Connection July 2023

YOU’RE WELCOME

AT THE BARRY-LAWRENCE REGIONAL LIBRARY!

ACROSS OUR TWO COUNTIES, NINE BLRL BRANCH LOCATIONS serve thousands of your friends and neighbors each month. If you live in Barry or Lawrence County you are welcome to get your FREE library card and start accessing the vast array of services the BLRL offers.

• Our friendly librarians provide one of the largest collections of books and other materials in Missouri.

• The BLRL provides multiple online resources including media streaming, audio books and e-books.

• Each year, over 60 thousand participants enrich their lives in our amazing Library programs.

• BLRL programs are offered for all ages and areas of interests.

TO GET YOUR FREE LIBRARY CARD visit your local BLRL branch and remember to bring your ID and proof of residence if you have questions call the library. (contact information below)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26

THE BLRL IS PART OF THIS WORLDWIDE EVENT HELD ON THE MONETT LIBRARY PATIO

10:30 am ... THE DULCIMER GROUP

11:00 am ... MARSHALL MILLER BAND (Folk & Rock- Covers & Originals)

12:00 pm ... RUBY COOK (Southern Gospel- Original Songs)

1:00 pm .... DWANYE SMITH (Ozarks & British Isle Music)

2:00 pm .... SCHUMACHER SISTERS (Pop)

3:00 pm .... MATT BAIRD OF THE BAND SPOKEN ( Rock)

MANY PERFORMERS WILL HAVE MERCHANDISE FOR THEIR FANS! Use The QR CODE and link below to see updates/ info:

BLRLIBRARY.COM/POST/PLAY-MUSIC-ON-THE-PORCH-DAY-AUG-26

THE AURORA LIBRARY

Phone: 417-678-2036 · Fax: 417-678-2041

E-Mail: aurora@blrlibrary.org

THE CASSVILLE LIBRARY

Phone: 417-847-2121 · Fax: 417-847-4679

E-Mail: cassville@blrlibrary.org

THE EAGLE ROCK LIBRARY

Phone: 417-271-3186 Fax: 417-444-5109

E-Mail: eaglerocklibrary@blrlibrary.org

THE MARIONVILLE LIBRARY

Phone: 417-463-2675 / Fax: 417-463-2116

E-Mail: marionville@blrlibrary.org

THE MILLER LIBRARY

Phone: 417-423-8528 Fax: 417-423-8582

E-Mail: miller@blrlibrary.org

THE MONETT LIBRARY

Phone: 417-235-7350 · Fax: 417-319-2391

E-Mail: monett@blrlibrary.org

THE MT. VERNON LIBRARY

Phone: 417-466-2921 - Fax: 417-466-2936

E-Mail: mtvernon@blrlibrary.org

THE PIERCE CITY LIBRARY

Phone: 417-476-5110 Fax: 417-408-8810

E-Mail: piercecity@blrlibrary.org

THE SHELL KNOB LIBRARY

Phone: 417-858-3618 Fax: 417-720-2099

E-Mail: shellknob@blrlibrary.org

Don’t Lose the History

Something struck me this month when I was reading Murray Bishoff’s story on the Daughter’s of the American Revolution (DAR). Basically what grabbed my attention was genealogy and how they had to track their ancestry back to the American Revolution to be part of this very interesting and long-lived group. Please read this, as I think you will enjoy the article.

What grabbed my attention is tracking the ancestors. I have always been interested in my background, my ancestors, where they came from, and what they did but sadly, I have never done anything with this. I have always relied on someone else in the family to have this history in their head.

If for some reason I want to know anything about my family, I pick up my phone and call a family member. But that information goes into my head and never on paper, where it can be passed down to another generation.

On my dad’s side of the family we had numerous story tellers. I loved to sit for hours and listen to the stories that they had to share. I guess I really found them to be quite magical and captivating. There are some that passed on too soon and I did not get to listen to their history but the family that I was blessed enough to grow up with were great story tellers!

My grandmother (Ella Atwell) was full of history and enjoyed sharing it with those that would listen. She kept the history with her as she became an adult in the way that she dressed, in her cooking, gardening, her morals and strong belief in God. I don’t remember a lot of her stories but I know I enjoyed sitting at her kitchen table watching her cook and bake. She told me that she had only had one haircut in her life, when she was seven-years-old, so it was always fascinating for me to watch her take her hair down in the mornings to brush it out. It was very long and she would brush it from one side to another and then braid it and place

it back on top of her head. She also spoke to me about how she lived in the Oklahoma territory. One story in particular that I remember from her was when she was a child and they lived in a dugout. Her step-father came riding home on horseback with a cougar or a bobcat (dead) laying across the horse.

Another great story teller in my family was my dad (Winnie Atwell). Boy, he could go on and on with his stories and they were great. Some were serious, some were a bit dramatic and scary and some were just down right hilarious. But again I would have to depend on my memory for details because I never did what I said I would do and that is to write them down.

After I was grown, my dad married Dorothy (Sullens) Mercer. There again, another great story teller with tons of history that even though I did not grow up with her, I found it terribly interesting. Again, lost at the kitchen table during

There are many stories that she shared with me, but they are gone.

I did not record them nor did I write them down.

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Meagan Ruffing

Susan Funkhouser

Pam Wormington

Christa Stout

Annie Lisenby Smith

Mike Gervais

Murray Bishoff

Steve Chapman

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chuck Nickle

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Connection is a publication of the The Monett Times. Both publications now locally owned and operated.

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numerous conversations over a cup or two of coffee. And the short life that my dad and Dorothy shared together was worth a written book as well but has not and probably won’t make it to the publisher’s editing desk.

It seemed like everyone on my dads side of the family had tons of stories. I am not sure about my mother’s side of the family as I lost them way too young and did not get to share many conversations with them.

Time marches on too fast and before you know it the past generation become fewer and fewer and the opportunities to obtain the details of these generational stories fade with the years. You can get some of the stories from the few that are still here but no one can tell their stories like the ones that actually lived them.

I still plan on trying to salvage some of the details with the ones that are still here and know a lot of the information. I also want to share my story as well so my children, grands and greats will also have something to look back on. I do not have a good track record about following through with this but I really hope this is something I can do for the upcoming generations. There will be some of them that will find it fascinating.

I know I am not the only one that has a family with numerous stories to be told and I know that I am not the only one that has a desire to write. So I hope that those with family members from past generations that are still alive will take some time out of their busy lives to sit down with them and just talk. In this day and age you can record their stories on your phone. It doesn’t make any difference if they don’t share in order of the happenings, you can take care of that. I am just saying don’t miss your opportunity to record some of your genealogy in person with that loved one sitting right in front of you. If you are anything like me, being able to do that with a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin will be one of the most rewarding moments in your life!

Happy Fourth of July from the staff of Connection Magazine!

Owner & Publisher, Connection Magazine

Lisa Craft is owner and publisher of Connection Magazine and The Monett Times. She can be reached at monettcommunity@ gmail.com

Blueberry Season Map P Easy Pickins’ Throughout the Ozarks

One of summer’s most beloved family pastimes is berry picking, and as July begins, blueberry season is at its highpoint, while blackberry season has just begun.

Both berries have many uses: they can be eaten fresh, baked into muffins, cakes, pies, and sweetbreads, made into jellies, jams and preserves, used as an ice cream topping, put into cereals, etc.

For those who want to pick their own berries, whether as a way to spend time with family members or to use them in their own creations, a number of U-Pick farms, places where you can go to pick your own berries, abound in the Lawrence County area, and chances are, at least one is located near you.

Rausch’s Blueberries

21655 Highway H, Monett 417-235-7825

Cost: $3.49 per pound U-Pick; $4.49 per pound pre-picked

George and Ann Rausch have the longest-running U-Pick blueberry farm in the Lawrence County Area. George planted 1,500 blueberry plants in 1985 on three acres of his family’s farm, and many of them are still producing fruit each year.

George said when he started, he thought he could combine blueberry sales with his work as a carpenter.

“I moved back here,” he said, “and I wanted to grow something on the old

George Rausch demonstrates how he tends his plants. Many of the blueberry plants Rausch planted almost 40 years ago are still bearing fruit today.

farm here. So I did my research, and I thought blueberries might be a pretty good crop. My plan was to grow blueberries six months out of the year and be a carpenter six months out of the year, and that didn’t quite work out, but I had bought the land here, I got the equipment, and I set out the berries.”

To keep his plants healthy, George uses the knowledge he has acquired over the four decades he has been growing blueberries. For starters, he said, it is important to put the plants on higher ground.

“If you plant the berries on the crest of a hill, on a cold, Spring evening, the cold air will flow downhill and flow away, and the frost will not get these,” he said. “Do not plant in nice, rich, deep

These ripe clusters of blueberries are waiting for some lucky harvester to claim them.

Story and photos by Steve Chapman

loamy soil. That’s the kiss of death. They want to be on a bit of a hill with rocky old Missouri soil.”

While some other growers may use pesticides on their berries, George said he only puts two things on his: “Rain and sunshine.” He puts absolutely no chemicals on his berries. There are invasive insects to contend with, he said, specifically, the Japanese Beetle and the Drosophila Fruit Fly, but George has his own way of dealing with them, which is harvesting the blueberries. Since the pests won’t arrive until the end of blueberry season, removing the berries removes their food supply.

“The secret is to get the berries picked,” he said. “When they’re ripe, get them picked, and get them out of there.”

Still George hasn’t given away all his secrets. For one, he puts a nutrient in the soil, the name of which he won’t divulge, though he said it may be possible to learn what it is by other means.

