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Halloween how-to Planning and pumpkins
lessons of the wild What must be felt to know
The unseen
Beware of the night
&
of Grace Kindness Princess
g n i n in trai
A magazine dedicated to Southwest Missourians
OCTOBER 2015
2 | OCTOBER 2015
Features
7 Halloween at home
How to make it happen
13 Pretty with a purpose
Cassville girl learns the ups and downs of pageantry
20 Notes from the Ozark Trail
Wilderness lessons
27 The man at the
end of the road
A grave digger unearths the intricacies of his craft
38 Into the
shadows
Southwest Ghost Finders continue the hunt
Every Issue
With autumn officially here, John Baty of Monett submitted some photos he has captured of fall sights in recent years at Monett’s South Park.
19 Healthy Connection 35 Connection Calendar 37 Cutest Pet contest 44 Photo submissions 49 Food: Autumn’s best 51 Bottles & Brews 57 Proud Parent contest 81 My Connection 83 Familiar Faces 89 Ad Index 91 Parting Shot CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 3
www.edwardjones.com A magazine dedicated to Southwest Missourians
PUBLISHER Jacob Brower connection@monett-times.com EDITOR Kyle Troutman editor@cassville-democrat.com Marketing director Lisa Craft community@monett-times.com
If You’re Leaving Your Employer, Do You Know Your 401(k) Options? At Edward Jones, we can explain options for your 401(k), including leaving the money in your former employer’s plan, moving it to your new employer’s plan, rolling it over to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or cashing out the account subject to tax consequences. We can help you review your options so that you can select the one that’s best for you. If you decide to roll it over to an Edward Jones IRA, we can help. Shane A Boyd
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ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Sheila Harris James Craig Marion Chrysler CONTRIBUTORS Murray Bishoff Meagan Ruffing Nancy Ridgley Shawn Hayden Darlene Wierman Melonie Roberts Sheila Harris Susan Funkhouser Pam Wormington Brad Stillwell Jared Lankford Julia Kilmer Jennifer Conner Anne Angle Dionne Zebert Jane Severson Verna Fry Angie Judd Cheryl Williams Emily Wiseley PHOTOGRAPHERS Chuck Nickle Brad Stillwell Jamie Brownlee Amy Sampson DISTRIBUTION Greg Gilliam Kevin Funcannon TO ADVERTISE 417-847-2610 - Cassville 417-235-3135 - Monett Send email inquiries to connection@monett-times.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 40, Monett, MO 65708 Connection is published monthly and distributed free in Cassville, Monett, Exeter, Washburn, Pierce City, Mt. Vernon, Aurora, Verona, Roaring River, Eagle Rock, Shell Knob, Purdy, Wheaton, Freistatt, Marionville, Seligman, Golden and other surrounding areas. Connection is a publication of the Cassville Democrat, The Monett Times and Rust Communications.
Contents
53 ‘I’d rather play for a living’
Photo courtesy John Baty of Monett
Unique entrepreneur creates his own lifestyle
58 Bigger for better
Monett native Jason Hoggett goes for world-record quilt
62 The air up there
Aurora Aviation brings new wings to the sky
67 Petal pushers
Barabara Ward of Purdy produces art in bloom
Building a family business with community support
Women who set the successful business standard
70 Brattin Tree Service 72 She’s the boss
77 Gourd following
Trendy squash fashioned to season
on the cover: Photo courtesy Jeremy Huse Photography
Have an idea for a story you would like to see in Connection Magazine? Email it to connection@monett-times.com
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 5
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Halloween
in your home How to get ready for scare season
T
he month of October would not be complete without the smell of apple cider, hay rides and pumpkin spice. Bringing these things as well as many others into your home can be an easy and (fun) way to get into the fall craze. Try just a few of these suggestions or go down the list and do all of them with your kiddos. Chances are, you will have just as much fun carving those pumpkins as they will.
Alliance | fotolia.com
13 ‘Halloween in Your Home’ ideas to get your house ready for Halloween night:
1.
Grab your kids and head to your local pumpkin patch. Make a point to take a hay ride while you’re there and let your children pick out their own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Depending on your child’s age, the driver of the hay ride will sometimes let them help with cutting their pumpkin from the patch. This is a great time for a photo.
2.
Set up your jack-o’-lanterns once they are all done and light them up with battery-operated tea lights for a fun and glowingfilled night.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 7
Liv Friis-larsen | fotolia.com
3.
Take a couple of spice sticks and toss them in a pot of apple cider. Bring that to a low boil-slow simmer, and let the aroma of everything October waft through your house. Your kids will love coming in from the brisk cold outdoors to a warm and inviting home. When you’re ready to drink the cider, take the spice sticks out and pour into special tea cups for your kids to enjoy.
4.
Scott Karcich | fotolia.com
8 | OCTOBER 2015
Caramel apples aren’t just for the fair anymore. These delicious treats are quite easy to make. Go apple picking and choose which apples you think would be perfect to dip into your homemade caramel sauce. If you’re short on time, grab a bag of apples from the grocery store and a bag of caramel candies. Heat the candies in a large pot until you can stir with a creamy/syrupy consistency and dunk your apples one at a time using a skewer cut in half and poked into the apple as your handle. Let your kids decorate with whatever candy they would like. A few ideas for toppings would be crushed nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, rainbow or chocolate sprinkles, crushed cookies and M&Ms.
mariana_romaniv | fotolia.com
5.
