation for your exploration of everything the state has to offer.

The Thompson Building was designed by George R. Mann, the principal architect of the Arkansas State Capitol, and it features Corinthian pilasters and glazed terra cotta frontings. A multimillion dollar renovation of the revered structure on Bathhouse Row has yielded a 62-room boutique hotel with vintage details

Hot Springs

and up-to-date comforts and amenities.

The Waters offers friendly and competent staff, luxurious amenities, a full-service restaurant and lounge, the city’s only rooftop bar and plenty of ways to explore the city and surrounding natural features.

There’s a reason travelers have been drawn to the city and its legendary thermal waters for decades – come find out for yourself. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you’ll be sure to enjoy your stay in Hot Springs when you stay at The Waters.

The Avenue

The Rooftop

Aptly named, The Rooftop is Hot Springs’ only rooftop bar, allowing a fantastic view of historic downtown and the scenic backdrop of the Ouachita Mountains.

Amenities

Eat at The Avenue, a full-service restaurant and lounge offering artisan-style Southern cuisine. Focused on locally sourced ingredients, The Avenue serves a variety of appetizers, small plates, entrees and shareables. The Avenue also boasts the best “people-watching seats” on Central Avenue.

Bathhouse Row is even more beautiful seen through the window of one of our City View rooms overlooking Central Avenue and Hot Springs National Park. Every room offers unique architectural details and an array of locally sourced artwork and complementary products.

Explore Hot Springs

Connect with nature by visiting Garvan Woodland Gardens, venturing out on the lakes, hiking the trails or hitting the greens for a game of golf. History buffs can also check out the Historic Baseball Trail and Gangster Museum of America to get a feel for the city’s rich cultural heritage.

21

A Road Less Traveled

By JOE DAVID RICE // Photos Submitted By JOE DAVID RICE

Ask a group of Arkansans about their favorite scenic drives, and two popular roads tend to dominate the conversation: Highway 23 (fondly known as the Pig Trail) north of Ozark; and Highway 7 between Russellville and Harrison. Both are worthy of their many accolades.

As for me, I’ll opt for a road less traveled — Arkansas 21 heading north from Clarksville. This route, conveniently nestled between highways 7 and 23, is my preferred drive in The Natural State. It extends exactly 100 miles from the Arkansas River valley through the heart of the Boston Mountains to the Arkansas/Missouri state line, with much of it officially designated as the Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway.

And January is an especially good time to get acquainted with this special highway. With the leaves gone, you can see the ups and downs of the rugged terrain. As I drove back home on 21 last month, I was reminded of famed artist Andrew Wyeth’s quote about the seasons: “I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn’t show.”

And Highway 21 has a story. In fact, there are many chapters to its story.

ne has to do with agriculture, and this particular chapter is based in Ludwig, a small community only 4 miles or so into our route north of Clarksville. Back in the 1890s, some of the local entrepreneurs began growing peaches, and within a matter of decades, Ludwig was the center of a thriving industry. On June 26, 1938, the Johnson County Fruit Growers Association sponsored Arkansas’ first peach festival in Ludwig, drawing a crowd of several thousand to include the state’s chief executive. Not only did Gov. Carl Bailey have the honor of crowning Miss Inez Bohannon as the very first Queen Elberta, but he somehow managed to personally autograph a supply of fresh peaches.

But as the industry fell into gradual decline, subsequent peach festivals were relocated to Clarksville, and Ludwig lost much of its luster. Yet attentive observers can still spot a handful of the old peach sheds in the area along Highway 21, one of which shelters an official historical marker commemorating that initial peach festival. A couple of miles to the northeast of Ludwig, the University of Arkansas operates its Fruit Research Station, a 210-acre facility that has played a prominent role over the years in developing dozens of new blackberry, blueberry and peach varieties.

A few miles beyond Ludwig, Arkansas 21 enters the Ozark National Forest, another chapter in its story. Created by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1908, this federal reserve eventually grew to encompass 1.2 million acres, much of the land so rough and remote it never left the public domain. Managed for timber production, water protection, wildlife and recreation, the Ozark National Forest is an essential element of northwest Arkansas.

A little over a century ago, the original Ozark National Forest rangers had their hands full dealing with the notoriously independent mountain folks. They tracked timber thieves, battled deliberately set forest fires and chased moonshiners with teams of bloodhounds, thus earning every penny of their $900 annual salary. Following a visit to the forest in 1909, the chief of operations suggested the use of public circulars to explain the agency’s work but cautioned his colleagues to avoid long sentences and to use short, simple words. Even so, the relationship between federal employees and the local mountaineers remained contentious for decades.

About 15 miles north of Clarksville, following a steep climb up the twisting highway that might well pop your ears, lies the town of Ozone. The generally accepted story says in 1875 the local postmistress, Mrs. Delia McCracken, picked the town’s distinctive name because of the purity of the surrounding air. A century and a half ago, it seems the word “ozone” was used to describe the smell of fresh air following a cleansing thunderstorm. It’s doubtful Mrs. McCracken would hold the “Ozone Alerts” of today in high regard. There’s not much going on in this community of 92 residents these days, but many travelers have come to appreciate the Ozone Burger Barn, home of the “3-napkin burger.”

Continue north on Arkansas 21 for another couple of miles, and you’ll come to the Ozone Recreation Area, a handy little rest stop with a campground, pit toilets and picnic tables. It’s also the site of the former Camp Ozone, a Civilian Conservation Corps compound that operated from 1934 through 1942. This camp, one of 106 located in Arkansas, housed approximately 200 young, previously unemployed men who built roads, hung telephone wires, planted trees and fought fires during the latter years of The Great Depression. The dining hall and long rows of barracks are all gone, but a unique goldfish pond in the shape of Arkansas remains.

Camp Ozone also marks the place where the Ozark Highlands Trail crosses Arkansas 21. This footpath extends across the heart of the Ozarks for some 270 miles, eventually connecting to the Ozark Trail in Missouri. Anchored by Lake Fort Smith State Park on its western end, the path passes through some of Arkansas’ most secluded and scenic landscapes as it heads east to the Dillard’s Ferry area on the Buffalo National River.

Another dozen or so miles up the highway is the town of Fallsville, most likely named because of its geography: steep slopes fall off from most every side of the community. Big Piney Creek originates immediately below Fallsville to the east, the Mulberry River begins just to the south, and the Buffalo River heads up north

of town. That strange looking building at the corner of Arkansas 16 and 21 is a former cannery.

Heading north out of Fallsville, many travelers are surprised that the surrounding mountains are all essentially the same height, with no one peak standing above the others. And that brings us to another chapter of the Arkansas Highway 21 story: geology. The Ozarks are not a mountain range in the traditional sense, but represent a dissected plateau. Eons ago, this region was actually the bed of a shallow sea. Following an ancient uplifting process, the lands have been eroded for countless centuries, resulting in the deep valleys seen along the route. It’s not uncommon to discover the fossilized remains of sea shells and other oceanic creatures in the area.

An interesting geological highlight can be found at the Glory Hole. From the parking area on the rightof-way along Highway 21 (6.2 miles north of Fallsville), a primitive trail leads to the top of a bluff line where a small creek has carved a hole through the solid rock. The water cascades into a shallow cave, producing one of the finest photo ops in the entire state during the wet months. The roundtrip hike is about 2 miles and can be slippery. Hikers beware!

Continuing north on Arkansas Highway 21 and a few miles beyond Mossville, you’ll encounter the Smith Creek Preserve, a 1,300-acre delight owned by The Nature Conservancy. The hike down to the creek isn’t an easy trek, but the trees, boulders, running water and Elise Falls make it worthwhile.

A long descent brings the highway into the Buffalo River valley. Immediately beyond the bridge over this classic Ozark stream is the turn-off to one of Arkansas’ most photographed places — Whitaker Point or Hawksbill Crag. The drive to the trailhead is about 6 miles over a steep, rough and occasionally narrow graveled road, but the 3-mile roundtrip hike should be on

just about everyone’s bucket list.

Highway 21 splits the middle of historic Boxley Valley. The Boxley Baptist Church, another well-photographed landmark, will be on your left and the Buffalo National River to your right. And if you’re lucky, you might spot some of the elk that were reintroduced to the area decades ago.

Folks interested in a side trip to Lost Valley, a popular day-use area of the Buffalo National River, will want to take Arkansas 43 at the junction of highways 21 and 43. This short detour will introduce you to a natural bridge spanning Clark Creek, the immense Cob Cave bluff shelter, and picturesque Eden Falls over the course of a 1-mile trail. Elk are often seen in the fields on the way to Lost Valley during the winter months, especially early in the mornings and late in the afternoons.

Now, back to Arkansas 21 as it heads north out of Boxley Valley. About 4 miles out of Boxley and at the end of the steep climb up the mountain, there’s a junction with a paved road going to Elkhorn Church on the right and a gravel road to the left. Taking the gravel road for about 3.2 miles will bring you to the parking lot for Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area and its hardwood forests, glades, bluffs and, of course, the 80-foot-tall Sweden Creek Falls. The easy-to-moderate trail to the falls and back is about 2 miles.

Continuing north on Highway 21 for another 5 to 6 miles will bring you to Kingston, a quaint Madison County community of 81 friendly souls. There’s some confusion about how Kingston got its name. One school of thought maintains it was named after King Johnson, one of the first settlers in the area. Another theory is that it honors Henry King, an Alabama native who explored the region nearly 200 years ago. Two buildings in downtown Kingston, the Bunch Store and the Bank of Kingston, are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Another 26 miles up the road will get you to Berryville, a county seat of Carroll County (along with Eureka Springs). Named for Blackburn Henderson Berry, another Alabama settler who founded the town in 1850, Berryville is home to 5,700 folks, some of whom are probably descendants of Berry’s 20 children. The town’s biggest attraction is the Saunders Museum, but it’s closed for the season, opening again in mid-April. The Carroll County Courthouse, Eastern District, (circa 1880) and the Berryville Commercial District are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Continuing northeast on Arkansas Highway 21 out of Berryville, you’ll pass the entrance to Cosmic Cavern in about 8 miles. Arkansas’s largest commercial cavern, it was discovered in 1845 but wasn’t developed for public visitation for another 80 years. Among its attractions are seemingly transparent formations and a pair of “bottomless” lakes. Unfortunately, Cosmic Cavern is closed January and February.

Another eight miles to the northeast on Highway 21 will get you to Blue Eye on the Arkansas/Missouri border. Not only is Blue Eye the state’s northernmost community, it’s also among the smallest with its 46 residents. Across the state line is Blue Eye, Missouri, a virtual metropolitan area with a head count of 289.

So, there you have it: a quick introduction to Arkansas Highway 21, one of the state’s lesser-known but outstanding routes. Think about making a trip along this scenic drive a part of your own personal story. One final thought: Commercial operations such as restaurants and gas stations are pretty scarce in that 84-mile stretch from Clarksville to Berryville, so plan accordingly.

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ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Smackover

ARKANSAS POST MUSEUM

Gillett

BULL SHOALS-WHITE RIVER STATE PARK

Bull Shoals

CANE CREEK STATE PARK

Star City

CONWAY CEMETERY STATE PARK

Bradley

COSSATOT RIVER STATE

PARK-NATURAL AREA

Wickes

CRATER OF DIAMONDS STATE PARK

Murfreesboro

CROWLEY’S RIDGE STATE PARK

Paragould

DAISY STATE PARK

Kirby

DAVIDSONVILLE HISTORIC STATE PARK

Pocahontas

DEGRAY LAKE RESORT STATE PARK

Bismarck

DELTA HERITAGE TRAIL STATE PARK

Helena-West Helena

DEVIL’S DEN STATE PARK

West Fork

HAMPSON ARCHEOLOGICAL

MUSEUM STATE PARK

Wilson

HERMAN DAVIS STATE PARK

Manila

HISTORIC WASHINGTON STATE PARK

Washington

HOBBS STATE PARKCONSERVATION AREA

Rogers

JACKSONPORT STATE PARK

Newport

JENKINS FERRY

BATTLEGROUND STATE PARK

Leola

LAKE CATHERINE STATE PARK

Hot Springs

LAKE CHARLES STATE PARK

Powhatan

LAKE CHICOT STATE PARK

Lake Village

LAKE DARDANELLE STATE PARK

Russellville

LAKE FORT SMITH STATE PARK

Mountainburg

LAKE FRIERSON STATE PARK

Jonesboro

LAKE OUACHITA STATE PARK

Mountain Pine

LAKE POINSETT STATE PARK

Harrisburg

LAKE SYLVIA RECREATION AREA

Perryville

LOGOLY STATE PARK

Magnolia

Natural State of Mind:

What’s New at Arkansas State Parks in Centennial Year

Arkansas isn’t called The Natural State for nothing. Known for natural beauty and a great scenic background for all things outdoors, Arkansas has 52 state parks ready to explore throughout its borders. While state parks in Arkansas are constantly evolving, Shea Lewis, director of Arkansas State Parks, explained that there are several projects focused on in 2022, leading up to the department’s centennial year in 2023.

100 Years of Arkansas State Parks

In 1923, the initial land for Petit Jean State Park was acquired, making it the first state park in Arkansas. In 2023, Arkansas State Parks will

Powhatan Historic State Park

Located in Lawrence County,Powhatan Historic State Park is inhabited, serving as a preserved piece of history in the northeastern corner of the state. This year, the preservation project led Arkansas State Parks to showcase The Powhatan Historic Methodist Church, with the newly restored building unveiled in September 2022.

“Churches are a way to showcase the entire town, and when you are interpreting a historic town, you want to be able to interpret all parts,” Lewis said. “We had tremendous support for the preservation of this building, even as the congregation is no longer active. Former members were extremely supportive in the preservation of the building.”

Devil’s Den State Park

Devil’s Den State Park in West Fork gained the addition of a new campsite and a dedication of a trailhead. Adding to the other camping sites on location, this site fits with the culture of mountain biking in Northwest Arkansas, with easy-access points to Monument Trail.

“There are existing campsites at Devil’s Den already, but these are a little different. We built this in conjunction with the Monument Trail, which is a bike optimized trail that is hiking-friendly,” Lewis said. “This project echoes back to the original work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s.”

According to Lewis, the goal was to mimic historic architecture while allowing for an innovative, modern flair.

“You could camp right in those campsites, then hop on your bike and be on the trails in a matter of minutes,” Lewis said.

be celebrating its centennial all-year round, with multiple events and cel ebrations. In visiting state parks, vis itors will be able to collect stamps at each location on a passport, with rewards at certain points.

“The passport program is a great way to experience Arkansas and all of the nature and history in Arkansas State Parks,” Lewis said.

Pinnacle Mountain State Park

Located in Pulaski County, Pinnacle Mountain State Park is one of Arkansas State Parks’ most-visited locations, according to Lewis. The parks’ new visitors center is underway, located in the heart of the park.

“The current visitor’s center has a beautiful location, but it is off the beaten path for many of the park’s visitors. Located by the West Summit Trailhead, the new visitor center will tie together multiple trails, and will provide a great service for establishing an experience for our visitors at the park,” Lewis said. “The architecture for this project is unique, and we want the center to be its own beautiful, well-known landmark within the state park.”

According to Lewis, plans for this visitor center have been in the works for almost a decade, with eight years of planning and executing of these plans in the background.

“Pinnacle Mountain is so well-known in Central Arkansas, that we felt the architecture needed to stand out in its own way. It is not something that will take away from the natural resources, but rather will enhance those around it,” Lewis said. “Exhibitry in the building will be more permanent and will work to enhance the experience for first-time visitors as well as repeat visitors. The exhibits in this building will show landmarks you will explore, from river bottoms to mountain tops. These will help our guests explore the closeness to nature, protect this sanctuary for future generations and help facilitate experiences.”

The exhibits at Pinnacle Mountain State Park Visitor Center will be permanent, as the park is highly visited with lots of first-time visitors.

Let the Music Play

Native stars shape the musicians of tomorrow

By DWAIN HEBDA

The soul of a place lies in the culture of its people, the sights, tastes and stories that define a location and give it context and depth. Nowhere is that truer than in its musical heritage, as defining in beat as in border, in tone as in terroir.

Arkansas stands as a most vivid example of this fact, with a musical heritage as wide and varied as the many topographic regions making up The Natural State. Only a place with mountains, swamps, rivers and plains could develop as many musical stylings to match, both homegrown and dropped off by those just passing through. Stewed into the mix are ethnic and racial perspectives that stirred, seasoned and ultimately ladled out cultural portions steaming in the heart of the city or savored under the Delta sky.