“I can’t tell you what that nutrient is,” he said, “but if you do a soil test, they may tell you what the nutrient is that you have to add.”

There is also a special variety of blueberry he grows on his farm. He won’t say what it is, but he has a name he made up for them: Martha Washingtons.

“I used to have little name tags on the berries, and when I saw what crop these produced, I took off the name tags on these,” he said. “I didn’t want anybody to know what these are. We had a nice customer in Monett who asked, ‘What

are these?’ I told him, ‘Well, we don’t tell people. We don’t want anybody to (know what they are)’ He said,’Well, you’ve got to call them something.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’ll call them Martha Washingtons.’ So these are called Martha Washingtons, but they are not the real variety. You can’t go buy Martha Washingtons.”

While George handles the cultivation end of the blueberry farm, Ann handles the business end of things. She maintains a mailing list that, at present, has 300 names on it, and when blueberry season is about to begin, mails postcards to those on the list to let them know its time to get ready to pick blueberries again. Many of them are from out of state.

“We have people from Kansas City, St. Louis, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas,” she said. “They’ll come up here to get our blueberries. It just gives them an idea of when to come, and our hours. I remind them to call before they come, because they’ll never know what the weather is going to be like here as opposed to where they’re at.”

Ann also said that there are customers who come to pick blueberries for the health benefits of being outdoors, even though they don’t intend to eat the fruit they pick.

“I have people who come out and pick blueberries even though they don’t like the blueberries,” she said. “They’ll pick them for family members, or they’ll pick them for friends, but they just pick them for friends (instead of themselves).

It’s just stress relieving. (But) you’re out in nature, so what’s not to like about it?”

For those who are thinking about starting their own blueberry farms, George has two pieces of advice. The first is to garden other kinds of produce before trying blueberries.

“Plant a garden,” he said. “Learn how to grow tomatoes, potatoes, corn. Learn how to grow and irrigate and mulch and fertilize and then look at blueberries.”

The second bit of advice, he said, is to make sure you love raising blueberries.

“You have to love it, and you have to have a spouse who loves it,” he said. “Without my wife, this would not work. And if I did not love this, this would not work. If you just want to do this and turn a quick profit and make money, you’ll make some money, but you won’t have a real success.”

Weaver’s Blueberries

5397 Lawrence 2130, Stotts City

417-285-3073

Cost: $3.25 per pound U-Pick, $5.25 per pound pre-picked

Located on the scenic hillside outside of Stotts City, Weaver’s Blueberries occupies an acre on the farm owned by Joas Weaver. A member of the Amish community, Joas said he started raising the blueberry plants not only as a way to generate some revenue, but to also give him something he could do with his family, as he primarily works construction.

“(I love) being able to be at home with the family and work at home with the family,” he said. “It’s a family operation.”

Joas has 1,016 blueberry plants on his farm which produce three different varieties of blueberries: Dukes, Bluecrops and Bluerays.

“The Dukes, they ripen two weeks earlier, and they don’t have as much flavor,” he said. “They’re early berries. They’re good, but they’re not like the Bluerays and Bluecrops. A little bit more tart, maybe, not as sweet.

(The other two are sweeter) Bluerays … they have more of a … rich flavor, and more of a firm berry. The Bluecrops, they’re a little bit softer, and real sweet.”

Like Rausch’s, Joas has a mailing list; he has about 250 customer names on his, and at the start of every blueberry

season, he sends a postcard out to his customers to let them know his blueberries are ready for picking.

Because many people may travel a distance to pick blueberries, Joas recommends people call him before traveling to make sure they are available.

“Call and make sure we have berries,” he said. “Some people, if they want a lot of berries, I tell them to call ahead and make sure that we have plenty. If they just want a few, we usually have plenty for them.”

G’s Orchard

2096 Farm Road 1130, Verona 417-669-4583

Cost: U-Pick options: $19 for a gallon-sized bucket that you keep and pick all the berries you can fit into it, or $3.75 per pound; Pre-picked: $5.50 per pound

Located just off Z Highway outside of Monett, G’s Orchard has been a U-Pick operation for going on 20 years. Owner Mark Graves said he started the orchard because he didn’t want a regular job.

“I didn’t want the typical 9-to5 job,” he said, “and if you’re going to make that change, you’ve got to do that before you get too old to do that.”

Mark said that he worked at what he calls a “town job” until his children were out on their own, and then he started G’s.

“The town job gave me the insurance and the stability that you need with your children,” he said. “Now, if mom and dad fall on their face, (they) dust (themselves) off and get up and go again, but you didn’t hurt your children to do that. So, that’s how that came about.”

G’s Orchard has about 1,100 blueberry plants spread over two acres, with seven kinds of blueberries. Mark

said he maintains the variety of berries so he can have more time to sell them.

“It extends your season, because they don’t all ripen at the same time,” he said. “One variety will start early, another variety will start approximately three weeks to four weeks later. And they’ll continue ripening around two to three weeks, so that extends your season.”

Mark also had some words of advice for anyone coming to pick berries at his farm. Since it is open Wednesday through Saturday each week, the best day to come, he said, is on Wednesday.

“We’re closed three days every week, so Wednesday, by far, is the best day to pick,” he said. “The following days are just fine, but there will be more berries ripe (and) easier picking on Wednesday.”

Also, he said, berries that aren’t completely ripe shouldn’t be picked.

“If it’s not good and blue, don’t pick it,” he said. “People are tempted to go, ‘That’s pretty blue.’ Well, if it’s not blue when you turn it over just a little bit, then it won’t be good and sweet.”

While he is his own boss, Mark said running a blueberry farm is challenging because the plants do require constant attention, making running the farm a “never-ending job”

“Probably the most challenging (part of the job) is the constant pruning,” he said, “because 1,100 plants don’t quit growing. So, there’s constantly something to prune, and something to take care of in that sense.”

Still, Mark said, the independence he gets from running his own business makes all the work worth it.

“I am home with my wife 365 days a year,” he said. “I’m not going for the 9-5 at somebody else’s expectations; I only have to live up to my expectations.”

Mark Graves, owner of G’s Orchard, stands next to the sign by the shophouse on his blueberry farm. Graves has been running G’s Orchard for 20 years now.

Mount Vernon Blueberries

13778 Highway 39, Mt. Vernon 417-450-0576

Cost: U-Pick: $3.50 per pound; pre-picked: $10 per gallon or $6 per quart

Mount Vernon Blueberries is a twoand-a-half acre blueberry farm located just outside of Mt. Vernon. Owner Robert Martin took possession of the business in 2020; he said he did so because it was a calling for him.

“I’m a farmer at heart, and that’s what I studied,” he said. “So, I finally was able to get a little bit of capital together, not much, but we decided that it was time to get a little farm started.”

Running the farm hasn’t been without its challenges. Robert said that weather, for example, can take a toll on production.

“Last year, the challenge was the lack of rainfall; it was so dry,” he said. “And blueberry plants, they have a shallow root system, so we had to irrigate and water these things non-stop, and it’s the same this year. This year was good in that we didn’t get a frost, but last year and the year before that, there were delayed frosts, so we lost a bit of the production.”

Also, finding customers who want to come out and pick blueberries can also be difficult. For example, on a day when he said he felt he should have been able to expect about “40 people,” only seven or eight came. As a result, he and his family often end up harvesting the ber-

ries themselves and taking them to Farmer’s Markets.

“The u-pick is not basically a big success for us,” he said. “We usually have to pick ourselves and haul it off and sell it.”

Despite the lack of people who want to come and pick berries, Robert still said he enjoys the farm; he says it brings him a sense of peace when he is out working with the plants.

“I have another job that actually pays the bills,” he said, “and that’s where the stress comes from. And then I go out and pull weeds in the afternoon and in the morning, and it all goes away.”

As such, Robert plans to grow his operation. He said he will increase the size of his blueberry crop to three acres, and also plans to grow strawberries, grapes, tomatoes and peppers, adding that these wouldn’t be U-Pick crops, but would be sold at his own Farmer’s Market. It’s a plan, he said, that suits him as a person.

“Just being out on the farm and growing things; for me, that’s my life,” he said. “That’s what I am. That’s what I do.”

Brown’s Berry Farm

5935 Highways M, Miller 417-452-2400

Cost: $25 per gallon for U-Pick blackberries; $30 per gallon prepicked.

While most people know Brown’s Berry Farm for their strawberries, owner David Brown also grows a one-acre blackberry crop where customers can also pick their own blackberries.

While David said the demand for blackberries is not quite as strong as it is for strawberries, he added that it is actually easier to harvest blackberries,

mainly because people don’t have to squat down or bend over the way they do when picking strawberries.

“Conditions are better, I guess, for blackberries because you’re able to stand up,” David said with a laugh.

Something new that David has added to his operation is a rotating crossarm trellis system, which he said allows him to better protect his blackberry plants. For example, in the winter, he was able to rotate the trellis so that he could lay the plants down and cover them, shielding them from the cold.

“Back last winter, when it got 10 below, we were able to rotate (the plants) over and cover them with row covers, to help shield them from that 10 below temperature,” he said. “After that, we set them up, and again in the springtime, we lay those over, and all the blooms will come to the top, and we’ll set them up. I have the fruit on the east side, that way you can shield them from the hot sun to stop some of that sun scald that we’ve had with the traditional way of trellising them before.”

David said that while he doesn’t always make a profit on his blackberries, he still continues to grow them because he likes both the work and seeing those who come out to pick his berries.

