Brick & Elm | January/February 2024 by brickandelm

TA L K I N G T R A S H | T H E PA N H A N D L E G I V E S | S P E C I A L B R I D A L S E C T I O N

AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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Cut

Start the new year with fashion and style BRICKANDELM.COM

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36 | SIGNATURE LOOK Brick & Elm collaborates with The Salon by Lora Brown, local businesses, and celebrity stylist Ronnie Stam for a winter fashion shoot.

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PHOTO BY CRAIG STIDHAM

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ANNE WHITECOTTON

TA L K I N G T R A S H | T H E PA N H A N D L E G I V E S | S P E C I A L B R I D A L S E C T I O N

AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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CA N’T M ISS

The top things on our radar

SO CIA L SCENE

Who did we spot at area events?

SPOTLIGHT

Friends of the Amarillo Public Library

B IZ

Get up in the city’s business $7.95 ISBN 978-0-578-90022-3

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9 780578 900223

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ON THE COVER: MODEL EMMA BARNES; PHOTO BY CRAIG STIDHAM

B ET TER B USINESS B UR EAU

THE CHA SE

With Andy Chase Cundiff

FO RWA R D

With Patrick Miller

MINDSET

Ann Tidwell, MA, LPC

SPACES Recycling

100 Westgate Parkway 806-355-9874 www.BarnesJewelry.com

BLUEPRINT

53 | THE

PANHANDLE GIVES

56 | TALKING

The extraordinary value of residents who move away ... but don’t stay away

An oral history of the annual fundraising campaign for local nonprofits

A guided tour of Amarillo’s city landfill, a marvel of engineering

TRASH

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50 | BOOMERANG

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PHOTO BY MEAGHAN COLLIER

PHOTO BY JASON BOYETT

ELEVATE YO UR PL ATE With Ruthie Landelius

K ITCH

Mushrooms

F+D

The Western Horseman Club

PHOTO BY SHAIE WILLIAMS

IN FO CUS

Bekah McWhorter

B ACK WHEN

Never the Twain Shall Meet

FINISH

Featuring Jason Barrett, MBA, FACHE

TAK E THE O FF-RA M P With Nick Gerlich

PLUS:

65 | FINA NCIA L 77 | B R IDA L

Subscribe today to have Brick & Elm delivered to your home or office!

AC’s Campaign for Amarillo

First Responders Academy—located in Sunset Center.

First Responders BADGER BOLD STEERING COMMITTEE Sharon Oeschger HONORARY CHAIR

Carol Lovelady Dusty Barrick John T. McElyea Eddie Bradley Alex O’Brien Brian Bruckner Paul Proffer Trevor Caviness Ernesto Sanchez Mike Engler Laura Street Emily Hall Tol Ware Jason Herrick

Amarillo College’s First Responders Academy will be a collaborative training center in Sunset Center where future law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical professionals prepare side by side to make significant contributions to public safety region-wide. The Academy’s integrated-training approach and emphasis on interagency cooperation are intended to equip graduates to not only handle emergencies optimally, but to improve their outcomes. Having sufficient numbers of excellently trained first responders is essential to public safety and quality of life throughout the Panhandle, which long has looked to Amarillo College for emergency-response expertise. Now, with establishment of the First Responders Academy, the College is raising the bar of emergency preparedness and response higher still, to the benefit of the entire region. For more information contact badgerbold@actx.edu.

hi! it’s us AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFEST YLE MAGAZINE

A M A R I LPLUOB’LSI SPHRER ES MIER LIFEST YLE MAGAZINE Michele McAffrey mm@brickandelm.com

PU BJason LISH ER S Boyett jb@brickandelm.com Michele McAffrey

mm@brickandelm.com

D E S I G N ER Kayla Morris Jason Boyett

km@brickandelm.com jb@brickandelm.com

BRICKANDELM.COM M AY | J U N E 2 0 21 BRICKANDELM.COM J A N/ F E B 2 0 2 4

CONTRIBUTING P H OTO G R A P H ER S DAngelina E S I G N ER Marie Kayla ShannonMorris Richardson km@brickandelm.com Craig Stidham Shaie Williams

BU C OCNOTNRTIRBIU T ITNI NGG W R I T ER PH OTO G R A PHSER S

Chip Chandler Angelina Marie Meaghan Collier ScottChase Thomas Andy Cundiff Shannon Richardson Nick Gerlich Mason RuthieDudley Landelius Gray RyanGillman McSwain Patrick Miller Wes Reeves

CONTRIBUTING W R I T ER S

ChipSChandler TO UBSCRIBE: Andy Chase Cundiff brickandelm.com Wes Reeves$34.99/year Print subscription: A DV ER T I S I N G I N Q U I R I E S: mm@brickandelm.com 806.414.5235

TO S U B S C R I B E:

brickandelm.com Print subscription: $14.94/year Digital subscription: $8.94/year

A DV ER T I S I N G I N Q U I R I E S: mm@brickandelm.com

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. BRICK & ELM (ISSN 2770-2529), is published bi-monthly by Edgebow Media LLC, 2801 SW 26th Ave., Suite 2-8 Amarillo, TX 79109. Periodicals Postage paid at Amarillo, TX, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Edgebow Media LLC, PO Box 2104, Amarillo, TX 79105.

hi! it’s us

his issue might be a conundrum for some readers. After being dazzled by the local beauty on the cover, you’ll flip through our gorgeous fashion feature (see page 36) before delving deeper into our feature well to discover the city dump story Jason refers to below. That’s by design. We love to keep you hen on your toes, wondering whatfew you’ll learn I look back over the past months, ages&since about Amarillo from it thefeels nextlike Brick Elm. I last wrote an editor’s note, and then at other times the weeks have flown In thebegan My friendship with stylist Loraby. Brown middle of January, seemed my days of years ago, when itwe collaborated ontyping a fashion up my last-minute thoughts prior to printing a shoot for a now-defunct Amarillo publication. magazine were over. And then … a miracle. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Lora and am always blown away by her work ethic and creativity. She’s driven to succeed, to learn and grow as she develops the My longtime partner Jason Boyett talents of her writing staff. We’re the lucky recipients of that creative energy—especially became my new business as she allowed us to joinpartner her onand her most recent project celebrating the 15-year Brick & Elm was This “hyper-local” anniversary ofborn. celebrity hairstylist Oribe Canales’ signature cut. magazine was created meetings ouris its creative influencers and their ability One thing I cherishinabout thisatcity respective homes,putting and it’saside the compilation of everything we’ve ever hoped a to collaborate, ego to achieve beautiful results. Our cover and its Panhandle-focused The community outpouring for our new interior pages arepublication the resultcould of thebe. shared vision of Lora, our team, photographer project has been overwhelming in the best MyWe’re friendsgrateful and localfor businesses haveat Craig Stidham, and makeup artist Kim way. Wood. our friends sent of encouraging messages of support. Now truly know what it means to Artsstreams in the Sunset for the gorgeous backdrop, andIfor the relationships we’ve say mywith cup overflows. built local boutiques and jewelers. We enjoyed a magnificent winter day with This is the first of many fantastic created by aby true dream our beautiful Diane Dick AgencyAmarillo-centric models. I hopeissues you’re inspired the beauty we team—Jason and the incomparable Kayla Morris. I’m thrilled beyond measure to captured. share BrickNew & Elm withand you.thank Thanksyou for for reading. Happy Year, reading!

hen we asked the City of Amarillo for a guided tour of the city landfill, officials were a little confused. Really? A story about garbage? Yes! We convinced them that our readersllwould findparts it interesting andbegan educational. Few the best of my career of us think about what happens after we toss a trash in the Amarillo College Journalism bag intoDepartment. the dumpster. I’m grateful to writer Ryan There, in the mid1990s, I learned to write fast. I learned to McSwain for taking us on that waste disposal journey. edit. I learned desktop publishing, design (And I’ll admit to feeling a weird sense of fulfillment and photography. Butits what I learned most models and that this issue, with cover story about of fashion all is that I really liked magazines. I ended and glamorous hair styling, also features a lot upofthe editor of AC’s award-winning campus … trash.) magazine, AC Current, and fell in love with the process of creating a publication, start to finish. Meanwhile, the oral history of The Panhandle Gives is one of those features we’ve been talking about since we launched Brick & Elm. I’m thrilled to finally Here I am again, more than a quarter-century later. For years, Michele and I have see it take shape after another record-setting year. Thanks to the team at the worked together telling stories about our city. A few months ago we decided the Amarillo Area Foundation for making that happen, even as they recovered from time was right to launch a new, sophisticated, independent magazine about Amarillo. the exhaustion of that nine-day campaign. It feels appropriate that our first issue covers topics like trail-building, business Most of all, as we enter a new year, our fourth year of publication, I’m grateful reopenings, creative problem-solving and breathing new life into historic structures. for a platform to tell stories that matter—to me personally, to my friends and We feel like all of those are metaphors for Brick & Elm, and maybe for print magazines family, and to our neighbors in this community.

in general. So here’s to fresh starts and a new way to shine a spotlight on the city we love. Thanks for reading. We’re honored that you’re here with us, at the beginning.

NEW YEAR, Healthy New You! Start the year off right with a healthy lifestyle checklist! Partner with your primary care physician to establish goals for the coming year. If you don’t have a physician, visit nwtpg.com to view the directory.

If you need to lose weight or need help managing your diabetes, our Medical Nutrition Therapy team can help.

Needing to manage heart disease? We have cardiologists on staff who can help you with the best heart health strategies.

No matter what you need to become a healthier you in 2024, Northwest Texas Healthcare System is here for you! Visit nwths.com to learn more about all of our services.

1501 S. Coulter St. | Amarillo, TX 79106 Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Northwest Texas Healthcare System. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website. 242028626-2050509 12/23

co n t r i b u t o r s

KAYLA MORRIS

SHANNON RICHARDSON

Shannon has been a commercial/advertising photographer for almost 35 years. His work can be seen at shannonrichardson.com.

ANGELINA MARIE

Angelina has been a photographer in the Amarillo area for 13 years. She is the editor of the Hey Amarillo podcast. Angelina is co-director of Make Space, an Amarillo nonprofit focused on local artists. See her work at shorteareddog.com or find her on Instagram.

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Kayla has been designing professionally for more than 10 years. She was raised in the Panhandle and graduated with a design degree from West Texas A&M University.

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10 NICK GERLICH

Nick is Hickman Professor of Marketing at West Texas A&M University, where he has taught since 1989. In his spare time, he travels around the country, including his beloved Route 66, in search of vintage signage and other outdoor advertising. He can be found on Instagram @nickgerlich.

SHAIE WILLIAMS

Shaie is a portrait photographer with a passion for storytelling. He shoots for a number of local media outlets, and enjoys wedding, commercial and nonprofit event photography. See his work at williamspics.smugmug.com.

WES REEVES

MEAGHAN COLLIER

Wes was raised in Wellington and has lived in Amarillo since the early ̓ 90s. He serves as chairman of the Potter County Historical Commission and as a member of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission board of directors.

Meaghan works in communications and marketing for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo and spent 15 years as an anchor, reporter and producer in local television news. She and husband Cody live in Amarillo with their dog, Bradford.

CRAIG STIDHAM

RYAN MCSWAIN

Craig is a professional fashion and portrait Ryan is the author of Monsters All the Way Down and photographer based in Texas. He has been published Four Color Bleed. He’s written for the best industries more than 50 fashion and photography magazines, as in Texas. You can find him at ryanmcswain.com. well as billboards across the country. He has published two books, Fashion Seniors and Dynamic Posing Guide. Craig is currently sponsored by Bowens USA, Photobiz, Savage Universal and Parabolic Lighting Co. See his work at craigstidham.com.

he calendar may be flipping over to a new year, but Amarillo’s arts and entertainment scene is only midway through the season— with plenty more fun to be had. Kick off 2024 with your fill of iconic musicals, epic orchestral masterpieces, top touring comedians, major movie releases and loads more. Check out these highlights of the next two months, and make sure to subscribe to the Brickly and Flavorillo newsletters for weekly and biweekly picks.

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January:

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AMARILLO SYMPHONY: The orchestra goes for baroque as it continues its 100th season with Bach to Bartók on Jan. 19 and 20 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St., featuring international harpsichord star Mahan Esfahani on Bach’s Concerto in D minor. Other January arts events will include the Arts in the Sunset’s First Friday Art Walk on Jan. 5; Amarillo Little Theatre’s farcical The Play That Goes Wrong from Jan. 11 to 21 on the ALT Allen Shankles Mainstage, 2019 Civic Circle; Chamber Music Amarillo’s Miracle Music, featuring classical favorites and a new work by composer Christopher Theofanidis on Jan. 13 at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; a West Texas A&M University art faculty exhibition opening Jan. 16 in the Dord Fitz Formal Gallery; the WT Faculty Grand recital on Jan. 26 in Mary Moody Northen Hall; and WT Opera’s Out of This World gala celebrating Dr. Robert Hansen on Jan. 27 in JBK Student Center. CASEY JAMES: The American Idol finalist kicks off the new year with a Jan. 5 show at Chesney’s Whiskey Saloon, 715 S. Polk St. Other major concerts on the horizon include Oklahoma country singer Casper McWade on Jan. 7 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; Texas country star Brandon Rhyder on Jan. 13 at the Western Horseman Club, 2501 I-40 East; Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug on Jan. 27 at Azteca Music Hall, 500 N. FM 1912; the Everhart’s Concert Series featuring Panhandle songwriters on Jan. 27 at Westminster: The Church in Austin Park, 2525 Wimberly Road; and Hank Weaver on Jan. 13, Don Stalling on Jan. 19, Rain Division on Jan. 20, Zach Welch on Jan. 26 and Corey Hunt and The Wise on Jan. 27 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 SW Sixth Ave. BERT KREISCHER: The burly comic brings his frequently shirtless Tops Off World Tour to town for a Jan. 21 show in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St. Other events this month include country comic Rodney Carrington’s Jan. 5 return and the Bored Teachers’ We Can’t Make This Stuff Up! comedy tour on Jan. 27, both also in the Civic Center Complex Auditorium; Amarillo Bombers soccer Jan. 6, 20, 27 and 28 and Amarillo Wranglers hockey Jan. 12, 13 and 14, all in the Civic Center Complex Coliseum. MEAN GIRLS: The teen black comedy gets a musical makeover in this new adaptation, based on the recent Broadway hit and opening Jan. 12. Also scheduled to hit theaters is drama Memory and thriller Night Swim on Jan. 5; adventure comedy The Book of Clarence, thriller

The Beekeeper and thriller Lights Out on Jan. 12; historical drama Origin, sci-fi thriller I.S.S. and horror film Founders Day on Jan. 19; and drama Totem and sports comedy The Underdoggs on Jan. 26.

February: WHEEL OF FORTUNE LIVE: Lucky audience members will get their chance to spin the wheel and solve puzzles when the iconic TV game show brings its live version to town on Feb. 13 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium. Other events to watch for include Family Support Services’ annual Mardi Gras Party—featuring live music, casino games, dinner and more—on Feb. 3 in the Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom; the Amarillo Tattoo Expo Feb. 8 to 11 at Ashmore Inn & Suites, 2315 I-40 East; comedian John Crist’s Emotional Support tour on Feb. 9 in the Civic Center Complex Auditorium; the Lone Star Reptile Expo on Feb. 17 and 18 and the TPBA Amarillo Home & Garden Show on Visit brickandelm.com for Feb. 24 and 25, both in the Civic Chip’s expanded event Center North Exhibit Hall; the annual coverage and movie reviews. Restaurant Roundup fundraiser on Better yet, subscribe to Feb. 29 in the Rex Baxter Building on our email newsletters for breaking entertainment the Amarillo Tr-State Fairgrounds, news every week! 3301 SE 10th Ave.; and the live tour of Dancing with the Stars on Feb. 29 in the Civic Center Auditorium. Plus, don’t miss Amarillo Bombers soccer Feb. 11 and Amarillo Wranglers hockey Feb. 2, 3, 16, 17 and 23, all in the Civic Center Complex Coliseum.

RENT: Amarillo Little Theatre celebrates la vie bohème with this groundbreaking ’90s musical from Feb. 15 to 25 in the ALT Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle. Other arts highlights to mark on the calendar include the Arts in the Sunset’s First Friday Art Walk on Feb. 2; West Texas A&M University choirs and Symphonic Band on Feb. 4, WT Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 17 and the Harrington String Quartet on Feb. 23, all in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall; WT Theatre’s staging of

C H I P C H AN D L E R Chip is the city’s arts and entertainment expert, having covered area events since 1998. Stay up to date on local happenings with Chip’s Can’t Miss picks in every issue.

can’t miss WITH CHIP CHANDLER

BLUE OCTOBER: The sensational ’90s alt-rock band returns to town with its Spinning the Truth Around (Part II) tour on

Feb. 28 in the Globe-News Center. Other concerts to look out for include Texas country star Josh Weathers on Feb. 3 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 SW Sixth Ave.; classic rock band Chicago’s return on Feb. 18 in the Civic Center Complex Auditorium; Godsmack tribute act Whiskey Hangover on Feb. 10 at Skooterz Bar & Grill, 4100 Bushland Blvd.; and Eddie Esler on Feb. 24 for the Everhart’s Concert Series at Westminster: The Church at Austin Park. LISA FRANKENSTEIN: A teenager (Kathryn Newton) goes to extreme measures to be with the (dead) boy she loves in this comedy from writer Diablo Cody and director Zelda Williams, opening Feb. 9. Also opening: romantic drama It Ends with Us on Feb. 9; Spider-Man-related actioner Madame Web, biopic Bob Marley: One Love and romance What About Love on Feb. 14; and drama Ordinary Angels and thriller Drive-Away Dolls on Feb. 23.

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classic musical She Loves Me from Feb. 8 to 18 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre; Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum’s new Dali’s Wonderland exhibition, featuring Salvador Dali’s avant-garde illustrations inspired by the Lewis Carroll classic, opening Feb. 8; Chamber Music Amarillo’s Triosarachops Devours! concert Feb. 10 at Sharpened Iron Studios, 1314 S. Polk St.; Amarillo College Department of Music’s Jam with Love concert on Feb. 13 in the Concert Hall Theatre; Amarillo Opera’s Sounds for the Soul concert on Feb. 18 at First Baptist Church, 1208 S. Tyler St.; TheatreAC’s staging of The Little Foxes from Feb. 22 to 25 in the Experimental Theatre; Amarillo Symphony’s rendition of Gustav Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 5 on Feb. 23 and 24 in the GlobeNews Center.

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02 . 27 . 2024

STATE OF THE ECONOMY Join us for our annual State of the Economy breakfast for an update on Amarillo’s economic outlook and review of the Amarillo EDC’s impact in 2023. Our keynote speaker is Mr. Aaron Demerson, President and CEO of the Texas EDC. Mr. Demerson has served the state in areas of workforce, economic development and tourism, business development and ﬁnance. State of the Economy is a free event and open to the

AARON DEMERSON

President & CEO of Texas EDC

public. Please RSVP by February 19.

LOCATION: Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza, 401 S Buchanan St. SCHEDULE: 7:00 am Doors Open 7:30 am Program Begins 9:00 am Thank You / Dismissal

Refer all questions to: (806) 379-6411 or email Annalisa@amarilloedc.com

SCAN TO RSVP

social seen T H E PA N H A N D L E G R E AT 25 NURSES CELEBRATION

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The Panhandle Great 25 Nurses Celebration was held on Nov. 2 at the Downtown Embassy Suites. The event honored local nurses, granting scholarships to assist them in pursuing nursing degrees. To date, the Panhandle Great 25 committee has recognized 200 nurses and awarded 90,000 dollars in scholarships to 47 nurses. (Provided Photos)

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N AT I O N A L P H I L A N T H R O P Y D AY L U N C H E O N The Texas Plains Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals hosted its annual luncheon on Nov. 17 at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. Every year, the event honors the philanthropic efforts of local citizens that have made an impact in the Panhandle. (Provided Photos)

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Local Writer Feature: DUCK DIVE BY MALLORY RAE On May’s 15th birthday, as she and her best friend Abee stand on the beach, the world around them shifts. May and Abee are still right where they started, but it is not their world anymore. Not exactly. They are in the past—a past where May’s mom is still alive. With the sun and the moon and all the stars on her side, May has a chance to try and change some things, but just not too much.

ABOUT MALLORY RAE Reading is the best. Writing is also the best. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a world where I get to do both as I sit in my backyard, sometimes with my beagle howling at the squirrels, sometimes with my kids on the trampoline, and sometimes with my best friend drinking coffee next to me. My husband says Duck Dive made him cry, my parents say it made them laugh and my kids say it made them proud of me. It is the most fun work I’ve ever done and if you have fun with it too, well, then I can’t think of anything better than that.

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A collaborative fashion show featuring 20-plus local artists took place on Dec. 2 at Støex Art Gallery. The show featured up-cycled fashion from designers Momentum of Roses and Improper Tear, with live music and food trucks. Funds benefited The Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center. (Provided Photos)

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POINSETTIA LUNCHEON & STYLE SHOW Amarillo Botanical Gardens hosted its annual luncheon and style show on Dec. 5. Suzanne Talley of The 100 Club of The Texas Panhandle was the featured speaker and the style show featured fashions from Janey’s at 2500 and Marcella’s, with music by Patrick Swindell. (Provided Photos)

social seen NORTHSIDE TOY DRIVE BL ACK TIE AFFAIR

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The annual Northside Toy Drive gala was held on Dec. 15 at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. The sold-out event featured fine dining, dancing and casino games, and served as a fundraiser for the Northside Toy Drive. (Provided Photos)

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spotlight

PROVIDED PHOTOS

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FRIENDS OF THE AMARILLO PUBLIC LIBRARY

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he mission of the nonprofit Friends of the Amarillo Public Library is simple: Support the library system. “They pay for everything we do that’s not covered by taxpayer dollars,” says Stacy Clopton, coordinator of PR and programming for the Amarillo Public Library. “The city covers the building, staff, our collections and office expenses. But it doesn’t pay for milk and cookies at Storytime or the prizes we give out for the Summer Reading Club.” In addition to Storytime and reading club expenses, the private organization also provides funds for educational library programs like English as a Second Language classes, citizenship classes, the library’s MakerSpace, author visits and more. Clopton points to the major fandom and pop culture festival AmaCon as an example. “There are conventions [like this] all over the country, but they are expensive to attend,” Clopton says of the annual August event at the Amarillo Civic Center. “Ours costs $5 for one day and $8 for two days. People who want to participate in that fandom culture can do that, and cost is not generally a barrier.” Friends of the Public Library also helped cover expenses for the traveling Americans and the Holocaust exhibition at Amarillo Public Library—one of only 50 libraries in the United States selected for it— and hosts the annual Books to Broadway concert in the fall.