With so many colors of thread comprising the state’s musical sampler, is it any wonder that musicians and historians alike struggle to identify a single “Arkansas Sound”? Just within genres, such as country, can one say Johnny Cash’s Pentecostal tales of gravel, glory and the grave are any more or less authentically ours than Glen Cambell’s airbrushed guitar channeling the wheels beneath him or Charlie Rich’s velvety touch, soft as water rings on the bar?

Did Louis Jordan beget the many jazz, blues and soul artists who followed, or was his influence merely an angel on the shoulder of Big Bill Broozny, Al Green and Pharoah Sanders as they lighted their own divergent paths from hazy joints to larger stages?

It’s easy to see such connections in the clarity of hindsight, sometimes harder to pick up and strum in the artists of today. And yet they’re there, perhaps more pronounced and in tune than at any other time in history through Ashley McBryde, Justin Moore, Erin Enderlin, Ne-Yo, Matt Stell and a hundred others.

Among those developing Arkansas’ next big thing are seasoned music industry pros who have expanded their brand as performers to forge the next lengths of the cultural chain. AY About You sat down with native Arkansans Cliff and Susan Prowse and Zac Dunlap to learn more about their missions furthering the state’s musical legacy, from leading youngsters along the path to the stage to teaching existing performers the facts of entrepreneurial life.

BABY, I’M A STAR

Zac Dunlap pops through the front door of Jettway Performance in Bryant, late and apologetic. Traffic and the demands of running three music schools have kept him avoidably delayed. He finds his way to his office and reclines into his chair, the headstock of a desk–leaning guitar visible to his left.

Music, it seems, is never too far out of reach from the East End picker.

“My grandfather was a musician and a singer/songwriter,” he said. “He performed and recorded in Nashville, did a bunch of things on a smaller scale. It was my desire to want to perform for people. I just wanted to connect and find a way to entertain.”

Dunlap did it his way, some would say the hard way, but he’ll tell you it was the only way he knew how that made sense.

“I’ve had no formal training at all, to this day,” he said. “Everything I learned has been hands-on. I came up just slugging it out in pubs night after night, weekend after weekend. Just learning from musicians who were in different bands, learning the stage etiquette and how to interact with crowds from four people a night to a couple hundred a night and just building off that experience.”

Eventually he’d form the Zac Dunlap Band and hit the road, playing at his peak 150 dates a year. During his career, he’d open for Brad Paisley, syndicated radio host Bobby Bones, Sister Hazel, MC Hammer, Corey Smith, Thompson Square and Granger Smith, as well as becoming a fixture on the Arkansas State Fair main stage.

By 2018, things were hitting on all cylinders, culminating with the band bringing home four Arkansas Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year, as well as Song and Video of the Year honors for “Arkansas’ Mine.”

Also by then, the biggest moment of his musical career had already taken shape in a small strip mall outside his hometown. Jettway Performance launched quietly in 2017, a venture that fed a side of Dunlap that performing could not, the urge to teach and connect with youth.

“I grew up wanting to be a teacher,” he said. “I went to college at the University of Arkansas and I was going to be a history teacher and a football coach. That’s when the music bug hit me, and I decided that was what I wanted to do. Right before my senior year, I dropped out and I moved to Nashville.

“I started working with kids when I was 14 years old. That’s always been something that I thoroughly enjoyed, I just didn’t know for the longest time how it would ever circle back into my life.”

From the beginning, Jettway Performance has provided music instruction in ways that differed from other schools. In the first place, the teachers are all working musicians, starting with members of Dunlap’s own band. In fact, mates Matt and Faith Cody, who go back a decade with Dunlap, are also co–owners in the company.

Another major difference, and the element of Jettway Performance that has attracted talent from all over the country, is the by–audition–only touring team, a band of elite young performers who Dunlap drills, refines and takes on tour over an eight–month contract. The musicians have performed in Nashville, Tulsa, the Arkansas State Fair and this year will play additional dates in Colorado.

“I wanted to find a way to take almost a sports approach to music,” Dunlap said. “That’s kind of what we’ve done and one of the reasons we’ve been so successful. We run our elite programs almost like a college sports program from the structure to it, to the discipline, to even some of the recruiting.”

The soft-spoken musician doesn’t pull any punches when mentoring the talented youngsters who make up the traveling troupe. The venues which host the group do so expecting a professional performance, youth or not, and that’s exactly what Dunlap demands they deliver. He said it’s just one aspect of a life in music that he wants his young stars to see for themselves

“It was important for me to create something that’s different and to give something that you can’t get in all the other places, the actual hands-on experience of the music business,” he said. “Not only learning it, but getting to go play music, getting to go on tour, getting to travel the country. They learn what it’s like to do this week in and week out, to really get a taste to see if this is for them.

“There’s a ton of people who can play, but are you cut out to travel? Are you cut out to do it night after night and be your best night after night? Are you willing to learn? We’re one of the only places in the nation that not only teaches all that, but also lets them do it. That’s the difference.”

It quickly became clear Dunlap and his business partners had a hit on their hands. Jettway Performance quickly outgrew its original East End site, and seeing that response told ownership that additional schools were in order. Jettway Performance Cabot opened in spring 2021, followed by the East End location moving to Bryant that summer. A third location in Greenbrier opened in mid 2022.

Together, the three sites’ 20 employees give 250 lessons per year to students from ages 4 to 80. Dunlap confirmed a fourth location is in the works, but declined to say where or give a timetable for opening.

The business and its mission have replaced performing as primary in Dunlap’s life. He still dusts things off and heads to the stage from time to time, mostly for charity or personal enjoyment, about 50 gigs a year in all. These days he’s less about standing in the spotlight than using it to highlight his students’ success be it topping the charts, learning a new chord or overcoming stage fright.

“I’ll tell you this. We have a student right now who has already made it on one of the national TV shows for 2023,” he said. “We have some other students who have been contacted. We’ve had a group signed to a Nashville agency. We have more who will, they’re just waiting for their break.

“Having said that, 99.9% of the students in this facility will not do this at a national mainstream level one day. They may do it in church, they may do it in a garage band or whatever it is, but they won’t be on the national mainstream path. But taking them through their learning is a process they can apply to jobs, to college, to their families, to hard times. They can just put it all together to help get them through life.”

MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING

You don’t need to hear Susan Prowse sing to feel what it’s like. Prowse, one half of a husband-wife act with her spouse, Cliff, has a remarkable voice — rounded, husky and emotive even in casual conversation. If her pipes were wine,

you’d pair them with a nice cut of blues, served rare.

It’s not a voice for IT or marketing or a hundred other corners of corporate America. And it damn sure isn’t the voice of church, though she was raised in it where her mother still plays the piano today, First Southern Baptist Church of Magnet Cove.

“I took 10 years of classical piano lessons and when I went to college, I was considering doing a piano minor,” she said, the strain of last night’s show still wearing off. “I was afraid to sing until I was in my early 20s. Then I discovered piano bars and playing in rock and roll bands. I got into singing and developed my voice, and that’s the nutshell of how music took me where I am now.”

Cliff’s voice also paints a certain picture, that of a musical prodigy who picked up the drums at age 4, the fiddle at age 10 and who has mastered nearly a dozen instruments since. His voice doesn’t have that sawdust and whiskey in it, more West Little Rock than West Texas, but he gets by with his effortless musicianship and deep-cut well of musical influences.

“I would say it’s very much a gumbo. That’s a good representation,” he said. “I listen to and play everything from bluegrass to metal. I love jazz, I love blues. I have a lot of different influences in my playing.”

The pair’s respective musical journeys took them far from home, only to wind back to Willy D’s in Little Rock’s River Market where they met on stage. Marrying a year later, their collective musical chemistry put an already busy touring schedule into overdrive. These days, they play about 200 shows a year ranging from local gigs to cruise ships to California and Las Vegas, to Scandinavia and the Caribbean.

“I love to perform. I’m very much a performer,” Susan said. “For me, it’s showing off at the piano and the energy that comes to me when I perform live. That performance is really key to me. And my style? Jerry Lee Lewis is the best way I can describe it.”

Staying that busy after decades in the music business comes with a lot of stories, a few scars and important lessons learned. Which is what led the couple to launch multiple other ventures to broaden their brand and diversify streams of revenue.

In 2017, they opened Big Red Dog Productions in Hensley. Described as a music production and artist development company, BRD provides studio time and a la carte advisory services from song licensing and digital distribution assistance to website development and album release party planning.

Musical acts have always been cottage industries unto themselves, selling everything from T-shirts to tour posters to fan club memberships. But the Prowses said these time-tested strategies are being reshaped overnight.

“It’s absolutely not your grandaddy’s music business,” Susan said. “We consume music completely differently, where you don’t go into Walmart and buy a $20 album anymore. You now have a steaming platform that you pay $9.99 a month for, and you stream whatever you want, and the artist or songwriter gets $0.007 or some kind of crazy little bit.

“As an artist, you cannot monetize on that, you have to have touring

revenue, merchandise revenue. You really have to be your own little company.”

To expand on these new challenges and opportunities, the couple followed up BRD with the launch of The Entertainers Academy in 2022. Offering online courses that formalize their collective knowledge of a rapidly changing industry, the academy will serve as a master’s course curriculum in the music business.

“The overarching way to explain it is, it’s literally teaching people how we’ve done it, how we’ve diversified and made sure that we’ve invested time, money and resources to understand how to continue to grow in the music industry,” Susan said.

The academy’s class catalog will include how to improve showmanship on stage, monetizing the coming Web 3.0 and NFTs, and leveraging social and digital media outlets effectively. Talking about the venture, Susan’s inner honky tonk angel takes five, letting her entrepreneurial self sing lead.

“It’s one thing to have great music, but if you don’t get it out to the world and do it effectively and cost-effectively,” she said. “I mean come on, there has to be a return on investment. We’ll teach that, and we’ll bring in experts on different topics weekly.”

The ambition of the academy and studio and the pair’s other ventures, which include a podcast and organizing the Yadaloo Music & Arts Festival, can be a bit overwhelming. Cliff says there are days he pines for the simplicity of the old days, even though he knows the future depends on the kind of frenetic, nonstop hustling that keeps Susan in CEO mode 24/7.

“We have so many projects going, it is hard to keep up with at times, but she has her lists, and we have a shared calendar to make sure if I say something or she says something it goes on the calendar or else it doesn’t happen,” he said.

“I definitely rely on her to keep me straight and honest on everything that we do. There’s a comedian, Nate Bargatze, who described our marriage and working relationship the best. He said, ‘You can’t have two dreamers or else you’ll be homeless in an hour.’ I’m the one ready to have fun, and my wife’s the one walking around saying, ‘Is somebody having fun around here? We’re going to put a stop to that.’ ”

Asked what keeps them in Arkansas, Susan said the days of musicians having to relocate to Nashville’s Music Row, New York or L.A. to be relevant as a performer, or in the advisory and educational space the couple has now entered, is largely a thing of the past. With the level of homegrown talent coming out of The Natural State of late, which both described as possibly the best ever, they’ve chosen to drive a stake right here, where they know and love it best.

“I want this to show other artists that you can make it in the music industry in your home state,” Susan said. “There are so many people that still think if you want to be in music, you can’t be in Arkansas, you’ve got to go somewhere else. That’s not really true. And that’s not to say there aren’t places more centralized in music with a more prominent music scene, but we’re living proof you can be successful in the music industry, in Arkansas or anywhere that you live.”

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Awarded Bronze National Quality Award by the American Health Association.

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Awarded Bronze National Quality Award by the American Health Association.

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PRIVATE SCHOOL Interest on the Rise

By ANGELA FORSYTH

The upward trend continues for private K-12 schools in Arkansas and across the nation. In recent years, nonpublic alternatives have been on the rise as families seek smaller class size, specific educational goals and personal spiritual preferences in education. With almost 100 schools under the umbrella of Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA), nearly 18,000 students attended Arkansas private schools in the 202122 school year.

According to Kristine Grelle, the executive director of ANSAA, the organization has recently seen steady growth in student enrollment. “Although schools do close periodically in the state,” she says, “the last couple of years, we have had over 5% increase in student enrollment in our ANSAA schools.”

Last year, Shiloh Christian School’s president Keith McDaniel told Arkansas Money & Politics that the school had reached an enrollment of more than 1,000 K-12 students and that he was expecting to hit record enrollment. He noted this was a positive phenomenon for all private schools, saying “I think it’s exciting for private education across Arkansas. There’s a lot of interest all over the state.”

Clayton Marsh, the founding head of Thaden School in Bentonville, has experienced a similar trend at his school. He explained that a jump in enrollment a few years ago had happened at the start of the COVID pandemic but had continued even after the emergency tapered off. “I think that during the pandemic, many families came to appreciate the special value of independent school education because in particular the small class sizes allowed faculty to better support students,” he said. “A lot of individualized attention and individual support was so important to help students get through that very challenging time”

SCHOOLS THAT BRING DIVERSITY

Aside from the preference for smaller class sizes, Marsh has also seen how parents seek and value the diversity that Thaden, in particular, is able to offer. “For us, first and foremost, it’s the quality of the faculty,” he says. “If you spend time on our website looking at our faculty, you will see that we have recruited them from all corners of the United States and even some have come internationally. They bring the campus a broad range of educational backgrounds and regional identities and other forms of diversity. It’s a group that greatly enriches the educational experience by virtue of all the different backgrounds they bring to our campus – the quality of their educational backgrounds and the variety of schools and disciplines that they have pursued –so I’ve described it as a national faculty.”

The entertainment industry will often paint private schools as an academia for the rich. The stereotype depicts plaid skirts, neck ties and expensive cars. But the truth is there are nonpublic school options in Arkansas that are accessible to all income levels. Thaden, for example, implements a unique “Indexed Tuition” program that brings the cost of its tuition within reach for a broad range of families. Each family’s contribution toward the cost of tuition is determined or “indexed” based on its financial resources.

St. Theresa Catholic School in Little Rock also actively supports economic diversity and inclusion. The school’s principal, Kristy Dunn, shares that from her perspective, some of her students who enter the school with some disadvantages (including socioeconomic status, language and learning disabilities) are given an advantage by having such a close relationship with their teacher and other school staff. “They feel safe, loved, and supported,” she says.

Several years ago, the school implemented a MMI grant to provide free breakfast for students. Since then, it has transitioned to the National School Breakfast Program through USDA. Every student has access to a free breakfast daily. According to Dunn, 70% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch and breakfast. “We were experiencing more morning reports from teachers that kids had a stomachache in the morning. It was clear we needed to offer breakfast,” she explains.

St. Theresa’s push to support disadvantaged families dates back several years. Initially, the school’s after-school program cost $10 a day, which was out of the price range for most of the families. An MMI grant was requested to allow kids to attend for only $1 per day. Since then, the program has grown and evolved. It now includes a partnership with its neighbor, the Dee Brown Library, from which all kids receive an afternoon meal. “Wow! Some of our students receive three meals a day here,” Dunn notes.

This August, St. Theresa was also awarded an ESSER grant, which functions as a program within the after-school program to provide tutoring and entrepreneurial lessons to a targeted group of junior high students. “These wrap-around services provide great support to our school families, and though rare for private schools, are vital to our mission and the community we serve,” she adds.

SEEKING FAITH-BASED EDUCATION

Many Arkansas families also seem to be looking for schools that can integrate more than the core subjects of math, reading and science. As Subiaco Academy Assistant Head for Academics and Communication Cheryl L. Goetz says, “Families who choose Subiaco Academy are most interested in our commitment to whole-person development.” The head of the college-preparatory school notes that Subiaco Academy, indeed, emphasizes scholarship but what it most highly values is “character development and the opportunity for a young man to grow in faith.”

“Our unique parallel curriculum with its focus on strengthsbased learning, social-emotional maturity and integrity-based leadership is exceedingly attractive to parents who are looking for more than the fundamentals of education,” Goetz adds. “Families are seeking an education that teaches their sons to become responsible, moral leaders; Subiaco Academy is rooted in the nearly 1,500-year educational tradition of the Benedictine Order, which does just that. A Catholic, Benedictine education is student-centered and dedicated to raising young men to become the faith-filled leaders of not only their local communities, but also communities around the world. The opportunity for students to develop their whole persons — their souls, their minds, and their bodies; to receive an education that is countercultural — is the greatest advantage I see in attending a private school like Subiaco Academy.”

Character development and spiritual guidance appear to be top-of-mind for many families across the country, but perhaps even more so in Bible Belt States like Arkansas. Ricky Massengale, superintendent at Union Christian Academy, says that from his perspective, it seems that families are looking for a

healthy culture when they consider a private- or public-school education. “This doesn’t mean that every private school is healthy and every public school unhealthy; that’s not it at all, because I don’t believe that is true,” he explains. “But when families are looking at their school options and considering a variety of factors (extracurricular offerings, academics, student body demographics, financial obligations, etc.), the central theme seems to come back to the culture of a school: What is the school really like, what are the teachers like, how do students behave, what is the academic program like, etc.?”