“I enjoy doing it, (and) I enjoy the people,” he said.

Crafty’s Farms

30558 US 60, Pierce City, Mo. 417-669-7792

Price: (Same for blueberries and blackberries) $3.75 per pound for U-Pick and $6 per pound or $25 per gallon pre-picked.

Located near the intersection of US Highway 60 and Wallaby Road, Crafty’s Farms began as an idea owners Billy and Tiffany Coble came up with for their son’s character development.

“We actually started out (about) 14

years ago,” Tiffany said. “We decided we wanted something that my husband and my son could do together and teach him some responsibility. So we put in a small garden where we were living at the time, and took the produce to the Farmer’s Market in Cassville.”

From there, Tiffany said, the idea grew.

“So we did that for a little while,” she said, “and we kind of grew from there, and we ended up doing our own Farmer’s Market in front of Tractor Supply for several years. And then my husband decided he really wanted to expand, and … we wanted to do something to give back to the community and make sure that they had vegetables and fruits that they could eat and were healthy for them, that weren’t full of chemicals, and just something that’s a good way for them to enjoy being able to have fresh fruit and vegetables and family time at the same time.”

While not a legally organic farm, Tiffany said that they follow as many organic practices as they can.

“ We do everything we can to avoid using chemicals at all costs,” she said.

Raising the berries themselves, she added, can be a challenge all its own.

“Too much rain, and you don’t get a good harvest,” she said. “Too much heat, and you don’t get a good harvest. (If) you get hail, it ruins your berries. So we’ve found that’s actually a huge challenge when it comes to berries.”

Despite the challenges, Tiffany said she and Billy hope to make Crafty’s a place where people can come to get food that is healthier to eat.

“We really just want to be able to give back to our community, and we want this to be our sole source of income,” she said. “It’s really important to us, especially to me, that we provide a safe place for families to come to. We want people to just be able to come out here and enjoy themselves, and know that they are coming to someone who is honest, caring, and that they are always going to know that they are taken care of, no matter what.” n

Go From ‘I Want’ to ‘I Will’

A recent study found that 45 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions do not follow through one month later. Changing a negative behavior to a healthy habit is not easy. A registered dietitian (RD) can help with two tools, the Stages of Change and SMART goals, by supporting someone on their journey when making a new behavior change. These are tools that help organize a behavior change and increase the likelihood of it becoming a long-term habit.

The Stages of Change consist of five stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The last three are the stages that are most associated with making a long-term behavior change. It is important to identify where we are in the stages of change as it can help with understanding where we are in the process of change.

The pre-contemplation and contemplation stages can be useful to propel you into the last three phases. Pre-contemplation can be referred to as your subconscious mind and a great tool to assist with this can be a vision board. This can help your mind

by Fafailia Vogiatzis

Three examples of smart goals with their associated behavior change

Behavior Change Intention

I want to drink more water.

SMART Goal

I will drink five 20-ounce water bottles per day, five days out of the week for two weeks.

I want to eat more vegetables.

I will eat three servings of vegetables per day 4 days out of the week for two weeks.

I want to increase my physical activity.

prepare for the contemplation stage, which brings your goals and ideas into active thoughts, thinking, and verbalization. Many times, you will begin to talk about your ideas, plans, or goals to family members, friends, or co-workers. Use a timestamp in this stage; this will prevent you from getting stuck!

The preparation stage consists of organization and problem solving. This stage is advantageous because of the planning portion, and we learn how we can help ourselves make the change happen. Write out a plan of what to do and when to do it. You may

I will go the gym for 45 minutes, three times a week for three weeks

even gather support, equipment, healthy foods, and additional resources to help you succeed. Then be successful by having reminders, following the plan, and having a backup plan when things do not go the way we anticipated are key for this stage. The action stage is where we are doing the plan, we created for ourselves. This is where a relapse may occur (or in the maintenance phase). Relapsing is not bad and is to be expected. The best tool you can have for relapse is a healthy support system. Support will not only help us prevent relapses but help us get back on

Rafailia Vogiatzis is a dietetic intern with Cox College. She enjoys studying the gut microbiome and its effect on our body and brain.

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track faster. Relapse changes the organization of the plan created to better fit our life. A falter in our goals redirects our focus, reorganizes our thoughts, and gets us back into action. It is just like falling and getting back up again. The maintenance stage is when the behavior change becomes a habit. We may feel success, relief, and happiness as we realize that we reached our goal. However, we still must maintain the stage because even though it is easy to do and we know what to expect, things happen daily that can push us off course. Continuously maintaining the behavior change is going to be necessary. It is like when we reach a goal in our career, such as a promotion, and we still must put in effort to maintain the promotion.

SMART goals stand for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. SMART goals fit into the Stages of Change by putting together the organization in the preparation stage into strategies for the action stage. Changing behavior is not easy. It takes time, organization, strategies, support from our social circles, and multiple attempts. A Registered Dietitian can help people achieve success with their lifestyle and health goals.

Dietitians are health care professionals that counsel people in the Stages of Change and help with SMART goal creation unique to the individual need. Dietitians help their clients as they experience challenges and barriers by changing the strategy to attain the goal. Using the Stages of Change and SMART goals, a person can make health behavior changes that turn into habits and live a healthier and happier life. n

by Meagan Ruffing

How to Have a Fun Summer on a Budget

Summer is in full swing when the month of July rolls around. My kids and I are knee-deep in activities and I’m trying to figure out how to balance being a mom while spending way too much of my time at work. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun month full of exciting adventures but by July, I’m ready for a vacation.

As a single mom, I must pick and choose what we do so I can stay within my budget. This year, we opted for a few days in Kansas City, Missouri since we couldn’t pull off a week at the beach in Florida.

The point is, no matter where you are in your budget for the summer, you can make fun memories with your kids. Here are some of my favorite ways to save money as a single mom and my kids never know the difference.

We eat out once a week. This can either be at a restaurant or take-out. I let my kids pick where we eat, and they know that is their one time of eating out. You would be surprised how much money gets spent on random Taco Bell drive-thru’s if you’re not intentional about your food budget.

We go to our neighborhood pool almost every day. This is a great way for my kids to invite their friends over and enjoy summer without me having to pay an entrance fee to different splash parks. I pack a cooler full of snacks and drinks and spend as much time as they want at the pool. I pay a one-time fee for the year to use the pool and I save throughout the year so I can pay for it in cash.

I make my own lunchables. The ones I buy from the store are handy if I’m in a pinch, but my kids end up throwing away the crackers. I decided to make my own and organize them in the fridge so that my kids can just go in and grab what they want. This helps me when I’m at work and worrying about whether they’ve had lunch. Putting these packs together helps me know that they’re fed and eating something they enjoy. It’s also a great way to save money!

I say “YES” more than I say “No” to friend invites. During the school year, I am more intentional about protecting my time because things are

busy with extra-curricular activities, conferences, etc. but in the summer, I try to chill out a little bit and say yes to invites from friends. This helps me relax more because I’m with friends and it helps my kids have something to do over the summer. Most of the time, it costs nothing. It could be my friends coming over for a cookout or me and my kids going to a friend’s house for a change of scenery. It’s also a great way to keep investing in people that are important to me.

My kids and I make a Summer Bucket List every year. We go through the alphabet and write down 26 things that we want to do. This helps me figure out what I need to save for ahead of time and gives me time to look for coupons or discounts. I have been doing the Summer Bucket List for almost 10 years now and it’s something my kids anticipate. It also helps me feel like my kids are getting to do things that are important to them even if I can’t afford to send them to every summer camp or to the beach.

Meagan Ruffing is a parenting journalist and marriage and family therapist living in northwest Arkansas. She can’t wait to check off every item on her kids’ Summer Bucket List.

Happy Independence Day!

I take advantage of throughout-the-year sales to get ready for the summer. For example, if a splash park has half-price tickets for sale in May, I’ll buy those in anticipation for the next few months. If a trampoline park has a punch pass on sale in January, I’ll pick up a few of those to hold onto for the summer months when I know it’s going to be hot outside.

I buy matinee tickets to the movies. The town I live in offers $5 movie tickets throughout the summer so I try to snag those when I can. Look up your local movie theatre and see if they offer something similar.

I continue my shoebox saving method. This is a money-saving hack I saw online. I get a shoebox and put 100 envelopes in it with numbers 1 thru 100 written on each one. I mix them up and pull one a day. Whatever that number is, is the amount of money I put in the envelope for that day. After 100 days, I have $5050. The last time I did this, I used that money for a vacation for me and my kids and a new fence for my backyard. It felt so good to be able to pay for everything in cash. My kids helped me pick an envelope each day and I know it was good for them to see me working hard at saving money. Don’t let your budget bring you down this summer. You can do so many fun and unique things if you think outside the box. Being a single parent is hard in so many ways, but I have learned that it is also a very humbling experience that has helped me raise my kids in a way that I never knew I could. n

TheDAR: Building Blocks for Community

Many organizations offer service opportunities these days. Many you seldom see, and their work provides innovative and surprising inroads into untouched arenas.

One of those is the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Dating back to 1890, the DAR is a women’s organization with 1 million members, tracing their roots back to the Revolutionary War participants and supporters. Dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism, the DAR has had chapters in Missouri since 1894 and today has about 5,600 members in the state, with a national membership of 188,160. There are two local chapters, the Alexander McNair Chapter in Monett and the Elk Horn Prairie Chapter in the Aurora area.

These days the DAR focuses as a ser-

photos by Murray Bishoff

vice organization with a mission to preserve heritage and honor Revolutionary War patriots. As of June 7, DAR members had logged 1,145,125 service hours in 2023.