“Occasionally there’s something we’ll need, like rugs for Storytime or curriculum for ESL classes, expenses that are not part of our regular budget,” Clopton explains. The Friends of the Amarillo Public Library meets those needs. In 2023, the organization funded the new mural painted by Blank Spaces on the south exterior of the downtown library building. “They do a lot for us,” Cloption says. Funds used by the organization come from three massive used book sales every year, along with proceeds from AmaCon and the Books to Broadway series. The organization also operates a small gift shop in the downtown library. Three library staff members serve on the Friends board in an ex officio capacity. The rest of the organization’s board members serve from the community. Clopton says the best way to support the organization is by becoming a member for an annual fee of $10 for individuals or $25 for a family membership. “In addition to being a supporter of the library, [membership] also means you get to come to the first Friends-only night of the book sale,” says Clopton. Members of the organization are also eligible to become members of City Federal Credit Union. After February, the organization will accept donated books— “Great books in good condition,” adds Clopton—for consideration in future book sales. To learn more about the organization, visit amarillolibrary.org.

A HEARTFELT THANKS to our faithful community for making a century of care possible. SPECIAL THANKS to our Centennial Sponsors for carrying the banner of restoring children’s lives at ACH into the next century: The Ware Foundation Caviness Beef Packers, LTD SERVPRO of Amarillo Amarillo National Bank

you can

GIVE NOW

to RESTORE KIDS!

SAVE THE DATE for our

ROOTS & WINGS event ON OUR 100TH BIRTHDAY!!!

03/01/24 FRIDAY, March 1, 2024

featuring speaker

Peter Mutabazi author of Now I am Known: How a Street Kid Turned Foster Dad Found Acceptance and True Worth

check table and seating availability (806)352-5771

(downloadable on Audible)

For more information: nowiamknownfoundation.org and @fosterdadflipper

est.1924

AMARILLO CHILDREN’S HOME Celebrating 100 YEARS of Generational Change

Sprouse Shrader Smith, announced the addition of Michael Bass and Collin Ziegler as Associate Attorneys. Bass’ focuses on oil and gas transactions, real estate, land use planning and development, municipal regulatory law, and business transactions. Ziegler focuses on oil and gas, real estate, and corporate transactions.

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The Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation Women’s Circle has awarded grants totaling $50,928 to Amarillo Alumnae Delta Sigma Theta; St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Beloved Community; Downtown Women’s Center; Family Care Foundation; Family Support Services; Hope Choice; Moore County Health Foundation; Sharing Hope Ministry; and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Northwest Texas Healthcare System announced the appointment of Oliver Ostorga as its new Chief Operating Officer.

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20 NWTHS announced the selection of Chris Veal, RN, MSN, CEN as Chief Executive Officer for the NWTHS Behavioral Health hospital.

The Window on a Wider World Board of Directors recently welcomed Mary Bralley as the new Executive Director.

Dr. Michael Kleinhenz, a Dairy Cattle Production Specialist, has joined Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach campus.

Consolidated Nuclear Security recently received the 2023 Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool Purchaser Award for excellence in its procurement of sustainable Information Technology products at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. The site was recognized by the Global Electronics Council.

Brown & Fortunato announced that Nolan R. Richardson has joined the firm’s Litigation Group. Richardson is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Amarillo Area Bar Association, the Amarillo Young Lawyers Association, and the American Bar Association.

Xcel Energy has completed work on the new Ashby Substation in northeast Dalhart, a system upgrade that will improve reliability and add capacity to serve existing needs and prepare for future growth.

Xcel Energy announced that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

Tonya Tyler, a longtime Xcel Energy employee in Amarillo, has been named manager for Corporate Economic Development in the company’s Texas-New Mexico service area.

Xcel Energy announced it has been selected for a $100 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to boost its work to reduce and mitigate the threat of wildfires and ensure the resiliency of the grid through extreme weather.

FirstBank Southwest recently donated $37,000 to the United Way of Amarillo and Canyon.

FirstBank Southwest was chosen as a recipient of the American Banker ‘Best Banks to Work For’ Award. This is the fourth year in a row that the bank has received the award.

Kylee Henneberry, a junior agricultural business and economics major, was recently named WT Intern of the Year.

Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of WT’s Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, has been named TAMUS Regents Professor.

biz Dr. Ray Matlack recently was appointed as a WT Davidson Professor of Wildlife Biology.

Sonja Clark has joined the WTAMU Foundation Board of Directors.

Pebble Plan of Amarillo recently won an award in the 2023 NXTSTAGE Fintech Pilot Competition.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved construction of the $30 million project that will move facilities of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Amarillo onto the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon.

Amarillo EDC President & CEO Kevin Carter was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers of 2023 by Consultant Connect.

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Seaman Marcus Avalos recently completed an intensive 10-week training program to become a member of the elite U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard. Avalos is a 2023 Caprock High School graduate and serves as a U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guardsman.

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Nancy Zamora is the new director of the Wesley Community Center.

biz Amarillo Police Department Capt. Elizabeth Brown was recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution with a Distinguished Citizen Medal.

The Education Credit Union Foundation recently gave $500,000 to Amarillo College to establish five endowed scholarships for students in STEM fields.

Amarillo College announced that its Communications and Marketing Department captured three national marketing awards at the 11th Annual Education Digital Marketing (EDM) Awards.

Joseph Peterson has been named Amarillo’s Black Man of the Year, and Stephanie Goins has been named Black Woman of the Year.

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Sundee Rossi is the new Chief Financial Officer at the Maverick Boys & Girls Club.

Kevin Friemel has joined the Amarillo Area Foundation as its new Development Officer.

To highlight your business briefs, promotions or awards in this section, email a press release or your information to mm@brickandelm.com.

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Matt Morgan is the new Executive Director for the Education Credit Union Foundation.

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TRUST IN THE MARKETPLACE It’s Good Business in the Texas Panhandle BY JANNA KIEHL

ou hear about or encounter a scam almost every day. Yet while scams and bad business make for good news stories, BBB’s daily focus has always been on good business: helping businesses be better and educating consumers on the benefits of doing business with companies they trust. Most often, BBB answers requests for business information. Consumers and other businesses want to know if a company is honest, ethical and a good choice to do business with. Job seekers want to know if a company is established and reputable before they accept a job offer. BBB does not just warn about scams or take consumer complaints on businesses. In fact, BBB drives consumers to trustworthy businesses more than 300 times a day. BBB is in the business of trust with trustworthy businesses. Not perfect businesses, but businesses that try daily to do the right thing, those that may fall short but keep on trying, and those that celebrate their successes. BBB helps by encouraging and supporting best practices, engaging with and educating consumers and businesses, and celebrating marketplace role models. The Torch Awards for Ethics celebrates those role models and draws attention to the important work businesses are doing daily—through their leadership, with their employees, for their customers and in their communities. Good businesses contribute to a healthy community where people can live, work and do business with confidence. The awards honor the

fundamental belief in ethical values. The result of 23 years of awarding ethics to local companies and charities is proof that good business is alive and well in the Texas Panhandle. In addition, the Amarillo area has produced four winners of the International Torch Awards for Ethics and four finalists. That speaks highly of the winning businesses, and it also speaks to the level of corporate conscience in the community. It makes sense that a community with many trustworthy companies would also have companies make it to the final round at the international level. These companies are bringing positive business attention to the Texas Panhandle. The Torch Awards for Ethics honors businesses who embody integrity and approach business dealings, marketplace transactions, and employee and community commitments with integrity. Applicants appreciate the value of earning trust. These leaders must be willing to “Start With Trust” every day—when they provide excellent service, when they engage with happy customers, and when they are confronted with more difficult situations. The Torch Awards for Ethics honor companies whose leaders focus on the four Cs: the character of the organization’s leadership, how an authentic culture is being fostered, the company’s transparent relationship with its customers, and the impact the organization is making in the community.

International Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics 2022 Winner: Cross Pointe Auto 2021 Winner: Scottco Mechanical Contractors, Inc. 2018 Winner: Gary’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. Finalist: First Capital Bank of Texas 2004 Finalist: Miller Paper Company 2002 Finalist: Amarillo National Bank (Top 5) 2001 Winner: United Supermarkets 2000 Finalist: Critter Camp (Top 10)

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Character includes what your business stands for and how you communicate that to employees and customers. Character also includes the everyday attitude that keeps employees interested in their jobs. Are your employees honored to wear the brand and live it? Leadership includes intentionality—focused and directed training, team building, promoting cohesion and unity around your brand and empowering employees to make your customers happy.

Trust and belief in your mission has to start on the inside of your business and within each individual. When employees get behind your mission, it’s easy for them to stay engaged and represent your company well. Are employees given responsibility to get their jobs done? Do they buy into your vision, mission and purpose? It’s easy to forget to instill regular training for employees, especially if they are stellar employees to begin with. However, if they don’t know the company’s current requirements or next steps, they will lose interest or check out as soon as they clock in.

Cicero said, “All things should be laid bare so that the buyer may not be in any way ignorant of anything the seller knows,” and it’s still true today. Transparency in business helps avoid misunderstandings and dissatisfied customers. Doing the right thing, being honest, and admitting mistakes can go a long way in building relationships with customers and mending any relationships caused by a misunderstanding.

Returning value to the community that supports your business is as important as having well-trained employees. It adds to good service. Many companies contribute time and resources that benefit local organizations. Allowing employees to be part of a larger community is a win-win for everyone. The four Cs are the basis for addressing points in the Torch Awards for Ethics. They are likely things you are already doing in your business every day. Learn more at bbb.org, or call 806.379.6222.

JAN NA K I E H L Janna is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Better Business Bureau of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle.

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etting off the phone last week with Buddy, I began to ponder just how long we had been friends. These days he is my “guitar doctor.” We had been chatting about one of my guitars that had wound up needing special care, the kind that only a tech/acoustic/wood wizard can supply. As he explained to me what he had done with the guitar, I thought about the “finicky-ness” (I just made up that word, I think) of wood instruments, and how much alchemy and dead reckoning has to be balanced with straight science in the care and repair of them. I was very grateful, yet again, for my friendship with him, and I began to look back, as you do when God grants you a long life to look back on. The first time I ever saw Buddy Squyres, he was onstage in a great old music venue in Amarillo known as Sneakers, owned and operated by the beloved Anderson, Flesher and Key. It was 1990, but I remember it like it was the day before yesterday. Buddy was thumping some serious electric bass with a great horn band called Vic Fontana and The Automatics. The band, which has survived generations, has become known and revered as a kind of Amarillo music institution in its own right, with many musicians, myself included, having served in its ranks and graduated with experience to show for it. But that’s a story for another day. With the “Roaring ’90s” set to begin, Buddy was at the top of his game. These were glory days for a long list of really great bands and musicians beginning to develop their own style, and writing some of their own material, and a certain kind of Amarillo magic was in the air. But playing bass for Vic Fontana and The Automatics, as I was about to learn, was just the tip of the Buddy Squyres iceberg. Buddy was also a fellow broadcaster. He was at KACV-TV when I first met him, and did everything from filming, editing and special production of TV and radio for decades. Many hats are worn by those who choose radio and/or TV, and it has never been for the faint of heart! He is one of the few people in the broadcast industry that I have ever known to live in peace and harmony within its confines. In a competitive world full of deadlines, egos, impossible hours, exacting language and communication demands—and general hard work— everyone has kind words about Buddy. In his 25-year career at KACV, he saw the station become a PBS affiliate. His total broadcasting career lasted well over 40 years! Buddy describes his first experience with broadcasting: “I was flipping burgers at Burger Chef. It was about 1971. The only people who made less than burger flippers in those days were broadcasters. We did what we could to help them out, and I was fascinated by their job. So when I left Burger Chef, they said, ‘Hey, would you like to be a camera guy at Channel 7?’” The rest, as they say,

is history. One of Buddy’s other early jobs (to supplement the cameraman job) was that of a limo driver. “The Civic Center used to need drivers for the bands. They leased limos from funeral homes, and put out feelers for drivers.” Buddy told me it was pretty crazy back in those days, driving around with bands like Three Dog Night, The Doobie Brothers, Grand Funk Railroad, Chicago, and Rare Earth. A few months into my moving here, I had the privilege of joining The Automatics. It was, and still is, an absolute gas to play music with Buddy Squyres. I remember him from those days as being a fireball onstage, with a characteristic white shirt and dress vest. It was always a treat to see, and hear, which of his bass instruments he chose to play on any given night. He is a multi-instrumentalist, though he considers himself at professional level only on bass and guitar. But just between you and me, I know he also plays mandolin, autoharp, cello, and is the ONLY person I know who plays sitar. With gifts and work ethic like Buddy has, you can imagine how in demand he is. He plays with Sadie’s Rangers, Tennessee Tuckness, and, on occasion, Andy Chase & Friends. He plays bass on my current album, “Stone Soup,” still in the works as of this writing. I can’t wait for you to hear it! Buddy has a great family, and if you ever talk to him for any length of time, his love and pride will appear. He has three kids and eight grandchildren. Just try to keep him from smiling while he speaks of them. Buddy plays the “low tones,” as he calls it, on Sunday mornings these days, at First Methodist in Canyon, and still works on instruments for a few of his very AN DY C H A S E C U N D I F F fortunate friends. I am blessed to Andy is an artist, singerbe counted among them. songwriter, music producer and musician. In every issue, his column explores the parts of his life that don’t always make it into his songs, accompanied by his own illustration.

f o r wa r d WITH PATRICK MILLER

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he dawn of a new year is upon us. As we set New Year’s resolutions, we now have to determine our level of commitment to fulfilling those goals. Gyms are full of eager members seeking to improve their physical health. Books are flying off the shelves as voracious readers seek to expand their knowledge. People are busy striving to improve themselves each day.

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But what would happen if we resolved to make this time of physical improvement and intellectual growth extend throughout an entire calendar year? What if we collectively decided to dismiss partisan politics and made a concerted effort to find common ground—or at least resolutions rooted in compromise during a presidential election year? We do not have to allow politics to further divide us from one another or to distract us from improving our entire city, region, state or nation. This is not to suggest tacit conformity of opinion, but rather an interest in allowing people to express their differences without maligning another human being. What would happen if we truly sought first to understand rather than to be understood? What if we had the courage to have candid conversations regarding the most pertinent issues in our respective lives and took the time to listen to our neighbors’ perspectives regarding those very same issues? What if, instead of seeking to be “right,” we actually took time to learn the value of civil discourse? We should not become so isolated from the perspective of others that we only seek a response from those in our own echo chambers. What common good could ever derive from a belief based on finite emotions rather than substantiated, categorically corroborated evidence? I guess I just aspire for us to embrace civil debate, rooted in facts, irrespective of bias. Perhaps I am either too optimistic or naive. Nevertheless, I would rather err on the side of hope. This coming year can be exciting. We can choose to live purposefully and improve intentionally. Whether you are starting a new career, beginning a new assignment or embarking on a new adventure, you can choose to adjust to the rapidly changing world by remaining true to yourself. Engage in meaningful tasks that promote the values near and dear to your heart. Strengthen your resolve to identify ways to support the general welfare of others. Be emotionally present with your family, friends and loved ones. These simple tasks are far too often neglected. We need to find a way to demonstrate our affection and compassion for a world truly in need of love. Despite all the commercialism and materialism of November and December, those final months of the year have a way of reminding us of who and what really matters in life. Improving a broken world requires us to bring the same empathy and joy into January and February as we do during the holiday season. We do not have to wait on someone else to change the world. We can each choose to do our part to spread joy, show respect and demonstrate humility year-round. If we chose to make this year different, perhaps we would be able to disagree without being disagreeable and we would appreciate the value of a different perspective. If we chose to serve the world around us, perhaps we would feel less isolated and we would find value in

meaningful relationships. Each new year presents us with unique challenges, life events and opportunities. We will face adversity and we will not always initially know how to resolve those matters. But, by building community through meaningful relationships, we may discover new ways to solve problems because our experiences. While there may be nothing new under the sun, each one of us travels our own unique journey. By committing ourselves to learning more from others and accepting the fact that we don’t have the answers to every question, our humility will make us more tolerant of the diversity around us. This can be a year filled with discovery or another year full of disarray. This presidential year could be filled with rancor toward another person’s ideology or a year full of respect for an individual’s autonomy. Ultimately, the choices we make during these first two months will set a foundation for the year to come. Let us choose unity over division, peace over strife, and PAT R I C K M I L L E R love over hate. 2024 is here, and A passionate local educator, Past our time is now. Let this beautiful President and current executive officer of Amarillo Branch journey commence. NAACP, Patrick writes in every issue about education, faith and forward momentum.

ELEVATE AMARILLO MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT MEET MATT LE!

Matt is the visionary behind Allergic II Average, a cutting-edge clothing brand that is much more than amazing clothes! AIIA transcends apparel to champion a transformative mindset and Matt does that primarily by mentoring and inspiring Amarillo youth, delivering dynamic speeches and coaching sessions in local public schools, professional gatherings, leadership workshops, and youth camps. We think what sets Matt apart is his ability to weave relatable personal narratives into powerful messages of self-awareness and empowerment. You can find Matt and Allergic II Average on social media. Thanks for your transformative work, Matt!

MEET NATALIA WEATHERLY!

We love Natalia and the passion she weaves into her work as a realtor. Natalia focuses on firsttime homeowners and our Spanish-speaking neighbors to help find their perfect homes. She has positioned herself as an expert in the unique challenges and concerns that come with first-time homeownership. From navigating the market to negotiating offers, she is seamless and supportive, and we love her enthusiasm! If you’re looking to buy a home, we think she’s your woman! Thank you, Natalia, for finding your calling in serving our community through homebuying. Interested in her real estate services? You can reach Natalia at 806.340.6680.

KNOWLEDGE. CONNECTIONS. OPPORTUNITIES. Elevate Amarillo is an organization of emerging leaders rooted in Amarillo and rooting for Amarillo. Our community of young professionals, ages 20 to 40, are the future leaders of Amarillo. We enjoy unique experiences, grow professionally and personally, and make a difference in the community. Our members are involved in a wide variety of Amarillo’s business, civic, and service endeavors. For more information or to join, visit elevateamarillo.org. {ADVERTISEMENT}

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When Winter Makes You SAD BRICKANDELM.COM

all and winter months bring a higher prevalence of Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD. As time changes and we experience fewer hours of sunlight, symptoms of SAD may begin to surface—and they can look like depression. WHAT IS SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER?

Health care professionals use a resource known as the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) to research and diagnose disorders. The fifth edition of the DSM does not define SAD as a separate diagnosis, but includes it as a variant of major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder.1 It is a unique disorder and should not be confused with holiday stress or grief related to the holidays. Typical features of depression include depressed mood, decreased interest in things we once liked, guilt or hopelessness, decreased energy, and impaired mood. Typical features of bipolar disorder include mania, hypomania, depression, irritability, anxiety, mood lability, sleep disturbance, and hyperactivity. SAD can look like these but the trigger for it is seasonal, and symptoms may diminish at the end of the season. An official diagnosis of SAD requires at least two consecutive years of episodes. This disorder is most common in the fall and winter, and includes a few unique features, such as increased need for sleep, carbohydrate cravings with increased appetite and weight gain, and extreme fatigue.2 The less common spring/summer type may have the atypical symptoms of increased irritability, poor appetite with weight loss, insomnia, agitation, restlessness, anxiety and increased violence.3 People at higher risk of SAD are those who have a family history of it, were born female, are between the ages 18 to 30, and live in northern latitudes which experience fewer hours of sunlight per day.

FLY SOUTH FOR THE WINTER

We can’t avoid the seasons in the Texas Panhandle, but the good news is that SAD is treatable. Here are a few ways to be proactive

against its effects: Light up. Light therapy, either using lamps or good old sunshine, can greatly improve symptoms of SAD. Since the 1980s, light therapy has been a mainstay for treating winter-related SAD, using bright light exposure to make up for the diminished natural sunlight of darker months. For some, a clinical form of this treatment involves sitting in front of a very bright light box (10,000 lux) daily from fall to spring. Please consult your optometrist before starting light therapy if you have sensitive eyes. Another way to treat SAD is a lot more fun than sitting in front of a box; it’s choosing to take that trip to the warmer parts of the world. That’s right: Lying on a beach is a great treatment for SAD! If you aren’t in a position to travel south, try to spend time outside on warm days to soak up a little sunlight. Make sure to wear sunscreen if you go outdoors. (Sunscreen won’t decrease the benefits.) Sleep. Sleep hygiene is important for everyone—not just those struggling with SAD—but it’s also a worthwhile treatment. Avoid prolonged screen time at night before bed. That means no TVs in the bedroom. (The bedroom should be only for sex and sleep.) Use relaxation techniques like exercise, yoga, meditation, a hot shower or bath, chamomile tea or a good book to wind down at the end of the evening. Exercise. Physical activity also has benefits against the effects

ANN TIDWELL, MA, LPC Ann is a Licensed Professional Counselor and works at Northwest Texas Healthcare System Behavioral Health. Ann has been with NWTHS since 2015. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from West Texas A&M University. Ann and her wife Crys, along with their daughter Mary Ellen—and a slew of dogs and cats—live in Amarillo and are Panhandle natives. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Northwest Texas Healthcare System. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit NWTH’s website.

mindset WHAT ABOUT VITAMIN D?

I often get asked about the usefulness of vitamin D supplements to treat SAD. Although people with SAD have been known to have a lower level of vitamin D due to diet or lack of sunshine, there is little research supporting supplementation to be helpful in improving symptoms of SAD. Of course, having enough vitamin D is good for a lot of other health-related factors, so it won’t hurt to supplement— but consult your physician beforehand, of course.

ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF

Most importantly, if you struggle with depression or feel like you need an adjustment to your medication, consult with your physician, provider, or psychiatrist. Options are available and can be tailored to your needs while working alongside your current medications, and can include vitamin supplements, sleep aids, anti-anxiety medications and other medications. However, it is essential to discuss any changes with your health care provider first.

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2014. 2. Sohn CH, Lam RW. Update on the biology of seasonal affective disorder. CNS Spectr. 2005;10(8):635-646. 3. Melrose S. Seasonal affective disorder: an overview of assessment and treatment approaches [published online November 25, 2015]. Depress Res Treat. https://www.hindawi.com/ journals/drt/2015/178564/

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of Seasonal Affective Disorder. It does not have to be scheduled or extreme for those benefits to appear and can be as simple as taking the family dog for a walk around the block, doing a guided yoga session in your living room or shoveling snow, raking leaves or playing outside with your children. Anything that gets you outside on warm days for physical activity releases endorphins that improve mood. Socialize. Another way you can boost serotonin and endorphins is by socializing with those you love, friends or family. A lot of us are tempted to hibernate indoors when the weather gets chilly, but find ways to spend time with others. Reach Out. If you feel you are struggling with SAD, don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional. Cognitive-based psychotherapy that concentrates on mindfulness, grounding and meditation, can improve mood, decrease anxiety and manage stress. One can also practice stress management by developing coping skills and healthy distractions.