The dollar store has some great decorations for next to nothing. What kid doesn’t like to hang fake cobwebs from their doorway? Grab a few pumpkin printed trash bags to hold your leaves, spider webs for the front entryway and paper mice to tape onto your stairwell and you will have the whole neighborhood clan wanting to come and see your house this Halloween night. Pumpkin bread, banana bread, zucchini bread and spice bread are a few of the season’s favorite treats. It seems that everyone has a famous family recipe these days. Why not carry on the tradition of making bread for your family like your grandmother used to do? This is a great way to get your kids to eat breakfast in the morning and they’re getting a nice portion of fruit and vegetables in their bread, depending on what you make. Let your little ones help you buy, having them measure out the flour and whisking the eggs. They will feel really good about themselves and, chances are, they will be more likely to help you with future recipes in the kitchen. A bowl of candy corn, peanuts, M&Ms and popcorn is the perfect Halloween mix for any sweet tooth. If you are prone to putting your hand into the bowl one too many times, put it out of sight where you are less likely to splurge. If you don’t mind the extra helpings, have at it and put that bowl smack dab on the counter. Fall décor has a way of accumulating over the years, as does any seasonal decoration. Take inventory of the items you don’t want and donate or sell to make room for new, nicer items. Kids love to help with setting up something special in their homes and Halloween is no different. Let them help you get those tubs out from the basement and attic and reminisce over holidays past.
6. 7. 8.
A bowl of candy corn, peanuts, M&Ms and popcorn is the perfect Halloween mix for any sweet tooth.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 9
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MNStudio | fotolia.com
9.
Halloween costumes aren’t just for Halloween night. Any parent knows that these pieces of clothing are like gold. Let your kids get out their old costumes and dress up to their hearts’ delight before the big night. Save the actual costume they will be wearing this year for the big night, but let them have fun, explore and use their imaginations from collective pieces in year’s past. Candles can sometimes feel like a thing of the past with all of these infusers that are out now, but they really do give off a warm feeling in the home, not to mention a nice scent. Get your favorite-smelling candle and make a special home for it on your counter in the kitchen or on your dining room table. The feeling that a candle gives us usually helps with the task of doing the dishes, folding laundry and any other household chore.
10.
Don’t forget the face paint
arinahabich | fotolia.com
11.
A welcome mat can seem like such a simple thing and is often overlooked, but it is the first thing your visitors will see upon entering your home. Head to your hardware store or department store and pick up a cute, whimsical doormat. Not only will it look nice to have something new and in season outside your home, but it will give your place an inviting feel to all who show up for trick or treating. Basic cable usually airs something special for Halloween, like “It’s the Great Big Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Make it a special occasion and let your kids stay up late that night to enjoy some of the programs you used to watch when you were kid. Last but not least, paint that face. Who says face painting is only for carnivals, fairs and festivals? This is the perfect time to whip out your cosmetic skills and draw your little girl a heart or tiara on her plump, soft cheek. It will be a fun bonding time as you channel your inner makeup artist and she marvels at the way her mom can do just about anything.
12. 13.
Meagan Ruffing is a local freelance parenting writer. She looks forward to hearing what her kids want to dress up as this year and letting them eat more candy than they should on Halloween.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 11
Lorelei VanDerhoef, front, of Cassville is crowned official “Little Sister” of Miss Springfield by 2014 Miss Missouri Jessica Hartman at a pageant event.
12 | OCTOBER 2015
The beauty
behind the curtain
Cassville 8-year-old enjoys memorable year as Miss Springfield’s Little Sister
O
ver the summer months, most 8-year-old girls are playing at the pool and enjoying typical summer activities. While Lorelei VanDerhoef may have done some of those things, too, she also learned about life and relationships from an unexpected source — the Miss America organization. The daughter of Leilani and Dan VanDerhoef of Cassville, Lorelei VanDerhoef has been spending time this summer and the last year learning about community service and helping others as part of a mentorship program in conjunction with the Miss America organization, in which she was named the official ‘little sister’ of title holder Miss Springfield Kelsey Dacus. The program, for girls ages 5-12, pairs a young girl with a local title holder, who mentors her. VanDerhoef was paired with Dacus last November, where she was crowned with the title. After receiving her crown, she crowned little sister Lorelei. Since then, VanDerhoef has made several appearances with Dacus, some of the most notable the Christmas parade and a Springfield Cardinals game.
Story by Julia Kilmer
MORE ONLINE For video, visit: tinyurl.com/ptklfh2
Lorelei VanDerhoef, right, and “big sister” and Miss Springfield Kelsey Dacus ride in a pageant parade.