The DAR’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. has a genealogical library tracing ancestry, as well as a decorative arts museum and a historic document collection.

The Alexander McNair Chapter honored students from Monett, Cassville, Exeter, Wheaton and Southwest High Schools for good citizenship at its February meeting. The honorees were selected for best representing a school citizen, who were then invited to enter an essay contest for state and national awards. Recipients received a DAR Good Citizen certificate and pin, and those entering the essay contest also received a $25 scholarship.

Members of the Alexander McNair and Elk Horn Prairie Chapters of the DAR gathered in 2022 to place a DAR insignia on the grave of Lois Phariss in the Spring River Cemetery near Verona.

Members of the Alexander McNair Chapter of the DAR are pictured working to clear the gravesite of a Revolutionary War ancestor near Mt. Vernon.

The Elk Horn Prairie Chapter also sponsors a Good Citizen Contest for high school seniors, working with high schools in Mt. Vernon, Miller, Aurora, Verona, Galena, Crane, Marionville and Hurley. This year’s local winner won recognition at the state level through the Missouri State Society of DAR.

Among local service projects, Elk Horn Prairie members assist in placing flags in local cemeteries for Memorial Day. They support the Veteran’s Home in Mt Vernon with monetary contributions. During COVID, one of the chapter members made masks. The chapter contributed monetarily to the murals recently painted in Aurora, and is featured on the second one.

Chapters promote Constitution Week in September by securing mayoral proclamations and distributing Pledge of Allegiance cards for use at home schools. They award a bronze medal to an outstanding senior in the Junior ROTC program in Monett. Many chapters assist prospective members in genealogy research to prove lineage to a Revolutionary War Patriot. They sponsor workshops for the public.

Honoring heritage through programs and local service

Noralee Faulkner, who grew up in the Kings Prairie area southeast of Monett, has been a member of the Elk Horn Prairie Chapter for many years.

“For me, personally, a friend in Aurora invited me to join DAR,” Faulkner said. “My husband and I had retired from busy careers in Kansas City (Missouri) and moved to a place on Table Rock Lake near Shell Knob. At first, I told my friend that I didn’t even know if I had anyone in my lineage who could qualify as a Patriot in the Revolutionary War. This was literally the beginning of a three year journey.

“I started looking at a family notebook given to me by an aunt before she passed away. It had information about a Samuel Phariss, who was listed in an old family Bible, born 1742 in Virginia. The Bible also showed this Samuel had a son named Samuel, born in 1771 in Virginia. I thought that the dates looked about right for a person to be old enough to be involved in the Revolutionary War. With encouragement from the chapter registrar, I started focusing my research on this [first] Samuel Phariss. For some reason, unknown to me, my aunt had included in her notebook a Certificate of Public Service for a Samuel Phariss in Faquier County, Virginia, issued in 1780 for 120 pounds of beef to help feed the Continental Army. This was sufficient to prove

that a man was a Patriot of the Revolutionary War.

“Now, I had to find a way to prove I was a descendant of this Samuel Phariss. It took three years. My husband and I started on a road trip to visit county courthouses in Virginia and eastern Tennessee. We were looking for land records, marriage records, road building records, church records, etc. We were able to find documents that showed that this Samuel, born in 1742, was the same Samuel who migrated to what was to become eastern Tennessee about 1787. He brought his family to what is now Cocke County, Tennessee, where he was an active member of the Big Pigeon Baptist Churchalong with other members who were his neighbors back in Virginia. Then we discovered his son, Samuel, had married and raised a family of nine children in an adjacent Sevier County, Tennessee. After this, we were able to show that the son, Samuel, moved on West to what is now Lawrence County, Missouri before the 1840 Census. He and wife, Catherine, brought with them eight of their nine grown children, married with children of their own - some 40 people in this group. I found all of the rest of my needed proof documents in the Lawrence County Courthouse, because this son, Samuel (born 1771 VA), remained in Lawrence County for the rest of his life, as did the next four generations of the Phariss family. This research was all done the hard way - before the internet and Ancestry. It was very rewarding, however, because I was approved for membership in Elk Horn Prairie Chapter DAR in 1997.”

Faulkner piloted a personal history project with her friend, Barbara Brauch,

Storyteller Sarah Poff, right, spoke about the life of Olive Boone, wife of Nathan Boone, to the Alexander McNair Chapter of the DAR, pictured with Carol Shipman, left, and Bonnie Yetter, center.

that received recognition from the DAR. They focused on the historical preservation of old family cemeteries and won a state competition for their work on the Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery Project. A second project is now underway restoring the burial place for the next two generations of the Phariss family.

For Maella Blalock, teaching JROTC at the Scott Regional Technology Center brought her into contact handing out DAR awards each year.

“It piqued my interest trying to find out more about my family tree,” she said “I ended up responding online to the DAR national site, and they put me in touch with a researcher here in Missouri. I thought my father’s family tree [connected to Meriwether Lewis] was easier but she asked for both family trees and found a very quick connection on my mother’s side. Two months later, I had my family tree back to the Revolutionary War on my mother side and was able to join DAR. Since then, I was able to visit the grave of my Revolutionary War ancestor who is buried in Illinois just across the Mississippi river. I never even knew that line and they have a huge document-

ed ancestry tree. I joined the Alexander McNair chapter because they focus on community service. I knew no one in the chapter but I have really enjoyed service projects with my new sisters.”

DAR chapters cooperate with each other to share a common project. In 2022 the Elk Horn Prairie Chapter invited the Alexander McNair Chapter to join them in commemorating the gravestone insignia placed on member Lois Phariss, Faulkner’s mother, who is buried in the Spring River Cemetery outside of Verona. The Elk Horn Prairie Chapter invited the Sons of the American Revolution to place a marker on the grave of Samuel Phariss - as a son of a Patriot Samuel Phariss. Members of the Boy Scouts from Troops 38 and 48 also participated in that project. Scouts frequently help the DAR in decorating graves of veterans on Memorial Day weekend.

“At first, after I became a member of DAR,” Faulkner said, “I attended chapter meetings and enjoyed the programs and socializing with other members. Then, I became involved in serving as registrarto help prospective members find proof that they were descendants of a Revolutionary War patriot. I really enjoyed this

because it required learning new skills in genealogy research. I became inactive for four years to take of my husband in declining years. When I resumed an active role in the chapter, I found myself gravitating more toward historical preservation, volunteering at the Lawrence County Historical Society museum and the Fred Meiswinkel Reading Room in the Courthouse. DAR encourages this type of activity.

“More recently, after meeting Barbara Brauch via DNA Testing, we both became involved in the preserving an old lost cemetery - the burial place for our common ancestors, Samuel and Catherine Phariss. This was a most surprising turn of events. The rest is history on this project. We are now working on restoring the burial place for the next two generations of my Phariss family.”

“My favorite project,” Blalock said, “has been researching the gravesites of Revolutionary War heroes buried in Missouri. It blows my mind that those hardy men and women moved all the way across the frontier and homesteaded in Missouri. Many lived well into their 80s and 90s and some graves are not well marked and not well tended. Our chapter found one such grave outside of Mt. Vernon and has worked hard to keep it cleaned up.

“Honestly my favorite part is the programs we have at chapter meetings and partnerships with chapters in Aurora, Neosho, Springfield, and more. At our meetings we’ve shared our heritage quilts, heard from costumed storytellers, heard about the history of fashion, cookie cutters, Christmas celebrations, and more. With the other local chapters we have helped flood victims in Kentucky, attended and presented gifts at Naturalization ceremonies, dedicated memorials in Jefferson City and Springfield and more.

“Alexander McNair has fun members,” Blalock added. “We really are more doers and less into the dresses and gloves like most people think of DAR.”

The “All Roads Lead Home” mural in Aurora, with Sandy Mason, acknowledging the Elk Horn Prairie Chapter of the DAR.

Sandy Mason serves as regent for the Elk Horn Prairie DAR chapter, a duty Blalock serves for the Monett chapter. Mason’s father was a member of Sons of the American Revolution, and had nine DAR ancestors on all sides of the family, though her mother showed no interest. Mason ended up living on a street with several other DAR members. “The neighborhood could go to meetings together. There were lots of friendships,” she said.

Like Blalock, Mason finds the projects particularly rewarding. The Elk Horn Prairie chapter secured a $10,000 grant from the Missouri Rehabilitation Center gift shop revenues after the Mt. Vernon Veterans Clinic closed, enabling the Missouri DAR to contribute $100,000 toward construction of a Fisher House, a $6 million project, one of 100 that support ongoing work at veterans hospitals.

Programs during the year focus broadly on heritage topics. The Elk Horn Prairie chapter has had author Darrell Campbell speak on the clergy of the American Revolution. Members have spoken on the history of the US military in Hawaii and Olive Boone, wife of Nathan Boone who settled nearby in Missouri, and women who made lace in past decades. Aurora educator Kim McCully Mobley speaks to the chapter annually about local history and projects like the murals.

“For me,” Faulkner added, “I have found that DAR takes on new meaning each year. There is literally something for everyone at any age.”

The Elk Horn Prairie Chapter meets 10 months out of the year. The Alexander McNair Chapter also holds monthly meetings, skipping July and August, at 10:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month at the First United Methodist Church in Monett. Anyone can attend and receive help on genealogical research. n

Indian Point offers charter dives for one tank or two at a variety of locations. The dive center will work with customers to learn about their certification level and experience before helping them choose an appropriate destination.