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rystal O’Mara thinks often of her grandmother, Jerlene Morrison of Crosby County. Morrison’s generation endured the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. That experience of hardship gave them a perspective on consumable items that stands at odds with today’s convenient consumerism. “She was so special to me,” says O’Mara, who noticed how her grandmother used and reused items in order to store food efficiently and take care of her family. Morrison learned those simple habits because, back then, conservation meant survival. After World War II, the modern plastics industry began to flourish. Before long, single-use, disposal plastic became standard for packaging. “It was such a huge reset once plastic was developed, as a matter of convenience,” O’Mara says. And because plastic is easier to create than it is to recycle, single-use plastics are filling up landfills, including our local one (see p. 56).

ALUMINUM One of the most recycled materials in the world, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality. Beverage cans are easy to recycle in Amarillo. Amarillo Metals Company (415 N. Grand St.) and Amarillo Recycling Co. (3518 Amarillo Blvd. East) both accept aluminum for recycling. One of the simplest options is to toss empty beverage cans in the trailer in the parking lot of Southwest Church of Christ (4515 Cornell St.). When the trailer is full, the church sells the bulk aluminum to fund mission work. The City of Amarillo also offers clean aluminum recycling in bins at Southeast 27th Avenue and Hayes Street.

That’s why O’Mara, the designer and zero-waste consultant behind ReMain Designs, is dedicated to reducing her trash footprint as much as possible. “I feel very passionate about [reducing waste] because it just seems nonsensical,” she says of throwing trash away and “forgetting” about it. Out of sight may be out of mind, but someone still has to manage that trash. Jennifer Landram feels the same way. A nutritionist, health coach and yoga instructor at Enlightened Health Center, she’s also the admin for Zerowaste Amarillo, a Facebook group with more than a thousand members. “We have such an issue with plastic waste,” she says. In the past, Landram has spent time talking to city of Amarillo officials about ways for the city to reduce its production of trash going into the landfill. But for a variety of reasons—including expense, geographic isolation, and ingrained local culture—recycling anything but paper, cardboard and aluminum is nearly impossible in Amarillo. Still, both hope local residents will recycle when they can.

GLASS Many counties and municipalities own glass crushers that recycle glass bottles by pulverizing the glass into sand, which is then used in concrete or for landscaping. The city does not own this equipment, but Landram hopes it’s something that can be considered: “This is what I feel would make a really big difference.” In the meantime, Texas Tech University offers glass recycling in Lubbock, and Target and Walmart Neighborhood Market stores will accept a limited amount of glass for recycling.

s p a ce s

PAPER The locally owned Porter Waste Solutions offers paid, residential doorstep recycling services for Amarillo and Canyon residents, accepting paper products including magazines, newspaper, junk mail and more. Local businesses like Document Shredding Services (DSS) provide a paid commercial and residential service which sends office paper for recycling after shredding.

NO RECYCLING? REDUCE WASTE With so few easy recycling options in the short-term, both O’Mara and Landram advocate for changing local habits. The mantra “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is a good starting point for minimizing waste, O’Mara says, but she adds another word to it: Refuse. When you can, abstain from buying unnecessary products altogether. “Be as mindful of packaging as much as you are of the product,” she says. She and Landram recommend the following ways to reduce landfill waste: Prioritize Reusables: Instead of grabbing a single-use plastic bottle of water, refill your own bottle. “I keep a water bottle with me all the time and a coffee cup with me all the time,” O’Mara says. She also stores a set of cutlery in her truck or purse to negate the need for plastic forks and spoons when eating out. “Reusable containers are a great starting point,” Landram says. “Avoid plastic and bring your own container to fill up.” At the grocery store, O’Mara opts for reusable cloth bags— including produce bags made of T-shirt fabric—in order to use as little packaging as possible. She also tries to avoid using single-use paper products. “I haven’t bought paper towels in forever,” she says. She prefers cloth towels, cloth napkins and handkerchiefs for facial tissues. A national movement called the Buy Nothing Project has created a hyperlocal smartphone app that allows people to share, lend and borrow products. A few hundred Amarillo and Canyon residents appear to be members within the app.

Buy in Bulk: Purchasing larger quantities rather than individual packaged products uses less packaging material. O’Mara tries to do this when possible at Market Street on Georgia, but realizes not everyone has access to bulk shopping. “When I have the opportunity, I go to Sprouts [Farmers Market] in Lubbock,” she says, bringing glass jars as containers. Often, she will split the bulk purchases of rice, dried fruits or baking essentials with others. “Find a friend who’s interested in bulk [products] and separate it out that way,” she says. Landram’s Zerowaste Amarillo group on Facebook will sometimes share bulk goods and bring their own containers to fill up with the food or grain. Compost: O’Mara also adds “Rot” to the phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” She composts food waste like coffee grounds, vegetables and fruit scraps. Landram is also an advocate for backyard composting. The Environmental Protection Agency says nearly a third of waste produced by Americans could be composted instead. Backyard composting typically involves using organic kitchen scraps and yard waste like leaves and grass clippings. In a compost bin, these will break down over time and turn into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner for gardening. Meat and dairy products should not be composted, but O’Mara stores meat trimmings and bones, combining them with vegetables in order to create flavorful stock for soups. “I’ll do a vegetable or bone stock once a month,” she says.

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CARDBOARD Many local businesses and school districts have contracts with KB Recycling to recycle cardboard, with KB-branded green dumpsters all over town. “We have worked very hard to help save business owners money on their waste and also to provide an affordable recycling option,” says Adam Schaer, general manager. Because the green dumpsters are officially for use only for KB clients, the company also provides recycling dumpsters for free public use near Medical Center Park, the Downtown library, the Southwest Branch library, East Branch library and North Branch library. Canyon residents can recycle cardboard near the Canyon library (1501 3rd Ave.) and the Canyon Fire Department near the square. Schaer advises residents to “please let your local leaders know” if they would like to see more recycling dumpsters for public use.

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PLASTIC Recycling of plastic materials is unavailable in Amarillo and much more difficult as a whole. Of the plastic waste generated nationwide in 2021, less than 5 percent was actually recycled. In fact, a Greenpeace report in 2022 found that much of the plastic accepted by recycling plants wasn’t recycled but shipped to countries like China and India, where it was burned. Larger cities like Albuquerque and Dallas are able to recycle certain types of #1, #2 and #5 heavy plastics (yogurt containers, kitchenware, water bottles), but true recycling remains a challenge for smaller amounts of product. In Amarillo, large stores like Target and Walmart Neighborhood Market stores will accept a limited amount of plastic for recycling. In Lubbock, Texas Tech University offers a recycling center for a variety of paper and plastics.

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AS SEEN ON PAGE 4: ANNE WHITECOTTON WEARS A BLACK/ BROWN ALPACA AND FOX CAPE THIS PAGE: MODEL EMMA BARNES WEARS A MINK AND CASHMERE STROLLER FROM MARCELLA'S AND RING COURTESY OF BARNES JEWELRY FACING PAGE: EMMA WRAPPED IN A BLACK SPANISH SHEARLING STROLLER WITH SILVER FOX TRIM FROM MARCELLA'S AND RING FROM BARNES JEWELRY

signature hairstyle. Luxurious layers. Collaborative businesses. Immersive art. In an exclusive photo shoot, Brick & Elm aligned all those elements to start the new year with fashion and style. Photographed inside the stunning new Arts in the Sunset and featuring a timeless cut from famed celebrity stylist Oribe Canales as interpreted by local stylist Lora Brown, our models reflect a true collaborative process, wearing pieces from Raffkind’s, Marcella’s, Schlegel’s, Barnes Jewelry, local jewelry designer Jo Latham, and local fashion designer Matthew Rosas of Momentum of Roses. We even had an assist from high-profile celebrity stylist Ronnie Stam (see page 43). There’s more to the art of fashion than clothing, hair and makeup. Every ensemble tells a story of artistic collaboration, creative expression, and extraordinary transformation.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CRAIG STIDHAM HAIR: THE SALON BY LORA BROWN MAKEUP: KIM WOOD, ASSISTED BY KAYLAREE SMITH MODELS REPRESENTED BY DIANE DICK INTERNATIONAL MODEL & TALENT AGENCY SPECIAL THANKS TO ARTS IN THE SUNSET FOR ALLOWING US ACCESS TO THE GALLERIES

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FRESH Cut

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BRIANNA BAILEY SPORTS A RED JACKET FROM SCHLEGEL’S AND JEWELS FROM BARNES JEWELRY FACING PAGE: MODEL ANNE WHITECOTTON DRAPED IN A SHEARED MINK JACKET WITH GOLDEN ISLE FOX FROM MARCELLA’S AND DIAMOND EARRINGS FROM BARNES JEWELRY

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ABOVE: BRIANNA WEARS A MOMENTUM OF ROSES TRENCH; EMMA AND ANNE ARE STYLED IN FAUX LEATHER FROM RAFFKIND’S CLOTHIERS FACING PAGE: EMMA ROCKS A SATIN AND VELVET DINNER JACKET AND LACE CAMISOLE FROM RAFFKIND’S CLOTHIERS AND NECKLACE FROM BARNES JEWELRY

LEFT: MODEL MARLEN GONZALEZ DRESSED IN A LEATHER JACKET FROM SCHLEGEL’S AND JO LATHAM EARRINGS

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LEFT: BRIANNA IS ELEGANT IN A VELVET-TRIMMED TOP FROM RAFFKIND’S CLOTHIERS

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BELOW: BRIANNA WEARS A BLUE CASHMERE BELTED JACKET WITH PYTHON POCKETS AND SILVER FOX TRIMMED SLEEVES FROM MARCELLA’S, WITH JEWELRY FROM BARNES JEWELRY

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BY JASON BOYETT

ducation for us is like blood in your veins,” says Lora Brown. “Our industry is always changing. Education is key for anybody [who works] in my salon.”

Brown, the owner of The Salon by Lora Brown for 26 years and a stylist for almost 40 years, says nothing is more important than keeping her stylists on the cutting edge of fashion and hair. That’s because her clients are on that cutting edge as well. The hair industry is in the midst of rapid change. “Because of technology and your phone and AI, our clients are very educated,” Brown says. Consumers used to look to stylists to help them determine the best cut or color for their hair. Social media has changed that. From TikTok tutorials to artificial intelligence hairstyle tools, today’s customers expect much more. “Now they come to you and know the verbiage. They know the color and the cutting and you, as a stylist, need to be aware of those trends. They’re coming faster now than ever before.” That’s why Brown recently brought to Amarillo stylist Ronnie Stam of the Oribe Education Team for a hands-on training session to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the launch of Oribe Hair Care. Brown’s salon sells Oribe products—she went through a lengthy approval process to ensure her salon matched well with their culture—and hosted Stam to teach her stylists Oribe’s signature cut. It’s an opportunity few salons in the state of Texas will have. Stam is as high-profile as they come. He spent a decade as the first assistant for legendary stylist Christiaan and has become a fixture at New York Fashion Week. Stam has worked with elite models like Elle Macpherson, Tyra Banks

and Cindy Crawford. Other clients include The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. Brown says giving her team the opportunity to learn from Stam, one of the best in the industry, sets them apart from local competitors. That access is a significant benefit of her salon’s relationship with Oribe. “He’s fun. He’s entertaining. He really is very passionate about what he does,” she says of Stam. “He’s full of joy and excitement.” Stam brought with him to Amarillo a salon cape that once belonged to Oribe Canales, the Cuban-born hairstylist who rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the hairstylist to the stars, and used the cape as he walked Brown’s stylists through Oribe’s signature cut on a live model. After the demonstration, he guided each stylist through the process of giving that specific, customized cut to other models. The iconic, long-layered look of Oribe’s signature cut works with almost every head shape, Brown says. It’s customized to the individual but also serves as an introduction to Oribe’s overall approach. Graciously, she invited Brick & Elm to be a part of a poststyling photo shoot. We collaborated not only with her salon, but also with local retailers Raffkind’s, Marcella’s, Barnes Jewelry, local jewelry designer Jo Latham, Schlegel’s and local fashion designer Matthew Rosas of Momentum of Roses. “For me, it’s really important when we do things like this to get connected locally,” Brown says. “Local businesses are so important and I encourage other businesses to interact with each other to help grow Amarillo. We’re better together than alone.”

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“E

SIGNATURE Look

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THE SALON BY LORA BROWN TEAM WITH STYLIST RONNIE STAM (CENTER)

Starting New Stories Overcoming Obstacles in the New Year

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ew years are, for most of us, a time for optimism and renewal. More than a calendar change, January brings the opportunity for fresh starts and movement beyond past disappointments. That’s part of the reason we find ourselves drawn to inspirational stories as the year begins. Brick & Elm asked four local residents to share with us heartfelt, personal stories about how they overcame challenges in their lives. The obstacles vary—critical illness, poverty, circumstances, fear—and none of these journeys were without setbacks or mistakes. But the outcomes give us hope as we look forward to the coming months. Happy New Year, and may 2024 bring you opportunities for personal transformation and growth.

Midlife Crisis BY MARK D. WILLIAMS

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waited for Dr. Alan Keister to come into the room with the results of my gallbladder scan. At this point in my life, before the news I was about to hear a minute from then, I had enjoyed a spectacular life. I was 58 years old, healthy and fit. I taught at the best school with the best staff and best kids. I had spent time as a sportswriter, wrote 20 books, scribed hundreds of articles for freelance magazines, owned lots of businesses, traveled the world. I was happily married, had a great daughter and grandkids. I enjoyed the construction of my Weltanschauung. I was a happy man. I had filled my lifelong bucket list with a lot of checks. Who was I to complain? Keister is one calm cat. But when his face screwed up and his eyes watered, I knew the next words out of his mouth were going to be more than “take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” “The scan showed a huge mass, not good. I’ve already scheduled you tomorrow with an oncologist.” Well, let the journey begin! I met with the cancer doctor. The PET scan showed that a grapefruit-sized tumor encased my pancreas, adrenal glands, spleen, veins and arteries, and invaded the intestines and stomach. Diagnosis? Pancreatic cancer. We waited a week for the result of the biopsy. I confronted the immediate and blunt reality. Time to get the will updated, my affairs in order and say my goodbyes. Most importantly, I needed to decide how I wanted to handle this short journey. I hate needles, hospitals, doctors, nurses, IVs, and everything associated with all that. I had an unnatural scaredy-cat reaction to shots. But I

decided to pull the best Tuesdays With Morrie that I could muster and embrace this with dignity and nobility. The biopsy would reveal whether the cancer was the typical onlyhave-months-to-live variety or if it was the rare, slower-growing offshoot that few knew anything about. My wife Amy and I sat on the bed waiting for the 6 p.m. phone call. What a weird event waiting on the flip of a coin to decide my fate. Turns out, I had the rare pancreatic-neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), so my lifeline was extended. Yay! They set up surgery a week later. It was much worse than they thought. The doctor told my wife, mother, sister, family and friends in the waiting room. “The cancer has taken over everything. Start making plans. He’s got a year at most,” the physician said. How often do we get the chance to write our own story? I had the real and possibly final opportunity to do so, and as an author, I wanted narrative control—live or die on this journey but do so on my terms. Those were the approaches I had to life. Why not death, too? I wondered how I’d do confronting death and suffering. I had always talked a good game, so it was time to find out. The texture of every moment was about to be intense and real. I reluctantly retired from teaching. I loved teaching, loved my kids, but I was too weak, too distracted. We turned to MD Anderson and their mighty reputation of fighting cancer. We met with the oncologist and surgeon. The tumor, one of the largest they had encountered, had not metastasized. Since it was a slow-growing cancer, it bought us some time. Their first idea was to find a clinical trial somewhere in North

time and losing the battle. So I lived life as best I could, accepting that within a year or two, I’d be a campfire story. Then out of the blue, the MDA doctors called me. “We have an idea for surgery, risky and unique. You’ll be the first one, the guinea pig. You could die on the table but if you make it through that, well, you’ve got a decent chance at another 20 years.” I never hesitated. Let’s do it. Fourteen hours on the table. I nearly died three times. Amy fretted in the waiting room. They took half the pancreas, half my stomach, lots of intestines and other meaty parts, and re-routed my entire midsection vascular system. The two surgeons show slides and videos of the surgery to medical conferences nowadays. I spent the next six months in the hospital in Houston getting worse. I endured 24/7 nausea, stomach leaks, a collapsed lung, drainage tubes, 24/7 hiccups (scarier than it sounds), severe loss of weight and was too weak to walk. They sent me to a local apartment in Houston, where I got weaker and suffered more. Amy had to call the ambulance three times because I passed out from orthostatic hypertension, a form of low blood pressure that happens when standing up from sitting or lying down. I lost it. Lost my will. They wanted me back in the hospital. My weight dropped below 120 pounds. I begged my brother-in-law to carry me to the car, drive me back to Amarillo. I actually told him, through tears, “I wanted to die in my own bed, not Houston. Please, man!” Imagine the pain and suffering he must have felt knowing mine was such an unrealistic, unfair and stupid plea. (I’ve apologized numerous times since.) My favorite MDA nurse called and, through my nihilistic fog, talked me into coming back to the hospital until I stabilized. Two months later, after a series of struggles, they sent me home to Amarillo. Things turned south quickly. I lost control of my own story. I dropped weight until I weighed my junior-high weight of 112 pounds. The doctor said to get back to MDA or get to my grave. The airplane ambulance took me back to the hospital for another few months. I wasn’t Morrie any longer. I embraced anger, resentment, grief.

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America, halt and reverse the tumor’s growth, and remove it. No luck. My PNET was unusual in the way it encased the vascular system. Still, the biggest hurdle to me was going to be that I am irrationally terrified of needles. I had never once been dignified or noble or calm before or during an injection. This was indeed going to be a fair test of my mettle. The first treatment for the PNET was five staggered rounds of chemotherapy. The procedures wore me out, caused nausea, altered various things (skin, foggy brain, etc.), but in the end, the invasive treatment didn’t shrink the tumor one iota. The next move was to make me comfortable until it came time to go. During this time, I received overwhelming support from friends and family. But the best things ever were the ongoing messages from my past North Heights students, who emailed, texted and posted on social media: You did so much for all of us. You saw us, helped us, pushed us, supported us. Now, it’s time for you to let us do the same for you. Talk about an all-star team. My tribe is better than your tribe. These teens were now adults, fathers and mothers, owned houses and had kids in school. They brought us food, drinks, gifts, raised money, posted prayers, sent heartfelt messages, designed fundraising T-shirts with my ugly mug on it. In the meantime, how was I doing with writing my own story, staying calm and noble? I avoided cringeworthy Hallmark moments with folks. I encouraged poking fun at me, keeping things as normal as possible. Little things triggered nostalgic memories: Green Stamps, pay phones, white chocolate at the Sears candy counter, the first time I smelled a girl’s hair who used Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific, patting Papaw’s Old Spice on my cheeks before a date. At odd times, late at night and by myself, I would burst into tears at stupid commercials, at the end of Field of Dreams, or when the right song popped up. I was wistful for daily interaction. I had retired too soon. I missed my friends. But I felt so bad every day that whatever pity I took upon myself, I couldn’t sustain it. I was losing weight, losing

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AMY WILLIAMS

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Amy and my tribe continued to support and uplift me, so I ultimately found traction to again feel gratitude, relief and hope. I stood my ground, embraced each turn and twist, and had a cacophony of support. There were times when the pain was so bad, the inability to stand or use the restroom on my own, the boredom, the fogginess of my brain, that I was OK leaving this realm. Two years later? I had a scan this fall that showed the small bit of cancer they left on the pancreas hadn’t grown at all. That’s a nice ending to a chapter. I stayed terrified with each and every needle, poke, prod, IV, and maiming of my skin. That never waned. I cried from time to time. I could be an irritating patient, Amy says. But you know, the ride was good, worth it. For the most part, I lived up to my plan. I was more dignified than in the previous 60 years, certainly more humble. It has been easily the most intense three years of my life. But I am still here. My three-year story is written. I had little to

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do with the chapter, in fact. The writers were family and friends and students and doctors and nurses and staff. They wrote a happy ending. What now? What’s next? In this journey where I confronted death several times, I learned a lot about living. I’m 63 and I am looking for my new purpose, my next reason, the next chapter to write. I’m a lucky guy.

MARK D. WILLIAMS Mark D. Williams is the author of 22 books and retired from education after teaching for 20 years at Amarillo Independent School District. Mark has fished all over the world and writes about travel, sports, outdoors, backpacking, camping, science and more. He has written hundreds of articles for numerous national magazines and newspapers, and owns several businesses.

Acts of Kindness BY MARY BRALLEY

try to greet each day with a smile on my face and a song in my heart—but it hasn’t always been this way. People often ask me why I dedicate so much of my time and energy to helping others. It starts with a part of my history not many people know about. I come from a humble upbringing. We were so poor that I kept cardboard in the bottom of my shoes to keep my feet from falling through. My mother died when I was 16, which left a huge hole in my heart. In 1986, I moved to Amarillo at the age of 17—pregnant, alone and scared. I became a mother at 18. I landed a job at Albertsons and soon began working two shifts every day. During my lunch hour, I would transition my daughter from her daytime sitter to her nighttime sitter. I was working 70 hours a week. The pace was unsustainable. I couldn’t afford to eat, and I began fainting at work from exhaustion. My store director was concerned for my well-being and sent my supervisor to check on me at my apartment. I was mortified for her to see the way I was living. We didn’t have any furniture or food in the house. My daughter and I slept on a pallet on the floor. The next day, the store stockers brought bags of dented/damaged food to me that couldn’t be placed on the shelves. Other employees chipped in and gave me clothing for my daughter. I was so embarrassed to be a charity case, but over time, I learned to swallow my pride and be thankful for the help. These acts of kindness changed the trajectory of my life. When I look back, I recognize that not only was their kindness and generosity enhancing my life, it was enriching theirs. Those lean, tough years left an indelible imprint on my life.

I learned the one thing in life that I had control over was my attitude. I began to wake up each day thanking God for putting me exactly where I was and making the choice to be happy with where I was, who I was with and what I had. Once my focus shifted, my life began to change. I learned to look for the positive in each situation, to appreciate the goodness of God, to forge through the tough times, and to help others along the way, all while trying to create a life that would sustain my daughter and me. I got knocked down so many times, but I did the only thing I knew how to do: Keep going. Do the next right thing. Eventually, my ability to adjust to changing situations helped me land a great job, which allowed me to get on my feet financially. When my daughter was headed into middle school, we had a conversation about college. She told me she wasn’t planning to go because I hadn’t—and I was doing just fine. That struck a chord with me. She didn’t realize I had always regretted not going. My parents had never stressed the importance of education because they were just trying to survive. So that night, I decided I was going to pursue a college degree, no matter what it took, so I could be a good role model to my daughter. Before long, I found myself juggling responsibilities as a mother, full-time employee and a new college student. To date, I consider earning my degree as one of my greatest achievements. Acts of kindness reverberate long after they are given. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” I have received so many gifts and so much of God’s grace,

never know what kind of battle they are facing. You can do anything as long as you believe in yourself, focus on the positive and work hard. No matter what happens in life, you can still live out your dreams. Find joy by doing your part to create a better world. Put a song in your heart and dance to life’s melody. And when someone offers you help, don’t be too proud to accept it.