Massengale explains that his belief is that the culture of a school is shaped by its worldview. This means that the advantage of being a private Christian school is that they can be very clear and unapologetic about their worldview. “Every education has an agenda and worldview behind it,” he adds. “We’re just very clear as to what ours is: We proudly proclaim Christ in the classroom. From our mission to our faculty and staff, to our academic offerings, to our desired student outcomes, and even to how we discipline--these are all shaped by our Christian worldview.”

This clearly defined doctrine has attracted a large number of new families to join Union Christian Academy. Over the past

Keith McDaniel

Cheryl L. Goetz

Theresa Hall

Clayton Marsh

Ricky Massengale

Shana Nolan

Kristy Dunn

Steve Straessle

five years, enrollment went up more than 60%. According to Massengale, parents have appreciated the school’s strong hybrid-educational model and COVID-mitigation plan during the pandemic, which allowed for kids to miss less education. Parents have also been drawn toward the smaller class sizes and better student-teacher ratio that allows for more attention to be apaid to each student.

Steve Straessle, the head of Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock, has seen a similar thirst for education that supports the whole individual, especially when it comes to shaping young men. “Catholic High does not actively seek students running away from something — but running to something,” he emphasizes. “We offer a challenging curriculum and an environment focused on helping parents build their sons into good husbands, good fathers, good leaders.” According to Straessle, the school’s culture of high expectations wrapped in a fun, honest atmosphere appeals to many. “Of course, we emphasize spiritual and emotional growth — in short, character.”

“Lately, parents have become more aware of the socalled “boy crisis” — the phenomenon by which boys seem to be falling behind their female peers in a quantifiable way,” he adds. “There is no boy crisis at Catholic High. We are uniquely situated to teach, encourage, and inspire young men. I believe that’s the primary reason parents choose our school.

For many, faith-based schools represent a return to ethical values that are important to them and that they hope to impart to their children. Theresa Hall, the superintendent for Catholic schools in Little Rock, shared that in her perspective, “parents want a safe environment with strong academic programs where their child will be known, respected, and cared for daily. They want to see the partnership between home and the school. In addition, the families who choose a Catholic or other faith-based school are seeking an environment where prayer and faith are at the heart of the school’s mission and culture.” The feedback she has received from parents is that they are seeking an “emphasis on Christian values and moral development” as well as a “family atmosphere where the entire staff knows all the students by name.”

DEMANDS FOR SMALLER CLASS SIZE

Of course, one of the most common reasons parents cite for choosing private schools is a smaller parent to teacher ratio. According to St. Theresa Catholic School’s principal, families have come to the school looking for “a smaller environment, with a family feel, and for their child not to be lost in a crowd.” With a little over 200 students from PK-8th grade, Dunn says the staff knows every student and their family.

According to Niche, these are the top 10 non- public schools in the state. Niche conducts its rankings by combining comprehensive public data with its own surveys. Statistics are pulled from the Department of Education, Common Core Data, Civil Rights Data, School Attendance Boundary Surveys and Niche’s own Student and Parent Surveys.

Top 10 Private K-12 schools in Arkansas

1. Pulaski Academy

2. The Episcopal Collegiate School

3. Little Rock Christian Academy

4. Gospel Light Christian School

5. Union Christian Academy

6. Shiloh Christian School

7. Central Arkansas Christian Schools

8. The Baptist Preparatory School

9. Providence Classical Christian Academy

10. Fayetteville Christian School

Top Private High Schools in Arkansas

1. Thaden School

2. Pulaski Academy

3. Subiaco Academy

4. The Episcopal Collegiate School

5. Little Rock Christian Academy

6. Gospel Light Christian School

7. Union Christian Academy

8. Shiloh Christian School

9. Central Arkansas Christian School

10. The Baptist Preparatory School

Shana Nolen, head of The Anthony School in Little Rock, sees similar cases at her school. “We know each student,” she affirms. “We know his or her strengths, weaknesses, interests, capabilities, learning styles, and motivators. …it makes it easy for us to help them love learning and to understand how they learn best.”

At Thaden School, where diversity is one of the key principles, Marsh attests that this “diversity of the school community is essential to the quality of the education because you have different perspectives at the table, different backgrounds. Learning is stronger, more dynamic; its discussions are richer and more complete in important ways.” He adds, “And, when you have small class sizes, as we do (our class sections average no more than 15 students); when you put great teachers in small sections with lots of different perspectives, that’s the recipe in our view for an education of the highest quality.”

Private Schools IN ARKANSAS

For centuries, private schools across the Natural State have been transforming children into competent young adults with an appreciation of faith. In this month's issue, we take a look at those private schools from the Ozarks to the Delta that cultivate young people into faithful leaders in their communities.

By WRITER // Photos By PHOTOGRAPHER

Blessed Sacrament School

1105 E. Highland Drive, Jonesboro, AR 72401

(870) 932-3684

catholicjonesboroschool.com

The Blessed Sacrament School website states it is “dedicated to providing an environment of academic excellence and character formation rooted in the Gospels.” It offers PK-6th grade education for students. The website states its curriculum integrates faith, culture and life, including art, music, technology, Spanish, physical education, daily religion class and offers one-to-one technology devices for students. It is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accreditation Association.

Catholic High School for Boys

6300 Father Tribou St., Little Rock, AR 72205

(501) 664-3939

lrchs.org

Catholic High School for Boys offers college-preparatory education for male students in 9th-12th grade. The school was founded in 1930, and its website states the “curriculum strives to challenge boys academically while also teaching the truths of manhood — faith, integrity, and duty.” It is accredited by Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association, Inc.

Central Arkansas Christian

1 Windsong Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72113

(501) 758-3160

cacmustangs.org

The Central Arkansas Christian website states the school seeks to “challenge each of our students to push the limits of their academic, physical and social growth in order to build a firm foundation for a purpose-driven life of service to God and others.” The school offers education for students in PK-12th grade and is an independent school affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It has three campuses and are accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and the National Christian School Association.

Christ Little Rock School

315 S. Hughes St., Little Rock, AR 72205

(501) 663-5212

christlittlerockchurch.com

Christ Little Rock School was originally founded in 1870 as First Lutheran School downtown. It is accredited by National Lutheran Schools Association and Arkansas Nonpublic School Accreditation Association. It offers education for students in PK-8th grade and a gifted and talented program for elementary and middle school students. It offers a challenging, hands-on curriculum for all students and provides electronic devices for students in K-8th grade.

Christ the King School

1918 South Greenwood Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 782-0614

ctkparishfs.com

Christ the King School is affiliated with Christ the King Church in Fort Smith and offers education for students ages 18 months-5th grade.The school was founded in 1949. The 1st-5th graders follow curriculum from the Diocese of Little Rock. Preschool curriculum is based upon the Arkansas Frameworks for three and four-year-old children. Kindergarten curriculum includes emphasis in literacy and math instruction as well as electives like music, computer lab and art.

Christ the King School

4002 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 225-7883

school.ctklr.org

Christ the King School was founded in 1986 and offers education for students in PK-8th grade. The website states some of the schools’ goals are “to provide Christ the King students a well-rounded academic program with Catholic fundamentals as its core,” and “to foster positive self-esteem and mature responsible behavior with the purpose of arriving at the fullness of Christian life.”

Christian Ministries Academy

548 Brookhill Ranch Road Campus North, Hot Springs, AR 71909 (501) 624-1952

cmahotsprings.com

Christian Ministries Academy graduated its first class in 1982 and is an interdenominational christian school for students in K-12th grade. Their website states that academics and students’ spiritual growth are top priorities and that the school was “specifically designed to give the finest academic education to those students who are prepared mentally and spiritually to receive Godly instruction.”

Clear Spring School

374 Dairy Hollow Road, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 (479) 253-7888

clearspringschool.org

The Clear Spring School website states that they offer “small classes with a focus on outdoor education, life skills and active citizenship.” They have been accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and are a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Their website states their curriculum is based on a trimester schedule and they group students by interest and ability level, not grade level or age.

Columbia Christian School

250 Warnock Springs Road, Magnolia, AR 71753 (870) 234-2831

ccscrusaders.com

The Columbia Christian School website states that its mission “is to prepare students academically, spiritually and physically to successfully influence the world with truth by understanding the importance of a personal relationship with God.” The school was founded in 1998 as a ministry of First Baptist Church of Magnolia, Arkansas. “Balancing academic excellence with biblical principles,” is its motto, according to its website.

Episcopal Collegiate School (Little Rock)

1701 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 372-1194

episcopalcollegiate.org

Episcopal Collegiate School was founded in 1996 and offers a private, college-preparatory education rooted in the Episcopal tradition for students in PK-12th grade. Its website states that the school “prepares students to live principled and fulfilling lives of leadership and service through the pursuit of academic and personal excellence in a challenging and supportive environment.”

First Academy

3364 West Pleasant Grove Road, Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 878-1052

firstacademynwa.org

First Academy is a ministry of First Baptist Rogers. The school offers preschool programs for 3 and 4 year olds and education for students in K-5th grade. Its website states that students are encouraged to learn academically as well as spiritually in the areas of inquiry, growth and achievement, honor and service and leadership. The school has received a grant from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture that will allow it to begin a school garden to further enhance student’s education.

Grace Lutheran Academy

415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745 (479) 659-0905

gracelutherannwa.com/grace-lutheran-academy

Grace Lutheran Academy offers PK-9th grade education. The school is affiliated with the Grace Lutheran Church of Lowell. The school’s website shares that “on the basis of God’s word, we believe, teach and confess.”

Harvest Time Academy

3300 Briarcliff Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72908 (479) 646-6003

htacademy.net

Harvest Time Academy uses the Bible as the basis for education and uses the A Beka Book and Bob Jones University press curriculum that is written from a Christian perspective. Its website claims, “we believe it is important to provide students with a Biblical worldview, academic rigor, critical thinking and technology solutions.” It offers education for students in preschool-5th grade. Its website states the Academy value student’s spiritual growth and academic excellence in every subject.

Holy Rosary School

West 19th St., Stuttgart, AR 72160

(870) 673-3211

holyrosarycatholicschool.net

Holy Rosary School offers education for students in PK3-6th grade. The school is affiliated with the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Stuttgart.

Immaculate Conception School

223 South 14th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901

(479) 783-6798

icschoolfs.org

The Immaculate Conception School website states part of the school’s mission “develops the whole child, instills Gospel values, inspires a love of learning and promotes academic excellence in a diverse nurturing community.” The school offers PK-8th grade education and was a National Blue Ribbon School in 2013.

Immaculate Conception School

7000 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock, AR 72116

(501) 835-0771

icsnlr.org

Immaculate Conception School was founded in 1956 and now offers a PK-8th grade education. The school is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accreditation Association (ANSAA) and is a member of the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA). Its website states that its curriculum “encourages lifelong learning; fosters academic discipline and knowledge; and cultivates spiritual growth, respect, integrity, responsibility and compassion.”

Immaculate Heart Of Mary School

7025 Jasna Gora Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72118 (501) 851-2760

ihmnlr.org

The Immaculate Heart of Mary School offers a Catholic education for students in PK3-8th grade. Its website states that the school “seeks to offer high-quality academic programs, which are integrated with religious truth and values.” Its accredited through the Arkansas Nonpublic Schools Association.

Jacksonville Christian Academy

3301 N. First Street, Jacksonville, AR 72076 (501) 982-7522

jcaeagles.com

Jacksonville Christian Academy was founded as a ministry of Bible Baptist Church in 1978. It offers a college preparatory diploma for students K-12th grade. Its website states that its “academic goal is to give a bible-based, foundational education for all students that is excellent, advanced and Christian” and the curriculum is provided through the A Beka Book. The academy is a member of the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS), and the Arkansas Christian School Association (ACSA).

Life Way Christian School

351 W. Centerton Blvd., Centerton, AR 72719 (479) 795-9322

lwcsar.com

Life Way Christian School is a ministry of First Baptist Church Centerdon. It offers PK2-12th grade education and its website states “every aspect of what is done at LWCS — academics, athletics, fine arts, etc., is based on the truth of God’s Word and is biblically integrated.” It is accredited by both ANSAA (Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association) and ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International).

Little Rock Christian Academy

19010 Cantrell Rd., Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 868-9822

littlerockchristian.com

Little Rock Christian Academy offers a college-preparatory education for students in K3-12th grade. The website states “the curriculum at Little Rock Christian is designed to promote a lifetime love of learning while building on and filtering all knowledge through a biblical worldview.” Little Rock Christian Academy earned the U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon for all divisions K-12 in 2021. The school is accredited by ACSI, SAIS, ANSAA and CESA.

Little Rock Montessori School

3704 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 225-2428

lrmontessori.org

Little Rock Montessori School offers elementary classes for 1st through 3rd grade, primary classes for children ages 3 to 6 years and a toddler community ages 22 months to 3 years. It uses the Montessori method of instruction, and their website states it offers “a carefully planned, stimulating environment that will help children develop foundational habits, attitudes, skills and ideas essential for a lifetime of creative thinking and learning.”

Maranatha Baptist Christian School

2165 Smackover Highway, El Dorado, AR 71730 (870) 546-3577

bbceldorado.org/about-mbcs

Maranatha Baptist Christian School, located in El Dorado, provides K-12th grade college-preparatory education. Phonetic-based reading, diagnostic testing, individually paced learning, character building and traditional values are part of their curriculum, according to their website. Its website also states it stands “without apology for the old-time Gospel and the highest standards of morality and Christian Behavior.”

Mount St. Mary Academy

3224 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-8006

mtstmary.edu

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1851, Mount St. Mary Academy adheres to the Sisters’ belief that “nothing can be more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women.” The private, college-preparatory Catholic high school, located in the heart of Little Rock, has provided an exceptional, one-of-a-kind educational experience for young women in grades 9-12 in central Arkansas for 171 years. It is proud to be Arkansas’ oldest educational institution in continuous operation as well as the only all-girl school in the state. The supportive yet challenging all-girl learning environment provides a unique platform that helps young women build confidence while growing academically and spiritually. Blending academic rigor, faith and Mercy tradition in the spirit of the school’s Catholic founders, Mount St. MaryAcademy empowers each student to reach her greatest potential and to meet the challenges of the future as a woman of wisdom, compassion and integrity.

North Little Rock Catholic Academy

1518 Parker St., North Little Rock, AR 72114

(501) 374-5237

nlrca.org

North Little Rock Catholic Academy offers education for students in PK-8th grade. The Academy seeks to create an environment of support and encouragement for students to become independent critical thinkers as well as becoming self-disciplined, respectful and knowledgeable in the Catholic faith. Its website states that its mission is still largely the same of the founding Sisters in the 19th century, “to instill love in our students for Christ their Savior according to Catholic Christian principles while also providing a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare graduating students for advanced high school programs.”

Our Lady of Fatima School (Benton)

818 West Cross St., Benton, AR 72015

(501) 315-3398

olfbenton.org/school

Our Lady of Fatima School website states it provides “quality education through academic excellence, Catholic principles, and Christian values.” It offers education for students in PK-8th grade. Its website states it follows guidelines set forth by the Diocese of Little Rock and uses standard, state-adopted textbooks and nationally normed achievement tests alongside enrichment programs in their curriculum.

Our Lady of the Holy Souls School

1001 N. Tyler St., Little Rock, AR 72205

(501) 663-4513

holysoulsschool.org

Our Lady of the Holy Souls School was first established in 1927 and today offers a PK-8th grade education. It is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA). Its website states the school is “designed to meet the wide variety of educational needs of our children, and is committed to the goal of academic excellence for each student”. The school website also states the school is “committed to nurturing each child’s faith, education, and social development through Christ.”

Ozark Catholic Academy

192 East Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762

(479) 316-3445

ozarkcatholic.org

Ozark Catholic Academy opened in 2018 and offers 9th-12th grade education and a college preparatory program. Its website states, “The academic program at Ozark Catholic Academy engages students in critical thinking and teaches them to become self-regulated learners in preparation for success in college and in life.” The school also uses the socratic method in the classroom and offers a one-on-one advisory program for students. The Ozark Catholic Academy is fully accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA) and is a member of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE).

Pulaski Academy

12701 Hinson Road, Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 604-1910

pulaskiacademy.org

Pulaski Academy was founded in 1971 and offers students in PK-12th grade a non-sectarian education. The website states its vision is to be a “leader in academic innovation” and its mission is “to inspire students to explore, create, contribute and achieve.” It is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and the Southern Association of Independent Schools.