SCUBA

An Exotic Adventure in Your Backyard

If someone were to tell you they have received their SCUBA certification and dove at a ship wreck, you would likely imagine a tropical island destination. But if you’re having that conversation here in southwest Missouri, there is a chance they’d be talking about a trip to Table Rock Lake.

Indian Point Dive Center in Branson offers a variety of different scuba diving experiences on Table Rock Lake, ranging from after-dark wildlife tours to ship wrecks to a dive in a sunken forest.

For the novice diver, Indian Point also offers scuba instruction and certi-

fication, ranging from basic open-water certification to advanced certification.

For those who are interested in scuba, but aren’t sure if it’s something they will enjoy, Indian Point offers a Discover Scuba class that teaches some of the basic scuba skills during a safe, one-onone two-and-a-half hour course.

“We do that class for people who aren’t really sure if they want to get into scuba,” said Indian Point Owner/Operator and Instructor David Holmes. “We pair you up with an instructor and start you in really, really shallow water to teach you some of those basic skills.

The school offers certification for beginners and advanced certification for those who are looking to expand their scuba diving skill set. Check the dive center’s discovery class to get a feel for the sport before jumping in head first.

At Table Rock Lake, scuba divers may be surprised to learn they can dive at ship wrecks, visit an underwater forest and see a huge cave network in the side of a cliff. Dive instructor and owner David Holmes said charters don’t go into the caves for various safety reasons, but visitors can get a good look at the network on their charters.

Story by Mike Gervais

For the certification courses, Holmes said divers can expect to complete eight to ten hours of book work, plus approximately two days paired with a dive instructor learning practical skills.

For those with their certification and some diving experience, Indian Point offers several different dive experiences, ranging from beginner-level to advanced dives.

“There was a ferry and double-decker barge that they sunk after building a bridge in 1986. The ferry they had to raise up, but that double decker barge is still down there. It’s a really cool dive. It’s just a spectacular wreck,” Holmes said.

Holmes said there are a few different wrecks that Indian Point can dive to, including a sail boat that sits in between 20 and 25 feet of water.

“When we plan a dive, we find out what certification level you’re at, and what level of experience you have and go from there,” he said. “With new divers, we stay shallow.”

But for more advanced divers, Table Rock Lake offers some truly unique experiences.

“One of my personal favorites is a string of caves,” Holmes said. “We don’t do any exploration in the caves, but there is this steep shelf with all these caves and it’s really cool to go look at.”

Another Indian Point favorite is what Holmes calls “the enchanted forest.”

“Picture like a cemetery after dark in a horror movie,” Holmes said. “It’s down deep enough that it’s dark, then you have all this moss hanging in the trees. That’s what I picture every time I do that dive. It’s really cool. The fish love that area, that’s where we always see the big bass and catfish.”

Those who have been out on the water at Table Rock Lake might have some concerns about visibility when scuba diving.

Holmes explains that the algae that is

common in fresh water only grows between zero and 30 feet of water. Once a diver in Table Rock Lake breaks that 30-foot mark, he said the water becomes very clear.

“Up until about that 30-foot level, visibility can be a bit limited, but below that, it’s crystal clear,” he said.

That crystal clear water really comes into play during Indian Point’s chartered night dives.

“Night diving is the best time for when the predator fish come out,” Holmes said. “It takes an extra certification, but for the most part those dives are to see the nightlife.”

Another charter experience Indian Point offers is a treasure hunt.

Harkening back to the days of seafaring pirates scavenging for booty, Holmes said a popular trip offered at Indian Point takes scuba divers to popular swimming holes on Table Rock and helps them along as they scour the bottom of the lake for valuable treasures.

“My favorite place to go treasure hunting is at the cliffs, it’s a really popular swimming spot with cliffs that are from eight feet to 80 feet and we can generally find all kinds of stuff.

Holmes said treasure hunters have found everything from cell phones and wallets to watches and jewelry.

Another service Indian Point offers is geared towards other lake users, and not necessarily scuba divers.

Holmes said that Indian Point is available for recovery dives for those who lose items in Table Rock Lake.

“We do a lot of recovery diving, but a lot of people don’t know we do the recovery service,” he said

Because Table Rock Lake gets so deep in some areas, Holmes said recoveries aren’t always possible. But for those who drop their phones or wallets, or even lose boating equipment like anchors in shallower areas of the lake, divers from Indian Point are often able to locate the items and bring them to the surface.

Holmes also said people might be surprised about what can be recovered and still usable after being submerged in the lake.

“We’ve recovered a lot of GoPros, and iPhones. Anything after iPhone 11 is super waterproof. They’re well built, and we’ve picked them up after they’ve been in the water for a day or two and they’ll light right up,” Holmes said. “I’ve pulled just about anything you can think of out of the water. If a customer can get us close to where it went into the water, we have a really good success rate. But if something gets lost off a jet ski or something, and we have a general area to look, it can get pretty hard.”

Holmes said with a good idea of where an item was lost, “we pretty much always recover it for them.”

Most frequently, the divers are asked to recover items like car keys and phones. One of the most unique items Holmes has personally recovered was a set of false teeth lost by a tourist at the beginning of her vacation. Holmes said the customer was worried about spending a week away from home without teeth, but the divers at Indian Point were able to recover them and sent her on her way to enjoy some time away in Branson. n

If you’re someone who really picks it up, we can do a little dive in the marina.”

The enduring magic of the Monett Youth Baseball and Softball League memories includes the Monett 10-and-under girls team that won the softball championship in 2008. Allie Krueger would lead the Monett Lady Cubs into the state semifinals for the first time in 2014, and tied with her fellow teammate, sister Abby Krueger, for eighth place on the state record books for starting 115 consecutive high school games.

Swing for the Fences

MYBSL Summer Memory Makers

Go out to Monett’s North Park most summer evenings and you will see kids playing baseball and softball. You will see dozens, sometimes hundreds, of vehicles parked all over the grounds, cars and trucks that ferried young athletes, coaches, parents, whole families, fans and supporters to this one place. Through the day and into the evening, under the lights, the games go on. When the vehicles leave, the roadway resembles an artery spreading its cells of life across the area, bidding them to return another day for a shot at fun and glory.

This massive undertaking runs from March through the summer months and again in the fall. The park, a crown jewel in the city’s resources, has grown over 55 years into an engine of entertainment, thanks to a commitment by the city, the Monett School District and a literal army of volunteers who coordinate, maintain and run the games.

baseball, whether it’s catching or hitting or throwing the ball,” said Calhoun. “There’s eight of us on the board. Five or six do a great deal of the work. It’s not hours and hours of work, but a little bit here and there. It’s worth it when you see kids enjoying playing, when you’re helping a child learn to swing a bat or run bases. When you do it correctly, a kid lights up and really enjoys it. When you’re involved with youth sports, no matter what level or sport, just seeing those kids and how they grow makes it rewarding.”

This is the second year the MYBSL has been part of the Southwest League. Previously the group was affiliated with the Babe Ruth League, and even brought state tournaments to North Park. Calhoun said the Southwest League has worked out well with its connection to a dozen schools in area towns.

Waiting for his game, Eli Boucher from the Vision Health team gave his brother, Jackson, a ride on his back, reflecting how families come together for a night out at Monett’s North Park to participate in Monett Youth Baseball and Softball League games.

At the heart of this enterprise is a dedicated group that keeps the wheels turning, the schedules filled in, the legion of supporters stepping forward as needed. This is the Monett Youth Baseball and Softball League.

Michael Calhoun came on board about seven years ago and now serves as the league’s president.

“A lot of what we do is just to get kids involved and excited about softball and

“The kids really like it,” he said. “They get to see the same people regularly instead of just a couple times a year. We have a regular season of four or five weeks of games plus an end-of-season tournament, for both boys and girls.”

All told, the league holds eight tournaments per year, one per month from March through July, and again from September through November. Those events have averaged bringing approximately 35 teams to Monett for that one weekend each month.

Story by Murray Bishoff

With teams averaging 10 players, each month the city welcomes 350 players plus 350-500 parents and family members from the entire four-state area to North Park. That breaks down to 50 to 60 volunteers for coaching teams alone.

“In my five seasons as board president,” Calhoun said, “I remember teams from as far as Little Rock to the south, West Plains to the east, Kansas City to the north, and Norman, Okla., to the west. On two occasions in the last two summers, we managed to host 53 teams, playing 116 games on seven fields in two days. For the first weekend in June, we had 49 teams playing 108 games in the two-day event.”

The economic impact of bringing that many people to town, buying refreshments, visiting local eateries, buying gas, offers a significant boost to both stores and business operators.

Meetings and planning for games takes place year-round, slowing down in November and December. Registration for players opens on Jan. 1 and closes on March 31 to get a sense of the numbers, and scheduling practices for the fields begins. Much of that is now done online. High school students are hired for the field crew, umpires and concessions, around 40 per season.

Ken Gaspar and his wife Lori joined the MYBSL in 2005, when the operation was known as Monett Babe Ruth.

“Shortly before we joined, it was led by a very dedicated team of people like Kirk Verhoff, John Arnold, Jeff Phillips, Ed Johnson and Kirby Krueger,” Gaspar said. “It had also transitioned affiliation to the National Babe Ruth organization from the National Little League organization. Over the coming years, other great folks like Jeff Franke, Ed Rhea, Lance Mettlach, Jack Williams, Brent Daingerfield and so many others joined the board.