Passion and Purpose BY MELODIE GRAVES

never thought leadership was going to be my journey. I can remember being shy and never wanting to speak before crowds. Fast-forward to today, and my ability to relate to others and public speaking allow me to walk in the anointing that is upon my life. When I started advising technical education at Amarillo College, I had to help more than 1,200 students get enrolled in class, and I was also teaching developmental reading, writing and math. The first few days were filled with tears, mistakes, long hours, and so many questions I could not answer. I could have given up, but as a single mother, that was not an option. I came back the next day determined to make it work—for myself, for my son, and for the students who needed an advocate. I took my mistakes and figured out how to correct them. Once I got the process down, I had more time to pour positivity into my students. My ability to come back from this situation led me to my passion, which quickly gave way to my purpose. I wish I could say the story of how I got here was easy, but it was not. My story of resilience is definitely a chapter book. Every chapter involves a struggle, a defeat and a comeback that made me smarter, wiser and stronger.

I remember thinking about how I wanted my story to turn out after high school. I was going to get my bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in two-year increments, and then get married and raise a family in a beautiful house with a white picket fence. This is the American Dream, right? But the dream doesn’t tell you what happens when one part of the process doesn’t work out. How we decide to pick ourselves up and keep going is a true sign of our resilience. When my dream didn’t come true, I decided to step up, find something I could fight for, and encourage others to fight for the same thing. The great civil rights leader Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” It took me a long time to understand that struggles laid the foundation for resilience, which then leads to progress. Leaders like Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Arthur C. Gaston, Carter G. Woodson and George Washington Carver are responsible not just for sharing their vision, but for inspiring others to desire and see that vision come to fruition. Good leaders can see the strengths in others and push them to greatness, and they must possess the resilience to keep going. Leaders must understand that true success only comes after you have endured defeat. The best leaders are those who

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MARY BRALLEY Mary received her associate’s from Amarillo College, and her bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University, Amarillo. She has worked in health care, the utilities sector, and commercial real estate, specializing in management, marketing, public relations, and business development. Currently, Mary is the Executive Director for Window on a Wider World.

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and that’s one reason volunteering has become important to me. It’s a central part of my story: I have intimate knowledge of how much lifelong impact comes from others treating you with kindness and respect. I’ve tried to pay it forward because I identify with the challenges many young people face. I’ve intentionally become involved with organizations that focus on learning and education. I served on the Amarillo Independent School District school board, Friends of the Amarillo Public Library, Los Barrios de Amarillo and am currently working for Window on a Wider World. I want to make a difference for the next generation by encouraging and enabling them to be the best they can be. My challenge to you is to allow resiliency to echo through the corridors of your heart. Smile when life knocks you down, knowing that you can learn from the experience and get back up. Smile at everyone you meet and offer them a word of encouragement—you

inspire others to achieve greatness and give themselves the same grace they give others. There are all kinds of guidelines for being a leader. Some say leaders can’t have feelings, can’t say certain things, or can’t express who they are to the world. On the contrary, I think leaders should show their feelings, express their discontent with injustice, and remind people that while they might be in the position of a

leader, they are still human. Because I am human, I can encourage other humans to become leaders, too. We may not be perfect, but the love we give, the service we provide, and the heart we possess are perfect, and those leadership qualities will continue to make a space for us. Though we fall, we are destined to get back up again and keep pushing for success.

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MELODIE GRAVES A lifelong resident of Amarillo, Graves grew up in the North Heights neighborhood and now makes her home there. She earned her associate’s from Amarillo College, and both bachelor’s and master’s in Communication from West Texas A&M University. Graves has worked in higher education for more than 14 years. She joined Amarillo College in 2010, and was named Associate Director of Academic Advising in August 2019. She is the Foster Care Liaison and JusticeInvolved Advocate for the College. She is a trained Donna Beegle Poverty Coach and an advocate for the North Heights Community. Graves is the 2023 President of the NAACP, Amarillo Branch, and the President of the North Heights Advisory Association. She serves on the board of directors for Friends of the Public Library and the Leaders Readers Network Board, Police Community Advisory Panel, and she participated in Leadership Amarillo/Canyon in 2021-22. Her new podcast, Made With Pressure, is a platform to discuss, highlight and encourage change, advocacy and fulfilling life’s purpose. Listen at madewithpressure.com.

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Fearless Freedom BY MARTHA MCWILLIAMS

n invasion of arachnids have shown up on Texas Panhandle roads. Not the eight-legged creatures with fangs and webs, but the three-wheeled, motorcycle-like Can-Am Spyders.

On these vehicles, sometimes known as reverse trikes, the rider sits on top of a gas tank, straddling the body of the machine like riding a horse. Unlike a traditional tricycle, a Spyder’s unusual Y-shape has two wheels on the front of the bike and one wheel in the rear. These unique motorcycles can top 100 mph, but for those without the need for speed, are ideal for leisurely rides around the neighborhood or down back country roads. Thrill-seeking riders love the Spyder’s configuration. The stabilization of the two front wheels takes the rider through the tightest of curves at higher speeds and ease than a traditional trike. I’m probably the least likely person to have fallen in love with this kind of transportation. I’m deathly afraid of riding the two-wheeled variety of motorcycle. When I was in seventh grade, I was walking home from school when I came upon a huddle of kids in the road. Some of them were crying, and they stood around a motorcycle on its side. Next to the downed motorcycle was a boy—just a year or two older than I was—lying in the road, his leg twisted in a way no leg should be, with a bone

poking through a ripped pants leg. The ambulance and police had not yet arrived. My young, impressionable mind emblazoned that graphic motorcycle accident in my memory bank. I’ll never forget it. I will not ride a two-wheel motorcycle unless doing so saved the lives of my children or grandchildren. I cannot fathom such a scenario. But my lifelong fear of riding a motorcycle did not deter my appreciation of the thrill one must receive from riding one. I longed to experience that thrill for myself. What if I had three wheels on the ground instead of two? When I suggested that to my husband, he wasn’t so sure. He reminded me that toddlers riding tricycles could still tip themselves over when taking tight corners. I was disheartened. Then in 2008, Can-Am designed and marketed the first Spyder, a sport model of the reverse trike. Intrigued, my husband took one for a test drive at a local PowerSports dealership. We kept thinking about it until, four years later, he brought home a new model for a test drive. A friend was selling a Can-Am Spyder RT Limited, a touring model designed for traveling long distances, in comfort, with maximum cargo storage space and seating for two. My husband took me for a 60-mile ride around the outskirts of town. Upon pulling into the driveway when we got home, I told him,

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PROVIDED PHOTOS BY JIM DAVIS IMAGES

“Buy it!” Five months later, we took an 11-day, 3,000-mile round trip on our Spyder RT. We packed everything the two of us needed for the trip in the cargo space, washing clothes along the way. Less than a year after returning home after that first trip, I put myself behind the handlebars—learning how to operate and ride our Spyder—and got a motorcycle designation on my driver’s license. That was 11 years ago. Since then, we’ve fully embraced the Spyder lifestyle. We’ve acquired heated gear, cooling gear, a cargo trailer… and an additional Spyder. I ride my own now. But we don’t necessarily ride alone. After completing our first big trip, my husband and I connected with other Spyder owners in the area. Around the end of 2012, the TriState Spyder Ryders (TSSR) group was born. Today, it’s grown to more than 50 members riding more than 30 bikes. We get together once a month to fellowship and discuss our hobby. We take group day rides together as well as weeklong trips—some hundreds of miles—to rallies and wherever we can find beautiful roads to ride this odd-looking, three-wheeled mode of transportation. We’ve formed lifelong friendships in this group, which is the biggest benefit. (Riding together is the bonus topping on the proverbial cake.) True to my expectations, and probably to a fault, I am fearless

on my Spyder RT. I’ve ridden up Pike’s Peak. I’ve cruised the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado, the “twisties” in the Hill Country, and many beautiful, winding roads in the Ozarks. My husband and I have a communication system in our helmets. We are both safety-conscious riders, but I’m constantly hearing, “You need to slow down!” When riding, you have to be fully present. Immersed in the moment, you feel a freedom from stress, worry, and fear. I call it “wind therapy,” and I’m not alone. Check that off the bucket list: Overcoming my fear of riding a motorcycle in order to experience the thrill of doing so.

MARTHA MOSLEY MCWILLIAMS Born and raised in Amarillo, Martha graduated from Palo Duro High School, eventually retiring from Pantex. She has been married to husband Jim for 34 years. The couple has four children, seven grandchildren, one great grandchild and one on the way. Martha enjoys art, writing poetry, riding her Spyder, and volunteering at The PARC.

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PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE

The Boomerang Blueprint BY MEAGHAN COLLIER

lexandria Hernandez is a boomerang, at least from an economic development perspective. She’s part of a contingent of local people who grew up in Amarillo, moved away for education or career opportunities, and then returned. In her case, she came back to her hometown just a few weeks ago, in November, after having lived in New York City for several years. J A N/ F E B 2 0 2 4

A 2010 Palo Duro High School graduate, Hernandez attended Texas Tech University before heading off to a career in San Francisco. Then she moved to the East Coast. And then she came home. “I honestly didn’t want to really come back until probably this past year,” she says. But as she entered her 30s, the things she took for granted about the Texas Panhandle began to beckon, like the quality of life and cost of living. “I’m getting to the age where I do want to settle down, you know, and it’s so hard to do that over there because it’s so expensive. You don’t get a backyard and a front yard. You can’t see kids riding around on their bikes like you used to,” she says. “It’s very different. It’s very loud. There’s no quiet.” Hernandez also felt the pull of family ties. She was tired of missing out on family events and holidays, and wanted to see her niece and nephew on their birthdays. Thanks to a long career in retail, she was able to move seamlessly back to the Panhandle to work at the same company she worked for in those larger cities. Most importantly, Hernandez is comfortable with her choice. It might have surprised her to admit this at age 18, but she’s happy to be home.

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ReRooting

ALEXANDRIA HERNANDEZ

PHOTO BY MEAGHAN COLLIER

Amarillo’s city leaders and growing businesses are passionate about finding more residents like Hernandez. For a variety of reasons, boomerangers can be important sources of economic life, vibrant communities and new ideas. Living in the same place for decades and decades can sometimes result in a kind of civic inertia—a “this is how we’ve always done it” mindset. Boomerangers know otherwise. They’ve seen the best, and worst, of other cities. And their perspectives are valuable. That’s part of the reason the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. has launched a new campaign inviting former residents to “ReRoot” in Amarillo. “We are asking for referrals from current residents, higher education institutions, and other community partners to help recruit those individuals and families back to the area,” says Caylar Harper, director of marketing and workforce initiatives at AEDC. Each person referred through the AEDC website will receive a gift box of Amarillo souvenirs and be added to a quarterly mailing list for a newsletter reminding them what the city has to offer, including stories about local

Exposure to Diversity

Low Taxes vs. Livability

A couple of decades ago, the same trends that attracted Hernandez also called to Stephanie Goins, an annual giving officer with the Amarillo Area Foundation, who had spent time in Midland

Andrew Hall is one of the local leaders helping build that kind of comprehensive environment, and he’s a boomeranger himself. After graduating from Tascosa High School in 2004, he quickly and

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and the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex before making this area home. “I decided to stay in Amarillo because it’s a great place to raise a family, and I’ve also noticed recently Amarillo has worked hard to make education more accessible to lower-income families,” she says. “There are plenty of jobs here, and the economy is doing well in my eyes.“ Her children are part of that highly desirable younger workforce, and two of them—also Palo Duro grads—chose not to stay. Goins says she sees that trend among friends’ families and her kids’ generation. She worries that young people, particularly those of color, are leaving in pursuit of cities with more diverse populations. Goins says Amarillo has made important strides in recent years. She’s seen increased Black representation in the workplace, as well as highly visible mentorship and support programs like 101 Elite Men and the Northside Toy Drive. But she doesn’t just believe Amarillo needs to just continue down that path. As she describes it, we need to intensify our commitment to diversity. “The perception is that bigger cities offer more for families in terms of activities and exposure to diversity,” she says. “Unfortunately, the limited offerings for the Black community in Amarillo contribute to this trend, and I worry that our community might face challenges if this continues. My hope for Amarillo is to become an inclusive and flourishing community with more things to do for our younger generation and have better opportunities for people from different backgrounds. It’s about creating a comprehensive environment where everyone feels comfortable, welcome and can enjoy being themselves.”

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PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE

residents, developments in education, job training opportunities, quality of life and our rapidly evolving arts culture. According to AEDC data, 56,650 people between the ages of 20 and 39 years old live in Amarillo right now. That number is expected to decrease over the next five years—other cities our size are seeing similar trends—and initiatives like ReRoot hope to address the demographic slide by attracting boomerang and transplant residents. Harper’s role at the AEDC was established to work closely with local businesses to attract and retain a strong workforce in the area. She’s got STEPHANIE a challenge ahead of her. Development GOINS Counselors International, a national economic development marketing agency, says that employers and communities across the U.S. are experiencing labor and talent shortages. With an estimated 9.6 million open jobs across the U.S. and only 5.7 million actively unemployed workers, there are not enough people to fill the open jobs. But the good news is that Amarillo has an abundance of what a future local workforce— including boomerangers like Hernandez—say they value. DCI research indicates cost of living, housing cost and availability and safety/ security remain the most important factors for job seekers in the 20 to 39 age group. Also important to them is the ability to live, work and play without a long commute. The cost of living in Amarillo is about 16 percent lower than the national average. The median household income has increased to $58,125, and as of October 2023, the unemployment rate was 3 percent, which is one of the lowest in the state.

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confidently moved to Dallas to attend college. He had no plans to return. But after working in the Metroplex and then in Oklahoma City, he saw the impact he could make in Amarillo if he chose to come back home. So, after graduating with an MBA in 2013, Hall and his thenfiance Lauren took a leap, sold their house and moved back to Amarillo without much of a plan. “It wasn’t the plan to come straight home, but by the winter of the next year, we just decided to stay,” he says. The Halls returned around the time Amarillo voters were rejecting a proposed $37.5 million bond election for the Amarillo Recreation Center, a sports complex designed to appeal to young families like his. Before long, Andrew found himself getting involved in other quality-of-life campaigns, including the one for the downtown ballpark. His tenure in Oklahoma City convinced him that Amarillo could experience a downtown revival similar to the one triggered by OKC’s highly successful Bricktown. And while he is proud of the advances the city has made in the downtown space, including Hodgetown and the arrival of the Sod Poodles, other endeavors have gone the way of the ARC. “It’s challenging to get people to just see that it can be done in Amarillo, too,” he says. From advocating for a revitalized Civic Center Complex to other growth projects, he’s passionate about showing local residents what Amarillo could be. In fact, that’s one reason he’s now the chairman of the AEDC board of directors. One hurdle has been communicating about the necessity of big quality-of-life projects like a new or remodeled Civic Center. Another hurdle has been local residents’ prioritization of the city’s low tax rate, which sometimes comes at the expense of major livability improvements. Andrew says he thinks city leaders have to better communicate the message of why citizens should support the growth he’d like to see. “I think we have to get away from this mentality of ‘We don’t want to pay for anything,’” he says. “Of course I don’t want more taxes and all of that, but I want to invest in things that need to be invested in.” He knows infrastructure is important and applauds the city’s effort to begin investing in it again. Everyone values clean water and toilets that flush. At the same time, those are expected comforts and conveniences. But young people aren’t looking at sewer lines and water systems before deciding where to live, and boomerangers aren’t looking at tax rates. They’re looking for quality of life.

It hasn’t been easy. And Andrew realizes that some residents— especially older generations—don’t fully understand the appeal of large-scale public art and high-energy events like Hoodoo. “I’ve learned how important it is to have these fun things to do,” he says. “Sometimes, it just takes a small group to get a project started. Knowing that our city has so many [infrastructure] issues, it’s hard to focus on these quality-of-life projects. We want to get them started and maybe the city can help to grow them later on.” He and Lauren first bonded through music and art, and they know their experience is common among their generation and those that will follow. “It’s just neat to see what happens when you put up interesting art and people flock to it, and they come and talk about it. And, honestly, I want that, too, for myself,” he says. He wants to create those things for himself and his children to enjoy. Stephanie Goins wants to create a diverse Amarillo that keeps and attracts young people of color here. The AEDC wants to convince former residents to boomerang back in its “ReRoot” campaign. And Alexandria Hernandez wants her hometown to reflect just a tiny bit more of the vibrancy she gave up when she moved here from New York City. She knew choosing peace and quiet meant exchanging more diverse live music offerings and world-famous art museums. For her, that tradeoff was worth it. Even so, she takes comfort that Amarillo is moving forward. This city is changing. “I did get lost coming here for this interview,” she says with a laugh and a touch of nostalgia. “That’s something I never thought I’d say.” It’s definitely not the city she left 13 years ago. As the city attracts more people like her, it won’t look the same 13 years from now, either.

LAUREN AND ANDREW HALL

Music and Art

In true boomeranger fashion, Andrew hasn’t just longed for what he experienced while living in other places. He and Lauren took it upon themselves to bring some of that big-city vibe to Amarillo. They are the founders of the now-annual Hoodoo Mural Festival, which has become one of the most exciting events downtown since it began in 2019. This year’s festival saw a 31 percent increase in attendance over last year. It attracted nearly 2,500 people, both locals and visitors, downtown to see art and live music. PHOTO BY ADAM BAKER

KERALEE CLAY

AN ORAL HISTORY OF

THE PANHANDLE GIVES BY JASON BOYETT

he Panhandle Gives is a fundraising juggernaut. This nineday charitable giving campaign, which concludes on Giving Tuesday each year, gives nonprofits a high-profile platform for end-of-year fundraising, along with an amplification fund to make each donation go further. Administered by the Amarillo Area Foundation, the 2023 campaign broke records, raising more than $9.6 million from 6,000-plus donors, exceeding the 2023 goal. And that’s after blowing past goals in previous years. The success has put the campaign on the radar of the global Giving Tuesday network, whose North America hub regularly brings in Foundation staff to talk about their work and the generosity of this region. In mid-December, Brick & Elm sat down with Amarillo Area Foundation leaders to learn how the campaign began and has evolved over the years. Participating in our discussion were Amarillo Area Foundation CEO Clay Stribling, Senior Vice President Keralee Clay, Marketing Director and The Panhandle Gives Campaign Director Broc Carter, and Amy Lovell, former AAF Director of Development who is now Executive Director of The Turn Center. Their conversation—which began with the question, “What initially sparked the idea for The Panhandle Gives?”—has been edited for length and clarity.

Clay Stribling: We’d had conversations going back almost to the beginning of my tenure in 2011 about how we would be involved with Giving Tuesday and get a Giving Day going in our region. In 2014, we were really trying to raise money for the ACE scholarship program. [The Amarillo College program is now named Thrive]. We called it ACEgiving Day. We rented out the Civic Center and hired bands. We had a chili cook-off. We did everything. And in the end, it came across as very … gimmicky? And we didn’t raise much money, if any. Once we covered our expenses, it was nickels and dimes. Broc Carter: Nonprofits were talking to the Foundation about Giving Tuesday in 2016. It had grown. Clay said, ‘We can do some kind of campaign, but we’re not spending any money on it. I have learned that lesson from ACEGiving Day.’ But it was still, like, Is this going to be a trend? We thought, what if we just sent everybody to the giving pages of each organization that was participating, and see what happened? That was the first year. Amy Lovell: That’s the year you branded it. You came up with the name. Broc: We came up with The Panhandle Gives and we did the hashtag. We were going to go with “Amarillo Gives,” but we serve all 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle. Keralee Clay: We built a page on our website that basically pointed to [nonprofits’] giving pages. We were reliant on their tech. It

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AMY LOVELL

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PROVIDED PHOTOS

PHOTOS BY JASON BOYETT

BROC CARTER

CLAY STRIBLING

was not a level playing field. It became whoever had the best online [donation system] for their organization. We learned if we’re going to do this right, we’d have to make sure everybody had the right tools. Clay: This might have been the origin of me using the phrase “peppy and cheap.” Broc: That is classic Clay. Amy: I was at the Armstrong County Museum at the time. We participated as an organization. We gave [AAF] our logo and a link. We were one of the tiny ones whose giving pages probably didn’t work as well as the more sophisticated online [platforms]. But it felt like a great opportunity for a small organization to join with larger, more well-known organizations. Broc: It was literally just prompting people to give on Giving Tuesday. Just public awareness. Amy: I didn’t even know what Giving Tuesday was.

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Around 70 organizations participated that first year, but the Foundation was unable to track the total giving amount. By 2017, the Giving Tuesday campaign had become more organized.