Sacred Heart School

106 North St. Joseph St., Morrilton, AR 72110

(501) 354-8113

sacredheartmorrilton.org/school

Sacred Heart School was established in 1879 and is one of two Catholic schools across the state to offer PK-12 education. Sacred Heart Catholic School is a member of the Arkansas Non-Public School Accreditation Association, Inc. and the Diocese of Little Rock. The website states the school “seeks to offer high-quality academic programs which are integrated with religious truth and values.” The school emphasizes student preparedness for life inside today’s society and Church and the Church of tomorrow through a curriculum based in Catholic Christianity.

Salem Lutheran School

1800 West Emma Ave., Springdale, AR 72762

(479) 751-9500

salemspringdale.com

salem-lutheran-preschoolabout-us/ Salem Lutheran School is a preschool program offered through Salem Lutheran Ministries in Springdale. Its website states it offers personalized instruction and its mission is “to share the Christian faith with children and their families by partnering with them to provide opportunities for spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional and social growth in a Christ-centered environment.”

South Arkansas Christian School

1707 East First Street, Lewisville, AR 71845

(870) 921-5050

southarkansaschristianschool.com

The South Arkansas Christian School offers education for students in K-12th grade. The Bible is used as the final authority for all areas of study and is subject of specific coursework at every grade level. The welcome statement, from Headmaster Andy Hawkins, says that the school is dedicated to “seeking the salvation and spiritual growth of our students, as well as, providing a fundamental education that will prepare our students for college and life.” Its website also says that “Spiritual growth and academic excellence will be accomplished through God honoring curricula, godly teachers, and the development of positive Christian peer pressure among students.”

St. John School

583 West Grand Ave., Hot Springs, AR 71901

(501) 624-3171

sjshs.org

Saint John’s Catholic School offers PK-8th grade Christian education and partners with Mount St. Mary Academy and Little Rock Catholic High School to provide a seamless education through high school. Its website states that they create a “dynamic academic environment where the love of learning and the pursuit of creative ideas are regularly pursued.” The school is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA) and member of the National Catholic Education Association as well as the Mercy Elementary Education Network.

St. John School 1912 West Main St., Russellville, AR 72801 (479) 967-4644 school.sjccr.org

The St. John Catholic School offers education for students in PK5th grade. The preschool program is Montessori method instruction and K-5th grade is based around the “In Spirit and Truth Curriculum Guide,” which applies to all PK through 8th grade Catholic schools in Arkansas. The St. John Catholic School website says its goal is “to give our students the tools to meet every goal and challenge with Christian perseverance.” The website also states, “Christian values are interwoven into the teaching of all subjects. We strive to develop the whole child, morally, academically, spiritually, physically, and socially.” The school is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA).

St. Joseph School (Conway)

1101 College Ave., Conway, AR 72032 (501) 329-5741

stjosephconway.org

Saint Joseph School was founded in 1879 and today offers education for students in PK-12th grade. The Saint Joseph School website shares its mission statement as “empowering students academically and spiritually to become advocates of Catholic social teachings rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The school is affiliated with the Diocese of Little Rock and is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and the National Federation of Nonpublic School State Accrediting Associations. The school follows the Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age (from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) and the Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas Academic Standards for 9-12th grade students.

St. Joseph School (Fayetteville)

1722 North Starr Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (479) 442-4554

sjfayschool.com

Saint Joseph Catholic School has been a National Blue Ribbon School in 2014 and 2020. It offers education for students in PK-8th grade. Its website states the school strives each day to form students spiritually, academically, physically and emotionally in a supportive community. Saint Joseph Catholic School follows the “In Spirit and Truth Curriculum Guide” from the Diocese of Little Rock.

St. Joseph School

25 South Spruce St., Paris, AR 72855

(479) 963-2131

stjosephparisar.org

St. Joseph Catholic School offers PK-8th grade education. The school uses the Montessori method for PK-1st grade instruction and all other grade levels follow the “In Spirit and Truth Curriculum Guide” that applies to all PK-8th grade catholic schools in Arkansas. Their website states, “We firmly believe in the development of the whole person — spiritual, physical, intellectual, and social. It is our hope to form all of our students to be responsible and generous citizens who serve their family, community and church.”

St. Mary’s Catholic School & Preschool

310 North Second St., Paragould, AR 72450

(870) 236-3681

stmaryparagould.org/ school---preschool.html

St. Mary’s Catholic School & Preschool offers education for children in PK-6th grade. Its Facebook profile states it provides a quality education by promoting academic achievement, self-discipline and a firm foundation of Catholic ethics. The school was founded in 2011 and says it seeks to provide a high-quality education for each child regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic background, while proclaiming the message of Jesus.

St. Michael Catholic School

405 N. Missouri St., West Memphis, AR 72301 (870) 735-1730

stmichaelwm.com

St. Michael Catholic School was founded in 1936. The school has four foundational pillars: academics, catholicity and discipleship, extracurricular activities and athletics and stewardship. The school offers education for students in PK3-6th grade.

St. Paul School

311 Cedar St., Pocahontas, AR 72455

(870) 892-5639

stpaulsabers.com

The Saint Paul Catholic School offers a PK-6th grade education. Its website states that the school seeks “to create a challenging learning environment that encourages high expectations for success through development-appropriate instruction that allows for individual differences and learning styles.” It is affiliated with the St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pocahontas and the Diocese of Little Rock.

St. Theresa School

6311 Baseline Road, Little Rock, AR 72209 (501) 565-3855

stslr.org

St. Theresa School was originally founded in 1959. Today, the school offers education for students in PK-8th grade. Their website states part of their mission as “to help parents fulfill their duties as primary educators of their children by welcoming our multicultural children and families to a safe and supportive Christ-centered environment.” The school offers an advanced, balanced curriculum in accordance with the Diocese of Little Rock “In Spirit and Truth” curriculum guide.

St. Vincent de Paul School

1315 W. Cypress St., Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 636-4421

svdpschool.net

St. Vincent de Paul School is the first and only Catholic school in Benton county and offers Pre-K3-8th grade education. Their website states that “the faculty and staff are committed to faith formation, academic excellence, and service to others.” St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School was honored as a National Blue Ribbon Exemplary High Performing School in 2015 and is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association, Inc. (ANSAA).

Subiaco Academy

405 N. Subiaco Ave., Subiaco, AR 72865 (479) 934-1034

subiacoacademy.us

Subiaco Academy is a Catholic school for boys and was founded in 1887. It offers boarding and a college preparatory education for male students in 7-12th grade. Its website states, “We see Christ in each student as we guide him in his response to God, aid the development of his known and hidden talents and foster his growth into manhood.” The school offers two programs of study, the College Preparatory Program (CPC) and a College Preparatory Honors Program (CPHC).

Thaden School

Thaden School, 800 South E. C St., Bentonville, AR 72712

(479) 268-5321

thadenschool.org

Thaden School was established in 2017 and is an independent school that offers education for students in 6-12th grade. Its website states its mission is “to provide a balanced and challenging education that ignites in our students a passion for discovery and learning, prepares them to succeed in college, and inspires them to lead lives of integrity, purpose and responsible global citizenship.” Its website states the curriculum includes its Meals, Reels and Wheels program and “gives equal emphasis to the sciences and the humanities, enabling our students to address complex questions with a variety of disciplinary lenses and skills.” It is expecting to receive full accreditation from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States by 2023.

The Montessori School of Fort Smith

3908 Jenny Lind Road, Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 646-7225

fsmontessori.com/contact

The Montessori School of Fort Smith was founded in 1969 and is the only Montessori school in the River Valley. It offers education for children ages 3-12. The school uses the Montessori method in education. Its website states that, “Montessori classrooms are designed to provide children with the opportunity to receive an individualized education; become internally motivated; establish a solid foundation for future learning; build confidence; and to create a love of learning.”

The New School

2514 New School, Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-7037

thenewschool.org

The New School in Fayetteville was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1971 and today offers education for students in PK-12th grade. It is one of only five schools in the state that has been awarded full accreditation by the Independent School Association of Central States (ISACS). Its core values are listed as curiosity, character, community, respect, citizenship, innovation and excellence. The New School website states, “We believe that a school should encourage exploration and inquiry in an environment enriched with opportunities in the arts and sciences, and we believe that a school’s instructional programs should ensure that students reach their full potential for academic achievement.”

Trinity Junior High School

1205 South Albert Pike Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 782-2451

thinktrinity.org

Trinity Junior High School opened in 1986 and offers education for students in 6-8th grade. Its website states the school has a deep commitment to Christ and its focus is to bridge the gap between the needs of its students and the high academic standards it tries to achieve by providing instruction that meets students where they are. Trinity Junior High School is accredited by National Federation of Nonpublic School State Accrediting Associations, Arkansas Non-Public Schools Accrediting Association and the National Catholic Education Association.

Valley Christian School

201 East G. St., Russellville, AR 72802 (479) 968-1429

vcsriverhawks.com

Valley Christian School is a nondenominational school that offers K-12th grade education. The Valley Christian School is currently housed in the facilities of Russellville First Assembly of God, but will be opening its own campus in upcoming years. Its website states it strives to “develop academic excellence with a Christ-centered viewpoint while providing an unparalleled educational program in an exciting, hands-on learning environment.” The national and Arkansas standards are a basic framework for all curriculum areas.

Little Rock Montessori School

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Little Rock Montessori School has been educating children for over 50 years. We are a private, nonprofit school offering education for ages 22 months through third grade.

— Maria Montessori

3704 N. Rodney Parham & 12015 Hinson Road, Little Rock 501.225.2428 // lrmontessori.org

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FABRIC OF THE NATION: Crystal

Bridges Exhibition

Captures a Distinctly American Style

By MAK MILLARD

Since its opening last September, “Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour” at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has attempted to give guests a look into the depth and breadth of the American fashion landscape. Under the guidance of guest curator Michelle Tolini Finamore, Ph.D. and design consultant Ruben Toledo, the museum’s first-ever fashion exhibit features over 100 designers and brands, weaving together garments, visual and video imagery to detail two centuries of clothing, culture and influence.

“Fashion is a uniquely personal expression of the wearer and the wearer’s place in the world,” Finamore said. “It mediates between the private and the public in a very unique way. It has the ability to carry stories related to the wearer’s past and present in a way other media do not.”

The museum has also used the exhibit to turn the fashion world’s eyes to Arkansas. On Oct. 26, the “Grit to Glamour” fashion symposium brought names like Tommy Hilfiger and Karlie Kloss to The Natural State. Supermodels and designers flocked to Bentonville for a day of discussion culminating with a gala to support the museum’s education programs. Stuart Vevers, executive creative director of the American fashion house Coach, opened the event with a conversation about “Why American Fashion Matters.” Other topics included sustainability in fashion, diversity and a look towards the future of design, both in the real world and online.

Programming surrounding “Fashioning America” has included talks, demonstrations and workshops. The museum collaborated with INTERFORM, a Northwest Arkansas-based nonprofit supporting fashion designers and entrepreneurs, for Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week on Nov. 12. The one-day event featured discussions between designers, museum curators and scholars, as well as a fashion show themed “Model Citizen.” The show was part of INTERFORM’s sixth annual Fall Fashion Week, but it was the event’s first occurrence in partnership with Crystal Bridges. Last but not least on the calendar, an upcoming cocktail tour of the exhibit is scheduled for Jan. 26.

With a reach as expansive as the country that inspired it, the exhibit aims to be a more inclusive telling of America’s fashion story. That means bringing in industry powerhouses, like Nike, Vera Wang and Levi-Strauss, as well as unsung heroes such as Ann Lowe (“the underappreciated architect of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress”) and Bill Frank Whitten (the designer of Michael Jackson’s rhinestone glove). The exhibit features pieces on loan from Vogue

magazine global Editor-at-Large Hamish Bowles, along with statement pieces by designers such as Virgil Abloh, Carolina Herrera, Virgil Ortiz and Isabel Toledo.

In addition to spotlighting Black and Native American designers, the exhibit focuses throughout on female designers and works promoting diverse body types. Other pieces deal with themes surrounding queer culture, gender nonbinary inclusivity, sustainable fashion and social activism.

“We are currently at a crossroads in museum scholarship relating to how we approach history and whose stories get told,” Finamore said. “American fashion has traditionally been centered on canonical designer names. We now know that the story is much bigger than that, and it is time to think about whose stories have not been told – Indigenous designers, people of color and those laboring behind the scenes. Crystal Bridges was the perfect venue to explore those perspectives.”

Instead of being arranged chronologically or by designer, the pieces in the exhibit are grouped according to identifiably American themes and influences. Finamore explained this choice, saying, “Presenting over 200 years of American fashion history is daunting. I felt that a chronological display would not illustrate the points I wanted to make about forms of dress that are uniquely American. I focused on those fashion contributions that are recognized as American on the global stage.”

The exhibit starts, fittingly, in the earliest years of the

Lisa Perry, Roy Lichtenstein “No Thank You” Dress, 2011

United States. Elements of the “Fashioning Early America” section include George Washington’s portrait alongside two dresses, one from the 1830s exemplifying the patriotic promotion of American-made textiles, and another – attributed to a Black dressmaker in the 1870s, but of uncertain origins – highlighting “the vast number of unknown stories in American fashion.” Among other pieces, this section also features a pair of high-heeled sneakers covered in traditional Kiowa and Shoshone beadwork, combining modern fashion innovation with centuries-old Native American culture.

The “grit” in “Grit to Glamour” is a nod to the cultural behemoth that is the American West. The exhibit describes denim jeans as “arguably the world’s most ever-present American fashion item” while also explaining the multi-national origins of its fabrics and dyes. “Grit” emphasizes just how intertwined landscape and culture are, with workwear putting the “rugged” into the “rugged individualism” that would become the country’s calling card. This section spans from the denim innovation of adding rivets for durability to a painting of “Rosie the Riveter” in denim coveralls redefining gender roles. The exhibit also shows the plethora of ways jeans, cowboy boots and Western-wear have been interpreted in movies, music and popular culture over the decades.

In the “Streetwear” portion of the exhibit, the museum pays tribute to the trendsetters and designs that have made urban fashion “the most significant American contribution to global style in the post-World War II era.” From the pioneering zoot suit of the 1940s, to classic Tommy Hilfiger looks donned by hip-hip icons Aaliyah a Missy Elliot in the ’90s, to the rise and dominance of sneaker culture in the last few decades, the items in this section demonstrate the ways designers have co-opted, reshaped and challenged the status quo to create a global streetwear phenomenon.

Other areas of “Fashioning America” trace style evolutions in everything from beachwear to wedding dresses. The exhibit moves from corsets to body-positive underwear, from hoopskirts to Hawaiian shirts, from ready-to-wear clothing to the often-unseen workforce behind it. Throughout this journey, photography and paintings, movie scenes and music videos demonstrate the cultural impact of each look.

This exhibit is also concerned with how contemporary designers are reimagining the meaning of American style. Many of the pieces in this section reflect the work of Black and Native American designers

to challenge stereotypes, tell their own stories and connect to their histories in new ways. A dress by one artist, designer Ji Won Choi, nods to “jogakbo,” the Korean tradition of recycling fabric to make patchwork wrapping-cloths. The museum also delves into the digital realm, with styles reflecting the growing role of technology through futuristic designs and the first-ever interactive digital garment to be displayed in a museum exhibition (thanks to a collaboration with bionic pop artist and futurist Viktoria Modesta).

Crystal Bridges is also looking towards American fashion’s future by supporting the design talent of the present. In partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a not-for-profit fashion trade association, the museum has created the CFDA x Crystal Bridges Heartland Scholars Award. This scholarship, according to a statement from CFDA and Crystal Bridges, “will foster design talent in students based, studying or raised in the American Heartland,” which includes a number of Southern states, such as Arkansas. The application and more information about the award launched this month on the CFDA’s website.

Bookending the exhibit’s “Grit to Glamour” motif, Hollywood and the “fashion propaganda” of its star-studded looks are on full display in the “Red Carpet” section of the exhibit. Dressing the stars under swaths of media coverage is no mean feat, and the outfits in this section include looks designed for the likes of Whitney Houston, Michelle Obama and Nicole Byer. Heavy-hitters like Calvin Klein, Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren also feature.

One challenge that comes with a fashion exhibit, Finamore explained, is that clothing is not meant to be static. To tell a more complete story, videos and other imagery surrounding the pieces can be just as essential as the garments themselves.

“I always include video in exhibitions, because the relationship between the moving body, space and the garment is key to how we experience fashion in the world,” Finamore said. “For ‘Fashioning America’ specifically, the power of Hollywood film and media have been key in exporting American fashion to a global audience.”

“Fashioning America” will be in the Crystal Bridges Temporary Exhibition Gallery through Jan. 30.