“Our two daughters were playing in the league. Our children are around the same ages as some of those early leaders’ children so we saw them around the park often. I recognized Kirk Verhoff doing a great deal of work out there. It was obvious they were preparing for some event. One night, I simply asked what was going on and was there anything I could do to help. In hindsight, most volunteer organizations struggle to locate enough people to share in the very hard work that is needed. The league was hosting a Babe Ruth state tournament in a few days, and thankfully, he graciously accepted my offer. Ultimately, we served the league and community for a total of 14 years. Lori served as league secretary and was also in charge of registrations and player insurance. I served as treasurer. We both also ran concessions. This is where we both felt we had the greatest impact and created the fondest memories.”

The Gaspars’ concentration on concessions helped a facet that required the most time, effort and dedication, often six days a week.

“My wife and I would work every night and every tournament, season after season,” Gaspar said. “We also treasured the relationships we fostered with players, parents, grandparents and others we would see at the window. The most rewarding aspect was related to the relationships we developed with the high school students we hired to work in the concession stand. It is strange for us to think about how many students have come through the program, have moved on, and now are having their children playing in the League. This wasn’t just limited to the concessions staff, but also the umpires and field crew — all high school students. Our goal here was to offer the students a summer job, teach them some work skills and responsibility while also giving them some summer spending money. We had so many great kids that worked for us and some for five or six years.

“In our first years, concessions were simple and lean. As the League grew, so did our ideas and improvements. I had many ideas and thankfully, the League’s board allowed us great latitude to do whatever we felt would benefit the service we provided and increase revenue. Our menu increased dramatically, the varieties of food we served enabled any family coming out to the park multiple nights each week some variety over the typical ‘burgers and dogs.’ We also boasted great prices. We knew many families were spending many nights in the park. We tried to set fair prices where we would still make money.”

In the last two seasons alone, league records show concessions sold 5,481 cheeseburgers, 3,481 hot dogs, 3,831 servings of popcorn, 4,304 pretzels, 5,744 cups of frozen lemonade and 1,500+ gallons of soda. The MYBSL’s donations to the North Park through

In a game between East Newton and Monett in the 8-and-under division, Caleb Davisson runs for first base.

field equipment, improvements, labor, fencing and other items totals nearly $250,000 from 2011 to 2023. The league also provides the balls, bats and catcher’s gear for the players.

Regular improvements to the field, especially construction of the tower that oversees the central complex of fields, has enabled the program to grow. Much of the credit for that goes to the city, and its upkeep of the fields.

Gaspar recalled that in his time with the MYBSL, the program made many strides.

Even with all of this, some weekends present challenges. Jared Velten, league vice president, recalled, “One tournament comes to mind during a very intermittent rain shower, it had rained on Friday, games started on Saturday and the fields were soft but playable. Then some sprinkles came in. Shawn Beeson, our tournament director, was bound and determined to make the tournament a success. He sprinkled Field Dry [a granular product that soaks up excess moisture] on the fields along with the field crew, and we managed to get most of the games in that weekend.”

Then there are the individual challenges that surface among the volunteers.

“I’ve helped get people to coach teams long enough that I have seen a lot of people thinking they can’t do it,” Velten said. “‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ they say, or ‘I don’t have the time.’ Eventually, when other options are exhausted, they agree to carry on and by the end of the season have been able to help lead the best team in the program. There is no secret sauce to being a good coach. Showing up for the kids is step one and getting them to do the basics and start to enjoy the game is step two. The rest comes from there.”

Now the league has jumped into plans for another major upgrade at the park. Spearheaded by the turf committee, started eight years ago, MYBSL is partnering with the city to place artificial turf

on fields 4, 5 and 6. The turf will enable teams to practice during wet weeks in the spring, which they can’t do now. The big Field 6, used for high school baseball, is the top priority, followed by Fields 4 and 5. Field 6 also needs a new backstop and scoreboard, Calhoun said. Other upgrades would include replacing the Green Barn building, previously known as the Red Barn, with a locker room building all the teams could use. Presently many players are still changing into uniforms in bathrooms or their cars. Total estimated cost is $2 million.

“There’s information on the MYBSL website [MYBSL.org],” Calhoun said. “Supporters donating $25 or more will help. We have a great partnership with the city, especially with [City Administrator] Chris Weiner, [North Park Supervisor] Larry Howard, and [Public Works Superintendent] Dave Dunn. Mid-America Construction, the firm that did the Monett and Cassville football fields, is working with us. They’re really good partners. This project will enable the fields to have different uses we can’t do now.”

The work of the MYBSL has evolved over time into a virtual dynamo. Still, it takes vision and helping hands in the right places to make the operation work and continue running season after season. According to Velten, the unsung heroes of the program are the board members, the volunteers who represent the strength and the weak spot for its future.

“If you did an informal survey of the Monett community who are familiar with MYBSL,” Velten said, “I would bet many would assume the program runs with at least 10 people, and more likely 15. We’ve had some board members ‘retire’ from the program and it’s very hard to fill those big shoes, but the start is just to get involved. All of our duties are on ‘if you can’ basis. If you can show up, please do. If you have a child playing in another town, by all means, go watch them play. There is no pressure to show up all the time, but

being able to take shifts through duties would be fantastic for current members.

“If I could make wishes, I would wish for more volunteers on the board to help get new, better and fresh ideas each season,” he continued. “I’d wish for the City of Monett to continue their amazing support of the program and to continue to work alongside MYBSL to make improvements. I have had the pleasure to serve on the board with some very outstanding individuals who have really inspired me to continue to serve on the board and showed me the meaning of giving back to the community. We continue to use ideas and processes they put in place over the years through our dayto-day operations. The example they set is something that each of us strive for.”

“Serving the community is something about which I have very strong feeling,” said Gaspar, “as evidenced by my service to the Monett R-1 School District and more recently to the Monett City Council. I felt the MYBSL was an extension of me, and the decision to finally retire [from it] in 2019 was a very difficult decision to make. We knew we needed to pass the bat (pun) to the next generation so they can take it to the next level. And they have. The current board, much like our past boards, could use more help. Most people have no idea the amount of work that these volunteers put in to make a season work. All volunteers, past and present, should be recognized for the selflessness in order to support Monett’s youth.

“My parting words are a quote from me that I would say to so many people: ‘If you are ever having a bad day — all one needs to do is visit the park and watch a tee ball game. Your stress or bad mood will instantly vanish, replaced by a smile and pure joy.’ This is what it’s all about. All we did is work hard to be sure that Monett’s kids had a great, safe place to make new friends and new memories. This was the greatest joy of all.” n

Previously in Keeping Secrets, 15-year-old Paige and her mom Alice, a spy, have been on a wild, overnight adventure. They’ve been kidnapped with Brayden, Paige’s crush, and been on the run through San Juan, Puerto Rico. Now, the trio is being held at gunpoint at a national park, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Piper, Alice’s double-crossing boss from the CIA, thinks that the helicopter arriving is her partner in crime, Sebastian Miranda, but could she be wrong?

Catch up on Keeping Secrets

parts 1-11

Keeping Secrets part twelve

By Annie Lisenby Smith

“Put the gun down, Piper,” the voice booms again. Paige squinted to see Tech Guy Tom’s smile fade.

“Tom?” Alice asks incredulously. The wind from the helicopter is blowing her hair in wild circles. Brayden holds his hands up to protect himself from the dirt that’s being kicked up and tossed at them.

“Tom?” Piper screeches. Paige realizes that Piper’s been unhinged through this whole wild night, but Piper takes it to a new level when Tom levels his rifle at her. Piper’s eyes darken in rage as she lurches for Paige.

Piper’s fingers grasp Paige with a vice-like grip. She yanks Paige, pulling her to her chest. Piper has turned Paige into a human shield. But she’s not done yet. Keeping Paige between herself and Tom’s gun, Piper jerks Paige awkwardly toward where Brayden sits on the ledge. Brayden’s eyes go wide the moment before Piper gives him an awkward shove with her free hand. Then Brayden slips off the ledge.

“No!” Alice screams sliding across the ledge and grabbing Brayden’s arm. A yell of surprise comes from the helicopter to join Paige’s guttural scream. They’d made it through this whole night of complete chaos. Paige couldn’t let it end this way.

“Hold on,” Alice groans to Brayden dangling below her. After lunging, she’s caught Brayden, but from the way she’s spread across the ledge, Paige knows that she’s losing her balance. She can’t watch her mother and Brayden fall to their deaths. She can’t let Piper get away with this.

When Piper had reappeared, Paige noticed that she was favoring her right ankle, and this gave Paige an idea.

On the helicopter, Tom was yelling instructions to Alice as he also screamed into his headset. He’d dropped his gun when Piper had shoved Brayden, which made Piper drop hers away from Paige’s head. It pointed toward the ground as she laughed

watching Alice scrambling to save Brayden. She’d begun to retreat, her grip still on Paige.

Mimicking Piper’s limping steps, Paige shifted her weight. Right as Piper stepped back on her weak ankle, Paige stomped her heel on Piper’s good foot and thrust herself forward. Paige felt a sharp crack from a bone in Piper’s foot as Piper howled in pain. She jumped back on her twisted ankle and howled again. Reaching for her foot, she dropped her gun. It clattered across the stones, one bullet discharging in the process. Paige kicked the gun so that it skidded far away from Piper.

The loud bang from the gun pulled everyone’s attention to Paige and Piper. Paige locked eyes with Alice and threw herself at her mom. Alice had slipped farther over the ledge, her feet dangling in the air, but she still held onto Brayden. Paige wrapped her arms around Alice’s legs near her knees. She pulled so hard that she felt a searing pain in her side. Probably a pulled muscle, but Paige thought she’d pull every muscle in her body to save her mom and Brayden. She had to get them back over the ledge. Tears poured down her face as she fought to hold on.