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Broc: We didn’t even know how much money we raised that first year. We just wanted to see if this was the place for a giving day. Clay: We saw potential but knew that relying on a [website] landing page was not going to do it. We were going to have to do something a little bit more in-depth and elaborate. That cost money. It definitely wasn’t “peppy and cheap.” Keralee: It was peppy. Amy: In 2017, we just took sponsorship money and divided it equally among the organizations that participated. The 2017 campaign raised $172,000 for 55 nonprofits and distributed $10,000 in sponsorship funds. Lovell joined the Foundation and, in 2018, had become the organization’s Panhandle Gives leader. From a local bank, the team learned that Lubbock was hosting a Giving Day that used an amplification fund model. They were intrigued. Broc: We had learned about Lubbock’s model too late to implement it, but we were talking about it for 2018. A lot of giving days do matches. But the problem with matches is that they’re gone [snap] like that. Clay: Even if you have a $200,000 match, that motivates people to put $200,000 in. After that, the motivation to get any bonus is gone. Broc: The amplification model allows them to accrue dollars and percentages of gifts—so you never really know where that’s going to end up. Amy: We wanted to test it. Having just come from a tiny organization, I knew it would be equitable: The more you raise, the more you get. But the more you raise, probably the bigger you are and the more you need. The 2018 campaign took place over nine days leading up to Giving Tuesday. It brought in $865,120 for 108 participating organizations, with an amplification fund offering an extra 20 cents on the dollar. But another major shift happened before that year’s campaign. Broc: In January [2018], we got a call from the Giving Tuesday

organization. They had noticed our campaign—they were tracking #givingtuesday hashtags—and invited me, Keralee and Amy to Dallas for a community leaders conference. We didn’t know what to expect. It was bigger than any of us realized. Amy: “New power!”— Keralee: One of the Giving Tuesday founders, Henry Timms, had written a book called New Power, and it really got us thinking. It was a shift for our entire organization that went beyond The Panhandle Gives. Broc: We were old power. It was literally in the book: Community foundations are old power. A few people control the flow of dollars. Amy: Ouch. Broc: That does not feel good. Keralee: [Timms talked about] that shift of how we get the power to the nonprofits to do the work themselves. It’s not us saying, “We can help you raise money.” It’s more about how can we empower you and give you the tools you need to do the work yourself? Broc: One of the things they said at that conference that I quote to myself every year during The Panhandle Gives is “Leave your ego and your logos at the door.” How do we open the door for them to walk through it for themselves? Amy: We let go of all control. Keralee: That’s when we created the logo for The Panhandle Gives, and we took the Foundation out of it. Broc: We wanted the organizations to be the star. It was tough at first. Clay: It also had the advantage of allowing us to have relationships with organizations who, for whatever reason, had tension or frustrations with the Foundation. Maybe we hadn’t awarded a grant to them— Keralee: —or they were too small for a grant from us, or didn’t have the people power to do it. Clay: Early on, I didn’t necessarily see the power of The Panhandle Gives brand taking over, but it was brilliant in separating the Foundation [from both the campaign and those frustrations]. Local television stations got involved in 2018 and local banks became partners with the campaign. In November 2019, The Panhandle Gives raised nearly $1.8 million for 132 organizations, with $300,000 given out in amplification funds. It was beginning to surge. Then the pandemic arrived. The Foundation spent 2020 giving emergency grants to keep essential nonprofits afloat as they met local needs. As the campaign arrived in late November, a deadly surge of COVID-19 cases put Amarillo in the national news. The Panhandle Gives still brought in a record $3.5 million for 154 participating nonprofits. Clay: From my standpoint, the totals surprise me every year, but the year it absolutely floored me was 2020. Keralee: We’d already been doing so much disaster-relief funding. Broc: We were all working from home. Clay: What I didn’t understand was that there was an enormous, pent-up desire to give during 2020 because we’d had no events. There’d been no fundraisers, no Symphony Ball, none of those things. There was a surplus of money, and it just flowed. It was unbelievable. Broc: And that was the year organizations understood how to talk to their donors better, and to line up gifts in the fourth quarter,

Amy: To me, it provides such a nice balance [for AAF] because now there’s two ways to get money. One of them is to qualify for the areas they have chosen to support [through grants], and you go through a pretty rigorous process of reporting—and rightfully so. On the other hand, The Panhandle Gives [money] is unrestricted. We trust the organizations. We know you’re doing good work across the Panhandle. That’s the new power. Broc: And I want to be clear about unrestricted dollars. There are very few restrictions on The Panhandle Gives dollars. You have to be an organization impacting lives, people, animals in the top 26 counties of the Panhandle. Grant funding is for a specific purpose, but “unrestricted” means they can use it at their discretion, if they need to add a program, upgrade technology— Clay: —pay the light bill. It doesn’t matter. Broc: And we already had a mechanism for vetting organizations, so when those organizations register for The Panhandle Gives, donors know that we have vetted them. It lowered the bar for people to come to the Foundation. We had organizations participating that we didn’t even know existed, and two or three years down the road, they’re getting a grant from our discretionary funding cycle. Clay: It’s about escaping the perception of only being an old power organization, making them understand we’re not the stodgy old 1950s community foundation that you’re used to. Broc: The Panhandle Gives gave us transactional granting to relational granting because we’ve built relationships with these [organizations].

Broc: Every October, when Amy and I were working together, we were like, “I don’t think we can hit the goal.” I mean, we just panic. And it’s because I think for a long time, the goal had no science behind it. It was just— Keralee: —do better than last year. Broc: There’s still not a lot of science behind it. Clay: For years, I was frustrated with establishing a goal and then just blowing the doors off of it, but it’s just so uncertain. Genuinely, I woke up Monday morning [Nov. 28, 2023] and came in saying, “We need to work on talking points for when we don’t hit the goal.” Keralee: We were like, “No! No negativity!” Broc: It was very stressful. But we know one year, it’s not gonna grow. That’s the nature of things like this. The 2023 campaign surged on the final day, with a final total of $9,636,024 given to 207 organizations. Donations came from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Clay: The one thing it has taught me is how ridiculously generous this community is. Every year [the total] surprises me, and shame on me for being surprised. Amy: And from an organization standpoint [with The Turn Center], it’s not just the money that we raise. It’s a chance to tell our story. Everybody’s board is saying, “How are we going to get new donors? How will we get these younger people involved?” This is the way. We get more new donors in nine days than we do the rest of the year. That is very valuable beyond just the number of dollars you raise. Clay: The way old power raised money was to find people with big bank accounts and ask them to write us a check. If you would have told me at the beginning that we would raise $9.6 million [in 2023], I might have been able to reconcile it by thinking maybe 16 people would give us half a million dollars [each]. I would never have believed we would have 10,000 gifts. Broc: We have 228 organizations participating and that’s a PR machine. The marketing doesn’t rest on our shoulders. It really has created its own culture. Keralee: Even what it’s done for our staff. We joke that this is the little campaign that has outgrown our team. When we first started, it was just the three of us. And now this entire organization has to shut down for nine days. Everyone’s entering gifts. Clay’s on every news channel all day. We have lunch together. We all put the tally up on our big screen and cheer for it. Internally, it’s been such a cool, culturebuilding event. Clay: One of the things we say internally a lot here is “Don’t be afraid to fail.” This campaign epitomizes that more than anything else we’ve done during the time I’ve been here. We’ve innovated it in small and large ways almost every year. We’ve made changes that had an enormous impact, and we’ll probably make an enormous change before next year. We don’t know what it is yet. But I think the fearlessness of trying to grow this campaign has led to a lot of the growth. We’re not afraid if we miss the goal. If you do miss the goal— as an organization or the whole campaign—you’ve still won.

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The 2021 campaign broke another record with more than $5.1 million in gifts, followed by a blowout year in 2022. After the Foundation set a goal of $5.3 million, donors gave in excess of $8,892,000 to 214 participating organizations, with $819,000 in amplification.

On the last day of the 2023 campaign, total gifts were still several thousand dollars short of the goal of $8.9 million.

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during the campaign, so they’d get amplification. That was the first year the amplification fund was over half a million. Amy: COVID made it where people understood how to talk to their donors. They want to know what’s the need and how is my money going to help that need? Clay: We got very used to digital commerce during that period of time. It was not a problem to log on and give to charity. Keralee: That was the first year we covered [credit card] fees. Clay: Paying for the credit card fees was an enormous jump [forward] because we were going to get so many online gifts, but also because it gave Broc the ability to message that 100 percent of what you give is flowing to the community. The Foundation isn’t keeping anything. Everything passes through. It was a powerful message. Amy: It was the responsible thing to do to promote online giving. We were fielding questions like “Why are y’all doing this? What is the Foundation getting out of this?” It was driving it home that this is just to benefit the organizations. Broc: [The campaign] costs a lot of dollars for us, but we do not make any money from it. It aligns with our mission to elevate philanthropy. Our mission is to— Clay: [quoting] “Improve quality of life for Texas Panhandle residents.” Broc: And quality of life is often elevated through nonprofit organizations.

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BY RYAN MCSWAIN

t the edge of Amarillo, you’ll find an engineering marvel. Hundreds of the city’s hardest-working people keep it running. They help our homes, schools and businesses run smoothly. Without their efforts, Amarillo would cease to function—probably within the week. This marvel has been around a long time, with plans in place to take care of us for the next 100 years. We’re speaking of the Solid Waste Processing Plant, otherwise known as Amarillo’s landfill. On a recent, bright winter day, Brick & Elm toured the landfill, getting a behind-the-scenes experience not available to most residents. Our tour guides are Ricky Rivera and Donny Hooper. Rivera is the Solid Waste Superintendent. He’s been with Amarillo for two years, but he worked in Pampa’s Solid Waste department for 18 years before that. “He started out as a part-time route driver,” says Hooper, Amarillo’s Managing Director of Public Works. “Every position there is in Solid Waste, he’s done it.” Being able to work in any industry for 20 years is an accomplishment, especially one as challenging as solid waste. “I enjoy it,” Rivera says. Donny Hooper also has a multi-decade background, and today wears a number of (hard) hats. He oversees solid waste, traffic and traffic engineering, the fleet, facilities, building safety, and the Marshal’s Office. Before joining the city of Amarillo in 2018, he spent more than 20 years alongside Rivera at Pampa’s Department of Public Works. Hooper began overseeing that city’s solid waste management in 2004. It’s no stretch to say local residents have thought about trash more over the past few years than they ever had before. Part of it may have been the high-profile—and temporary—residential waste collection restrictions in the summer of 2022 due to staffing challenges. Those have been resolved, thankfully. But recent improvements to the city’s waste management are also notable. For instance, Amarillo’s Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Division’s curbside bulk-trash pickup program has

proven enormously popular. Once upon a time, large trash items required begging to borrow a friend’s truck. Worse, junk that wouldn’t fit in the dumpsters often ended up piled in the alley. The city now sends out boom trucks with large grabber claws, ready to take away old mattresses and busted furniture. And after windy days and ice storms, the Solid Waste Division has made it easier to deal with piles of fallen limbs. Those items end up in the landfill, and Amarillo’s landfill plays a foundational role in the city’s infrastructure. Opened in the 1970s, the landfill’s permitted area covers 662 acres. According to 2022 numbers, it welcomes 830 tons of waste per operating day—that’s equal to the weight of about 277 pickup trucks. A job that size requires a big team. Amarillo’s Solid Waste Division now employs more than 150 people. “Our route drivers usually get to the office around 5:30 a.m.,” says Hooper. “They’re usually on their routes by 5:45 or 6 a.m.” There are multiple shifts, and drivers run into the night. “We usually finish our residential routes in the afternoon by 3 or 4 p.m., and they’re still processing more at the transfer station,” he adds. For most residents, these hard-working men and women— and the garbage they collect—remain out of sight and out of mind. You toss something in a dumpster. It disappears, and you never think about it again. Hooper and his team don’t have that luxury, and it’s up to them to keep that trash out of sight. So we thought we’d investigate. What happens to, for instance, an Amazon box when we throw it out? Where does it go? How do we know the city’s trash is handled responsibly? And as Amarillo continues to grow—and as we produce more and more trash—can the landfill keep up?

GARBAGE IN During the recent holiday season, Amarillo residents received hundreds of thousands of packages in the mail. After opening it, you’re left with a cardboard box. While cardboard is one of the easiest things to recycle in Amarillo (see page 34), let’s assume you take the easier route and toss the box in your curbside cart

THE CLIMATE EFFECT Different materials break down at different rates. According to most sources, food items decompose within days or a few months. Paper falls apart in weeks or months. Aluminum can take a century, while some plastics take hundreds of years. Glass might surprise you; it might take thousands or even a million years, if it decomposes at all. That plain Amazon box? It should decompose in about two months—under ideal conditions.

BRAND-NEW CELL SERVICE The City of Amarillo announced last summer that it would be expanding the landfill to meet future needs, a $4 million project to, essentially, dig a big new hole in the ground. That hole, officially known as Cell 10, is about 45 or 50 feet deep and covers 23 acres. These cells are the pits used to contain compacted trash, and the entire landfill contains land set aside for 12 cells. Cells 1 and 2 are filled and covered. Cells 3 and 4 are currently in operation. Extensive planning and engineering led to utilizing Cell 10 next. (The landfill cells are named for their location and not their order of use, which makes Cell 10 the landfill’s fifth active cell of a total of 12.) Excavation of Cell 10 began in earnest in June 2023, but Amarillo’s waste management workers began digging long before. “That’s the best practice for landfills,” says Hooper. “You always want to borrow from your next cell to cover your existing cells.” Each night, Texas regulations require landfills to cover up that day’s shredded and compacted trash with 6 inches of dirt. “We also have an ADC, or alternate daily cover. It’s like a paper mache

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But as we all know, conditions in the Panhandle aren’t always ideal. “The problem we have with decomposition in the Panhandle,” says Hooper, “is that it’s so dry here. We don’t have near the decomposition rate that you see down south.” Moisture is essential to decay. “We just don’t get the rain to help the process. If it’s been a really wet year, you’ll see stuff breaking down because the process is working,” he says. In fact, when Hooper was in public works in nearby Pampa in the early 2000s, his team excavated part of a landfill that had been covered since 1976. “You could pull out pieces of newspaper and still read them.” When it works, though, the decomposition process still presents challenges. To demonstrate how Amarillo’s Solid Waste Division takes control of the situation, Hooper and Rivera lead us to our next stop on the tour: a colossal hole in the ground.

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or dumpster. Where does the box end up? How does it get there? Perhaps most importantly, how long will it stay there? First, waste management workers arrive in a side-loading trash truck. Twice a week, they transfer the contents of the dumpster— including your box—into their vehicle. After finishing their rounds, they take that load of municipal solid waste to a transfer station. At the station, the load from one truck joins loads from other trucks. “They push it all into a pit where it’s compacted and loaded onto a semi-truck,” explains Hooper. The semi then takes the trash to the landfill. At the landfill, Hooper points out a large semi unloading bales of trash. It opens the back end, and compacted trash slowly gets pushed out, like toothpaste from a tube. “That’s one of our transfer trucks. If all our side-loaders came out here, we’d be backed up forever,” Hooper says. The bales of trash drop to the ground. Then a vehicle right out of Mad Max goes to work. It’s called a landfill compactor, and its operator uses a dozer blade to spread the trash, then massive spiked steel wheels to crush it as much as possible. The compactor back and forth all day long. Garbage gets flattened. Plastic trash bags get ripped to shreds. A flock of gulls, predictably, circles overhead. But the compactor isn’t just moving around randomly. “To compact the trash properly, you’ve got to push it properly, you’ve got to spread it properly,” says Hooper. “There’s a lot of technique involved if you’re going to do it right.” As the spiked wheels crush and tear organic garbage beneath the weight of the machine, the decomposition process begins.

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spray made from recycled paper and cardboard. It’s fire retardant, and it keeps everything from blowing away,” Hooper says. As any Amarillo resident would understand, wind provides a major challenge to landfill management. “I have friends all over the state in the solid waste business who ask, ‘Why do y’all worry about wind so much?’ Because they don’t have to,” explains Hooper. “In the Austin area, it’s no big deal. They set a dollar bill on the hood of a car and it won’t blow away. Out here, just wait 20 minutes and someone in Canadian finds that dollar bill.” To help combat the problem, landfill workers use portable landfill fences, also known as litter fences. According to Hooper, “We move those fences to match the wind and catch the windblown trash. The higher we get on a cell, the harder it is to control that. With a new cell that’s down low, wind is much easier to handle.” Amarillo residents can help, too. “The biggest thing that helps us,” says Hooper, “is when you bag your trash. It’s actually in the ordinance that your trash has to be bagged when it goes into the dumpsters. Because during the process of going into the trash trucks and to the transfer station— anytime that it makes a move and there’s wind—everything loose is gone. Then people complain because their alleys are full of trash. When people bag their trash, that helps us big time.”

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COLLECTING AND MONITORING There’s no trash yet in the new Cell 10, which is still being readied for use. Pipes remain visible at the bottom. The pipes function as a leachate collection system. In solid waste management, a leachate is any liquid containing possibly harmful materials “leached” from garbage in a landfill. “We have water monitoring wells all the way around the cells,” explains Hooper. “We send those tests quarterly to TCEQ, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Just to show them that everything’s clear.” Liquids aren’t the only issue. “We have another collection system that collects all the methane gas in these cells,” says Hooper. “That’s how we know we’re getting decomposition, because it creates a lot of gas. That methane is sent over to a flare and gets burned off.” TCEQ requires unused methane be flared off, reducing its environmental impact. Could the methane be used for anything productive? “That’s a question that we get all the time,” says Hooper. “The problem is getting it in a pipeline to get it sold. We’ve had several groups come in and analyze that. For now, no one’s bringing a new pipeline to the landfill.” The costs currently outweigh the possible benefits. A crucial layer of protection rests below the leachate and methane collection systems and enveloping the entire cell: the geo-synthetic clay liner, a type of flexible membrane liner. Hooper explains, “It’s a bentonite clay layer that goes down on top of the subsoil. We cover the liner with a protective layer of dirt to protect it from getting punctured.” Bentonite clay absorbs liquids as it expands to many times its original size, sealing everything away inside the cells of the landfill.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE As construction nears completion on the landfill’s fifth active cell, questions linger. How long will Cell 10 last? As Amarillo continues to grow, can the landfill keep up? Donny Hooper says we don’t need to worry. “We don’t have a growth component that bothers us out here. We’re big enough to handle the waste that’s coming.” In fact, he says we’re already taking waste from neighboring towns who contract with Amarillo because they don’t have their own landfills. Based on its active and unused cells, Amarillo’s current landfill should remain viable for at least 100 years. Even with that buffer, the Solid Waste Division diverts everything it can

TIRED OF TIRES When asked what the people of Amarillo should stop putting in their dumpsters, Hooper instantly provides an answer: tires! Tires take up extra space, don’t break down easily, and contain heavy metals. Even the massive landfill compactor can’t do anything about whole tires. “When a load comes in at the transfer station, there’s a worker who literally has to walk out into that and pull tires out of it,” he says. “We have to take tires and separate them from the waste stream.” If your tire repair place won’t dispose of old tires for you, they can be delivered directly to the landfill. Just don’t toss them in the dumpster.

“

WE DON’T HAVE A GROWTH COMPONENT THAT BOTHERS US OUT HERE. WE’RE BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE WASTE THAT’S COMING IN.

”

—DONNY HOOPER

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DONNY HOOPER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, CITY OF AMARILLO

from the cells. For instance, they use composting to break down some of our city’s waste. “We bring items from our brush sites,” says Hooper, “and contractors know how to bring in trees and shrubs. It has to be separated when it comes out to the landfill. If a load is mixed and there are trees in it along with trash and tires, it has to go into a cell. We educate people to divert as much waste as we can.” What about expanding recycling options? “We get asked all the time, ‘Why do we not have a full-fledged recycling program here?’ And it’s simply because of the cost,” he says. “You think about how many routes we run with trash trucks. We would have to run those same routes with recycling trucks. We’re not opposed to doing it, but it would basically double the cost. It’s $250,000 a truck and you’re going to have to buy 40 trucks. It’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of upfront investment.” That’s not to say that the city doesn’t offer recycling options. Remember our cardboard box from earlier? Hooper would rather it be recycled. “We offer cardboard recycling locations all over town,” says Hooper. “We’ve got a great partnership with KB Recycling. If all of that cardboard went in [the landfill], we’d fill up that much faster. Then we’ve got to build another cell. Anything we can keep out of here helps us. Using the cardboard recycling locations is a great option people can take advantage of easily.” In an efficiently managed city, residential trash probably should be “out of sight and out of mind.” But that’s only the case because a team of people—people like Hooper, Rivera and 150 other solid waste employees—look at it and think about it every day of the year. They’re experts at talking trash and the city is better for it.

e l e va t e y o u r p l a t e WITH RUTHIE LANDELIUS

A C U L I N A R Y J O U R N E Y TO B E G I N ANEW IN 2024

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s we bid adieu to 2023 and step into the welcoming embrace of a fresh new year and chapter of our lives, there’s one ritual I’ve come to know will travel with me to 2024 and beyond. That is the ritual of fostering a healthy habit of self-care that resonates through all five of my senses. Whether this past year has been a symphony of triumphs or a melancholy melody of challenges, allow the kitchen to become your sanctuary, offering solace and nourishment for both body and soul.

Before delving into the culinary balm for those who have faced hardships, I’d like to make a toast to those who thrived in 2023. New Year’s Eve is behind us, but let’s raise a glass once more to those who soared through last year and triumphed. Whether it was a career milestone, personal achievement, or newfound happiness, congrats to you, my friend. Savor that success and acknowledge the fruits of your labor! For those grappling with loss and unwelcome change, the prospect of a new year can be downright daunting. Full disclosure: 2023 proved to be one of my most difficult years, but I found my way back to a therapeutic haven that has never let me down—my kitchen. What better place to utilize and treat your five senses? The best recipe for engaging your senses while you cook is through the process itself. Let your eyes choose those gorgeous, colorful ingredients flirting with you in the produce section! Red bell peppers (wrinkle-free, of course), vibrant green arugula, or a beautiful pomegranate will definitely get your creative juices flowing. Take them home and transform them into something fantastic. The most important part of it all is to infuse your workspace with an air of calmness and serenity. For your ears, pop on music to fit the mood you’re in while you cook. Or how about listening to the sounds of chopping, simmering and stirring? Knead homemade pasta dough or massage marinades into your veggies or proteins to connect with your sense of touch. Do I even need to mention smell and taste? If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh herbs, lightly rub them to release their natural aroma and add them along with delectable seasonings to your dish. Soups and stews still satisfy in this cold weather, so throw those into your pot!

TH E T HERAPEUTIC P OWER OF CO OKING T HROU GH GRIEF

If you’ve suffered through loss and grief in 2023, there are ways to heal. You guessed it, the act of conscious cooking is a strong first. • Ritual and Routine: Establishing a cooking routine provides a sense of stability and purpose. Creating a meal becomes a ritual, allowing you to focus on the present moment and immerse yourself in a productive task. The habit needs nurturing, for sure.

It’ll take practice, but once you get into the groove, it’ll become second nature and something you’ll look forward to after a long day of work. • Expression of Creativity: Cooking becomes a canvas for creative expression, allowing you to channel emotions into flavors. Have you ever heard of a recipe called Angry Chicken? It’s packed with spiciness! Take your feels into the kitchen with you. You’ll be surprised at what you create with those in mind. And, believe it or not, experimenting with recipes becomes a great exercise for navigating the uncertainties of life and working through big feelings and emotions. • Mindful Distraction: Engaging in the step-by-step process of cooking can distract you from overwhelming thoughts and, in turn, settle your brain static and calm your very core. Immerse yourself in the present moment, go back to the basics of your five senses, and focus on the sensory experience of it all. Bust out that cookbook you bought four years ago, and loosen the binding! • Nourishment Beyond the Plate: Food isn’t just about physical sustenance. Cooking can be a great way to build connection and community. That recipe handed down from your grandmother (you know the one) is your escape to finding warmth and solace. Don’t focus on dietary restrictions—simply balance nourishing meals with those comfort foods that feel like the biggest, warm hug you’ll ever receive. It’s a new year with new possibilities, healthy healing, and endless opportunities. May your year be infused with the transformative power of cooking, nurturing both body and soul. You’re in charge, m’dear. Now go get it.

R U T H I E L AN D E L I U S Ruthie owns Black Fig Catering and is proprietor of a food blog at blackfigfood.com. Learn more about her online classes at blackfigfoodprograms.com.