Ji Won Choi Red Jogakbo Dress, Antecedence Collection, Spring/Summer 2021

Photo credit: IED Firenze students: V. Botarelli, A. Capoccetta, M. Catarzi;

Photo: Sofia Brogi Virgil Ortiz

Kiowa by Design, 2014 Beads on canvas highheeled sneakers Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2021.40.

Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Jordan Casteel, Ourlando, 2018

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2019.16.

Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Hold for Laughs:

Judge Reinhold Makes Rep Debut with Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”

By MAK MILLARD

The 2022-2023 season is in full swing at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and the hits aren’t slowing down heading into the new year. Kicking off the slate of 2023 shows is “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” a semi-autobiographical comedy by renowned playwright Neil Simon. Running Feb. 1 through 19, the production is a look into the fast-paced, high-stakes writers’ room of the groundbreaking 1950s hit live TV show, “Your Show of Shows.” At the center of the chaos stands “star madman” Max Prince, a character based on vanguard comic actor and sketch comedy legend Sid Caesar.

Taking up the mantle of Max Prince for his Rep debut is another comedy star audiences will be familiar with. Whether you’ve followed him since “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” know him best for “Beverly Hills Cop” or watched him in “The Santa Clause” and “Seinfeld,” Judge Reinhold is probably a face you associate with the silver screen instead of the stage. But Reinhold got his start in theater, and “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” is a welcome full-circle moment from the early years of his career.

“Film, to me, is visual first. Theater is more literary. There’s a simplicity in carrying around a play, learning it and getting up on stage,” Reinhold said. “There’s this moment in live theater, right before the curtain comes up. You’re standing there, and you’re saying, ‘Gosh, I could be bagging groceries right now.’ That idea is suddenly the most appealing thing in the world. But then you go out, and you’re in the story.”

This show in particular is also the perfect combination of opportunities for the veteran actor: to bring Neil Simon’s artistic vi-

sion to life, to showcase the caliber of the Repertory Theatre and to perform for his wife Amy’s hometown community.

“I’m fond of Arkansas and its people – especially after spending a lot of time in L.A.,” Reinhold said. “Relationships in L.A. can be so transactional. The people here are friendly without any reason to be. There are a lot of things to appreciate, and I appreciate my family here too.”

The production, and Reinhold’s being in it, comes thanks to Will Trice, the Rep’s executive artistic director and an accomplished theater producer in his own right. The pair connected through a mutual friend, and Reinhold was delighted at the chance to work with the three-time Tony Award winner (“All the Way,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”).

“I want the community to know the incredible gift they have in Will,” Reinhold said. “He’s this combination of that warmth and friendliness that Arkansans are known for, and then this very skilled understanding of what makes a great play. He gets the best out of the regional actors, but he also supplements productions with talent from New York.”

One such New York talent is director Ari Edelson, whose international career spans from Glasgow to Tokyo. Edelson is the artistic director of the off-Broadway theater company The Exchange. He also runs the Orchard Project, an artistic development workshop whose works have appeared in theaters on Broadway and abroad.

During the early days of the pandemic, Trice and Reinhold went back and forth trying to settle on which production they

would eventually bring to the Rep. Trice floated plenty of suitable options, but Reinhold set a clear bar for the scripts early on.

“I remember saying, ‘I don’t want to do anything thought-provoking,’ and we both laughed,” Reinhold said. “He would send me stuff, and it was funny, but then it could get heavy or too existential. In the end, we just wanted to bring laughter. I think laughter is just as profound as anything a playwright has to say.”

Trice and Reinhold looked for a while before deciding on “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” which Reinhold saw on Broadway during its original run in 1993. “The audience floated out on en-

dorphins,” he recalled.

“I don’t know why I didn’t bring this play up sooner, because I love it so much,” he said. “I think I had to be told that I could do it.”

“Your Show of Shows,” the live TV show on which the play is based, brought together “one of the greatest collaborations of American comedy talent ever,” Reinhold explained. Each character in “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” is based on one of these talents, from Neil Simon and his brother, Danny, to Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner.

In addition to the already frantic energy infusing the writers’

Photo by Michael Segal

room each week, the play captures a particularly fraught moment, both for the show itself and its historical context.

“At this point in the show, NBC is after them to literally dumb it down,” Reinhold said. “It’s a little too urbane, and they wanted the show to be everything to everybody. At the same time, they’re a hit. The critics love them. As the play opens, they find out that they’ve been cut down to one hour. My character, Max, is under a terrible amount of pressure to hold the show up and satisfy NBC at the same time.”

“Sid was the quickest, the most satirical and the most sophisticated,” he continued. “You had to hold him back. He wanted to be more political, but it was during the McCarthy hearings. This was a very dark, tense time for the creative community.”

The writers are a dysfunctional family, making “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” both a striking family portrait and a study in tenacity. These immense talents at the dawn of their careers bond over the intensity of the work, their frustration with corporate interests and the tension of possibly losing their jobs. Caesar/Prince, as the star of the show, is under the greatest strain of all.

“They would write the show Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, you would block it and figure out where everybody would go. Friday would be the technical with the cameras. Saturday, there’d be a rehearsal, and then they’d do the live show for 60 million people,” Reinhold said. “On Sunday, Sid would sit in the shower and drink.”

On top of his research and fondness for the production, Reinhold also brings a level of real-life experience thanks to his hosting “Saturday Night Live.” Though it only ran for four seasons, “Your Show of Shows” paved the way for “SNL.” As a host, Reinhold had a front-row seat to the panic-inducing pace at which everyone worked.

“You’re throwing the show together while sitting on the front of a speeding locomotive and trying to make it as good as it can

be,” he said. “It’s incredibly well-run and organized, but it’s also like a car wreck: you just go through it, and you’re glad to be alive when it’s over.”

When it comes to his performance as Max Prince, Reinhold hopes to stay true to the playwright’s original vision. He quoted Neil Simon, saying, “My comedy is grounded in humanity.” It’s easy to get laughs, thanks to Simon’s writing. What some productions fail to take advantage of, Reinhold said, is the humanity underpinning Simon’s comedy.

“Comedy doesn’t lie. It’s either funny or it’s not,” Reinhold said. “The thing I’m excited about, just as much as bringing laughter, is there’s a whole level of real anxiety and poignancy in the struggle to keep going when the stakes are so high.”

Reinhold, Trice and Edelson are excited to highlight the relatability that infuses Simon’s comedy, and in so doing, to fully realize Simon’s intention. Reinhold added, “It’s always there. If you look for it, it’s there. Many productions miss the opportunity to have the comedy derive from very human situations. Coming at it that way makes the humor twice as rich.”

“It’s not just the jokes; it’s a family in trouble,” he continued. “That’s a universal idea that everyone can relate to. It’s our job –with a great playwright especially – to do what he wanted. He deserves it.”

The most challenging aspect of the role as Reinhold sees it will be emulating the rhythms of Sid Caesar through Max Prince. He

speaks with a deep understanding of the humanity and emotional instability of the character, but Reinhold usually plays a reactor rather than a catalyst. That’s a stark contrast to the “freight train” personality of Caesar/Prince.

“I think acting is rearranging the furniture of your personality. Depending on the role, you’ve got to take something in the background of yourself and move it to the forefront,” he said. “Even though he is more aggressive and assertive, he’s not foreign to me. I get to use that part of myself I haven’t used in my film work.”

The show is “a love letter to comedy,” he said. “We’ve all been through so much. That’s what’s underneath us wanting to do this now. This may sound highfalutin’, but I believe there’s divinity in laughter. It’s a great equalizer when people laugh together. I’m hoping people who have never seen a play before will come, because they know they’re going to laugh and have a great experience with live theater.”

I think acting is rearranging the furniture of your personality. You’ve got to take something in the background of yourself and move it to the forefront.

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Dressed for the Occasion:

“Tootsie” the Comedy Musical Comes to Little Rock and Fayetteville for National Tour

By MAK MILLARD // Photos By EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE

When it comes to dressing for the job you want, no one takes that advice as far as Michael Dorsey, a notoriously difficult actor struggling to book new gigs. When an opportunity does arise, Dorsey won’t be put off by the fact that the role calls for an actress. Instead, he takes on the performance of his life to become Dorothy Michaels, his feminine alter ego.

So goes the underlying premise of “Tootsie,” known to most people via the hit 1982 movie starring Dustin Hoffman. Now, the Broadway musical adaptation of that film, which debuted in 2019, is headed for The Natural State. The national tour of the comedy musical is making two stops in Arkansas during its second year on the road, playing Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall Jan. 13-15 before heading to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville Jan. 17-22.

Assuming the role of Michael Dorsey/ Dorothy Michaels for the U.S. tour is actor Drew Becker. Becker is only the third person to play the role after Dustin Hoffman and Santino Fontana. Though both are big performances to follow – Hoffman was nominated for an Oscar and Fontana took home a Tony Award for his version – Becker has no qualms about making the character his own.

“I wouldn’t say I’m intimidated,” Becker said. “I’m just excited to be able to tour with the show. I didn’t feel any kind of pressure from the creative team to be the same as either of them. I’m really able to bring my own perspective, which I appreciate.”

Becker and the rest of the cast went through several rounds of self-tape auditions before meeting the creative team and producers over Zoom. For the 10th and final callback, the producers needed to see if Becker had the right look in person, so he traveled to New York for a head-to-toe Dorothy Michaels makeover.

“It was a little bit surreal,” Becker said. “I had seen the show in New York, and at that time, it didn’t even cross my mind that

circle. They stand around me with lights on their heads, putting nails on me, handing me lipstick, zipping me up in each of the dresses. I call them the Glam Squad. It’s a really talented group back there making the changes happen every night.”

Becker described Michael Dorsey as arrogant and self-centered, a person who “creates a little bit of chaos” for everyone he meets. Even Dorsey’s agent warns him he’ll likely never work again with the reputation he’s earned.

“Dorsey’s friend [Sandy Lester, played by Payton Reilly] is auditioning for a brand-new musical continuation of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’” Becker said. “They’re looking for Juliet’s nurse, so he creates Dororthy Michaels to go in and audition for this role. He books it, and then he falls in love with his co-star [Julie Nichols, played by Ashley Alexandra]. After that, he creates a little bit of hell for himself.”

I would ever potentially be a part of the production. All of a sudden, I was seeing myself in the same exact costume as the lead on Broadway.”

With the number of costume changes required of Becker to move from Michael to Dorothy and back, the actor has little time to stand and admire the look the way he did that first time. The backstage crew took notes from the show’s Broadway run and spent rehearsal time fine-tuning all those transformations.

“At this point, it’s basically like riding a bike,” Becker said. “But it’s funny; if you were standing backstage, what you would see is me running off and going into a little SWAT team

Throughout the show, Becker plays not just Michael Dorsey, but Michael Dorsey playing Dorothy Michaels. In addition to affecting the way he interprets his female persona, the extra layer complicates his interactions with the other characters.

“In every scene that Michael is playing Dorothy, there’s that added sense that this isn’t a separate character, but the same character that we’ve seen before,” Becker said. “I’m trying to think about what it is that Michael is trying to get out of the moment, what he’s experiencing and how he expresses that through Dorothy. I find that it’s about allowing yourself to be more in touch with your feminine side.”

Becker is drawing on several sources of

inspiration to channel that feminine side. His Michael-as-Dorothy is a mixture of the different women in his life, but he’s also taking hints from more famous names.

“With regards to physicality, I was really looking at Anna Wintour, Michelle Obama, Kerry Washington and Meryl Streep. I made a picture board of the different ways they stand and tried to find my version of that,” Becker said. “Personality-wise, Dorothy is a little bit spunky, and she has a strength to her as well. I turned to the famous theater divas of our time, like Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters and Christine Baranski, and combined the physicality of those other four women with the personality traits of these three.”

“Tootsie” has been a hit with critics, with Rolling Stone calling it “musical comedy heaven” and Bloomberg praising it for being “packed with punchlines.” It can be difficult to make a comedy that travels well among different audiences across the country, however. With regard to taking the show on the road, Becker said every performance is a new and unique experience, an element which naturally helps the cast and crew keep things fresh every night.

“Each city has its own personality and sense of humor,” he said. “Some of the laughs are bigger in some places, some are smaller. Sometimes they’re laughing at places that we didn’t ever anticipate, where no one has laughed before, and other times it’s crickets where audiences are normally rolling,” he said.

“I don’t really know what it is, but there’s this collective energy that we’re interacting with every night. When you’re dealing with comedy and having to hold for laughs, and

that is changing in each city, it really keeps us on our toes.”

Becker did point to one moment in particular that has been a hit with just about every crowd he’s faced. No spoilers but keep an eye out during the second act for a certain 15-minute sequence.

“It’s me in my apartment with three different characters coming in and out, and there’s this massive comedic payoff,” Becker said. “The audience will laugh for about a minute and a half, nonstop, every single night at that sequence.”

For those familiar with the movie, the stage adaptation changes enough details to be current. Even if you haven’t seen it, Becker has found that there’s a common thread connecting everyone in every audience: they end up having one of the best nights they’ve ever had in a theater.

“They’re saying that the show is so much funnier than they anticipated, that they haven’t laughed this hard at a show in a very long time,” he said. “When you come, expect to pretty much be laughing for two and a half hours straight.”

The message of the show, wrapped in about 150 minutes of hilarity, is a universal and touching one. It reminds the audience of just how different the experiences of men and women can be, from beauty standards to everyday social interactions.

“The idea of finding a kind of equality is really at the heart of our show,” Becker said. “And we’re able to point at that, to bring a little truth to that, while making people laugh along the way.”

“They’re saying that the show is so much funnier than they anticipated, that they haven’t laughed this hard at a show in a very long time.”

Drew Becker as Michael Dorsey and Jared David Michael Grant as Jeff Slater in the National Tour of “Tootsie.”

The cast of the National Tour of “Tootsie.”

Drew Becker as Michael Dorsey and Jared David Michael Grant as Jeff Slater in the National Tour of “Tootsie.”

Art for the Ages

By MAK MILLARD

Fort Smith Regional Art Museum Celebrates 75 Years in 2023

the world of 1948 might feel completely foreign in the age of smartphones and self-checkout lines, but it gave us a number of historic happenings. The first monkey astronaut was launched into space. NASCAR was incorporated. Stevie Nicks was born. Against this backdrop, in Arkansas, the seeds of another artistic and cultural legacy were being planted in the city of Fort Smith.

What residents and visitors know today as the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum started under the Arkansas Association of University Women 75 years ago. That group would become the Associated Artists of Fort Smith, and then the Affiliation of Fine Arts, exhibiting works and holding classes throughout the city.

In 1968, the AFA made its home in the restored and historic Vaughn-Schaap House, christening the space as the Fort Smith Art Center. The Art Center was a hub for local and regional artists over the next several decades. In 2013, RAM officially opened at 1601 Rogers Ave. near the heart of downtown, thanks to Arvest Bank’s donation of the building in 2009.

This year 2023 marks a decade since that move and three-quarters of a century since the museum’s creation. RAM has a full calendar of events and exhibitions planned to celebrate these achievements, looking back at the last 75 years of Fort Smith history and preparing for even greater things in the years ahead.

On Jan. 21, the museum kicks off the festivities with an intimate reception for supporters. The next day, a collection of special exhibits will open to the public, each demonstrating RAM’s commitment to connecting people and art on regional and international levels.

A traveling collection of ceramics by Pablo Picasso will be on display through April 23. The 46 works come from a span of two decades towards the end of the artist’s life when he worked with the Madoura pottery studio in France. Bringing a world-renowned, household name to RAM for its anniversary year was one of the key goals of the gallery

manager and staff.

Two more exhibits tell the story of RAM, and of Fort Smith itself, thanks to the careful preservation work of countless volunteers. The first, “Art Center to Museum: The Last 75 Years,” details RAM’s transformation over more than seven decades. The museum is scanning a warehouse-full of historical photographs and news clippings to create the displays. When the exhibit opens, guests will be able to see an entire gallery of memories and milestones from the museum and the city that created it.

RAM’s Dr. W. E. Knight Porcelain Gallery contains the largest collection of Boehm porcelain on display in Arkansas.

The second exhibit, “75 Years: The RAM Permanent Collection,” highlights the beauty and diversity of the works RAM has acquired throughout its history. The museum’s full permanent collection now numbers over 500 pieces, and those selected for this exhibit will tell the stories of some of the artists and works that have helped RAM grow into the cultural cornerstone it is today.

In February, the museum is also putting together a special event to spotlight the many board members who have given their time and energy to promoting RAM and its work. The museum is gathering tales from past board members of special memories or challenges they helped overcome and turning them into a keepsake booklet for reception guests.