To follow Kelsey Dacus on Facebook, visit; Facebook.com/MissSpringfield2015 For more information on the mentorship program, visit: tinyurl.com/odqpgyo CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 13
“It’s a mentoring program,” said Dacus, 23, from Sikeston. “Any event I had as Miss Springfield I would always invite Lorelei to come with me and learn from me, putting her in community service and showing different ways to reach out and volunteer at a young age. And she got to go with me to the Miss Missouri pageant when we competed. She walked on stage with me. We spoke about courage and kindness and what they meant to me. “It’s kind of a prerequisite for the teen program in the pageant world. Being a little sister is a way to see how things like that work and gets you prepared for when you’re older.” Dacus, who is studying to become clinical psychologist with an emphasis in special education, said being a title holder provides a platform and sphere of influence to accomplish good things in the community. “I did Miss Springfield at age 22. It ended up going well and got thrown in and I just loved the community service aspect. We have a platform about adopting out of foster care at different events. That’s what the Miss America platform lets you do. You get a personal platform and can let the community know about what you want to change. “I talk to different people who are interested in meeting with these foster kids and giving them forever homes. That’s where we lack in the small communities; we’re not getting the awareness out. “When you have a crown on your head for some reason it opens doors. You are immediately recognized. It just kind of precedes itself.” Dacus said being Lorelei’s big sister comes naturally to her. “I am a child advocate,” she said. “I love getting to know kids. I ask her what she likes to do and I talk on her level and things she loves, like different girly things. “I’ve taken her to get her nails done. And I get down on her level and want to be her friend. It’s just trying to be her friend and show her love. That’s my real goal. Just to love her and give her an example of how being involved in the community
14 | OCTOBER 2015
“I think it’s teaching her character skills... seeing a need and seeing she can help, even at the age of 8.” — Miss Springfield Kelsey Dacus and being kind to others is the way to go. I wanted to allow my time for her.” “It’s a lot more than just getting dressed up and looking pretty, Lorelei’s mother Leilani VanDerhoef, who works as a Project Manager for Walmart in Bentonville, Ark., said. There’s a lot more work that goes into it. I think that’s the first thing people think of. It’s learning about community involvement, social issues and just learning how to converse with people. “I don’t know a lot of other 8-yearolds in this area spending their summer at the Miss Missouri pageant. And learn-
ing on-stage presentation, and getting to meet Miss Missouri and a former Miss America.” So how does an 8-year-old from rural Cassville get involved with the Miss America organization? On Facebook. Leilani VanDerhoef said last fall, something came across her Facebook page about the mentorship program and how young girls could be paired with a local title holder. She followed up. “We got put with Miss Springfield, Kelsey Dacus,” she said. “Since last fall Lorelei has gotten to make appearances
with her, hang out, have her nails done, eat pizza, and was also in the Springfield Christmas parade. That was super fun. They’ve gotten to know each other leading up to the Miss Missouri pageant in June. And she still got to be her little sister there. “She’s learned opening dances for the pageant and gets to participate in the evening gown competition. She got to be on stage and walk out with Miss Springfield and that was super exciting. And she’s gotten to meet other little girls from the area and state and made several friends. This is her first experience [in pageantry]. I wanted her to try it. “Lorelei says the experience has been really fun. She felt like a real princess. She also really liked getting to meet people like Miss Missouri, Miss Missouri Teen USA, and a former Miss America. Since Lorelei doesn’t have older siblings, Kelsey has been like a real “big sister.” Kelsey has been so good to her — just talking to her, spending time together doing fun girl things like manicures and pedicures,
eating pizza (her favorite food) and even exchanging small gifts. “The mentorship program has not been around long. It’s a really cool way to kind of observe things a title holder gets involved in. Like fundraisers. Miss Springfield has a platform she supports related to foster care adoption. So, Lorelei’s gotten to learn about foster care and adoption and know that it’s something that exists and there are kids who don’t have moms and dads. She’s not been exposed to things like that before, or Children’s Miracle Network. And just the idea of, if I see a problem how would I solve it? Dacus said as her ‘big sister,’ she teaches Lorelei about adoption, community needs and how to show consideration, kindness, and just how to represent herself to others well. But the two also do girly things like get their nails done and chat. And while Lorelei may be her ‘assigned’ little sister, the relationship they’ve developed transcends any program. The two talk off and on during the month.
Lorelei VanDerhoef, front row, third from left, appears in a dance production at the Miss Missouri pageant in Mexico, Mo., in June.
“Most of time I’m texting her mom or seeing pics on Facebook,” Dacus said. “I sent a bouquet of flowers to her dance recital, and post things on my Facebook page about her. She’s just incredible and I love being able to be with her.” Sometimes, VanDerhoef gets to go to community events with Dacus. “I think it’s teaching her character skills but just being out in the community and seeing a need and seeing she can help even at the age of 8,” Dacus said. “And it helps her understand that with a title we have a certain responsibility and expectation of how we are to act. Being kind, considerate, and we are representing different organizations and are expecting to act in a certain manner. And just volunteering and understanding how important community service is.” Leilani VanDerhoef believes the mentoring program is also teaching VanDerhoef that relationships transcend age, and also strengthens her relationship with her daughter. “I think you can form a bond with anyone, it doesn’t have to be with girls your age,” she said. “It helps her get to see what’s coming up in life. She gets to listen to Kelsey state her goals. It opens up good conversations for me to have with her. I can say Kelsey saw this child at the hospital who had cancer and this was really good because it brightens that child’s day. I think it also strengthens my relationship with her. It’s also something a mother and daughter can do. “It’s a relationship strengthening experience and is teaching her you can form relationships with all types of people. And with anyone that’s different than you. And that it’s OK to embrace differences.” In June, Lorelei participated in the Miss Missouri pageant with Dacus in Mexico, Mo., and got to be involved in several events during pageant week, including an opening production dance number, the evening gown competition, contestant parade and luncheon. Lorelei also got to meet former Miss America, Debbye Turner.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 15
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Little Sister Lorelei VanDerhoef, right, of Cassville walks out on the runway with “big sister” Miss Springfield Kelsey Dacus of Springfield for an evening gown competition at the Miss Missouri pageant in Mexico, Mo., in June.