“Hands up! Hands up! Hands up!” came voices behind Paige. The shuffle of feet and click of metal guns against body armor floated around them. Two men in full military gear appeared like angels at Paige’s sides. Another pounded an anchor into the side of the ledge. He climbed up and began rappelling down to Brayden.

Suddenly surrounded by so much help, Paige was overcome with all the action. Sunlight glared off the helicopter as it spun and flew off. Dark green military-clad men surrounded them. A pair of hands took her by the shoulder while another pulled at the hem of her shirt. She batted those hands away and fought to watch for Brayden to reappear over the ledge. But the hands wouldn’t stop. They grabbed, then they pressed sending a

shockwave of pain up and down Paige’s entire side of her body. It rocked her so hard, her knees buckled. But another pair of hands caught her before she could crash onto the ground.

Her vision was blurring worse, her eyes feel weak not having her glasses to correct her vision. But something more was happening now. The sun was too bright. She was so tired after all they’d been through. The only things to bring her comfort were the sight of her mom and Brayden both coming back over the ledge and the click of handcuffs around Piper’s wrists.

Alice was by Paige’s side in two steps. “Paige, baby, mama’s here.” One hand was pushing stray hairs off her forehead as the other grasped her fingers. “You’re going to be okay.”

Brayden stood over Paige, his body blocking out the bright sun so she couldn’t see the look on his face. He had a long scrape down his arm that was blossoming with specks of red. “You’re hurt,” Paige said to him.

Leaning down to look her in the eyes, Brayden reached for her hand. “Paige.” He shook his head, his eyes wide.

“It’s a through and through,” a man wearing a helmet with a red cross said as he hunkered over Paige.

“What does that mean?” Brayden asked.

“It means the bullet went through her side and came back out,” Alice replied.

The poke of a needle in her arm and Paige’s world became blurrier. Her eyes were heavy and she felt like she was sinking. She squeezed her fingers around Alice and Brayden’s hands as she had when they ran through the streets of San Juan and drifted away.

The evening air was hot, much hotter than it usually was the first of September. Moths dove at the stadium lights overhead as Paige pulled at the scratchy collar of her t-shirt. Mr. Brown had let them wear their band T-shirts instead of their stuffy band uniforms for the opening football game. The new shirts with a snarling purple lion across the front were stiff and scratchy.

“Keep drinking water,” Alice passes Paige a cold bottle. “Are you feeling up to this?”

Alice had hovered over Paige for the past month from the moment she woke up in the hospital in San Juan. The stray bullet from Piper’s gun had hit Paige’s side. She’d had surgery to repair a tear in her small intestine, but the bullet had missed other major organs. She was lucky, they’d told her. Paige didn’t mind that Alice was at her bedside when she’d awoken because she was holding Paige’s hand and her dad was holding the other hand. The three of them had been inseparable every day since.

Her second day in the hospital, a tall man with shoulders like a linebacker and a stiff suit sat across from Paige’s hospital bed and asked her question after question. Alice introduced him as Mr. Jones, but Paige doubted that was his real name. She asked a few questions of her own too, which was how she learned how Tech Guy Tom and the team he’d called in had found her so fast. Once they’d been taken from the police station, Tom had called into the CIA and they’d sent a team to him at once.

“But how did they find us in Puerto Rico?” Paige asked Mr. Jones.

Mr. Jones shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. He did this every time Paige asked a question that he wasn’t sure he should answer.

“Tom’s keys,” Alice said. She was always present as Paige’s guardian since she was underage. “They were still in your pocket and had the air tag on them. He followed us on GPS.”

There was enough evidence on the USB to put Sebastian, his father, and Piper away for a very long time.

“So, your message from the fort never made it through, it was just the air tag?” Paige asked.

Mr. Jones cleared his throat. “We’ll need to discuss how much knowledge she has of the communication services,” he told Alice.

Alice waved him away. “The message got through, that was how they knew it was time to activate. I told them that Piper had us trapped and gave the location for confirmation.”

Mr. Jones came back two more days and actually smiled and thanked Paige when he left the last time. After a week in the hospital in San Juan, Paige had been cleared to return home. With her parents, they’d fallen into a routine of medicines and watching movies and video chats with Tech Guy Tom. Paige asked if he ever got his keys back. Tom laughed. He laughed more when he told them that Piper wasn’t getting out of prison any time soon.

Before the medics had taken Paige to the hospital, Alice had removed the Lego brick necklace and turned it over to her new boss at the CIA. There was enough evidence on it to put Sebastian, his father, and Piper away for a very long time. It turned out that there’d been an internal investigation going on Piper for over a year but they hadn’t gathered enough evidence to charge her. After the wild night Alice and Paige had, there was plenty of evidence.

“Paige?” Alice asks as though it’s not the first time.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she replies adjusting her new glasses.

“Have some nachos,” Nathan passes her the flimsy plastic.

“Dad, I don’t need nachos,” Paige sighs. “Mom, I don’t need water. I’m fine.”

A burst of laughter catches Paige’s attention. Across the bleachers, Brayden stands with the drum corps laughing at the new freshman kid imitating Mr. Brown. A flicker of sadness overtakes Paige. She hasn’t talked to Brayden since Puerto Rico. She wanted to text him when her dad bought her a new cell phone, but she didn’t have his number anymore. She thought about stopping by his house, but she couldn’t think of how to talk to him now. When classes had started last week, Paige thought she’d see him then, but their paths only crossed in band class. He’d stayed safely with the percussion section and her with her trombone in the brass section.

Brayden’s gaze lands on Paige and the smile drops from his face. Paige’s gaze falls to her sneakers. In frustration, she taps her feet on the bleachers in beat with the heavy metal song blasting through the stadium speakers.

“Paige,” Brayden stands in front of her. “Paige, I wanted to call you or text you, but then I didn’t. And you were in the hospital and I had to go home. Tech Guy Tom gave me updates. And I wanted to call but I still didn’t. Then it was so long that I didn’t call that I didn’t know if you wanted

me to call, you know?” It all came out in a rush, like a flood of thoughts and words mixing together that were mostly comprehendible.

Next to Paige, Alice shifts saying, “Let’s go get more nachos, honey.”

Alice’s dad protests, “But we still have the ones Paige didn’t eat, and they’re kind of expensive this year.”

“Nathan,” Alice says firmly. “We need nachos. Just trust me.” Her attempt at hiding her nod at Brayden is completely unsuccessful and the awkwardness of the situation brings a smile to Paige’s face. Alice and Nathan scamper down the walkway waving hellos at people as they pass.

“Brayden,” Paige starts. But she can’t find the right words, so she holds out her hand. He places his hand in hers and she rubs her fingers across the back of his hand. “I wanted to call too, but I didn’t know how to apologize for getting you dragged into everything with my mom.”

“Apologize?” Brayden laughs. “Why would you apologize? You know, I got an A+ on my essay for English about what I did this summer.”

Paige’s laughter mixes with Brayden’s. “But that was classified. Didn’t you have some burly guy in a suit tell you that like a thousand times?” Paige asks.

Sitting next to Paige, Brayden pretends he’s thinking, “Was it a thousand times?” he asks playfully. “I think Mr. Jones only told me about a hundred times, but I wasn’t in the hospital with a gunshot wound, so they probably thought I’d remember better.”

Playfully slapping his shoulder, Paige laughs. Brayden is really the only person at school that she can talk to about her summer. Everyone else believes the cover story that she reunited with her mom, went to Puerto Rico, and got appendicitis while she was there. “Well, Tech Guy Tom says guys dig scars.”

“I was digging you before you had a scar,” Brayden bites his lip. And Paige soaks in the moment. She’s with Brayden and her dad and her mom. And she’s home. And they’re all alive. They survived it all together which means Paige can look forward to what comes next. And through this ordeal, she’s learned to fight for what she wants.

Grabbing Alice’s purse, Paige digs through it and pulls out a Sharpie pen. She passes it to Brayden and holds open her palm.

“I was digging you too,” she says. “Since I lost your number, I’ll need it again.” The trace of the Sharpie across her palm tickles. Paige savors it. On to the next great adventure with Brayden, just one without gunshots and helicopters, she thinks with a smile so big Paige is pretty sure she’s glowing. n

Email your pet’s photo to: monettcommunity@gmail.com

If you think your furry or feathered friend is the cutest in the area, let us know! We invite you to share a photo of your pet to be featured in Connection’s Cutest Pet contest. Photos should be sent in the original JPG format at the highest resolution possible.

Remember to include your pet’s name, city of residence and your contact information.

Trixie Trixie

Trixie is a Welch Pembroke corgi, fur baby of Janice and Paul Lorenz of Pierce City

by Christa Stout

Deutschland Adventure “der Hunds”

Connection Magazine made it to Germany! Hello from Munich, where I spent a wonderful 2 weeks with my sister and her family. But I was also curious to see what was going on in the animal world and luckily there was a shelter not too far away.

So, on a wonderful and sunny day, we drove to the Tierschutzverein Muenchen (Munich Animal Protection), expecting to see some dogs and cats and found so much more. We found an entire section of birds, racoons, monkeys, wild cats, a pig, a goat, and buildings for veterinary care as well as training and education.

We learned that the shelter had just gone through a rather quiet couple of months, but that they expected an increase in intake to start any time. However, it did not appear that they were going to have the flood of animals Missouri was experiencing, and the intake of animals was not expected to be higher than prior to the pandemic.