Another, yearlong project comes thanks to one donor purchasing a time capsule for the museum. The first commemorative items will be placed inside during the Jan. 21 reception, but museum staff will be collecting literature, letters and other objects throughout the year. Guests will also be able to contribute to the capsule’s collection until it is interred in December, not to be opened for another 75 years.

Development Director Julie Moncrief joined RAM’s small staff in mid-2019, shortly after the position was created, to keep up with the needs of the growing museum. Her focus has been on increasing the museum’s membership and corporate partners, as well as securing grant funding and getting the word out about everything RAM has to offer. The museum is free for guests, so these relationships are the backbone of RAM’s funding and she’s especially eager to use the 75th anniversary as a springboard for even more improvement.

“I’m excited to be a liaison to the community, and to build strength for this institution that started 75 years ago with basically nothing,” Moncrief said. “We really are playing a huge role for the multistate region in fostering art appreciation.”

One of the most significant changes Moncrief is helping the museum manage is the transition from a house museum and art center to a fully-fledged art museum. In addition to tripling its gallery space, the renovation of RAM’s current home brought it more in line with national museum standards. An investment in climate control, for example, has allowed the museum to host more traveling exhibitions from across the country.

RAM is also a member of the American Alliance of Museums, the first step in becoming a fully-accredited institution. This will give the museum greater access to resources and credibility on a national scale.

“There’s also the fact that at an art center, normally, you can buy art off the walls,” Moncrief said. “At an art museum, you don’t see price tags. It is more about viewing curated and professionally exhibited art.”

Moncrief is also in charge of the museum’s 75th anniversary gala, “Evening in Paris,” themed around the artistic and cultural “belle epoque” (beautiful era) of the late 19th century. The event will be held April 29 at the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Research Institute Health and Wellness Center. Three large screens in the wellness center will show pictures of volunteers, artists and others who have been involved in RAM’s success.

The gala will capture the essence of a small outdoor cafe in Paris, with a “Chat Noir” themed bar, French food and musicians playing during the happy hour. There will also be living history artists acting as painters from the era, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro (played by a local realtor with the beard to match, according to Moncrief). Thanks to the work of local visual artists, there will also be a silent auction featuring a variety of paintings inspired by the impressionist and post-impressionist styles.

“[When picking the theme], we asked, ‘What do art museums do for people?’ They take you places, and they educate you in a fun way,” Moncrief said. “We are so happy with the fun that the artists have had doing that. We hope that it will go well and that everyone will take home a piece of Paris.”

An important facet of RAM’s work, even outside of anniversary years, is to highlight and support local and regional artists. Two exhibits, “Joan Irish: Landscapes Near & Far” and “Fred Cousins: A Retrospective,” run through mid-January. Joan Irish is a plein-air painter from Mena. Fred Cousins, who made his career in the furniture industry, spent his free time crafting beautiful paintings. The museum has put these pieces on

display as a tribute to his art and memory.

The museum also holds regular exhibitions from local schools in its Student Gallery. “Southside Art: Creations from Every Level” will run from January to April and showcase the work of Fort Smith Southside High School students across a variety of media and subjects, from wire sculptures to oil paintings.

“When you look at our calendar of events, you’ll find regional artists, our permanent collection and traveling exhibitions as well,” Moncrief said. “But we’re never at a point where we’re not lifting up regional artists. That is our main mission.”

Another way RAM keeps a connection with regional talent is through its annual invitational. The deadline to enter the event, themed “Odyssey” is March 17 In honor of the museum’s 75th anniversary, entry fees have been waived. In addition to cash prizes for the top three winners, the first-place winner gets a solo show in 2023-2024.

“It’s been a great connection with the community and with all of us. Now that we’re beginning our next 75 years, I know we’re going to be focusing on ways to do that more than ever,” Moncrief said. “We bring in other exhibitions for our community to appreciate, but we never want to move a degree away from our relationship with our local and regional artists.”

One of those relationships has been made permanent, thanks to the collaboration of the artist’s family. John Bell, Jr. was born in 1936 with cerebral palsy and spent his life in a wheelchair. He graduated from the University of Arkansas, studying the old masters of European art. In addition to being a staunch advocate for increased accessibility, Bell became one of Fort Smith’s most prolific artists before his death in 2013.

“John Bell, Jr. painted Fort Smith’s history,” Moncrief said. “If you go to the doctor or the dentist in Fort Smith, you’re going to sit in the lobby and look at John Bell, Jr. prints, because our community has been in love with him for the last 50 years.”

In 2021, RAM received all of Bell’s remaining art from his daughter, Lisa Bell Wilson. The collection includes over 100 paintings, artifacts and lithographic prints. The museum also created the John Bell, Jr. Legacy Project to protect, preserve and educate others about the artist and his work.

“We’re raising money for that, because we need to get a conservator in order to make a timeline of every single sketch, watercolor and oil painting that we have of his,” Moncrief said. “We want people to be able to see his art in 500 years.”

In looking to the future – whether the years number 75 or 500 –Moncrief pointed to a few of RAM’s guiding principles.

“We want to serve, affect and change lives, and we want to see that happen every day,” she said. “You’re not really serving if there are some groups who feel they’re not welcome. We want people to see the talent of our region’s artists and what Fort Smith has been able to do as a community over the last 75 years. We want this to be on your list when you come.”

John Bell, Jr. in his studio

Member/Donor Kickoff Reception: 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, January 21, 2023

ASK AN EXPERT

HEALTH, WELLNESS & BEAUTY

It’s that time of year again! Time to set New Year’s Resolutions to which we may (or may not) remain faithful.

According to Finder, more than half of Americans come into a new year with resolutions on the table. These can run the gamut — from learning something new to traveling more or making a lifestyle change. But every year, the vast majority are related to health and wellness. Statista identified last year that 50% of resolutions involved more exercise; 48% for losing weight; and 39% were to improve one’s diet.

To conclude its study, Statista stated simply that “it’s obvious that people still just want to be healthy and happy.”

Given the wide popularity of such resolutions — and perhaps to help you (and us) hold true to the goals we set — AY About You is happy to present this inaugural special section:

With the advice and guidance of these experts, we’ll start 2023 on the right foot. And who knows — we might just look and feel better than ever before.

You’re Going to Do Therapy on my WHAT?

• Do you leak when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or jump?

• Is intercourse painful?

• Are you experiencing pregnancy-related pain or other issues?

• Do you rush to the bathroom as soon as you arrive home?

• Have you had chronic constipation?

• Are you experiencing pain from endometriosis or interstitial cystitis?

• Has your bladder fallen and it “can’t get up”?

• Have you had erectile dysfunction and incontinence following prostate surgery?

Most of us find ourselves on this list at some point in our lives. The great news is… there is therapy for that.

Men’s and Women’s Health physical and occupational therapists are therapists trained specifically to address urinary or bowel dysfunction, sexual pain and dysfunction, nerve pain, pelvic pain or surgery, pregnancy-related issues, and cancer rehabilitation.

As pelvic therapists, we see and hear it all. No question or problem is off limits. People are often surprised to hear that PTs and OTs treat things that sound, well, let’s face it… NOT therapy-related! Did you know that we can help tailbone pain? Endometriosis pain? C-section scar problems? Bladder frequency? We even work with those diagnosed with osteoporosis to teach bone-building exercises.

There is no need to suffer when we are here to help you. Pelvic floor

PTs and OTs utilize several different techniques to help patients. We have many tools in our toolbox to share! Therapists may employ manual therapy, myofascial trigger point release, stretching, dry needling, breathing and nervous system calming techniques, electrical stimulation, biofeedback, kinesio-taping, heat, ice, or cupping. We use multiple exercise techniques depending on the condition, including Yoga and Pilates. (And no, it’s not just kegels!) We LOVE educating patients on everything from posture, to managing intra-abdominal pressure, to seat cushions, to back braces, even intercourse positions. Yep, we do that.

We are here to tell you. It’s not “normal” to have pain. It’s not “normal” to leak urine. Common, yes… but not normal. It IS possible to have a wonderful, pain-free pregnancy. There IS hope for you that your incontinence can be healed without medicine. You CAN have pain-free intercourse. And yes, therapy is covered under most insurance plans!

Advanced Physical Therapy is the largest provider of Women’s Health Physical Therapy in Central Arkansas. We are blessed to have eleven wonderful specialists in three locations, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Benton. You will be cared for in a private treat ment room with personalized, one-onone care. There is so much hope and healing waiting for you! We want to help you maximize your health and function, and live life to it’s fullest!

What is an internal bra?

“Internal bra” is a generic term used to reference surgical procedures that reinforce the breast tissue or implant. The most common procedure involves the placement of an absorbable mesh, Galaflex®, to add support to surgeries such as breast augmentation or mastopexy. This mesh is made from a material similar to absorbable sutures. In two years, there is no mesh remaining; instead, the body has replaced the mesh with a more robust soft tissue.

How does an internal bra work?

The Galaflex® is secured to internal tissue that is strong and resistant to stretching. The material itself is resistant to stretching as well, and the body grows into it within a few weeks. After the incorporation of the material, the body starts to “absorb” the material by replacing it with stronger collagen.

Who is a good candidate?

Most patients are good candidates. Patients that are very thin may be able to feel the material for a period of time, but as it is converted to collagen, the palpability goes away. Patients who have had issues with capsular contracture, capsule laxity, implant malposition or massive weight loss – or those that simply want to ensure they have the longest durability possible – will often choose to have this performed.

How do I know if I need or should want this?

The most important step in any aesthetic surgery is finding a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This ensures you receive evaluations and recommendations from a surgeon who has completed rigorous education, testing and surgical training in plastic surgery. Individual goals, anatomy and medical conditions will be used to determine if this procedure is right for you.

9500 Kanis Rd. Ste 502 • Little Rock • 501.219.8388 Zachary T. Young,

RN

WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR TREATMENTS THAT YOU PROVIDE?

Neurotoxins (BOTOX®, Dysport®) and dermal fillers.

GENERALLY, HOW LONG IS THE RECOVERY TIME AFTER ONE OF YOUR PROCEDURES?

After a neurotoxin treatment, there isn’t any recovery or downtime at all. Fillers are more invasive and you can have bruising or swelling, but recovery is patient dependent. It could be a few days or a few weeks, depending on the area of treatment.

HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO RETURN FOR TREATMENTS?

My patients usually come in every eight to 10 weeks for a neurotoxin maintenance treatment. This way, the neurotoxin stays in your system and will keep your muscles relaxed. It’s really the only way these treatments are effective. If you go in every three to four months when your wrinkles have returned, you are basically starting from square one.

In my opinion, the reason you are getting a neurotoxin is to prevent or correct skin damage that you have (wrinkles at rest). The only way to do this is to stay in a maintenance phase. Keep in mind: you don’t have to be frozen, we just want your muscles not to work so hard that they crease your skin.

Filler patients usually come in every three months for a touch-up. As the filler disintegrates, we add a layer on top to keep the filler in place.

When trying to decide where to go for your aesthetic needs, keep this in mind. You want to go to a provider that specializes in facial aesthetic medicine. We are the only aesthetic practice in the southeast with a sole focus on neurotoxins and dermal Fillers in all three of our locations. We don’t offer many different services for a reason. We don’t want to be good at many different treatments; we want to be the best in the treatments we do every day.

WHY CHOOSE DEAN DENTAL SOLUTIONS?

There has been a Dean in dentistry in North Little Rock for the last 64 years. We hope that when you choose Dean Dental Solutions, you feel the sense of family on which our practice is built.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ASSOCIATE?

Michael Drake, DDS is a native of Little Rock and grateful to be practicing at home in Arkansas. Drake graduated from Catholic High School and attended dental school at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. His goal for all of his patients is that they are proud of their smile and keep their teeth for life. His continuing education hours go far beyond the professional requirements; he prides himself on providing patients with the latest technology and trends in dentistry.

WHAT ARE THE LATEST TRENDS IN DENTISTRY?

What we are seeing the most is people replacing missing teeth with dental implants. At Dean Dental, we have the best technology in Central Arkansas for implant placement and restoration. The implant can be printed via a 3D scan and then placed using guided surgery technology. The surgery has never been more predictable, and the restored teeth look very natural.

WHAT SERVICES DOES DEAN DENTAL SOLUTIONS PROVIDE?

Our facility and equipment are brand new and state-of-the-art. We provide all general dentistry services. In addition, Drake provides Invisalign services, including comprehensive and cosmetic care for teens and adults. Dean provides IV and oral sedation for wisdom tooth removal, teens, older adults, patients with anxiety or any medical condition that prevents them from receiving general care. Dean Dental also provides one-appointment root canals and crowns, and we see emergencies in 48 hours or less.

DOES DEAN DENTAL SOLUTIONS ACCEPT MY INSURANCE?

We don’t believe great dental care should cost an arm and a leg. We work hard to make exceptional dental hygiene services affordable to everyone in North Little Rock through competitive pricing for basic services and financing options for more intensive services. Our wellness club includes a prepaid plan for the regular checkups you need to keep your teeth healthy. The club also provides a 25% discount for other general dentistry services.

I AM UNHAPPY WITH MY SMILE; WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP I SHOULD TAKE?

One popular choice is teeth whitening. Teeth whitening works by applying an enamel-safe bleaching agent to the surface of your teeth. The porous nature of your teeth enables them to draw the bleaching agent into the enamel naturally. Once it’s drawn into the teeth, the bleaching agent will work to break down any discoloration in the enamel, resulting in whiter, brighter teeth. Professional teeth whitening gel penetrates deeper and more evenly than store-bought options. This allows us to give patients a brighter smile more quickly — often in just one sitting. DIY options can take weeks or months of consistent application to see the effects, resulting in damage to your gums and enamel.

WHAT MAKES DEAN DENTAL SOLUTIONS DIFFERENT?

Our commitment to providing an exceptional patient experience is what makes us the best dental practice in North Little Rock. People become patients because they need help with a problem like a painful tooth or an uneven gum line; people remain patients because of the exceptional experience we provide. Patients like you could go to any North Little Rock dental practice for a cleaning or a filling, but they come to Dean Dental Solutions because of the emphasis we place on making everyone—from tiny tots to senior citizens—feel calm, comfortable and confident.

Marina Ivanovsky, MSN, APRN, FNP- C Owner of Marina Lifestyle Medicine and Holistic Aesthetic

108 N. Shackleford Rd #102 | Little Rock | 50.204.3111 Marinalifestylemedicine.com

What are your most popular treatments?

We offer a variety of treatments from medical weight loss and vitamin injection, to non surgical rejuvenation like Botox, Dysport, Fillers, Lasers, BBL, HALO and Diamond Glow Hydro-facial.

What makes your weight loss program unique?

Our Beyond Weight program is a customized and comprehensive program based on the latest research and advances in weight loss and nutrition. We look beyond the weight goal number. We focused on disease prevention and longevity.

What are the latest advances in the weight loss field?

The newest generation of FDA approved weight loss medications is a complete game changer. Once a week injection helps our clients to lose on average 8-10 lbs a month. Studies show it twice as effective as other medication for weight loss.

How Does It Work?

It works on metabolic pathways to sustain weight loss.

-Reduces appetite

-Reduces food cravings

-Improves blood sugar levels

-Improves blood pressure and cholesterol

-Decreases visceral fat

-Improves fatty liver condition

-Decreases inflammation

-Improves insulin resistance

What to expect?

You will have your medication administered at the clinic or pick it up at your local pharmacy. You may be prescribed Continuous Glucose Monitor to closely monitor your individual response to certain food groups. You will have a choice of vitamin shots to compliment your weight loss process.

We will monitor your progress, will coach you on daily habits and take measures of body composition markers. With changes in your lifestyle and daily habits you will be equipped to add years to your life and maintain your weight.

How do I know if I am a candidate for this weight loss program?

Our medical practitioner will review your medical history, lifestyle, diet, daily habits and craft your personalized weight loss plan with prescription medication.

WR I GHT

You can only do so much to get firm, attractive contours, whether on your midsection, thighs, jawline or wherever you are frustrated by stubborn fat. While liposuction is an excellent solution, VASERlipo® in Little Rock, Arkansas, can make your body contouring results and recovery better and easier. Board-certified plastic surgeon Eric Wright, MD offers this advanced liposuction enhancement for anyone who wants to enhance their confidence by getting rid of their trouble spots. Dr. Wright is the first board-certified plastic surgeon in Central Arkansas to offer this treatment to patients.

What is VASERlipo®?

VASERlipo® (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance) is a liposuction enhancement that uses ultrasound energy to liquefy unwanted fat before removing it with liposuction. Ultrasound does not harm surrounding tissues, nerves and blood vessels.