“Here is my 8-year-old, talking to a 23-year-old who’s mature, in college, setting goals for herself, has two jobs, and involved in good causes,” Leilani VanDerhoef said. “It’s interesting to watch them interact. They don’t run out of things to talk about. Kelsey comes down to her level. When I was 23 I wouldn’t have known what to do with an 8-year-old.” Lorelei also gets to wear a crown, just like Dacus. The crown says ‘Miss Springfield Little Sister.’ One might wonder, what does a Dad think about all this and where does he fit in? Lorelei’s dad, Dan VanDerhoef, who works as a conservation agent for Barry County, supports his daughter’s participation with the program. “He’s pretty proud,” said Leilani VanDerhoef. “He thinks this is good exposure to get involved in different things. We went to the Baldknobbers show and made an appearance with Kelsey at a Springfield cardinals game. That’s perfect for guys.” As far as the time required to be a little sister, it’s “as much as you make it,” Mom Leilani VanDerhoef says. “It hasn’t been anything mandatory, except for the Miss Missouri pageant. We had to be there a certain number of days. Other than that, I’ve followed Kelsey on Facebook and things she’s doing. For example, Kelsey was singing at the Baldknobbers show in April opening for the show and we took Lorelei, and got to hang out with her. That was really fun for her to see, and fun for us as a family, and Dad went.” And Lorelei still has plenty of time to enjoy summer activities in between all that’s involved with being Dacus’ little sister. “She’s enrolled in summer day camp at the YMCA,” said Leilani VanDerhoef. “They do so many fun things. I would have loved that as a kid. She loves to swim, they go to movies and candy stores. When she grows up, she wants to be a pediatrician because she wants to help kids. “She will be in the mentorship program until Miss Springfield relinquishes
“I think she’s gained a special friendship that could last a lifetime through this program.” — Leilani VanDerhoef, Lorelei’s mother her crown and then we’ll start over,” Leilani VanDerhoef said. “And then she could be paired with another title holder, like Miss Branson. The pageant also has a teen division.” Leilani VanDerhoef feels being a little sister also helps her daughter learn about disappointment and how to respond. “At the Miss Missouri pageant, Kelsey was named first runner up,” she said. “She [Lorelei] got to see how she reacted, to that type of rejection, to be so close to being the winner. She [Dacus} was very happy about it and not sad about leaving. It was good for my daughter to see that. It doesn’t mean losing, but that you’ve
experienced something and now you’re a better person. Lorelei VanDerhoef attends Cassville schools, and will be a third-grader this fall. Summers and mentorship programs may only last a certain while, but memories and relationships, once forged, last much longer. “I would hope to continue having Lorelei be my little sister whether she is my official little sister or not,” Dacus said. “Lorelei may not realize it yet, but I think she’s gained a special friendship that could last a lifetime through this program,” Leilani VanDerhoef said.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 17
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18 | OCTOBER 2015
ZOMBIE HARVEST/Interactive Paintball shoot & ride NEW! Glow in the dark paintballs and interactive ride $10 with 75 rounds. $5 for an additional 50 flesh eating ammo balls. Field of Screams The Haunting begins on Friday, September 25th at dark. Then every Wed, Fri, Sat at dark until October 31st! Screamin’ Good Pizza & Pretzels or The Feed Wagon Fresh hot pizza or pretzel. Feed the hunger created by the maze craze - candy, chips, bottled water & pop available during regular hours. ‘The Feed Wagon’ on Fridays and Saturdays - BBQ, chili, nachos, carmel apples, and more! (Pop & candy available to fieldtrips.)
Campfires Reserve a spot for your group to roast hot dogs and marshmallows or to just gather and tell stories! $10.00 per hour by reservation. General Store Buy souvenir t-shirts, hats, glowsticks, scout patches, hot buttered popcorn, candy, etc. Courtyard Attractions Pump up your adrenaline with some of our favorites - boxer jocks, twin spin, pumpkin chuckin’, corn cannon, cow train, and Lil’ Kernal’s Corner with the corn box, bouncer, farm animals, and more for the little ones. Movie nights Every Friday and Saturday evening enjoy old movies in the courtyard, grab a bag of hot popcorn at the country store and make a night of it. Hay Rides Take a ride on the haywagon and have a relaxing jaunt to see a historic marker;
Healthy Connection
Early detection crucial in fight against breast cancer
C
What are the risk factors for developing breast cancer?
My idea of October has changed. I began to think about how many women I know who have battled or are currently battling this terrible disease. Did you know 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer? As a health care professional, I am all too aware of how important prevention and early detection can be.
Most ladies do not realize that the majority of women who get breast cancer have no family history or have any additional risk factors. The greatest risk factor for breast cancer is simply being female, and you can be diagnosed at any age. Other than being female, those who have a family history, who have never had children, or who are above the age of 50 have an increased risk.
To raise awareness and learn more about breast health, I sat down with Frankie Smith, radiologic technologist at Cox Monett and asked her a few questions:
How can women ensure that they are taking care of their breast health?
ozy sweaters. Pumpkin spice. Pretty leaves. Mammograms.
When I think of the month of October, what comes to mind is colorful fall foliage, hauling out my scarves, sweaters and boots, indulging in pumpkin-flavored anything and now — breast cancer.
What is a mammogram and why is it so important for women to get them? Screening mammograms are simply low-dose radiology exams that can help detect breast cancer before lumps can be felt during self-breast exams or prior to the development of symptoms such as pain, abnormal appearance in size or shape, or itching. Early detection is key. According to the American Cancer Society, this is why…
Between the ages of 20 and 39 you should perform a monthly self-breast exam, and have a clinical breast exam every three years. Age 40 and over, you should continue your monthly self-breast exams, as well as have a clinical breast exam and a screening mammogram yearly. Mammograms usually do not take more than 30 minutes and improvements to the equipment over the last several years have helped make breast screening far more comfortable.
If you would like to learn more about breast health, please visit CoxHealth.com. To schedule an appointment for a mammogram (extended hours available), please call 417-354-1138.