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C H A M O M I L E L AV E N D E R D R E AM T E A 1 chamomile tea bag 1 drop lavender extract or ½ teaspoon lavender buds 1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon lemon juice A pinch of ground cinnamon Brew the chamomile by boiling 1 cup water. Pour it over the chamomile tea bag and dried lavender buds in a heatproof mug. Let it steep for 5 to 7 minutes to infuse the flavors. Remove the tea bag and lavender buds. To sweeten, stir in honey, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, sprinkle with a small pinch of cinnamon, and enjoy. Makes 1 serving

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LESLIE MASSEY AGENCY

’Shroom Boom J A N/ F E B 2 0 2 4

Mike Dia serves up locally cultivated mushrooms to local restaurants

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t started with a YouTube video. Independent local contractor Mike Dia has always had a do-it-yourself mindset, and when he watched an instruction video about cultivating mushrooms at home, he saw opportunity. “I’ve always had an interest in different types of things. I thought I could probably give it a shot,” he says. Foraging for mushrooms in a dry climate like ours isn’t very productive, but growing them at home is possible by carefully introducing light and humidity at the appropriate points in the cultivation process. So in 2018, Dia bought a starter kit—a block of nutrient-rich substrate colonized by mushroom spores—and followed its instructions. It wasn’t very exciting at first. “For a while, nothing was happening,” he remembers. He left the substrate in a warm, dark, humid environment. But then the magic started to happen. “There were mushrooms growing out of it. I got hooked,” he says. He began repeating the process, experimenting with different substrates—he mostly uses hardwood sawdust and fireplace pellets—and attempting to grow different varieties of mushrooms. Before long, he’d mastered the learning curve. Dia was producing more mushrooms than he and his wife could consume. So he approached Jessica Higgins at Girasol Cafe & Bakery, knowing that she valued locally grown produce. She said yes, and he sold some to her. Then Dia started visiting other locally owned

restaurants. They were interested, too. “When I first started growing, I was doing it for a hobby,” he says. “But no one else was doing it.” Especially not at a commercial level. Today, his small enterprise, Majestic Mushrooms, delivers freshly grown mushrooms to nearly a dozen local businesses, from high-end restaurants like Savor, O.H.M.S. and Crush to Dong Phuong Oriental Market on Amarillo Boulevard. Dia still works full time as a contractor but dedicates hours to his mushroom business on nights and weekends. At this point, he delivers up to 100 pounds of mushrooms every week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and is looking into ways to expand further. He sells a variety of mushrooms, though his most popular and common mushrooms are Blue Oysters—one of the easiest varieties for him to grow. He’s cornered the market. “If somebody here wants to order fresh mushrooms,” he says, “they have to come through me.” Dia says every type of edible mushroom has a distinct flavor, though that’s much easier to distinguish when you eat it whole. “You can’t always tell at a restaurant, especially when it’s cut up in small pieces,” he says. “They all cook up a little differently and each one has its own [health] benefits.” The most common types of store-bought mushrooms are button mushrooms (sometimes known as white mushrooms). But Dia cultivates other varieties, and shared with Brick & Elm some of his favorites.

kitch

Chestnut

Shiitake

The intense, smoky flavor of these popular mushrooms makes them staples in Asian cuisine. When cooked, they have a slightly chewy texture. In fact, food enthusiasts sometimes substitute Shiitake mushrooms for meat in certain dishes. This variety has been cultivated for centuries in East Asia for both food and medicinal purposes, and has been studied for its potential to lower cholesterol.

King Trumpet

Similar in shape to White Button mushrooms, these have a darker, chestnut-brown cap. They are firm when cooked and more flavorful than other varieties, which is why they are often used in recipes where mushrooms are a primary ingredient. “These grow in clusters with little tufts on [the cap],” Dia says. “They’re like something you’d see in Alice in Wonderland.”

The distinctive appearance of this type of oyster mushroom sets it apart from others, due to its thick white stem and small brown cap. The stem is known for a hearty, chewy texture that mimics meat and absorbs other flavors well. Like Shiitake mushrooms, King Trumpets often serve as beef substitutes in vegetarian or vegan recipes. These are some of the largest naturally growing mushrooms.

While most local restaurants have a standing order for delivery of Blue Oyster mushrooms, Dia lets them know when he has cultivated other varieties like the others previously listed. He is also starting to experiment with growing more medicinal mushrooms—like the Reishi variety. These have a tough, woody texture that makes them unlikely to be used as food. But they have been part of traditional

Asian medicine for years, thought to boost the immune system and improve sleep. “It’s a more bitter flavor, but you can use them to make extracts or teas,” he says. In addition to local restaurants, Dia has sold his products at farmers markets and on Facebook as Majestic Mushrooms.

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Lion’s Mane

One of the most visually unique mushrooms Dia cultivates, the cap of this variety has a white, shaggy “mane” of tendrils. “It grows in clusters, almost like cauliflower,” says Dia. “It doesn’t even look like a mushroom.” He says these have a meaty texture very similar to seafood—think lobster or crab—and may have health benefits like reducing inflammation and promoting brain health.

Piopinni

Also known as Black Poplar mushrooms, this dark brown variety is common in Italian cuisine and known for an earthy, robust flavor that can add depth to a dish and pair well with garlic and wine. They have long, slender white stems and a smooth cap. “It’s a slightly nutty flavor,” he says, pointing out that Pioppini mushrooms are an especially good source of protein, B vitamins and potassium.

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Oyster Mushrooms

“These grow really well,” Dia says, and that’s why these represent the vast majority of the mushrooms he sells to local restaurants. Known for their delicate, velvety texture and savory flavor, these are popular in Asian cooking. They grow in layers of wide, thin caps that truly look like oysters. You can find them in a variety of colors—pink, brown, white—but Dia mostly grows the Blue Oyster variety, named for their grayish-blue cap. “Most chefs don’t care whether it’s blue or brown,” he says. “They’re not demanding a specific color.”

FINANCIAL E

veryone has long-term financial goals, but not everyone has the time or economic literacy to navigate the landscape of personal finance. That’s where financial professionals come in. From bankers to insurance reps to wealth advisors, these experts have the knowledge to help locals make better decisions, build wealth, and secure a financially stable future.

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Wealth Management Department

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FirstBank Southwest

What kinds of services does your team provide? The Wealth Management Department at FirstBank Southwest provides Trust and Estate Management, 401k Retirement Plan Services, and Investment Management for Agency and IRA accounts. What is your bank’s investment philosophy? We believe prudent, long-term investing is key to achieving your financial goals. We work to construct efficient, multi-asset class portfolios. This means we are building balanced, well-diversified investment strategies. Markets can be unpredictable, so we are focused on things we can control—such as diversification, understanding that risk and reward are connected, staying focused on the long term and keeping expenses, turnover and taxes as low as possible. Putting these things first allows us to reduce the volatility of our portfolios and realize financial success. What sets your business apart from competitors? As a trust company, we are held to the highest level of standard: the fiduciary standard. We always put the client first. We are not commissioned salespeople, which allows us to have complete objectivity. As a local community bank, FirstBank Southwest can make swift decisions, and we devote the time to provide the customer service our clients deserve. Related to your expertise, what are the most common financial challenges you see for local residents? One of the most common challenges is simply getting started. Taking the first steps in your investment journey can be the most difficult. For some people, that means putting together a budget that allows them to save and invest for the future. For others, it is deciding how much to contribute to their 401k. My advice is get started and gradually work upward toward the ultimate goal. Market volatility is another challenge. The ups and downs of the market can make investors nervous. We are dedicated to building each client portfolio based on an appropriate risk level. We can’t always predict the next market downturn, so we want to be prepared in advance. The intent is to help our clients weather the downturns so they’re in the markets when things improve.

TODD WETSEL, INVESTMENT OFFICER

What’s one simple step in financial planning you often recommend? Stay disciplined. Markets can be volatile, but that’s why they have higher long-term returns. As simple as it sounds, you must be in the markets to achieve market returns. Don’t sacrifice long-term results by panicking or looking for temporary relief. Stay the course. What should a client look for in a financial advisor? A financial advisor should have experience with a variety of markets, as well as experience with clients that have similar needs and goals as you do. Advisors should communicate regularly and be able to explain in layman’s terms how market events will impact your portfolio. They should provide complete transparency about their fee structure and any potential conflicts that may exist.

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Leslie Massey

Farmers Insurance

FINANCIAL

What are your focus areas? We offer a variety of life insurance solutions to fit your specific needs and budget, including term life insurance and more permanent coverage plans, such as Farmers Index Universal Life. What training have you completed? I have been offering life insurance since I started my agency in 2009. As life insurance agents with Farmers, my team and I are required to stay current with training on the products we offer. Our life and financial licenses require continuing education, as well. What sets you apart from competitors? We genuinely care about our clients. We often see our clients after they’ve experienced a loss, and we are here for them. We take time to explain coverage options so our clients understand the policy they’ve chosen. We recommend coverage designed to give them the best protection in case something unexpected happens. And, we are dedicated to giving back to our community. I think that resonates with people. Related to your expertise, what are the most common challenges you see for local residents? Many people think that life insurance is expensive and a hassle. The application process has been streamlined and many policies are issued without requiring an underwriting exam. There are different types of policies to fit the needs and budget of our customers. What’s one simple piece of financial advice you find yourself sharing often? Get life insurance while you are young and healthy, and make sure the premiums are paid so the coverage doesn’t expire! Review your policies and your beneficiaries on a regular basis to make sure your coverage is up to date with your family’s needs. What might surprise people about what you do? Life insurance can have living benefits. There are policy options that can help save for a tax-free retirement or fund a business buy-sell agreement. My team is always happy to explain these options.

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Matt Ramsey

Senior Investment Officer

Amarillo National Bank What are your focus areas? Our main focus is leading clients to success. We do that by knowing our clients and by knowing their goals. Most people have retirement among their goals—they wonder if they have enough. Others wonder about to whom and how they should leave their wealth. We help them answer questions like these confidently. What certifications have you earned? In 2006, I earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. What sets you apart from competitors? Our ownership structure sets us apart. From the top down, we are centered around clients’ needs, not quarterly profits. This shapes the way our investment offerings are built. Related to your expertise, what are the most common financial challenges you see for local residents? People struggle to prioritize the funding of their retirement. Oftentimes, they don’t have a plan. We also see that people find it difficult to go from saving and accumulating assets—like they have done their whole lives—to living off those assets and passing them on to the next generation. What’s one simple piece of financial advice you find yourself sharing often? We often tell people to be deliberate with their decisions and to ask questions until they fully understand the task at hand. Having a plan that you understand and working with someone you trust to help you execute that plan are keys to financial success. What might surprise people about what you do? The financial markets and the economy are not as random as people think. There is a method to the madness. Like with most things, experience and the right tools can help make a daunting task achievable.

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Wood Financial

FINANCIAL

What kinds of services does your firm provide? We provide financial planning and investment advisory services for individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits. We serve thousands of clients in multiple states—from teenagers starting their first investment account to sophisticated investors with generational wealth challenges to small businesses in need of retirement plans. What is your firm’s investment philosophy? Ultimately, our goal is to increase every client’s level of financial peace. We accomplish that goal primarily through education and transparency regarding available options, fees, risks, rewards, etc. What sets your business apart from competitors? We try to differentiate in a couple areas. We strive to strike a balance between old school and cutting edge. We listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos, read books, listen to economists, and do our best to keep up with the latest trends in investing. However, we mostly communicate our findings with our clients in person. We work to be the most educated, most accessible, and most transparent financial planning firm out there. What are the most common financial challenges you see for local residents? Procrastination. I can’t think of a single 50-year-old I’ve met who didn’t wish they’d started getting serious about their money sooner. When it comes to the financial planning process, we see two common issues that cause people to procrastinate. The sheer volume of information available these days overwhelms even the most financially educated among us. Additionally, people generally hate sales pitches. So, fear of being strong-armed prevents the most important steps in the financial planning process from being initiated. What’s one simple step in financial planning you often recommend? We think you should budget time out of your schedule to focus on your finances. We recommend blocking off time on your calendar every week to devote to your financial future. Perhaps you watch a YouTube video about investing or read a book. Perhaps you brainstorm ways to increase your income. Use the time to create a budget … or learn what a budget is. Meet with a financial planner or look over your insurance policies. You’ll be surprised by the progress you make by being proactive rather than reactive. What should a client look for in a financial advisor? Ideally, this is a person you will trust to encourage you in good decisions and push back against poor decisions. You also want someone whose goal is to educate you about options rather than sell you on products. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth. Additional insurance services offered through Wood Financial, which is not affiliated with Osaic Wealth, Inc. or registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor.

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JAKE WOOD, JEFF WHELCHEL, JOSH WOOD AND STEVE WOOD

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FINANCIAL

Chris Wright

Wright Wilmarth Byrd, PLLC What kinds of services does your firm provide? Our firm offers services in several different areas: estate planning and probate; business law (creation of entities, buying and selling of entities); labor and employment law; family law and general civil litigation. What sets your practice apart from competitors? We do our best to over-communicate with clients. One of the main complaints you hear about lawyers is that they are not responsive to their clients or take an inordinate amount of time to respond to requests. In addition to our lawyers, our staff is empowered to contact clients to answer questions or track down answers from the responsible attorney. Many times, clients just want a response, even if you don’t have an answer. As an attorney, what do you enjoy most about estate planning and probate? I enjoy the planning part of the process the most. I tell clients I would rather help them stay out of trouble than get out of trouble. Careful and thoughtful planning can go a long way toward achieving that. What might surprise local residents about estate planning? Your spouse doesn’t automatically get everything when you die if you don’t have a will or revocable trust in place. Many people assume that the spouse gets everything, but if you die without a will, Texas law may split your assets between your spouse and children, regardless of if they are the children of your spouse or not. Of course, you have the opportunity to avoid that outcome with a well-crafted estate plan. What are the most common estate planning challenges your clients face? Deciding who will be the guardian of minor-aged children is one of the most difficult decisions, especially if the spouses have a different desire. Another challenge people often have trouble with is naming an executor. Who you can trust and who would be willing to take on the responsibility are major questions that cause difficulty in making that decision. What advice do you regularly give clients about the probate process? That the avoidance of probate in Texas is not in and of itself a reason to complicate an estate plan. There are many professionals or other businesses selling estate-planning products with fear tactics about the probate process. The truth is, if you have a well-crafted estate plan, the independent probate process in Texas is generally not a lengthy or stressful process unless the beneficiaries decide to fight, or if there are complicated assets in the estate. If someone is trying to scare you about the probate process, they are trying to sell you something.

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2501 I-40 East 806.877-1600 westernhorsemanclub.com

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Now, prominent local chef Rory Schepisi has taken on the task of breathing new life into The Western Horseman Club. It’s part of her own history. A New Jersey native, Schepisi arrived in Amarillo in 2005 as a contestant on the CMT show Popularity Contest, filmed in Vega. She fell in love with the Panhandle and has remained here ever since. The original Western Horseman Club was one of the first places she visited in Amarillo. “I heard country music and I came up to this wooden door in a hotel lobby. I walked in and saw cowboy hats, people sliding across the dance floor—I’d never seen anyone two-step. It was such a magical experience that first time walking through those doors.” She was saddened to watch the bar and restaurant fall into obscurity, and when the opportunity arose, jumped at the chance to breathe new life into it. “I want it to be a place where people 30 and up can come have dinner, watch a show, hear a band. Amarillo doesn’t have a supper club. We’re trying to bring it back,” she says. The bar is open already, Wednesdays through Saturdays. The restaurant will launch in mid-January, and Schepisi has transformed the once-dingy, sprawling space with a swanky, modern-saloon vibe. The restaurateur says she was inspired by Gary Stewart’s song “Cactus and a Rose,” about a cowboy and city girl coming together. The new space pairs elegance and beauty with a little western grit. The menu will be a little more western-focused than Drunken Oyster and Savor, her other upscale restaurants, with price points below Drunken Oyster’s. Options include Angus Beef burgers and sandwiches, Prime Certified Angus Beef steaks, chicken-fried steak, catfish and more. For Brick & Elm, Schepisi served a tomahawk steak with maple-bacon Brussels sprouts. mac-and-cheese, and a smoking rosemary sprig, plus Akaushi Beef sliders sourced from a local rancher. Another draw is the bar, which stocks 135 different types of bourbon and scotch—including extraordinarily rare, highly coveted options like 12-year Pappy Van Winkle, the 26-year-old Heaven’s Door Bootleg Series, and Whistlepig Boss Hog X “The Ten Commandments” Straight Rye. Schepisi says she’s amassing the largest restaurant whiskey selection in the Panhandle. “It’s not your momma’s Western Horseman Club anymore,” she says, laughing.

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n the 1980s, The Western Horseman Club was one of the hottest country-and-western bars in the city, located in the La Kiva Hotel west of AQHA on Interstate 40. The three-story hotel and its unique atrium had declined in the decades since, until new ownership and a revitalization of the hotel as the Cactus Cove Inn & Suites.

1887 SOCIAL HOUSE

The name refers to the year Amarillo was founded, but the atmosphere is way more modern than that. This lunch and dinner spot inside the downtown Embassy Suites specializes in small bites. There’s a full restaurant setting, but the spacious, trendy bar area gets the most traffic. 550 S. Buchanan St., 806.803.5504, hilton.com $$

575 PIZZERIA

Owned by an Amarillo native, the two local 575 locations (plus a food truck) serve the best pizza in the city. Locals rave about the incomparably thin crust, the way the thin-sliced pepperoni crisps up in the oven, and the fresh ingredients. Their easy to-go ordering includes craft beer and wine by the bottle. 2803 Civic Circle/ 7710 Hillside Road, Suite 700/1204 N. Western St., 806.322.5575, 575pizzeria.com $$

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ALOHA KITCHEN

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best cheese fries in Amarillo. 6045 SW 34th Ave., 806.358.6808, bunsovertexas.com $

CAFE MARIZON

Lots of nostalgia here, from the daily desserts (BTS cake!) to the historic photos and Amarillo memorabilia on the walls. The downhome burgers are favorites, served on homemade bread. Try the French dip, the spicy chicken salad, or lunch specials like the green chile pie. 6151 Hillside Road, 806.352.2046, cafemarizon.com $$

CASK & CORK

The rooftop patio in southwest Amarillo offers unparalleled views of Panhandle sunsets. It’s also a great spot for live music and cocktails. And while we love the shareable apps, we’re most impressed by the attentive service here. Every employee seems eager to please. 5461 McKenna Square, Suite 101, 806.410.1113, caskncorkamarillo.com $$

Spam is on the menu at Aloha Kitchen, an authentic Hawaiian eatery located inside From 6th Collective in Bushland. A former food truck, Aloha Kitchen serves breakfast items like Moons Over Spammy, a breakfast sandwich with Spam, and egg and cheese on delectable malasada, a type of frybread. The Aloha Kitchen menu changes frequently, so check the menu before you visit. 18100 I-40 West, 806.557.8036 $

CRACKIN’ CRAB

ASIAN BISTRO

THE DRUNKEN OYSTER

Here’s what we know: A Hey Amarillo guest of Laotian descent identified this spot on the Boulevard, across from Sonic, as her absolute favorite place for Asian food in Amarillo. It serves Lao, Thai and Vietnamese dishes and its pho is among the best in town. 1006 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.418.6143 $

BEEF BURGER BARREL

Hands-down this is the most unique restaurant design in Amarillo, and this classic walk-up joint has held down the same spot since 1952. You can’t miss it. Because, y’all, it’s a giant white barrel. Not in the mood for beef and/or burgers? Try a fish, ham or grilled cheese sandwich. 3102 Plains Blvd., 806.374.0101 $

BENJAMIN’S DONUTS & BAKERY

Local folks are serious about donuts, and there is definitely a “Benjamin’s donuts or no donuts at all” camp. Benjamin’s is familyowned and -operated, and you won’t find a bad option on the menu—from donuts to the pastries, kolaches, breakfast sandwiches and burritos. 7003 Bell St., 806.353.1100/1800 Western St., 806.803.1133 $

BUNS OVER TEXAS

“Amarillo, your buns are up!” This no-frills burger joint with the embarrassing announcements has locations elsewhere in the state, but started in Amarillo in 1989. Build your own burger, quench your thirst from a huge variety of iced tea, and don’t forget the

With locations in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Amarillo—not exactly obvious seafood destinations—this growing seafood boil chain brings Cajun flavor to the southwest. The house oysters are spicy and the servers are friendly. Locals recommend ordering the bread to soak up all the butter and delicious seasonings. 3350 Soncy Road, 806.437.1555, crackincrab.com $$ The opulent, moody atmosphere of the Drunken Oyster feels like you’ve stepped out of the Panhandle and into the heart of the bayou. The Louisiana-style cuisine never disappoints, from the fresh oysters to the jambalaya and crawfish étouffée. It’s also a great spot for live music. 7606 SW 45th Ave., Suite 100, 806.418.6668, drunkenoysteramarillo.com $$

EL BRACERO MEXICAN GRILL

This family-owned restaurant has multiple locations but this one on Grand is the original and legendary for authentic Mexican comida. Appropriately, it’s painted red on the outside and green on the inside. We recommend the carne asada or spicy green chile enchiladas. 2116 S. Grand St., 806.373.4788 $$

EL GIRO

A small, under-the-radar favorite for authentic Mexican food— not Tex-Mex—in west Amarillo. El Giro is well-known for its inexpensive tacos, including a huge taco box order with a dozenplus tacos. Very much a go-to order for office meetings and small events. Look for their food truck on the Boulevard. 1800 Bell St., 806.318.3859 $

FLAMINGO’S LATIN BAR & GRILL

Located in an old Taco Villa building, this locally owned lunch-anddinner spot offers traditional Mexican dishes with Latin American flair. The birria tacos and barbacoa tacos are customer favorites,

This is not a comprehensive list of local restaurants. From issue to issue, we will try to include a wide variety of dining options based on the space available. If you notice an error, please email mm@brickandelm.com.

$ $$ $$$

Most entrees under $10 Most entrees $11 to $20 Most entrees over $21

f+d FURRBIE’S

The owners at Furrbie’s are quirky and fun, the burgers are delicious, and the desserts are definitely worth the extra calories. But the best thing about this downtown lunch stop is the fact that they’ve figured out how to replicate Char-Kel’s cheese fritters from the 1980s and ’90s. YES. 210 SW Sixth Ave., 806.220.0841 $

GOONEY’S

The recent growth of downtown restaurants hasn’t stopped Gooney’s from thriving. This mainstay on Polk has been around for years in the setting of an old department store. The inventive panAsian food is amazing—locals love the kimchi fries and wontons— but get ready to wait a while for your meal. Full bar. 705 S. Polk St., 806.367.9585 $

GREEN CHILE WILLY’S GRILL

Watch your food and noodles being prepared thanks to the open kitchen. Stop by for lunch. It shuts down mid-afternoon but re-opens in time for dinner. Most days. Closed on weekends. 3309 Wimberly Road, 806.355.5031 $

INDIAN OVEN

Tikka bite at this long-standing Indian restaurant, where everything—from the homemade naan to each item in the lunch buffet—is worth a try. The samosas are crispy and the chicken vindaloo tangy. A number of meals are offered as vegan options. 2406 Paramount Blvd., 806.335.3600, indian-oven.com $$

JOE TACO

This Amarillo stand-by has a solid reputation for fast service and great Tex-Mex, with two Amarillo locations and one in Canyon. The bar and outdoor patio at the Wallace location, near the hospitals, are always hopping with live music on weekends. 7312 Wallace Blvd., 806.331.8226/600 S. Buchanan St., 806.350.8226, joetaco.net $$

This iconic location on I-27, tucked away between Amarillo and Canyon, is worth the short drive if you’re a fan of chicken-fried steak, country music, and a homespun family restaurant feel. The greenchile gravy is amazing, as are the hand-cut grilled steaks, burgers, and grilled chicken. 13651 I-27, 806.622.2200, greenchilewillys.com $$

KATHY’S KITCHEN

THE HANDLE BAR AND GRILL

LAS PARRILLADAS NORTEÑAS

HOFFBRAU STEAK & GRILL HOUSE

In Spanish, parrilladas refers to mixed grill items designed to feed

New Year Fresh Start

Locally owned for three decades, Hoffbrau is exactly the kind of steak place you’d expect to find in a city like ours—no-fuss and delicious. The I-40 location is both family-friendly and traveler-friendly, with Texas steaks, comfort food, outdoor dining and a separate bar area. 7203 I-40 West, 806.358.6595, hoffbrausteakandgrill.com $$

HOUSE OF DONUTS

Amarillo loves its donuts, and this little indie stop on North Grand has a faithful following, served fresh by an always-friendly team. Moms and dads will love the colorful gourmet options kids go crazy for, as well as more grown-up treats like kolaches, breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos. 1615 N. Grand St., 806.803.0845 $

ICHIBAN NOODLE BAR & ASIAN CUISINE

If you want ramen in Amarillo, look no further. Ichiban is so wonderful and … so rarely open.