It is difficult to determine why there is such a difference in the number of animals; however, all of the pets from within Germany must follow strict rules. No pets are released during adoption unless they are spayed and/or neutered; all pets have to be regis-

REMINDER:

Is your pet due for its annual checkup? Keeping your pet’s shots up to date prevents future problems.

tered and the owner must provide proof of vaccinations; a pet must at all times be on a leash, unless in a specific area where they may be released so long as the owner can demonstrate he has verbal control of the pet.

Because the process is so strict, many of the animals that wind up in shelters actually come from other countries, where it is easier to buy exotic or unusual animals, and many of these come to the shelter when owners experience difficulty in keeping exotic animals in apartments or town homes. These animals are not adopted out but are rehabbed, sometimes given to a zoo and sometimes returned to their native countries.

Once we had the basic understanding of how adopting in Germany works, we started with the Cat House, where we learned that there are currently about 140 cats and kittens in residence, many of which came in from policemen

who found them and some that were surrendered by their owners who could no longer take care of them or family members who surrendered them due to the death of their owner.

We talked to a very nice and extremely knowledgeable employee, a ‘Tier Pflege’ (a person educated for three years in animal care, both classroom education as well as actual animal care). The process completes with written and physical tests. Only when the tests have been passed, will the person be issued a diploma as Tier Pflege and will be able to work in the animal care world.

Our Tier Pflege showed us where cats were housed - in individual rooms or with their bonded companion with access to indoor and outdoor areas.

View the Munich Animal Protection website (in German)

Bonded animals will always be adopted only as pairs or multiples, since separating them would be very harmful to them and would not allow them to integrate into their new home.

Although we saw some of the cutest kittens, we were told that kitten season had not yet started. Since technically all cats should have been neutered, there are few feral cats and therefore not many kittens. These kittens can be adopted individually, if necessary. On we went to the dogs – about 160 of them. We learned that many of the European countries have “List Dogs” with category 1 dogs (dangerous or previously fighting dogs such as mixedbreed staffies and mastiffs which CAN be considered category 1 dogs, even if they are very small!) and category 2 dogs, meaning dogs that are pedigree American Staffordshire terriers, Tosa, and Rottweilers and their crosses.

Category 1 dogs can never be adopted out, while category 2 dogs must pass an owner as well as a dog behavior test. Since I am generally against breed specific legislation, I was a little disappointed, but the shelter is taking care of these dogs and will move category 1 dogs to countries that do accept them, such as Austria and Switzerland, or if a home cannot be found for them, they are retained at the Shelter’s Sanctuary outside of the city limits, where they have good

Munich Animal Protection

care and can live into old age. The dogs are not euthanized. There are movements in place to remove or modify the List Dog classifications and allow adoption of these dogs, but the process is slow and encompasses many countries. An annual event called “Ein Herz fuer jede Rasse” (a Heart for every Breed) was scheduled for June 3rd. This event attempts to make everyone aware of dog breeds, training etc.

However, there are many adoptable dogs at the shelter and we saw adopters playing with dogs and cats and petting them. The dogs have indoor and outdoor runs that are remarkably large. When a dog is adopted, there is a trial period of up to two weeks, to give the adopters as well as the pet a chance to get use to their new environment. During this time, the dog can be returned to the shelter or the adopters may request a trainer to come onsite to help with any issues. A wonderful arrangement to assure a longtime life with a pet.

Germany is a very dog-friendly country. They are allowed almost everywhere (besides grocery stores) with only the rare Kein Hund erlaubt (“No dogs allowed”). This is made possible because most German dogs are very well-behaved. They heel perfectly, listen to every command and even stop before crossing the street. It is wonderful to see these dogs on trains, streetcars, subways, and even in a Gasthaus (Restaurant).

We enjoyed our visit very much and as always, the animal care was outstanding, the people were friendly and open to answering any and all questions. And the animals were healthy and happy!

Danke Schoen, Tierschutzverein Muenchen!

Public Works Day

2. Kyle,

3. Angel,

First on Front

1. Travis and Sara VanHorn of Monett.

2. Blaze Batson, Will Goodman, Logan Kutz, Mickey Gross and Spencer Gross, all of Monett. 1

1. Carter Terry, 4 and Elliot Harris, 4 of Purdy.

5, and Kavan Austin, 3, of Monett

7, and Mateo Almaraz, 3, of Monett

MISSOURI SMALL TOWN SHOWCASE

Monett and Aurora Could Be Among ‘Featured Five’

Every year, Missouri Humanities, a statewide non-profit organization, hosts the “Small Town Showcase,” a project aimed at highlighting cities across Missouri that have populations of under 10,000 people. Five Missouri communities are chosen each year by a popular vote to be represented in the showcase. This year, Monett and Aurora could be among the communities chosen to be highlighted in the showcase in 2024.

The Small Town Showcase was started by Missouri Humanities in 2021. Caitlin Yager, program director at Missouri Humanities, said the purpose behind the project was to show the public what small towns in Missouri have to offer.

“Small Town Showcase is a cultural heritage tourism initiative aimed at highlighting the uniqueness of Missouri’s small towns and showcasing the bigger picture of what Small Town America really is, and why it should not be overlooked, overshadowed, or under-appreciated,” she said. “Our goal is to show that ‘we are not a flyover state; we are the heart of America.’”

Monett’s amenities highlighted in nomination

Monett was nominated for the showcase by the Rev. Andrew Kennell, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church. In a questionnaire he filled out about the city, he spoke of the Repurposed-Faire, the community theater and the Ozark Festival Orchestra. He also said that if an “outsider” came to the city, they would enjoy the many activities Monett has to offer.

“If an ‘outsider’ spent a day in Monett,” he said, “they’d be impressed by the recreational amenities (such as) YMCA facilities, parks with disc-golf, baseball, and softball fields, (the) golf-course and (the) bike trail that are readily accessible and frequently used. If they drove around long enough, they’d see both wealthier and poorer neighborhoods, as well as a lot of tree-lined streets where they’d eventually say, ‘I think I’d like living here.’”

Children enjoy the playground equipment at Monett’s North Park. Both of Monett’s parks have several recreation opportunities for visitors of all ages.

A batter takes a swing at the ball during a softball game at one of the ballfields in Monett’s North Park. Nothing says small town like a summer ball game.

The Freedom Silo, painted by Raine Clotfelter, is one of Monett’s most famous landmarks.

This sign, located in Monett’s North Park, proudly lets people know that they are entering the City of Monett.

Story and photos by Steve Chapman

To cast a vote for the Small Town Showcase, scan the QR code.

Scroll down to the “Vote Now” button. From there, you can vote for up to five communities to be chosen in the showcase, and you can vote as many times as you want. Voting closes on Saturday, July 15.

Aurora’s nomination focuses on community betterment, growth

Aurora was nominated for the showcase by Marsha Egan and Kim McCully-Mobley. In their nomination, they spoke of the many ways the community is working to better the town. Asked what they would want showcased about Aurora, they replied, “The many different organizations working together in our town to make it better and supporting each other, (and) the All Roads Lead Home murals, the alumni center Hall of Fame and Project Rise.”

They also pointed out the community programs which they said better the people in Aurora, including “Project RISE, Aurora Beautification, habitat,” which they said are “all working together, and working with the city.”

Egan and McCully-Mobley said that the city works to preserve their past while creating a better future.

“We are moving forward and still want to continue to do so,” they said. “People say we are always resilient, loyal, and true. We also have a colorful history that dates back to the Civil War.”

Several benefits for a town chosen to be in the showcase

Yager said the there are many benefits for the communities which are chosen to be included in the Small Town Showcase, which include a roundtable-style podcast, a short video about the community and a feature in their bi-annual publication, MoHumanities.

“Being included in our Small Town Showcases allows a community to show the world what it really means to be characterized as a small town,” she said. “It gives the community a platform to show off what their town has to offer. Since Fall 2021, Small Town Showcase community videos have been viewed over 40,000 times on YouTube and Facebook, and podcast episodes have gotten nearly 1000 downloads. They consistently remain Missouri Humanities most popular content.”

https://mohumanities.org/small-town-showcase

(above) Located in the center of the town square, Aurora’s City Hall is also one of its most historic buildings.

The Aurora Area Chamber of Commerce building is housed in the city’s former railroad depot. The building houses the city’s historic museum.

Children splash in the municipal pool, located at White Park. On a hot day, the pool is the perfect place to cool off.

Raine Clotfelter’s first “All Road’s Lead Home” mural in Aurora, located on the back of the Children’s Smile Center, depicts several chapters of the city’s history.

Parker Jae Crow is the 7-month-old daughter of Samuel and Mattie Crow, of Pierce City

APPLY WITHIN

by Suzy Kassem

You once told me You wanted to find Yourself in the worldAnd I told you to First apply within, To discover the world within you.

You once told me You wanted to save The world from all its warsAnd I told you to First save yourself From the world, And all the wars You put yourself Through.

ACHIEVING MAGNET® DESIGNATION MEANS

Only 9% of U.S. hospitals meet the Magnet Recognition Program’s 94 standards of excellence – the nation’s gold standard of nursing. And we’re pretty proud to be one of them, because it means our nurses go above and beyond. Doing more, so you can feel better.

It’s

coxhealth.com

EARNING NURSING’S HIGHEST HONOR. IT ALSO MEANS THE BEST POSSIBLE CARE FOR YOU.

the right thing.

Cox Medical Centers