• If breast cancer is diagnosed in situ (in a few layers of cells), the cure rate is close to 100 percent. • If breast cancer is diagnosed only in the breast, the five-year survival rate is approximately 97 percent. • If breast cancer is diagnosed and has spread outside of the breast, the five-year survival rate drops to 76 percent.
lindsay sparks, RD, is a registered dietitian at the Center for Health Improvement at Cox Monett Hospital. She graduated from Missouri State University and resides in Springfield. When Lindsay is not busy being a nutrition nerd, she enjoys running, yoga, camping, floating and spending time with her husband in the beautiful Ozarks.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 19
the Ozark Trail 5 lessons learned alone in the wilderness
T
ime alone in the wilderness teaches us valuable lessons. Lessons we may never learn otherwise. Our ears and our mind open and instinct sharpens our perception. Wilderness is a salve for the weary soul.
1. Water is infinitely more valuable than gold. This is a lesson from which all other lessons stem. If you live in a first-world country, I don’t think you ever really learn the value of water until you put yourself in a situation in which you have to find it to survive. Until you study maps, seek out your water source, breathe a deep sigh of relief that the stream is running and pump the stream water into your bottle and drink it do you realize the gravity of this lesson. On the 15-mile Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail, you’re going to drink a lot of water, because you’re going to sweat as you hike up and down the Ozark mountains. One of my top rules when I’m out in the wilderness is to take advantage of any and all decent water sources, even if you don’t think you need to. There’s a little devil on my shoulder who gets in “the zone,” and is reluctant to stop, but I do it anyway. It’s a good thing, too, because at the first stop, I realized I had imbibed 3/4ths of my camelback and half of my Nalgene bottle.
20 | OCTOBER 2015
Water (clean water, especially) is indeed more valuable than gold. If you can truly understand this lesson and translate it into the rest of your life, you will bring a rare sort of honor to your existence, to your family, your community, and ultimately, the world.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 21
2. You re-learn the simple art of gratitude. The muck and mire of everyday life can obscure all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for, like family, soap and toilets. If you don’t separate yourself from these things once in a while, you begin to take for granted just how lovely they are. I got lost at one point (the trail is indeed rugged). When I lost my way, the only thing I kept thinking was “I can’t get lost, I need to make it back to my family.” An image of my husband and daughter (who were driving out that evening to join me) sitting next to the campfire came into my head. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to comprehending the surge of love and longing for the family and hearth that soldiers feel. I studied my map and saw that I should be pretty close to the ridge. Instinct said I was a little too far down on the side of the mountain, so I walked uphill in a straight line and found the trail. Talk about gratitude. I did a little jig for joy when I reached the trail and (admittedly) kissed the first trail marker I found on an old oak. With gratitude comes unequivocal joy.
3. You find yourself When you’re alone with no distractions — no one talking, no background television or radio noise — you get to know yourself better. You figure out your strengths and your weaknesses. (Mine are steep ledges going along ravines — I’m not too proud to crawl.) You know the person you are, not the person your boss wants you to be, or your family wants you to be, or even the person your own mother wants you to be. When we find our true selves, we become rooted. When we are rooted we can positively affect those around us. And I’m not just making this stuff up. In many cultures, young men are sent into the wilderness alone for this purpose. These rites of passage mark a turning point in the adolescent’s life, because they seek their true identity during their quest. Every time you venture alone into the wild unknown, you learn a little bit more about yourself.
22 | OCTOBER 2015
4. The wilderness teaches us our true fears. My first fear every time I hike in the wilderness is mankind, which is why I keep my hiking sticks sharpened and a k-bar knife and a few extra choice weapons at hand, should the need arise. The second thing I fear is breaking a leg or something more necessary to live. Encounters with wild animals are so far down my list, I’m not even sure they’re on it. Yet most of the people I’ve spoken to who fear being alone and relatively unarmed in the wilderness fear animals the most. Maybe my experience with wildlife management eases the fear. I know that black bears aren’t into humans and mountain lions have plenty of other easy pickings in the Ozarks, like fawns. But what do our individual fears say about ourselves? And when we face them, what does that accomplish? Those are mostly rhetorical questions, and I think we all have different answers. Courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens you. When we face these individual fears, we exhibit courage, and that courage can follow us into other facets of our lives. After all, if you can survive alone in the wilderness and be completely selfdependent, what can’t you do back in the “real world”?
But what do our individual fears say about ourselves? And when we face them, what does that accomplish? Those are mostly
rhetorical questions,
and I think we all have
different answers.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 23
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5. Life is fragile... so incredibly fragile. When we are surrounded with the comforts of modern society and its conveniences — air conditioners, a billion thread count sheets, refrigerators, water on demand, television on demand — we seldom reflect on how fragile our lives truly are. As I walked the tiny and obscured ledge along Proffit Mountain and looked down into the ravine, one slip away, I looked into the eyes of our collective fragility. And that’s not a bad thing to do once in awhile. When we come face to face with the fragility of life, we see clearly the value of our lives. Our hearts soften. We become a little kinder, we step a little lighter, and we laugh with more joy. You don’t have to embark into the wilderness to reflect on these lessons. Take a walk somewhere in solitude, turn your phone off, breathe in the beauty of nature. Taking the time to re-learn these simple lessons can rejuvenate the spirit and have a positive impact on well-being. The wilderness might just be the next great pharmaceutical, with all positive side effects. Breathe it in.
Jennifer Conner lives in Pierce City with husband, Mark and daughter, Aarilyn. She has a degree in wildlife management and a passion for getting people outside. Sometimes, she disappears into the wilderness to continue her education.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 25
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The man at the end of the road
A grave digger unearths the intricacies of his craft
Graves. We all come. We all go. As much as people fret and obsess about when their time comes, almost nobody gives a second thought to what happens when it does. The funeral home may take care of arrangements, but somebody is going to dig the grave and lay the deceased to rest. This is the story of one such man.