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Yes, it’s a biker bar, but don’t let the fact that you drive a Subaru keep you from this Texas-style comfort food. The fried bologna sandwiches are *chef’s kiss* and the gigantic Bloody Mary might as well be a meal. The outdoor dining on Sixth Street really gets our motors running. 3514 SW Sixth Ave., 806.803.9538, thehandlebarandgrillamarillo. webs.com $

Breakfast is drive-thru only from 5 to 8 a.m., then the dining area opens at 10 a.m. for breakfast and lunch only. The northeast Loop location and homestyle food are perfect for drives up to Lake Meredith/Borger or northeast to Pampa. Low prices and generous portions. 4517 Highway 136, 806.268.1465 $

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as is the dessert menu. Local foodies rave about this place. 701 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.367.7304 $

Refresh your closet now for a clean start to the new year!

Three locations to serve you | uscleanersamarillo.com

more than one person. This is definitely the case here, with northern Mexico cuisine served with impressive presentation, including a lot of seafood. Customers love the buffet with traditional Mexican entrees and sides. 1706 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.418.8321 $$

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LUPITA’S

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PHO 84

In a city with few traditional Vietnamese options, Pho 84 is a local favorite. We love the pho, of course, but you also won’t go wrong with the spring rolls, dumplings, curry and other Asian fusion dishes. Plus: Vietnamese coffee. 5713 SW 34th Ave., 806.437.1626 $

The original Lupita’s tortilleria is home to the best tortillas, burritos and tamales in town—that means something in Amarillo—and this family restaurant has now expanded to multiple locations. Some are takeout only. All are good. So good. For holiday tamales, order early! 4013 SE 10th Ave., 806.372.3537/2403 Hardin Drive, 806.350.7637/1706 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.350.7614/ 1901 SE 11th St., 806.350.7398/2801 SE 27th, 806.418.6476/ 1007 Ross St./3309 Bell St., 806.350.7297 $

PIZZA PLANET

MARIA’S COCINA MEXICANA

PUBLIC HOUSE

This little hole-in-the-wall on 10th is close to downtown in the heart of the Barrio. There’s not a ton of parking, but if you can find a place you’ll enjoy authentic Mexican dishes like fresh tamales, menudo, chile verde, and traditional enchiladas. Warning: Maria means it when she says her hot sauce is hot. 1316 SE 10th Ave., 806.373.8841 $

MY THAI

We don’t know exactly what’s in the ranch dressing at Pizza Planet, but we are hopelessly addicted to it. The pizza at this Amarillo original may be legendary, but locals swear on the chef salad, which is piled high with fresh grated cheese, shredded Canadian bacon and black olives. 2400 Paramount Blvd., 806.353.6666/6801 Bell St., Suite 100, 806.352.6666, pizzaplanet.com/335 E. Hastings Ave., 806.381.2333, amarillopizzaplanet.com $$ Known for one of the best brunches in town, this southwest side hangout boasts inventive cuisine and an upscale, service-oriented atmosphere. The Happy Hour menu is extraordinary, as are the whiskey and wine lists. Give one of the daily bar and food specials a try. 3333 S. Coulter St., 806.398.7777, publichouseamarillo.com $$

RED RIVER STEAKHOUSE

One of the original Thai food restaurants in a city famous for them. My Thai has been family-owned since 1986 and is absolutely a local favorite. In fact, My Thai is probably the standard for comparing the quality of the rest of the city’s Thai restaurants. Lunch specials daily. 2029 Coulter St., 355.9541, mythaiamarillo.com $

It’s not hard to find a decent steak in the Panhandle, so when a local steakhouse earns a reputation for its hand-cut steaks, you pay attention. The Amarillo version of the owner’s original Red River Steakhouse in McLean, this old-fashioned establishment may be one of the area’s best-kept secrets. 4332 SW 45th Ave., 806.316.5082, redriversteakhouse.net $$

NORTH HEIGHTS DISCOUNT & CAFE

ROCKET BREWS

OHMS CAFE & BAR

ROLL-EM-UP TAQUITOS

PACIFIC RIM

ROOSTERS CAFE

If you’ve ever thought twice about dining inside a convenience store, this will change your mind. This place serves some of the best soul food in the city. It’s known for huge portions—the nachos probably weigh three pounds—as well as its ribs, pork chops, fried catfish and breakfast items. 1621 NW 18th Ave., 806.418.6751 $ The Fuller family has operated this eatery for more than 30 years, and it consistently offers Amarillo’s best fine dining. We love the bar area and outdoor patio, as well as its buffet-style lunch and weekly specials from Chef Josh Fuller. Pro tip: The Bar Burger is the best burger in town. 619 S. Tyler St., 806.373.3233, ohmscafe.com $$-$$$ This longtime establishment on Paramount is one of our favorites, thanks to its excellent Asian-Fusion cuisine and huge portions. We love the build-your-own stir fry options and speedy delivery. Pay attention to the menu’s spiciness levels, though. Level 5 (“Hurting”) is no joke. 2061 Paramount Blvd., 806.353.9179, pacificrimam.com $

PANCHO VILLA RESTAURANT

Amarillo’s other restaurant with “Villa” in the name, this small place in River Road has exactly as much legacy and character as the fauxwood paneling suggests. Locals rave about the chips and salsa, along with the authentic barbacoa, enchiladas, menudo and low prices. 4601 River Road, 806.381.0105 $

Seemingly made for Instagram, this Boulevard location quietly built a loyal clientele. Then it got featured in Season 14 of the Texas Bucket List. Head there for to-go micheladas and daiquiris with Jalisco-style snack trays and bowls. Locally owned by Palo Duro grads. 1506 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.350.7830, rocketbrews.com $ Located on 45th across from United, this SoCal chain advertises itself as “the only taquito-focused franchise in the world.” If that doesn’t draw you in, the variety will. Choose among a half-dozen taquito ingredients (shredded beef, marinated chicken, avocado, etc.), then pair the crispy rolls with fresh toppings, dipping sauces, and sides. 5900 SW 45th Ave., 806.803.2925, rollemup.com $ This coffee, breakfast and lunch stop near 34th and Bell is quietly one of the best dessert places in the city. (That apple pie: Whoa.) But the quiche, sandwiches, soups, and salads are also worth an order. Be advised: The dining room fills up quickly for lunch, but we love the cute outdoor area. 3440 S. Bell St., Unit 110, 806.353.7309, silver-fork.com $

SAVÓR TAPAS BAR

Amarillo has needed a true tapas bar, and finally it’s here. A product of Chef Rory Schepisi, Savor offers a swanky, modern vibe in the Greenways, with a full bar and a delicious selection of smallbite plates. Order a bunch of everything for the table, and don’t

f+d forget the dessert. 7669 Hillside Road, Suite, 600, 806.310.2600, savortapasbar.com $$

especially the baby-back ribs, brisket and—yep—the beans. 6406 River Road, 806.381.2893 $

SCOTT’S OYSTER BAR

YCSF CRAFT

SHI LEE’S BARBECUE & SOUL FOOD CAFE

YOUNGBLOOD’S CAFE

SIX CAR PUB & BREWERY

X– STEAKHOUSE

One of the best things to hit downtown since the Sod Poodles, this Polk Street restaurant is known for its craft beers, amazing outdoor patio and rooftop, and its trendy vibe. The Nashville chicken sandwich is one of the best in the city. Like IPAs? Make Good Choices. 625 S. Polk St., 806.576.3396, sixcarpub.com $$

TEDDY JACK’S ARMADILLO GRILL

With a vast, no-frills menu, this regional restaurant concept was created by former NFL safety and Texas Tech standout Curtis Jordan, who turned to the food biz after retiring in the 1980s. The outdoor area is great and so is the brick-oven pizza. A fun place to watch the big game. 5080 S. Coulter St., 806.322.0113, teddyjacks.com $$

TOOM’S RESTAURANT

Experts know that a lot of “Thai” food actually has origins in Laos, and that fusion is on display at Toom’s, one of our favorite spots on the northeast side. The family owners are super friendly, the space is incredibly clean, and the authentic flavors pop. Get the sticky rice and beef jerky. 3416 NE 24th Ave., 806.381.2568 $

TYLER’S BARBEQUE

Amarillo has no shortage of authentic Texas barbecue, but Tyler’s always seems to be residents’ first choice. Maybe it’s because he’s got a reputation all over the Lone Star State. Or maybe it’s secretly because of the Frito pie and green chile stew. Plan ahead: Most menu items sell out. 3301 Olsen Blvd., 806.331.2271, tylersbarbeque.com $$

WESLEY’S BEAN POT & BBQ

River Road restaurants aren’t always on the radar of every local resident, but Wesley’s has been around forever and deserves its legendary reputation. Loyal customers return again and again for the genuine Texas-style barbecue,

An Amarillo classic, where you can grab a hearty breakfast starting every day at 6 a.m. or wait a few hours to try its illustrious chickenfried steaks. Our favorite thing at Youngblood’s? It’s gotta be the free banana pudding for dessert (while supplies last). 620 SW 16th Ave., 806.342.9411, youngbloodscafe.com $$ The name is a play on cattle brands—say “X-Bar”—and this Town Square steakhouse definitely knows beef. It’s locally owned, has a full bar, and the prices are extremely reasonable for such a swanky atmosphere. We hear great things about the weekend brunch, too. 9181 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1311, 806.322.4227, xbarsteakhouse.com $$-$$$

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We love this place. One of the owners calls his chicken-fried chicken the “comeback kid,” because if you order it, you’re guaranteed to come back. He’s right. But everything on the menu is good, especially for takeout given the small dining area. (The portions are always big, though.) 1213 SW Third Ave., 806.220.0032 $

It started as a “food truck without wheels” and now this street food experiment is one of the city’s favorite restaurants, and one of the only vegan/vegetarian places in town. Definitely try the animal fries and diablo shrimp tacos. The burgers, craft beer and wine list are all wonderful. 2916 Wolflin Ave., 806.353.9273, yellowcitystreetfood.com $

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There are dives and then there are places like Scott’s Oyster Bar, a legit, shackety-shack hidden in a mostly residential area off Paramount. This tiny place has been here forever, though the interior and menu have changed slightly since Scott sold it a few years ago. Fresh oysters, tasty shrimp creole and classic Amarillo hospitality. 4150 Paramount Blvd., 806.354.9110 $$

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1. To thank your customers. They know you’re a fantastic business. 2. Consumers today are looking for that added confidence! 3. A reminder of how great your company is! 4. It’s fast, easy and online! 5. Free publicity and a trophy, too! 6. To honor your employees.

7. Your company does the right thing and that matters. 8. The right to advertise your award indefinitely. 9. Your business deserves this recognition but cannot win unless you apply. 10. A fun celebration on Feb. 23 with dinner, awards, casino and lots of fun!

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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or some residents, the arrival of 2024 doesn’t just offer the usual hope of new experiences and fresh starts, but something even more special: marriage. As these local residents begin to plan their big day, we’ve dedicated this section to all things wedding and bridal, from the dress itself to the venue, flowers, photography and more. From grand ceremonies to more intimate celebrations, this carefully curated selection of local experts are ready to bring dream weddings to life.

[ SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ]

Goodin’s Jewelry What kinds of services does your team provide? We provide a variety of services including jewelry repair, full custom design, watch repair, and so much more. Goodin’s Jewelry is a full-service jewelry store. Our staff is ready to help with repairs, from simple to intricate, or to create the custom design of your dreams. We have a store full of dazzling jewelry. What interests or passions brought you to the jewelry industry? Our passion for everything jewelry brought us into the industry, and our love of helping customers has continued throughout the years. To see the smile on someone’s face when they find their perfect piece of jewelry is what makes our day. Our company started with Paul Goodin and his passion for the jewelry industry. Together, we continue to grow and offer new designs and brands to stay on trend. What bridal trends are big this year? Popular trends this year take us back to the original solitaire setting. More and more brides are choosing the classics, like a beautiful solitaire with a variety of band choices. Some brides like a traditional diamond band, while others go outside the box and design a custom band with colorful gems or unique cut stones. The options are endless, and it is always surprising to see what each bride or groom chooses. What sets your business apart from its competitors? Our service and our large variety of options set us apart from our competitors. Our willingness to go above and beyond to offer special orders keeps our customers smiling. What planning tip do you most often share with clients? Planning for an engagement or wedding is unique for each bride, so we offer guidance as we can. Whether you have two years or two weeks, we can help plan for any wedding or event. How do you help clients choose a ring style? Choosing the perfect ring can be a stressful event. We always try to make it more relaxing and enjoyable. We want the couple, groom, bride or anyone shopping to feel at home in our store. We love repeat customers who want to come back for any of their jewelry purchases in the future.

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Avant Garden What kinds of services does your team provide? Our team provides top-notch floral design, coordination, and the ability to bring your vision to life! What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? Simply put, we have a passion for beautiful things. We love creating magical spaces and seeing how they can help set the mood for the wedding. It’s such an honor to play a part in someone’s big day—and we don’t take that lightly! What bridal trends are big this year? We’ve seen two contrasting themes: “Bold and Bright” and “Simple and Romantic.” With both themes, we’re making flowing tablescapes rather than compact arrangements. Cake collars have become a popular addition, too! What sets your business apart from its competitors? Our team and vision set us apart from the rest. Our team has been doing weddings for a combined 30 years—we know what works and what doesn’t work in the chaos of a wedding. Avant Garden makes custom, specialty pieces for any event. Besides our vast knowledge, Avant Garden sources the freshest florals and stays up to date on wedding trends.

PHOTO BY ADRIENNE NEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

What planning tip do you most often share with clients? Our best tip is to book early. Most area vendors’ calendars fill up early, and it’s important to have plenty of time when planning your big day. How do you help clients choose a wedding style? The majority of the time, a bride comes to us with a vision or a color scheme—we take that slice of a vision and create a day beyond their wildest dreams! Most brides have been thinking about their wedding day since they were young, so we reign in all their ideas and make it a reality. We have a knack for making magic happen within their budget.

2475 I-40 WEST | 806.322.3598 AVANTGARDENAMARILLO.COM PHOTO BY ADRIENNE NEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Ruthette’s Bridal What kinds of services does your team provide? We call ourselves a destination bridal boutique, with a goal of having the perfect dress for any bride—no matter her style, size, timeline or budget. We carry designs exclusive to our store and offer styles that will make the bride stand out in exactly the way she has always dreamed of. Our stylists work by appointment, so we can help each bride through every step of the process. Starting with selecting which dresses to try on, getting in and out of every single one, narrowing down the favorites and helping visualize the whole picture on the wedding day, our stylists are with the bride every step of the way. What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? A mix of business, love and the joy of inspiring women fuels our drive in this industry. We were very young when we started—both 23-year-old wives and mothers. After going to DFW and OKC for our bridal shopping experiences, we wanted to bring something to the area that brides had not experienced before. It’s easy to get excited about wedding gowns, but what really excites us is seeing a bride find her confidence when she finds her dream dress. What bridal trends are big this year? This year, we are seeing a lot of clean and sleek looks with a little bit of flare here and there. 3D lace and full-textured skirts are on the opposite end of the spectrum, but also very popular. There is also a hint of color sneaking into wedding trends, not only in the florals and accents of decor but also in the dress. What sets your business apart from its competitors? Our store has products that are unique—we are dedicated to making sure brides find something at Ruthette’s that they can’t find anywhere else in our area. But what really sets us apart is the friendly service and relationships we build with our brides. We prioritize the friendship that forms when we help someone through this important decision, and we intend to shine light and show love to every person that comes into our store. Visiting a bridal store can be somewhat intimidating because it is unknown territory. We try our best to relate to our brides, so they understand that we want them to feel amazing on their wedding day. What planning tip do you most often share with clients? Please shop early! You cannot have your dress ready too early. We love to have 9 to 12 months to order the dress. This gives the bride plenty of time to alter it and have bridal photos done before the big day. We are able to work with any timeline, but if you have the time, don’t wait! How do you help clients choose a wedding style? For brides with a clear vision of what they want to wear, we follow their lead and help them narrow down smaller details until they are ready to walk down the aisle. When a bride doesn’t have an idea of what they want, we like to select six or seven varied gowns. Once they see them on their body, things become very clear and they’re able to weed out certain silhouettes, sleeve types and materials. Brides are the boss at Ruthette’s, and they make it so fun to work through dresses until they say yes.

41 6 1 5 T H ST. , CA N YO N 806.452.8008 | RUTHETTES.COM

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OWNERS AVERY PINKERTON AND COLETTE LANE PHOTO BY ELEVEN FOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIDAL

Amarillo Botanical Gardens What is your expertise? We provide a beautiful garden space with large trees and mature plantings, creating a spectacular and unique oasis within the city of Amarillo. It is perfect for a dream garden wedding, and we also offer indoor spaces for up to 300 in the case of inclement weather or elaborately decorated receptions. What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? Part of our mission is to provide culture and opportunity for area residents to enjoy the beauty of nature. As the gardens have grown, we’ve enjoyed offering areas that provide different moods for everything from romantic to partythemed weddings and receptions. What bridal trends are big this year? Bold seems to be the buzz, and we have the right spaces for it. Bright colors and large spaces give us the edge on this trend. Couples can utilize our conservatory to take pictures with vibrant tropical foliage, which will give them a unique look like nowhere else in the Panhandle. What sets you apart from competitors? We pride ourselves in being adaptable and capable of quickly moving an event from one space to another in the event of poor weather. Packages include tables, chairs, setup/teardown, a catering kitchen, a walk-in floral cooler, paved parking, dressing rooms and an attendant on site during the entire event. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? Booking a venue from which you must be out the same night puts a lot of stress on the families. We have a package option that allows you to come back the next day to get your decorations, etc., and we do the cleanup for you. How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? We meet with the couple to determine their needs and expectations, and then offer options of spaces, services and pricing. We then provide an online interactive map so they can plan the layout of their wedding. This allows them to customize their wedding from the comfort of their own home.

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Three Feather Photo Co.

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What is your expertise? I specialize in small, intimate weddings first and foremost, but families and headshots are a large part of my business, as well. What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? Growing up, my grandmother and I spent countless hours going through her old photos, with me listening to her beautiful storytelling. These photos were a link to the past and each kept a memory alive. I found a place in the wedding industry where every little piece matters—my love for tangible memories, the connection between people, travel and my ability to tell the story through my work. I have captured weddings in three countries, 34 states and all over Texas. My favorite wedding was in Beaver Creek, Colorado, where I skied backwards while my couple snowboarded down the mountain—combining both of my careers as a photographer and ski coach. What bridal trends are big this year? My favorite trend is doing what you want. All rules are out now. I see couples tossing outdated traditions and coming up with things that make them happy. Dresses with color, patterns and texture for the bridal gown, and bridesmaids dresses are a close second. I also really love the floral crowns around wedding cakes. What sets you apart from competitors? I had a bride tell me, “Having your team as our photographers felt like our most fun friends who just happen to be really fabulous at taking photos.” That feeling is exactly what I am aiming for. Everyone should be surrounded by their closest friends on the big day. Staying calm, light-hearted and fun in stressful situations is easy for me, and I want my clients to know that I can handle anything that’s thrown my way on a wedding day. I’ve photographed more than 200 weddings and elopements, so at this point I feel like I’ve seen it all, and not much worries me. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? Forgetting to have fun is the biggest mistake I see couples make. It’s easy to get caught up in pleasing everyone and spending too much money. When my couples call me stressing about something, I always ask them what factor they need to remove in order to fully enjoy themselves and remind them to not forget that their goal is to have a happy marriage first and a fun wedding second. How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? Communication is key when helping clients figure out what their vision is. I only photograph weddings when there is a connection to the couple and the event; this sets us all up for success. Each couple receives an 80-page wedding planner that I have designed, which covers all of the bases from the guest list, to a vision board, to a detailed photo list. With our overcommunication and the wedding planner, there isn’t anything that’s not covered prior to the wedding, allowing the day-of to unfold seamlessly.

806 .787. 9596 T H R E E F E AT H E R P H OTO.CO

PHOTOGRAPHER KAIT BRADFORD BELLMON

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41 Productions I’m Lindsay Gomez, owner of 41 Productions, and an Amarillo native who graduated from West Texas A&M University in 2006 with a degree in Mass Communication. Professionally, I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I always loved the idea of being self-employed. Personally, I have had a video camera in my hand since I was a child. With that in mind, starting a video production company after college was a natural progression for me. For the past 18 years, 41 Productions has been capturing love stories. We are a seasoned wedding videography team dedicated to turning moments into memories. Our passion for storytelling resonates in our editing style, and over the years, we have honed our craft to create cinematic masterpieces that truly reflect the personality of each couple. From small budgets and intimate ceremonies, to large, grandiose celebrations, we have embraced the unique beauty of every love story we have had the privilege to document. Our approach seeks to capture genuine emotions and wedding-day moments to create videos that families and clients deserve. Over the years, we have managed to navigate the ever-evolving wedding industry trends while still maintaining our timeless style. God has blessed my business tremendously over the past 18 years, and I also would not have been able to fulfill my passion without my clients. For that, I am incredibly humbled and thankful. One final note: 41 Productions has a commercial side! We produce a plethora of small business video marketing campaigns. In addition, we are FAA Certified Drone Pilots, which allows us to legally grab that amazing aerial footage for your business.