What areas can VASERlipo® treat?

VASERlipo® is less harsh than traditional liposuction, which makes it great for treating a variety of areas, from small, delicate spots to tough, fibrous areas. Common treatment areas include: jowls and under the chin, neck, belly, back, waist, hips, male chest, upper arms, inner and outer thighs and buttocks. Wright can remove fat from more than one area during the same procedure, as well as combining it with other plastic surgery procedures such as tummy tucks, facelifts and breast augmentation.

What happens during a VASERlipo® procedure?

Wright performs VASERlipo® as an outpatient procedure using a local or general anesthetic. As with traditional liposuction, he infuses the targeted fat with a tumescent solution to control pain, minimize bleeding and make the fat firmer and easier to remove. Next, he creates small incisions and inserts the specialized VASER probe that breaks apart and liquefies the fat with ultrasound energy. He then replaces the probe with a narrow tube, called a cannula, and suctions the liquified fat away. If the

skin lacks elasticity, he may use Renuvion® skin tightening for optimal results. Once the surgery is complete, treated areas are wrapped in compression garments.

Which is better, VASERlipo® or traditional liposuction?

VASERlipo® offers several benefits over traditional liposuction on its own, including:

• Gradual skin tightening: Heat from the ultrasonic energy stimulates collagen production in the skin and surrounding tissues for improved skin retraction

• Increased fat removal: Because the ultrasonic energy targets fat cells, VASERlipo® provides more fat removal than liposuction.

• Faster procedures: Fat removal takes less effort, reducing surgical time.

• Reduced bleeding: Because Wright doesn’t physically dislodge the fat with the cannula, blood vessels remain intact.

• Less swelling and soreness: Because fat removal is gentler with VASER, treated areas are typical ly sore for just a few days.

What sets your business apart?

“Your beauty, our expertise” is our motto. We know our patients have many choices, and helping them to make an informed decision about their care is what matters most to us. Dr. Wright is known for his extensive training in aesthetics and reconstructive surgery. Our well-trained staff provide comfort as well as care throughout your journey. To find out more about VASERlipo® and the other body contouring options at Wright Plastic Surgery, request a consultation using our online form or call our office at (501) 575-0088.

Our rehabilitation gym offers state-of-the art rehab and features interactive equipment to enable our licensed therapists to create a comprehensive therapy program designed to get our residents back to their prior functional level, regain their self-reliance and facilitate a return to home as quickly as possible.

When considering a facility for short-term rehabilitation services, families want the best they can get for their loved ones, and they have to look no further than Superior Health and Rehab in Conway.

since 1985

CABOT HEALTH & REHAB, LLC

200 North Port Drive Cabot, AR 72023

Phone 501-843-6181

Fax 501-843-6736

CABOT HEALTH & REHAB, LLC

is a skilled nursing facility offering resident-centered care in a convenient and quiet location. Cabot Health & Rehab, LLC is located in beautiful Cabot, AR near the city center, medical offices and hospitals. Our team consists of licensed nurses, physicians, therapists and other medical specialists who believe in building strong relationships with our residents and their families. We believe this is essential to the healing process.

ACCOMMODATIONS & SERVICES

Cabot Health & Rehab, LLC offers both semi-private and private rooms (when available). Our staff is dedicated to ensuring that our residents are provided a robust activity calendar, a superior dining experience in a warm, family-like setting. When recuperation and convalescence is needed, our staff works as a multi-disciplinary team to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation program to facilitate a return to home.

REHABILITATION

When indicated, our team of therapists work with residents to customize a rehabilitation program which can include physical, occupational and speech therapy with a focus on improving mobility, endurance, safety and facilitating a return to home. A tailored treatment plan will allow residents to recapture health and an independent lifestyle when possible. The enrichment of daily physical function can significantly improve a resident’s self-reliance and overall happiness.

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Innisfree is a unique family-oriented facility offering skilled care in a loving, supportive atmosphere. Our licensed nurses, general practitioners, and other specialists believe that building strong relationships with their families is key to the healing process.

Our home is conveniently located just off Walnut in Rogers close to Wal-Mart, under the medical direction of Dr. Kimberly Burner.

Lakewood Health and Rehab offers skilled professional care in a supportive and compassionate atmosphere.

Lakewood Health and Rehab offers skilled professional care in a supportive and compassionate atmosphere.

We invite you to experience the difference our facility has to offer from the moment you walk through our door.

We invite you to experience the difference our facility has to offer from the moment you walk through our door.

Call us to today to schedule your tour!

IN-HOUSE SPECIALTY

Call us to today to schedule your tour!

SERVICES

Lakewood Health and Rehab, LLC.

Lakewood Health & Rehab

Lakewood Health and Rehab, LLC. offers an inhouse team of professionals providing specialty services to better serve the specific needs of our residents.

2323 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock • 501.791.2323

Rehabilitative Services providing Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapy.

Our team is passionate about bringing the latest programs and techniques to our patients. They utilize therapy modalities combined with a comprehensive therapy program for strengthening, balance training, pain reduction, wound healing, and increasing range of motion.

Lakewood Health & Rehab

• IV Therapy • Wound Care provided by our Wound Care specialists

2323 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock • 501.791.2323

FACILITY AMENITIES

Lakewood Health and Rehab offers skilled professional care in a supportive and compassionate atmosphere.

• State of the art Rehabilitation Gym

• Physician Services 24/7 by Specialized Staff

• 24-hour Nursing Services

• Wonderful Activity Program

We invite you to experience the difference our facility has to offer from the moment you walk through our door.

• Beauty Salon Services

• Daily Housekeeping and Laundry Services

Call us to today to schedule your tour!

Lakewood Health & Rehab 2323 McCain Blvd. North Little Rock 501.791.2323

Lakewood Health & Rehab

Briar wood Nursing and Rehab is a 120-bed skilled facility located in an urban setting within the heart of Little Rock, in the neighborhood of Briarwood. We are located just minutes from downtown Little Rock and are only one block off interstate 630.

We provide long-term care and short-term rehab care. All residents are monitored throughout the day with assistance in providing daily care as is needed: bathing, dressing, feeding and providing medications. Briarwood staff also work at ensuring the best care for residents through individual care plans of residents' needs, as well as daily activities, which allow for a variety of interests and abilities.

Nearly all - 98 percent - of our rehab residents return to the community as a result of positive, caring therapists. Briarwood's approach has provided healing to many people in the community.

At Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, we are committed to ensuring that the best possible care is given to you or your loved one in an atmosphere that is calm, quiet and focused on healing. We endeavor to ensure that all aspects of your well-being — mental, physical and spiritual — are cared for in a peaceful and safe environment. Our staff strive to promote dignity, respect, and independence as much as possible, in a beautiful, soothing enviornment that was designed with our residents' comfort in mind.

Briarwood's service-rich environment is made possible by its dedicated staff, from our nursing staff and therapists, to our operations and administrative employees. At Briarwood, our residents enjoy three generations of staff and families. That is over 30 years of service to the community! 501.224.9000 • 516

YOUNG ATHLETES Participating in More Types of Sports for LONGER PERIODS

Sports Medicine Specialists Recommend Young Athletes Get Rest to Prevent Overuse Injuries

By BECKY GILLETTE

For many young people, participating in athletics is a vital part of their lives, setting a pattern early in life to exercise regularly, make friends who share the same goals and learn how to work as a team and celebrate. For some gifted athletes, it can be a ticket to a college scholarship that can put them on the road to a successful career.

In recent years, there has been a trend for young athletes to play longer periods of the year and to play multiple sports.

“I do recommend athletes play multiple sports,” said Dr. Lawrence O’Malley, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “It is good for hand-eye coordination and building strength. But they need to get breaks. What we see are a lot of overuse injuries. Many of my best athletes are not just playing one sport or are playing one sport most of the year. They play spring, winter and fall ball. They are just not getting a break.”

Rest is extremely important, especially for younger athletes. There is a big push by the American Medical Society for Sport Medicine to stop overuse injuries by recognizing athletes need time off. An example is young baseball pitchers, some of whom are so talented they pitch the majority of innings in most of their games. By the time they get to high school, they may have worn out their shoulders.

“They haven’t progressed because they have been throwing so much,” said O’Malley, who played baseball when he was young. “Our job is not to operate on injuries to get them back on the field, but to encourage a break and do the proper therapy and recovery they need.”

Another sport increasingly being played year around is volleyball. O’Malley advocates looking at other options than playing the same sport all year long, such as football players joining the track team during the off season.

“Everybody’s goals are different,” he said. “Ask the athletes what they want. Three or four years ago, everyone wanted to play for the school team, but a lot now are more interested in travel sports. Some of the better athletes might be on travel sports teams.”

One of the most common injuries in teenagers is anterior cruciate ligament injuries, a tear or sprain on one of the strong bands of tissue that help connect the thigh bone to the shinbone. Usually this is a noncontact pivoting injury, brought on by sports that require changing direction quickly. O’Malley said newer studies on ACL injury prevention recommend training work on landing mechanics to reduce the risk of these injuries.

“It is hard to integrate if you don’t have good athletic training,” O’Malley said.

Dr. Ken Martin, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist with Martin Orthopedics in Little Rock, also stressed the importance of athletic trainers. He said it is difficult for schools to afford trainers, but it would certainly be beneficial if there were trainers in all secondary schools.

Martin said in the 38 years he has been practicing sports medicine, he has seen important advances in rehabilitation and performance training. For example, there is a technique in physical therapy using blood flow restriction. This therapy uses a tourniquet to restrict blood flow while the patient performs low-load resistance exercise. Martin said this can increase strength and sometimes diminish rehabilitation times helping the patient recover from injury more quickly.

Martin played football and ran track growing up. His love of athletics is one reason he went into sports medicine.

“I loved the idea of being able to fix an injury and get people back into their sport,” said Martin, whose practice team sees about 200 patients (including nonathletes) per week in the clinic. “I understand how important athletics are to many people. There is great satisfaction in the accomplishment of a goal we set for ourselves in sports. It is a joy to compete and be our best, and it sets habits that last a lifetime.”

Martin said the great thing about athletes as patients is they are highly motivated to get well as soon as possible. But that same high motivation can also pose a problem if they are impatient and refuse to allow enough time for complete healing.

Girls and young women are much more likely to be involved in sports than in previous decades. Increased participation has led to more injuries with females, particularly with a torn ACL.

Martin said some sports medicine trends include procedures focus-

ing on the restoration of a torn ACL as opposed to traditional surgical reconstruction, in which tissue from another person or tissue from the patient’s own leg is used to heal the injury.

“Orthopedic research is developing exciting new procedures using biological engineering to enhance healing of an ACL,” Martin said. “It doesn’t necessarily provide a faster recovery, but it results in a more normal joint with better function when healed than traditional surgical reconstruction.

“One such procedure that is already being done in Central Arkansas is called a MACI procedure. The surgeon harvests some of the patient’s own cartilage via a biopsy, then sends it to a lab where the cartilage cells are grown into tissue that is later implanted back into the patient to repair knee damage.”

Prevention is better than repairs, said Dr. Tom Roberts, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Conway Regional Health System with more than 30 years of experience treating sports-related

Dr. Lawrence O’Malley Dr. Ken Martin

“Our job is not to operate on injuries to get them back on the field, but to encourage a break and do the proper therapy and recovery they need.”

and other orthopedic injuries. He said the significant increase seen in ACL injuries in women athletes versus male athletes in the same sports can be addressed.

“Helping women athletes strengthen their hamstrings is important to helping them better control their knees,” Roberts said. “When women plant their legs and make a cutting athletic movement, they go into a position in which their knees turn inward and that puts excessive stress on their ligaments. If we can train women athletes to keep their body weight centered over their knees, the chance of tearing the ACL is significantly reduced.”

Roberts said the most common sports injuries are ankle and knee sprains. Usually those are not too severe and can be treated without operations. The more severe sprains can result in a tearing of the ligament in the knees, shoulders and elbows of athletes. Roberts said once they get to that stage, they would require surgery.

“I also see a lot of contusions, mostly bone bruises,” Roberts said. “Occasionally they result in a build-up of calcium that can be painful.”

Rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) is still the best treatment for many injuries. Roberts said limiting swelling after an injury usually results in much faster and far less painful recovery time.

“The pain in an injury is often related to the swelling in a muscle or joint,” Roberts said. “A lot of times the athletic trainer or physical therapist can guide the athlete through a specific exercise program that will help them recover faster. People recover much quicker with good rehabilitation.”

Pitching and throwing athletes who are coached on good technique

can reduce injuries, Roberts said, and braces can also be beneficial. For instance, many offensive linemen wear braces to help protect the collateral knee ligament in the event someone falls into the back of their legs. Many basketball and volleyball athletes tape their ankles to avoid rolling them if they step on another player’s foot.

Roberts also sees athletes who could have avoided injuries with better conditioning.

“If trainers and coaches can help athletes develop good technique, along with excellent core strength and body control, they will increase their chance of success and reduce their risk of injury.” said Roberts, who treats close to 1,000 athletes a year in training rooms and games for the University of Central Arkansas Bears. “A good trainer can make a huge difference in recognizing injuries. Hard work shows up on the field of play and in the injury rate.”

Roberts shares concerns about athletes who play all year long in sports such as baseball, basketball or volleyball.

“Today’s athletes are more specialized,” Roberts said. “I see most of the increased injuries in the throwing sports. I used to rarely see a torn ulnar collateral ligament in baseball and softball players, but now I see a ton of that every year. That requires Tommy John Surgery, reconstruction of the UCL ligament inside the elbow.

“I am also seeing partial or complete tears of the rotator cuff, the tendon that attaches to the head of the humerus (upper arm bone). Those injuries are from overuse and improper training. I rarely saw rotator and labrum (shoulder ligament) tears in a throwing athlete until 15 years ago. It’s partially preventable if you do the correct stretching exercises

and you don’t overthrow. But if you are playing year-round, it’s hard to prevent them.”

One challenge treating young athletes is they are still growing, said Dr. William “Bill” Hefley, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Bowen Hefley Orthopedics in Little Rock. A skeletally immature athlete with an ACL tear that requires reconstruction will necessitate techniques to keep the growth plates open.

“There are techniques for growth plate-sparing ACL reconstruction surgery,” Hefley said. “Regardless of the patient’s age, we often augment the graft tissue with a braided synthetic fiber that protects the graft in the early stages as it heals.

“Part of the healing process is where the graft becomes revascularized and is covered with normal synovial tissue in a process we call ligamentization. Once an athlete has reached skeletal maturity, we don’t have to worry about the growth plates and can just do reconstruction and augmentation.”

If an athlete has a meniscus tear in the knee, every attempt is made to repair and save the meniscus if it is not too heavily damaged. Other options include adding orthobiologics such as platelet-rich plasma, which is a concentration of the patient’s own platelets derived from peripheral venous blood, as well as bone marrow aspiration, in order to obtain and concentrate mesenchymal stem cells.

Hefley said professional athletes often take nine months to a year to rehab after reconstruction before returning to play. Talented high school athletes generally want to get back to play more quickly than that, because their ability to get a college scholarship hinges on performing well the next season. For some athletes, a sports scholarship is the only way they can afford to go to college.

“Oftentimes, they don’t have a year to wait,” Hefley said. “In those situations, we reconstruct the knee and use a graduated ‘return to play’ running program that accelerates them through the rehab process with the goal of getting them back to playing four months post-op. Some go back more quickly than that, but I recommend waiting at least four months. If they meet all their goals and pass all their tests, we let them go.”

Shoulder dislocations represent another common sports injury, as do rotator cuff and labrum tears, which can be corrected with minimally invasive surgery.

“We are able to do arthroscopic surgery to repair the labrum,” Hefley said. “Then, after rehab, the athlete can return to play with appropriate bracing in the early phases.”

Any injury you can imagine happens in sports including ankle sprains, broken ankles, broken ribs and concussions. A Friday night football game holds the potential for injury on the field and off — a running back suffers a hematoma in the thigh from being struck by a helmet, and a cheerleader goes down with a torn hip labrum.

“Sports medicine for the young patient runs the gamut of the entire musculoskeletal system,” Hefley said. “Nonmusculoskeletal problems can include heat stroke, rashes and cardiac issues. Sports medicine is really all sorts of medicine for the athlete.”

While there are many risks of injuries at all levels, Hefley agrees with the other specialists that if athletes train and condition properly, they can minimize the risk.

“I have two sons who played or still play college sports, and I’m a firm believer in the benefits of sports,” he said. “In addition to the fitness and physical health benefits, sports teach other valuable life skills such as teamwork and the importance of hard work. It teaches time-management and perseverance.”