Story and photos by Murray Bishoff
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 27
Kevin Davis, of Verona, makes his living through his earth-moving business. A former sheriff’s deputy who lost his bid for Lawrence County’s top law enforcement job in 2003, Davis found with a troublesome heart, he needed a less stressful line of work. A friend of his, A.B. Hill, of Miller, had an excavating business and hopes of retiring. All three of his children had died. Hill tried to sell his business, but prospects kept moving on to bigger jobs. “Bigger companies do the big jobs,” Davis said. “They don’t want to do graves. I don’t want the big stuff. A.B. is good at what he does. Instead of buying the business, I went with A.B. and he taught me. A.B. dug for the funeral homes in Mt. Vernon and Miller. I gave him more for the business because it came with their regular calls. A.B. still backs me up, and he’s 83 now.” In 2004, Davis also bought out Matt Pruente’s grave-digging duties for Peterson and Crafton-Cantrell funeral homes for the southern part of the county, doubling Davis’s business and giving him a steady call for service between assignments. When others call for non-burial related jobs, Davis always follows any commitment by saying, “unless there’s a funeral,” since, as he pointed out, people don’t ask him first about dying. “I’m the first one to the funeral and the last to leave,” Davis said. “I’m there before the vault guy, and I’m there later to cover the grave. I won’t leave a grave open and unattended. I’ll pay someone to sit with it if I have to leave. “You hear people die in threes. Sometimes it’s threes, fours and fives. I’ve had four funerals in one day. I’m a busy guy.” One of the pleasures of the business comes from paths crossed along the way. Davis recalled frequently he will have his labors interrupted by a neighbor or someone else driving by who
28 | OCTOBER 2015
stopped to find out who is being buried. A great many of the cemetery caretakers range from their 70s into their 90s. “They say young people aren’t interested,” Davis said. “Somebody’s got to take over.” One of those caretakers is Hope Morris, now in her 90s. She oversees the Moore Cemetery near Stotts City, started by her great-grandfather, a place originally open to anyone free
of charge. By now, the free portion is “pretty much full.” Morris’s son has donated adjacent land to expand the cemetery, but at a fee. Mowing, Davis observed, has become expensive. The Moore Cemetery is one of the most remote of all those Davis frequents. The cemetery, located in the middle of a field, not on a public road, is accessible in practical terms only to people who know where it is.
“I’m the first one to the funeral and the last to leave... I won’t leave a grave open and unattended. I’ll pay someone to sit with it if I have to leave.” — Kevin Davis
The people linked to these places often redefine the experience. Hope Morris, for example, called Davis one night, asked if he could eat fried chicken, then brought him dinner with brownies to eat at the cemetery, sitting on the backhoe trailer. J.L. Wilson, caretaker of the Gray’s Point Cemetery, on the northwest corner of Lawrence County by Red Oak, took a similar position, always bringing Davis a snack and chocolate milk. Wilson, a retired Highway Department staffer, regularly checked on Davis. Wilson died last year in his mid-90s. Linn Thomas, Wilson’s nephew, succeeded him as the Gray’s Point caretaker. His wife, Loretta Thomas, worked in the courthouse in Mt. Vernon for years and in one of her conversations with Davis, learned of J.L.’s habit of taking donuts and chocolate milk. She started doing the same. Another day, Davis was digging in the Sycamore Cemetery, northeast of Miller. When the funeral came, one of the participants brought Davis a chocolate cake with a small hole in the center. The bringer said it came from Loretta, who was out of donuts, so she stuck her finger in it. “These folks are like grandparents,” Davis said. “They’re always asking if I’ve eaten. You develop relationships with people. A lot of them only want me to dig in their cemeteries. They take the position, ‘This cemetery is mine and I’m taking care of it till I’m gone.’ Good. Somebody has to.”
Another memorable character is Ray Gene Richardson, now in his mid90s, who is on the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery board. Richardson has found many long-forgotten cemeteries grown up in weeds. He not only cleaned up the land, but also developed a technique to place broken headstones in forms and cement them back together, restoring them as well as possible. Ken Ackley in Aurora is caretaker for the Catholic cemetery in Aurora. Despite his failing health, Ackley continues to stake out graves as needed. On one occasion, with his replacement out of state, Ackley went out in 90-degree temperatures and completed the job, leaving it ready for Davis’s arrival. Seeing others go that extra mile has also rubbed off on Davis. “If I see something, I may put dirt on something if it needs it,” he said. “I’m there anyway. I’ve had to take flowers off a grave to put more dirt on
it because it needs it.” In a typical day, Davis would arrive at the cemetery with his backhoe on a trailer around 7-7:30 a.m. to prepare for a 10 a.m. funeral. “Usually, a caretaker will mark the plot,” Davis said. “Sometimes, he’ll say, ‘You know where it’s at.’” Some cemeteries present challenges of their own. The Lee Cemetery, near Verona, has long had a reputation of being haunted. Police over the years had difficulties with youths damaging the cemetery and reports of devilworship rituals. As a deputy, Davis personally arrested those responsible for burning down the Lee Church, next to the cemetery. “I’ve been there many times after dark,” Davis said. “I’ve never seen a ghost. I can see how it could be spooky, with the old pine trees, the creek and the mist in the air by the creek. It’s always had that reputation.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 29