L I N D S AY G O M E Z , OW N E R 6900 I- 40 WEST, SUITE 160 AMARILLO, TX 79106 806.681.2465 41 P RO D U CT I O N S.CO M

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Starlight Canyon What is your expertise? We excel at Texas hospitality. We provide an amazing experience for the bride and groom and all the guests! What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? Owners Liz and Nate Green both worked at the Keystone, Colorado, ski resort, where they perfected their hospitality skills. Before that, Liz had received her degree from Texas Tech University in Restaurant, Hotel, & Institutional Management. The night Nate and Liz were married in Silverthorne, Colorado, they stayed at a bed and breakfast. The next morning, they were sitting in the room and breakfast was delivered. That experience sparked a dream of becoming innkeepers at their own bed and breakfast. Starlight Canyon is truly a dream come true. What bridal trends are big this year? We are seeing lots of tone-on-tone white themes, small intimate weddings, and more and more vow renewal ceremonies. What sets you apart from competitors? Our experience, attention to detail, and customizable packages set us apart. We don’t just open our doors and leave everything to the wedding party. We can take care of everything! And of course, our picturesque location and unique history are unmatched among other local wedding venues. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? Without a doubt, it’s a mistake when the bride and groom attempt to coordinate everything themselves. We prefer to take care of everything so the couple and their guests enjoy their day. How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? We offer a variety of services and decorations. We have strong relationships with vendors like caterers, cake vendors, invitations, photographers and videographers, DJs and more. We have hosted hundreds of weddings. Built in 1933, historic Starlight Canyon has been a bed and breakfast and wedding venue for more than 30 years. It’s our 10th year at Starlight Canyon, our 11th wedding season, and we look forward to continuing to make magical memories at our cozy B&B.

100 BRENTWOOD ROAD 806.622.2382 STA R L I G H TCA N YO N .CO M

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Proffer Aesthetic Center What is your expertise? Proffer Aesthetic Center specializes in enhancing your skin’s natural beauty. Our team is trained to refresh, repair and rejuvenate your skin. What interests or passions brought you to your industry? Our Aesthetic Center focuses on bringing expert care to anyone looking to improve their skin— and is there a more important day than your wedding day? We cater to both men and women to help them look their best. What bridal trends are big this year? Fresh and natural looks are trending this year. And glowing skin is always in! What sets you apart from competitors? Our Aesthetic Center is backed by the best plastic surgeons. Our entire team is highly trained to make you look your best. Not only are we trained and educated, we also only use the best medical-grade products. Unlike other spas in Amarillo, our medical spa has four types of professional providers: licensed estheticians, cosmetic surgeons, nurse practitioners, and surgical dermatologists. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? When it comes to your skin, it takes time. A common mistake is thinking that just one facial or treatment can get you ready for your big day. In the same way you need a couple of fittings for a dress, you need to see us multiple times for your tailored skincare regimen. How do you help clients with their goals for their wedding day? Skin is something that commonly gets overlooked when planning for your big day. We help our couples feel confident in their own skin. When you’re looking back at your photos and videos, you’ll be thrilled you spent the time to perfect your skin!

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The Shop Event Venue What is your expertise? The Shop is a great space to host many different types of events, from milestone birthday parties to weddings. The best spaces are flexible and allow hosts to bring events to life according to their vision. We’ve designed The Shop with that kind of flexibility in mind. What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? We love parties and love being part of special occasions. As we began opening up our space for events—and especially after completing a beautiful outdoor space—weddings were a natural progression. Whether we know the bride and groom or not, being part of a transformative moment in people’s lives is incredibly fulfilling. What bridal trends are big this year? Bridal style is still pretty classic, but we have seen a trend for bold, bright colors within the wedding party. What’s interesting these days is that a lot of brides and grooms are thinking about and prioritizing the party after the wedding—sometimes even more than the ceremony itself. So having a space like ours that allows for fun and celebration is definitely something that brings families our way. What sets you apart from competitors? The Shop offers a commercial sound system and lighting, abundant parking, and indoor and outdoor event spaces with a garden area. Our physical canvas is neutral enough that the bride and groom can use it to create something unforgettable. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? Practically speaking, couples often overestimate the number of guests attending. This can lead to overspending on catering and food waste. How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? There are so many creative people in the wedding industry, so we try to provide a flexible, practical location—then give our clients a blank space to create their unique vision.

1585 SE 58TH AVE. 8 0 6 . 33 6 .1 7 0 5

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The Urban Giraffe What is your expertise? We excel at helping clients choose items for their homes. It’s our goal for everyone: When they shop at The Urban Giraffe, we help them find decor that reflects their personality, as individuals and as a couple. Helping our customers do that is the fun part! What interests or passions brought you to the registry industry? Our clients asked us for this service. The feedback we heard from them was that they wanted something beyond china and other kitchen necessities. They wanted the items we carried that would help them make their house a home. Our clients choose lamps, decorative items, artwork, and floral arrangements. We encourage them to select from a wide variety of price points. What trends are big this year? People are wanting more pops of color now after several years of a wiped-clean, neutral palette. Green, blue and black accent colors are popular right now. We see accent walls in these colors, and then the client wants to bring in complementary colors to liven up their spaces. What sets you apart from competitors? We offer the best customer service—our customers are family. We want them to come in and feel comfortable. For couples planning for their new life together, we have a custom registry program that makes it easy for them to choose what they like. We have an app that clients can download on their phone, and then when they come into the store to register, they can walk around the store and scan our tickets. When they’re finished, we pull everything they’ve selected and set up a table for the couple, and use their engagement photo or wedding announcement on the table, too. We also help make arrangements for pick-up on the day of the bridal shower. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning their registry? Couples tend to choose only practical items rather than items that will help make their house a home. They often don’t choose enough items or plan for the future. It can seem overwhelming, but we are here to help! How do you help clients with their vision for their home? The biggest thing is that we want them to come in and have fun. We don’t want there to be any stress as they choose their registry items. We encourage them to calm down and enjoy the process. That’s when a couple will start seeing things that reflect their personality. It’s essential that they’re both involved in the experience.

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The Resplendent Garden

BRIDAL

What is your expertise? Throughout my career, I have planned and executed many large events. My degree is in horticulture, and I have been a small business owner of a landscape company and nursery for 32 years. During that time, I developed organizational skills that are necessary to plan and execute weddings and events. Our garden venue was completed in 2015, and I have been hosting large weddings for eight years. What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? Our nursery has always been a beautiful space with mature trees that I felt would be a perfect spot to build a garden. When the wedding trend moved toward conducting the ceremony in event spaces, I wanted to create a visually stunning garden, designed especially for outdoor weddings. Brides were interested in destination weddings, but these aren’t always viable options. As you step through the entrance of The Resplendent Garden, you feel like you are transported somewhere else. What bridal trends are big this year? The trends I am seeing now versus four years ago are smaller, more intimate ceremonies and receptions. The bride and groom are merging together traditions from both sides of their families, or forgoing traditions and creating their own. Brides desire a hassle-free wedding, and the garden creates a more relaxed atmosphere, perfect for reducing the stress of the day. What sets you apart from competitors? We offer a true garden experience like no other in the Panhandle. The photo ops are endless inside and outside the venue. With my expertise in horticulture, I have created and maintained a visually stunning floral garden. But there’s much more. We are fully invested in our bride, groom and their families, helping them plan and execute their big day. So, we are fully staffed and do all the setup, takedown and cleanup. We are also on site all day to manage the vendors that come in and set up. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? I have consultations with the bride throughout the whole process. We go over all the details of their day and also their budget. Being so involved in their planning avoids mistakes and forgotten items. We also work closely with the photographer and develop a timeline. At the end of the evening, there is ample time to dance and mingle with friends and family. How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? I like to say to my brides, “Your ideas are like seeds in our garden. You toss them out and we help them grow.” I love collaborating with couples and their vision. We talk about what works best for the garden environment and how to implement their dream of their best day ever. We have anywhere from four to six consultations to make sure all bases are covered. We are also the day-of-wedding coordinator, so everything runs smoothly. Your wedding day shouldn’t be a stressful event where you and your family and friends are doing all the work and organization. Here at Resplendent Garden we take care of all these details for you, so you can relax and just soak in every joyful moment.

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BRIDAL PHOTOS BY ADRIANNE NEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

DJ Entertainment Amarillo

BRIDAL

What is your expertise? Planning the perfect wedding celebration and making sure every guest, from 4 to 84 years old, has a night to remember. What interests or passions brought you to the wedding industry? I have DJ’d on the radio and worked every type of private event imaginable for many years, but I get the greatest pleasure in working with couples and their families on the biggest day of their lives. Every wedding is different because of the diversity of ages of the guests and their musical tastes. What bridal trends are big this year? There is a neverending variety of styles that happen each year. I’ve done gardens, barns, hotels, country clubs, Hodgetown, and dozens of other locations. There are so many fabulous venues in the area that are unique to the couple’s needs. I also have a variety of equipment that is customized for each location. The speakers, microphones and lighting are all tailored to the couple’s desires and the enhancement of the venue. What sets you apart from competitors? Being a part of more than 1,500 weddings allows me to predict and prepare for the inevitable unexpected moments. But, I work closely with each vendor to ensure every element goes exactly as planned. There is zero allowance for imperfection. I am honored to be on the front row for so many once-in-a-lifetime moments.

DJ JACK LIGHT

What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? Anyone can plug in speakers and play a Spotify playlist, but hopefully, you won’t hear a commercial while you’re coming down the aisle or in the middle of your first dance. Hiring professional vendors (with wedding experience) will ensure all of your guests have a memorable time. How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? Couples painstakingly plan out their perfect celebration and it’s my responsibility to let them know they are in good hands. My preparation starts with the initial consultation and will continue throughout their planning. I will coordinate the formalities, including introductions, toasts, first dance(s), cutting the wedding cake, bouquet/garter toss, and final exit. I want every couple to remember each moment of their wedding day for the right reason.

8 0 6 .4 33. 55 41 AMARILLOWEDDINGDJ.COM

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Sad Monkey Hall What is your expertise? When it comes to events, my expertise truly revolves around weddings. I’ve been in the industry for about five years, and have learned how to ensure that day comes together seamlessly. What interests or passions brought you to the event industry? I have a heart for helping people. I thrive under pressure, and can keep my cool in highintensity situations. With weddings, I like to be able to help alleviate the pressure to help everyone enjoy their day and have a good time. When it comes to other events, I love bringing people together, supporting local businesses, and curating experiences for people.

PHOTOS BY THREE FEATHER PHOTO CO.

What bridal trends are big this year? I think “micro-weddings” will be big this year. Being able to go all out on details and celebrate with just the few people you are closest to is what’s really important. What sets you apart from competitors? As a venue, we offer a blank canvas. Each couple is able to come in and make their space unique to them. We’re not an industrial building—we have a cozy, homey feel to our space. When your big day is about celebrating with the people you love, it should feel warm and inviting, and that is exactly what our space offers! We also have wonderful Texas scenery with longhorns onsite. What is the biggest mistake couples make when planning for the big day? Oftentimes, the biggest mistake is wasting time on stress! Everything always comes together, and if you have a wedding coordinator, that is one less thing to worry about.

EMMA MITCHELL, DIRECTOR OF EVENTS

How do you help clients with their vision for their wedding day? I love dreaming with them. If they have an open mind to different possibilities, I am able to bring out creative ideas that are unique to each couple to help highlight what makes them, them!

9800 TX-217 8 0 6 . 31 6 .1 9 8 9 SADMONKEYHALL.COM PHOTO BY TIFFANY ARNOLD

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BRICKANDELM.COM

ompared to a century or more ago, modern travelers have it made. Between high-speed superslabs, gigantic green information signs, and mobile apps barking out orders, it’s hard to get lost.

But imagine a time in which early autoists had none of these. Instead, drivers had to watch for hastily painted logos on telephone poles, crude hand-drawn maps and (often inaccurate) turn-byturn instructions published as route books, and towering concrete obelisks in the middle of streets, lettered with cities and mileages down the road. Navigation was a daunting proposition, and required people to either completely stop or slow down considerably to process all of the information. The Texas Panhandle has five of these obelisks, all easily visited in a day’s drive (or two, if you prefer). Take the off-ramp and dive into a completely different era of travel, a decade before the dawn of Route 66 and other numbered federal highways.

and El Paso. Multiple prongs criss-crossed the Panhandle. The Ozark Trail was the brainchild of William “Coin” Harvey, a resort owner from Monte Ne, Arkansas. Harvey sensed the value in a network of roads that all led toward his hometown sooner or later. He recruited cities to join his Ozark Trail Association to promote travel along these crude roads and build commerce along the way. It existed from 1913 to 1926. To improve upon logos painted on telephone poles, Harvey placed concrete obelisks at key junctions. Of the 21 originally placed along the network, seven remain today. Five of them are in the Panhandle. (The other two are in Oklahoma.) It would be difficult to trace the exact original route in some places, if only because of vague maps and instructions. Modern roads have cut corners and followed more direct approaches, compared to the early zigzag days of highway building that followed section lines and railroad tracks. Today, travelers can cut to the chase.

Once Upon A Highway

Start Your Engines

Early in the 1910s, the Good Roads Movement ushered in the development of several hundred auto trails. Among them were highways named Lincoln, Bankhead, Dixie and Jefferson. But the Ozark Trail was unique among them, an extensive network of roads across the south central U.S. from St. Louis to Las Vegas, New Mexico,

The first of the remaining obelisks is in Wellington, in the far southeast Panhandle. The obelisk has been moved to the northeast corner of the courthouse square, and is still painted with useful travel

Nick’s Picks

Amarillo

In addition to the obelisks, Nick Gerlich suggests these noteworthy stops in and around these destinations.

The BBQ Shop is renowned for their … well, you guessed it. Pause to consider the importance of Farwell as a crossroads, where modern US 60, 70 and 84 all come together (along with the BNSF main line and a secondary line running to Lubbock).

The long-vacant Carlile Theatre (1950) is a fave to behold, while The Walking G Guesthouse & Cow Palace provides lodging and the opportunity to venture into the past.

Dimmitt

Don’t forget to admire the Royal Theatre (1947), once one of three theaters on the square. If this doesn’t channel a little McMurtry, you need to double down on your Texas books and movies! Aylin’s Cafe is on the square, and highly rated.

Tulia

Farwell As always, check online for hours and days of operation before you embark. Safe travels and bon appétit!

t a ke t h e o f f - r a m p of the courthouse square. It is a prime example of how these were once placed inside towns, and it is a miracle it has not been run into or toppled over. Continue on 86 to Dimmitt, where the fourth marker stands on the northwest corner of the courthouse square. If it feels like it has taken several hours to get here from Wellington on paved roads, consider how slow the trip would have been 110 years ago on dirt. Continue west on 86 to Bovina, and then follow US 60 west. The last stop on the journey is Farwell, where a replica obelisk has been stationed in a city park at the corner of Third Street and Ave. E South. The whereabouts of the original are unknown. Rumors abound of an obelisk in Quitaque that once stood in town. The legend is that once numbered highways began, a hole was dug, and the obelisk pushed into it. All told, the journey to see these five obelisks is only 187 miles long, and includes 2,100 feet in subtle elevation Behold the mighty Ritz Theatre. Built in 1928, gain. Along the way, you experience it was restored in 2007, and today hosts films Panhandle small-town charm. This and performances. Put this on your list. It is connect-the-dots approach to a fabulous venue. If you need to fill your tank time travel is only possible if you (not the car), both Come and Get It and The purposefully take the off-ramp. Gettin’ Spot are highly regarded by locals. Because that’s where the fun begins.

Wellington This diamond in the rough deserves its own feature! See magnificent colors and cliffs, as well as the State Bison Herd.

Caprock Canyons State Park

Check out the tiny Valentine Diner Car just as you turn onto TX 86. It has been on-and-off in recent months, but provides a glimpse of how Mom and Pop could go into business back in the 1940s. Order one of these from the Wichita-based company, and it would be delivered to your site. Connect power and water, and you’re in business.

Estelline Tampico

Fuel up before you travel at a convenient Pak-a-Sak store location in Amarillo or Canyon.

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information. Other towns along the network are listed, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Harvey had created his own ecosystem. The marker in Wellington is a quiet reminder of how folks got around long before mobile apps. Bouncing down the original Ozark Trail roads leaving Wellington is an adventure for another time. Instead, head toward Memphis on US 83 south and TX 286 west, then turn south on US 287 to Estelline. It is here our modern navigation becomes much easier, because TX 86 has replaced the Ozark for the remainder across the Panhandle. Moving west, the second obelisk is in what was known as the Tampico Community, between Turkey and Quitaque. Turn left (south) where FM 657 approaches from the right. This marker gives the best sense of what rural travel was once like. Return to TX 86 and continue west to Tulia, where the third marker stands in the middle of the street at the northwest corner

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WITH NICK GERLICH

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BEKAH MCWHORTER

started this company because I want my kids to grow up seeing a mom doing something she truly loves, and not taking herself too seriously,” Bekah McWhorter says about her custom watercolor paintings, which she sells through an online storefront—along with prints, greeting cards, napkins, and other party goods.

She’s been painting and drawing since childhood, but her work as a social worker had relegated art to a hobby. Then the skilled nursing facility that employed her shut down permanently in 2020. McWhorter turned to Instagram, and began doing custom pet portraits. “It has continued to grow and expand from there,” she says. McWhorter creates custom illustrations of homes, people, and other cherished memories. Drawing inspiration from “the beauty of nostalgia and simple, everyday objects,” she loves capturing the awe and innocence of childhood with her simple watercolors. “It’s that thing we grow out of as adults that I am trying to snag back and hold onto.” Meanwhile, McWhorter has also teamed up with her friend Brittany Jackson to design custom invitations, stationery and gifts—all featuring her drawings and watercolor art—at brittxbeks.com. “I want my kids to know that attempting to capture the beauty around them, and those created in God’s image, is a worthwhile endeavor,” she says. See more of her work at paintingsbybeks.com and on Instagram at @paintingsbybeks and @brittxbeks.

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in focus

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back when WITH WES REEVES

I know I’ve crossed over when I see DPS patrol cars every 20 miles. I can spend a week near Austin and never see someone pulled over for speeding, but somewhere west of Coleman we become like wildebeests in the old Wild Kingdom TV shows, running like hell and not looking back as our kinfolk are picked off one by one. Well, Daryl probably had it coming. Once in the clear, I generally spend a little time (because Amarillo is still light years away and time is all I’ve got) pondering this question: I have left the East, does that mean I’m now in the West? How far west do I go before I’m in West Texas? Where is it, what is it? Will there be an Allsup’s soon? West Texas is a murky concept, it seems. But there was a point in time when a group of civic leaders, oil and cattle barons and industry titans got together to form the biggest champion of West Texas there ever was—the West Texas Chamber of Commerce. For 70 years, the WTCC clearly articulated what West Texas is while promoting regional pride and cooperation in an effort to keep up with what was happening in the East. I was somewhat familiar with this group, but it was a text from Renea Dauntes, an archivist at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum’s Research Center, that led me to look further. Renea is my connection to amazing old stuff—almost like a dealer for my habit. She was processing a box of documents related to one of West Texas A&M University’s founding faculty members, Wallace R. Clark, and kept seeing correspondence and paperwork related to the West Texas Chamber of Commerce. Colorful stamps affixed to two of the letters showed idyllic West Texas landscapes that are mini works of art. Clark, it turns out, was a director of the WTCC and was involved in the chamber’s work in the Panhandle. When I went to see these documents in person, Warren Stricker, director of the museum’s Research Center, brought out a box of West Texas Today magazines put out by the WTCC from the 1920s through the 1950s. Beautiful illustrations and grandiloquent descriptions pushed the idea that West Texas is indeed the Best Texas. It is clear that the leaders of our regional cities were committed to working together and understood that cultivating a sense and appreciation of place was the foundation from which the future of this region could be built. According to the Texas State Historical Association, the West Texas Chamber of Commerce was founded in Fort Worth in 1918 by representatives of 25 counties and four city chambers of commerce. Amarillo’s own C.T. Herring officiated as president at the first convention in Mineral Wells the following year. The WTCC got right to work, rallying the troops to push for a West Texas location for what became Texas Tech University.

The group touted the progress of industry and culture in a land that was clearly different from—but in no way inferior to—the greener, more populous areas of Texas. Its leaders pushed for access to water, more political representation and just about anything else that didn’t seem as important to the elites on the other side of the state. The WTCC was also keen on countering eastern notions that everything out west was an inhospitable desert with no real value. One of the aforementioned stamps highlights the unique beauty of West Texas with the words “Ideal Climate” describing the scene. Other printed pieces feature the slogan “Raw Materials Capital of the World,” which isn’t really that farfetched when you consider the impact Panhandle beef, South Plains cotton and Permian oil has had on global markets. And speaking of the Permian Basin, the WTCC decided in 1922 to include New Mexico counties that took in the northwestern section of the oilfield, along with other parts of our western neighbor that look a whole lot like Texas. We have a long tradition of acting on covetous thoughts about New Mexico, it seems. But by 1988 this old-fashioned regional boosterism began to seem a little dated. Many West Texas cities had created economic development corporations, including Amarillo, and became laser-focused on growth only in their cities. Possibly out of declining interest and increased competition from the EDCs, the WTCC was folded into a statewide group called the Texas Chamber of Commerce in 1988, which later became the Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce. It’s hard to know how things would look today had the WTCC continued. Its regionalist spirit still moves us from time to time, but it’s obvious the western half of the state (however you define it) has not grown in proportion to the eastern half. The West Texas Chamber of Commerce is gone, but that shouldn’t stop us from being audacious enough to look past haboobs and blistering droughts and tell the folks back east we have an ideal climate. There are plenty of folks on the other side of the 98th willing to tell us that one-hour commutes and stifling humidity is the good life. We still have a great story to tell and we can exaggerate with the best of them.

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e may not know when we’ve crossed the 98th meridian, or even care, but it’s a pretty reliable borderline dividing Texas between east and west.

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NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET

finish JASON BARRETT, MBA , FACHE NORTHWEST TEXAS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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The best advice I ever heard is: Sage advice from my father— you can get a lot done if you get along with people. Too often, I’ve seen leaders who put the initiative before the relationship. It’s been my experience that this type of approach is not only short-sighted but self-defeating.

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My three most recommended books are: The March of Folly, by Barbara Tuchman; Diplomacy, by Henry Kissinger; The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway. I love these books because they are instructional as it relates to human interaction. We often make decisions based on time, and we live in a dynamic environment where market circumstances change. A common thread with these books is having the awareness to understand current situations and correct our course—even if it is contrary to our original decision. To me, success means: You’ve helped someone. The older I’ve gotten, I’ve realized it is much more fulfilling to see someone who has put their trust in you overcome adversity and thrive— whether that be a colleague, friend or family member. Success, in my view, is based in hope. People who know me might be surprised that I: play the guitar. I have been playing since I was 19. I’d like to say that I had some inner yearning to express myself. It was really to try and look cool and meet girls. (Both of which I failed at miserably.) My biggest pet peeve is: selfishness.

PHOTO BY SHANNON RICHARDSON

Everyone in Amarillo needs to experience: The Sea of Abaco (a saltwater lagoon in the Bahamas) at sunset. I spent many nights sitting out under the stars with my family listening to music there—times I really cherish. If I could change any one local thing it would be: I’m new to the city, but I haven’t found one thing yet that needs to change. I love the people here—they are so friendly and welcoming. This city is amazing at: welcoming new residents. I have had so many people reach out and share their time and thoughts about living in Amarillo. My favorite place in Amarillo is: so cliché, but I love Palo Duro Canyon. For a native Floridian, those vistas are just awe-inspiring. A local organization I love right now: I am so impressed with Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch and what they do for children. They are doing God’s work.

A L L T H E B R A N D S Y O U L O V E , AT P R I C E S Y O U WA N T.

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