Dr. Tom Roberts Dr. William Hefley

Any injury you can imagine happens in sports, including ankle sprains, broken ankles, broken ribs and concussions.

Physical therapist?

Hearing the words “Physical therapy” will evoke an immediate reaction in your mind. Whether that reaction is positive or negative depends on your experience and if you’re reading this article in pain. According to a 2019 National Health Survey, 50.2 million adults reported pain to varying degrees every day of the week. Chronic pain costs the United States $80 billion annually. Pain leads to emotional, physical, and physiological distress, and often leads to over-medicating, physical fitness reduction, depression, and anxiety. Physical therapy can reduce pain and help you get your life back, help avoid another surgery and explore what your body is physically capable of through education, manual mobilization, and therapeutic exercises.

Overuse, repetition, and weakness contribute to acute pain. Acute pain keeps you away from your hobbies and everyday activities that define who you are. Imagine not being able to golf, walk the dog, or sleep comfortably at night. You wouldn’t be the same you.

Physical therapists are not “pain doctors,” they are “movement specialists.” Physical therapists assess functional deficits, joint mobility, muscle recruitment, and tissue tolerance to load. Physical therapists can even specialize in sports.

Advanced Physical Therapy (APT) has certified therapists who specialize in mountain biking, baseball, and golf. The Titleist Performance Institute, better known as TPI, is for golfers of all ages and skill levels. Similarly, OnBaseU breaks down swinging and pitching components for baseball and softball players. Each utilize a 16-part screening to evaluate joint mobility,

coordination, flexibility, power, and balance, highlighting any deficits which may lead to decreased swing consistency, poor distance, reduced velocity, and pain. Pain typically occurs due to a reduction in mobility, weakness, or overuse. Pain is not a normal part of sport. If you can’t maintain a single leg stance on your own, then how can you control a golf club at a speed of 100+ MPH without compensating in some way? How can you swing at a ball traveling 80+ MPH without losing balance? At APT, certified therapists take you through a personalized, one-on-one, 30-minute screening to identify where the weakness in your game is coming from.

Can a physical therapist truly help my golf game? Consider that 25 of the top 30 players on the PGA tour receive training through a TPI professional. If Tiger Woods benefits from using TPI, then so will you. Our goal is not to change your swing, our goal is to change your ability to swing to generate power, distance, and consistency.

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Over 30 years in orthopedic medicine, Dr. William Hefley, Jr. has established himself as one of Arkansas’ most accomplished faces of the health care industry. His name sits proudly beside his partner’s on the signage, an immediately recognizable surname combination that Arkansans have grown to know well and trust completely.

Dr. Hefley graduated from Harding University in 1981 with a bachelor of science in biochemistry. He then obtained his medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1985 and completed his orthopedic surgical residency from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1990. During his collegiate and graduate career, the attraction to orthopedics was a natural one for him.

“As I went through medical school and considered various specialties and sub-specialties, I was drawn to the fields that involved working with your hands,” Hefley says. “Specifically orthopedic surgery, which affords the opportunity to work with patients of all ages. From young people with a sports medicine injury to older folks needing a joint replacement, I get to interact with a lot of nice people [from] all walks of life. In addition, orthopedics is an ever-changing field that is very stimulating — keeping up with the latest technology and treatment options.”

For the past 25 years, Dr. Hefley and his partner Dr. Scott Bowen have led a team of highly qualified physicians at Bowen Hefley Orthopedics. During this time, Hefley has developed specialties in joint replacement surgery, arthroscopy and sports medicine related surgeries for hip, knee and shoulder problems. An avid sports fan and participant his entire life, Hefley finds pleasure in treating patients with sports-related injuries to help them get back in the game.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Hip & Knee Replacements

Hip joint replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, fracture of the neck of the femur or functional deformity of the hip.

Knee joint replacement is intended for use in individuals with joint disease resulting from degenerative, rheumatoid and post-traumatic arthritis, and for moderate deformity of the knee.

Joint replacement surgery is not appropriate for patients with certain types of infections, any mental or neuromuscular disorder which would create an unacceptable risk of prosthesis instability, prosthesis fixation failure or complications in postoperative care, compromised bone stock, skeletal immaturity, severe instability of the joint, or excessive body weight.

Like any surgery, joint replacement surgery has serious risks which include, but are not limited to, pain, infection, bone fracture, change in the treated leg length (hip), joint stiffness, hip joint fusion, amputation, peripheral neuropathies (nerve damage), circulatory compromise (including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs)), genitourinary disorders (including kidney failure), gastrointestinal disorders (including paralytic ileus (loss of intestinal digestive movement)), vascular disorders (including thrombus (blood clots), blood loss, or changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm), bronchopulmonary disorders (including emboli, stroke or pneumonia), heart attack, and death.

Implant related risks which may lead to a revision of the implant include dislocation, loosening, fracture, nerve damage, heterotopic bone formation (abnormal bone growth in tissue), wear of the implant, metal and/or foreign body sensitivity, soft tissue imbalance, osteolysis (localized progressive bone loss), audible sounds during motion, reaction to particle debris, and reaction to metal ions (ALTR). Hip and knee implants may not provide the same feel or performance characteristics experienced with a normal healthy joint.

The information presented is for educational purposes only. Speak to your doctor to decide if joint replacement surgery is appropriate for you. Individual results vary and not all patients will return to the same activity level. The lifetime of any joint replacement is limited and depends on several factors like patient weight and activity level. Your doctor will counsel you about strategies to potentially prolong the lifetime of the device, including avoiding high-impact activities, such as running, as well as maintaining a healthy weight. It is important to closely follow your doctor’s instructions regarding post-surgery activity, treatment and follow-up care. Ask your doctor if a joint replacement is right for you.

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MURDER MYSTERY: Snake Eyes

Part 1

–

By Sarah Russell –

Nobody was saying much in Hot Springs, at least not in front of the kids. But a lot of hushed conversations were taking place among the adults. The death of the Ward girl out at Blacksnake Ranch was very disturbing, not the least of which was because Frank Davis was involved.

Outside of town was the 126-acre ranch Irene Davis had bought for her only child, Frank, a year prior, in 1965. Stocked with cattle and horses, Blacksnake Ranch had also been opened as a family-friendly recreational area offering swimming, horseback riding, barbecues and hayrides.

Now that school was out for the summer, the ranch was proving to be quite a draw for some of the kids in town. But there were other kids, particularly some of the young girls, whose parents firmly refused permission to go out there. Frank Davis, these parents knew, was anything but family-friendly.

Irene and Ray Davis had come to Hot Springs from a Texas oil boom town, and it was well known they brought a considerable bank account with them. Their son, Frank, arrived later with an agricultural degree, his first wife, Naomi, and a short stint as a World War II aviator. Quickly he proved to be no officer and a gentleman. No, Frank was the personification of a Texas wildcatter. As hard as he worked, he drank, brawled and womanized even harder.

It didn’t go unnoticed that the 40ish Frank Davis had a thirst for young women, some barely out of their teens. Some said his eyes went younger than that. Davis didn’t care about the town chatter. He was like a wild mustang, running fiercely and defiantly in the face of conventional standards.

Barely 13 years old, Cathie Ward would not have gone unnoticed by a man such as Davis. Her tall, slender frame showcased

her dark hair, olive skin and chocolate-brown eyes. Outwardly she looked older but she was still just an innocent girl, dating the quarterback at the crosstown junior high school.

The Wards weren’t Hot Springs natives either. Cathie’s mother, Sarah, had packed up her three kids and an escalating drinking problem, leaving Murfreesboro for Hot Springs nightlife. A beautiful woman herself, Sarah Ward found no lack of company as she headed out in the evening while other mothers put a roast on the table or tended to scraped knees. A divorcee in the 1960s was quite the oddity, but while the local families might not have known quite what to do with her, they nonetheless embraced the Ward kids.

Single parenting didn’t come so naturally for Sarah, and she was especially challenged by the long summer of hot days and her active kids, especially Cathie. That year, her teenage son had already gone to spend the summer with his father, and the younger girl was quiet and introverted, but Cathie was extroverted and full of energy. Keeping her off that darned skateboard would be a trick, Sarah feared, having already had to pay for one broken arm.

So, while Sarah hadn’t let Cathie go out to Blacksnake Ranch before, this time she not only agreed, but she even took her daughter to get a riding outfit of red riding pants and jodhpur boots. She’d stand out from the other girls for sure.

Cathie, meanwhile, was already on Davis’ radar, having twice sneaked out to the ranch with boys. Before long, she would be merely the child in the closed casket, one actor in a horrifying ensemble.

The coroner’s report indicated Cathie had died from “severe trauma to the head and brain.” Such were the extent of her injuries

Cathie Ward

that even her father, a physician, was refused permission to view her body. Most shocking was the mortuary had no choice but to rush ahead with the girl’s funeral. Held less than 24 hours after her death, there wasn’t even time for flowers, much less proper mourning. Immediately after the ceremony, the procession to her hometown of Murfreesboro began. A hot summer sun set hours after Cathie Ward’s casket had taken its place in the paternal family plot. It was done. No doubt Frank Davis thought so.

Her foot caught up in the stirrup, he’d told police, the runaway horse gone before he could catch it. To those who knew Davis, this didn’t make sense at all. Part of the rodeo community, he was known to be a skilled horseman, a trick rider even. Catching a runaway horse would be no stretch for him. And why had he sent one of Cathie’s young girlfriends to help look for her, knowing what might be found ahead on the trail could be horrific? She had, in fact, been dragged across the fields of rocks and crystals, causing tremendous damage to her body.

It also did not go unnoticed that her girlfriends had been separated from her at the time of the incident. Cathie had been alone with Davis. Still, the injuries matched the cause of death, and it seemed there were no witnesses. The incident was officially ruled an accident.

But among the community lingered strong feelings. What really happened between the notorious predator and the beautiful young child? In the way of small towns, a judgement of sorts had settled in. “After June 24, 1966, the clientele at Blacksnake Ranch fell faster than the New York Times Square ball drop,” wrote Bitty Martin. A Hot Springs native, Martin wrote the true crime book “Snake Eyes” about the death of Cathie Ward and others — yes, there are others — at the hands of Frank Davis.

Bitty Martin was Cathie Ward’s neighbor and childhood friend. Thus, Martin’s book offers unique insight and access to the people and stories that have previously remained behind closed doors. With the publication of “Snake Eyes,” Martin has ensured the full truth of Cathie Ward’s departure can no longer evade the light of day.

While Davis faced no charges, the Garland County Public Welfare Department moved quickly to remove the 10 or 15 foster boys he had working as ranch hands out at Blacksnake. To some who knew about the boys, it had always seemed odd. It was more hands than needed, and where was he housing them out there, anyway? Talk was that when the department’s own roundup came, there was a boy missing. But again, the talk seemed to be no more than a wisp in the air.

Eyebrows went farther north when word got around about Davis’s wife, Sharron Knight Davis, who’d left him less than two months after Cathie’s death. Back at her parents’ place in town, their two small kids with her, Sharron seemed to others to be pretty

spooked. Davis, everyone knew, didn’t like to lose control, whether it was with ranch hands, horses or wives.

Sharron had experienced the depths of his cruelty, telling her mother her husband would tie her up against her will and sexually abuse her. Their relationship, Sharron had told others before the marriage, had been pushed on her by Davis’ mother. Irene Davis was respected as a business owner and churchgoer, but she quite nimbly stepped across the lines of propriety whenever her boy wanted something or somebody.

At age 19, Sharron had been training as a hairdresser at Irene’s beauty school when the quiet blonde caught Frank Davis’ eye. Not only was there an age gap of several decades between the two, but Frank already had another commitment.

It’s quite the cliché, but the wife really was the last to know. When third wife, Carrie, called to tell him she was pregnant again, he coldly told her, “Well, that’s tough. My girlfriend (Sharron) is pregnant, and I’m going to divorce you and marry her.” On the very day Davis divorced wife number three, Sharron became wife number four.

Sharron didn’t have much choice; when Davis wanted something, he got it. As for the pregnant Carrie, she was presented not only with divorce papers, but a flat refusal to pay child support. Irene’s pocketbook clearly wasn’t in any hurry to make things right, either.

Carrie herself hadn’t been out of high school many years before she married Davis, coincidentally graduating in the same Hot Springs High School class as Shirley, wife number two. Once her divorce came through, Carrie quickly took a lesson from her former classmate. Child support be damned, Carrie vanished from town, just as Shirley had. By putting Frank Davis in the rear-view mirror, the two women would live to talk about it.

Sharron’s fatal mistake would be that she didn’t go far enough in leaving Davis, and within months, he’d hunt her down. But Sharron had a parting shot of her own. And it was a doozy.

To be continued….

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Edamame

By Joe David Rice

Edamame didn’t even appear in the Merriam-Webster dictionary until 2008, so don’t feel too bad if you’re not familiar with the term. The spell-check function on my computer certainly doesn’t recognize it. Pronounced ed-uh-MAH-may, it’s a Japanese word for food from immature (or green) soybean pods. And it may well become an important word in the Arkansas vocabulary.

Traditional soybean production is big business in the state, with Arkansas’ farmers planting over 3 million acres yearly of the crop. Given its annual yield of approximately 130 million bushels, the state is easily among the top soybean producers in the country. Almost all of Arkansas’ soybeans are considered “commodity beans” – which are harvested in late fall as dry beans and then crushed to extract oil and meal. Most of these beans and their products are used in prepared food for humans (margarine, salad dressings, and cooking oils) or as a protein source for livestock.

Until 2012, Arkansas’ farmers had never grown edamame, at least not on a commercial scale. Now, though, the state’s on track to become the “Edama me Capital” of the Unit ed States. Raymond Chung, whose Houston-based family has been importing frozen edamame from China for years, became convinced that it made sense to produce the crop in America. After determining that Arkansas had the right combination of soil and climate, Chung contracted with farmers along the Arkansas River in the west central part of the state to grow a Chinese strain of edamame and also a variety developed by the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture. He then built a 32,000-square-foot facility in Mulberry, where nearly 100 employees sort, process, package and ship edamame products. Chung, whose company supplies Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, Costco and other major

retailers, expects the demand for frozen edamame in the U.S. to grow 10% a year for the foreseeable future.

So, why all the fuss about this legume? In a word, health. Edamame is low in calories, but rich in all sorts of good things: carbohydrates, protein, fiber and a wide variety of critical micronutrients – folates, Vitamin K, manganese, iron, magnesium and zinc. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has described edamame as the “snack with a nutritional punch.” Although much of the edamame consumed in America is served at Asian restaurants, health-conscious individuals have discovered it in recent years, noting its potential for reducing heart disease and cancer risk.

As might be expected, edamame production differs somewhat from growing typical soybeans. One big change is that edamame is harvested far earlier in the season than normal soybeans. Rather than cutting the dried beans the usual 120-140 days after planting, farmers harvest edamame while the pods and seed are still green, some 85-90 days following planting. Yields of edamame are typically lower than traditional soybeans, due to the fact that pods on the plants will be in various stages of maturity; some are ready for harvest while others are either too “old” or too “young.” Unlike their Asian counterparts, Arkansas’ edamame farmers use mechanical harvesters to bring in their crops. With consumers desiring blemish-free edamame, care must be taken to avoid bruising the pods.

Arkansas’ agricultural experts are excited about edamame’s promise for the state. Not only does it present another option for farmers, the crop provides a solid economic return. Meanwhile, Chung remains particularly enthusiastic about the future for his agricultural venture in Arkansas, hopeful for the day when tons of Arkansas edamame will be exported to Asia.

Joe David Rice, former tourism director of Arkansas Parks and Tourism, has written Arkansas Backstories, a delightful book of short stories from A through Z that introduces readers to the state's lesser-known aspects. Rice's goal is to help readers acknowledge that Arkansas is a unique and fascinating combination of land and people – one to be proud of and one certainly worth sharing.

Each month, AY will share one of the 165 distinctive essays. We hope these stories will give you a new appreciation for this geographically compact but delightfully complex place we call home. These Arkansas Backstories columns appear courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. The essays have been collected and published by Butler Center Books in a two-volume set, both of which are now available to purchase at Amazon and the University of Arkansas Press.

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Conway Regional Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center of Arkansas

The new Conway Regional Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center of Arkansas, led by Dawn Hughes, MD, and Stacey Johnson, APRN, offers care for women with complications found prior to or during pregnancy and for their unborn baby. Each woman's journey to having a baby is unique, which is why our highly-skilled specialists collaborate with ob-gyns, neonatologists, and pediatricians to provide each patient with a special, individualized care plan. Visit ConwayRegional.org to learn more.

We’re not just growing we’re growing together.

Left to Right: Dawn Hughes, MD, and Stacey Johnson, APRN