“Every cemetery needs to be like Freistatt [at the Trinity Lutheran Church]. There, you get the next spot, no matter what. I’ve been told that in the history of that cemetery, only three couples have been buried side by side, because they died together. They’re thinking about changing that in the new section so spouses can buy space together. They called me and asked how to lay it out.” Marking graves presents unique challenges. Records often disappear. Some cemeteries had very old graves marked only by field stones. Volunteers years ago helped “beautify” the Buck Prairie Cemetery, near Marionville, and removed the field stones that marked more than half the graves. After grave diggers kept intruding on unmarked plots, caretakers stopped burials. Davis likes the system used at the Mt. Vernon city cemetery and driving short pieces of rebar into the ground on the corners of a plot. Smaller than stones, the bars offer locating options with a metal detector that surpasses even little stone markers in winter. Davis will dig graves square at the edges to hold a 91-by-95 inch vault. He positions his backhoe about seven feet back from the site to dig vertical sides. Too far back or too close won’t make a perpendicular cut. After digging, Davis will circle the edges of a grave site with his rake, removing the extraneous dirt clods that landed on the grass. He has a rake with a paint mark toward the end of the handle, showing the proper depth for a grave at 54 inches. “They say a grave is six feet deep. They’re not,” Davis said. “I asked a fellow one time who dug graves by hand how they measured. He told me two of them would dig, shoveling the dirt first on one side and then the other. When they had it even on both
30 | OCTOBER 2015
sides, they’d measure from the top of the dirt pile to the bottom of the grave and say, ‘Six feet! Close enough.’” The even rectangular shape helps the vault man, who has to set up his platform of boards around the grave’s perimeter to support a 3,000-pound concrete enclosure for the casket. Davis will often raise the vault with his backhoe onto the platform, which has to sit level, regardless of terrain. Otherwise, the vault could roll off during the funeral. As the service concludes, the casket will be placed inside the vault, which is sealed, and from there it is lowered on cables using an electric dolly. The actual grave ends up eight feet long and three feet wide, the width of Davis’s shovel. Before placing the vault, the vault man will inspect the grave and often use a shovel to form a slight ridge of earth the length of the grave in the center. Davis explained that if the vault sits in a bowl, or too squarely flat, removing the cables becomes difficult. “There are very few rules governing burying people,” Davis observed. “There’s a lot of statutes on burying cows, not on people. You can wrap someone in a sheet and put them in the ground. People can do burials on their own property, if they have a private cemetery. You can still bury a casket without a vault. Regulations in cemeteries vary from place to place. A lot of them require an outer container, a concrete grave liner. A vault seals, so no water runs in or out.” Davis said some Jewish caskets have no metal, made from pine and wood dowels. “One scoop from a front bucket is about 1,000 pounds,” Davis said. “You put 3,000 to 4,000 pounds on a pine box and it doesn’t last. I tap down the dirt. People get upset if it settles.” Davis likes to load dirt from a
burial site into his truck, making it easy and tidier to unload at the end of the day. A simple excavation for one grave can involve moving as much as 10,000 pounds of dirt. Traditions also come into play in burials. Davis noted graves are positioned with the head at the west end. According to a passage in the Bible, a person should face east to greet Jesus at the Second Coming. But, as with anything, there are exceptions. Graves in the Catholic cemetery in Verona lie in a north-south configuration. Davis has asked many people about that. One who should have known said, “I guess they started that way and just kept going.” In typical southwest Missouri style, Davis figured. “There are a lot of myths about moving people without a court order,” Davis said. “It’s not true. You have to notify the coroner if you move a body out of the cemetery. I’ve moved people buried in the wrong place. Often when that happens, they say don’t move them until you need the space, when the real owner of the plot dies. One cemetery has a regulation that says you can’t move what’s there. If something is already in place, it stays there. “One time, I was digging and I hit an old cowboy casket, with the slanted sides like you see in the movies. It was still intact. All I could do in that case was move over.” On occasion, a grave has to go in a specific spot. If the digger hits rock, sometimes it becomes necessary to rent a jackhammer to finish the job. “I’ve been pretty fortunate,” Davis said. “Most of my cemeteries don’t have a lot of limestone in them. I can mostly break up the rocks with the backhoe. One time I had to relocate a grave because of the rock. That was a bad day.”
Some grave sites force Davis to move headstones to position his equipment properly. He puts all the markers back if possible. He has had occasion where a couple purchased a joint headstone, which Davis has had to move to complete the burial, but he could not put it back until the earth settled. In such situations, Wommack Monument receives the call to finish the setting. If it rains, the grave site can fill up entirely with water. Davis recalled using his backhoe to scoop out water. Weather can create other challenges. Davis observed there’s an unwritten rule that the grave digger clears the roads of snow if at all possible. When Davis was 21 and working for the Barry County Sheriff’s Department, coroner Doyle Williamson needed help and got Davis appointed as his assistant coroner, a position
newly created due to a change in state law but without compensation. Davis helped excavate graves for a second autopsy. In one of those odd twists of circumstances, on one occasion both Sheriff Jimmy Hopkins and Williamson were out of town at the time of a homicide. Davis ended up serving as both sheriff and coroner at that crime scene. Davis has requests to dig at more distant cemeteries, and for bigger construction jobs. He turns many of them down. “You’ve got to have guys who want to do the little stuff,” Davis said. “In a field, you just go fast. In a cemetery, you’ve got to go slow. If you run into a nearby grave, you don’t want to rip it out. You’ve got to catch it before it’s out of control. I’m a one-man show. I’ve got two trucks and one backhoe.”
“You’ve got to have guys who want to do the little stuff.
In a field, you just go fast. In a cemetery, you’ve got to go slow.” — Kevin Davis
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 31
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No matter how carefully Davis does his job, he can encounter difficulties. Flower pots on the sides of headstones often shatter if touched. Frequently, Davis said the drainage line in the vases become clogged, leading to water accumulation, winter freezing and cracking. If Davis’s backhoe touches a vase, it will often burst, and he will pay for it, whether cracking took place previously or not. One recent rainy day, Davis went to move his truck, loaded with dirt, and found it simply sunk into turf, digging ruts in the cemetery lawn. He had to chain the truck to his backhoe and pull it out. What had looked like a simple job just became more complicated. He and the caretaker would have to figure it out to restore the lawn. Davis’ work on site does not end until the service concludes, “the family reunion is over,” the vault is sealed and lowered, and the ground covered. Even then, Davis may need to make a return trip if settling surpasses his estimate. The extended time between arrival and departure gives Davis a chance to become better acquainted with the cemetery itself, which he may need for future reference, in case the caretaker gives him one of those “you can find it” directions. “The grave digger and the vault guy actually bury the person,” Davis said. “Sometimes we have to be pallbearers. Sometimes we’re the only ones who attend their funeral. We’re the mourners too. One time Fossett-Mosher [the Mt. Vernon funeral home] had no one to come to the funeral. [Cemetery caretaker] Ray Gene [Richardson] came. He thought someone needed to.” Davis tries not to let the mixed emotions weigh him down. He knows his phone will ring again soon, and he will have to be ready.
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Connection Calendar
October 2015 Oct. 1
Oct. 22
n Paint Classes will be held at the Cassville Senior Center, 1111 Fair Street from 9-11 a.m.
n The Show, featuring HomeTown Sound & The RedHots and other local talent will be performing at the Crowder College Community Center, beginning at 7:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. Table seating and advance tickets can be purchased for reduced rates at the Chamber office. Tickets will be available at the door.
Oct. 3 n Regal Mfg. (formerly FASCO) will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary in Cassville with an Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be serving refreshments to the public and will also have musical entertainment. n Wheaton Street Machines will have the last Cruise-In of the season beginning at 5 p.m. n The Cassville Senior Center will be hosting a dance from 7-10 p.m. n The annual Buddy Bass Tournament will be held at Shell Knob, sponsored by the Central Crossing Chamber of Commerce.
Oct. 5 n The regular monthly dance will be held at the Monett Senior Center from 7-10 p.m. n A Free Meal will be served at the Monett Senior Center at noon, courtesy of Old Town Pharmacy.
Oct. 10 n The Eagle Rock Lego Club will meet at 10 a.m. at the Eagle Rock Community Center. This meeting is open to all children. n Central Community United Methodist Church in Shell Knob will host Blessing of the Animals from 3-5 p.m. Area “animal” businesses will be on hand for demonstrations and freebies. Pastor Bill Kenagy will bless the animals.
Oct. 15 n Paint Classes are scheduled at the Cassville Senior Center, 1111 Fair Street, from 9-11 a.m.
n Central Community United Methodist Church in Shell Knob has chartered a bus to College of the Ozarks. The cost is $35, which includes lunch at the Keeter Center, and the performance “Railway to Heaven.” The bus leaves at 10:30 a.m. For info, call 417-858-6707.
Oct. 24 n Eagle Rock Daze Car Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., sponsored by the Eagle Rock Community Association. n Eagle Rock Friends of the Library will have a Howl-O-Ween Fest following the Car Show until 5 p.m. with craft vendors, food vendors, a haunted house and games for all ages. n The Doug Weatherly 5K Coloration Fun Run is scheduled to begin registration at 8 a.m., and start the run at 9 a.m. All funds will benefit the school and community. For more information contact Joni Weatherly at jlw.beamer.96@gmail.com. n The Show, featuring HomeTown Sound & The RedHots and other local talent will be performing at the Crowder College Community Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. Table seating and advance tickets can be purchased for reduced rates at the Chamber Office. Tickets will be available at the door.
n Cassville YMCA 5K and 1-Mile Chili Run will begin at 8 a.m. The run begins at the Family Life Center parking lot. For more information, call Dove at 846-1535.
Oct. 25 n The Show, featuring HomeTown Sound & The RedHots and other local talent will be performing at the Crowder College Community Center beginning at 2 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. Table seating and advance tickets can be purchased for reduced rates at the Chamber Office. Tickets will be available at the door.
Central Crossing Senior Center in Shell Knob Regular events: • Domino Poker, every day from 12:30-3 p.m. • Mah Jongg, every Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Line Dancing, every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-10:30 a.m. • Quilting for Charity, every Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Pinochle, every Thursday from 12:30-3 p.m. • Cards Galore, every Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Wood Carvers, every Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
n The annual Chili Cook-Off and Craft Fair will be held on the Cassville public square. Booths open at 8 a.m. The event features live music, chili and salsa tasting, craft booths, pet parade, food vendors and more. n A pancake breakfast will be served from 6:30 to 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Fellowship Hall. All-you-can-eat pancakes served for a donation, which goes to the Cassville Fire Protection District.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 35
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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. Email your pet’s photo to connection@monett-times.com. 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.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 37
A photograph down a hallway in the house used as a Halloween attraction in Crane, showing a face looking toward the camera around the figure of Ghost Finder team member Dano, who is exiting to the right.
A close-up of the figure looking at the camera caught in one of three photos taken sequentially at the
Halloween haunted house site in Crane.
The figure only shows up in one photo. 38 | OCTOBER 2015
Messages from the beyond Southwest Ghost Finders explore the unexplained
W
hat can’t be seen and goes bump in the night? We don’t know, and that’s what scares us. Kim Luney has always wondered about spirits. A professional nurse, she now works to heal the body. In her free time, she seeks answers beyond the realm of knowing. “When I was a little kid, I liked ghost stories,” Luney said. “I’ve always been interested.” As a founding member of the Southwest Ghost Finders, Luney and her friends explore the unseen, and the unknown. The organization has been active for 10 years. “We’re an older group. Most of the investigators are over age 30,” Luney said. “It’s not that we turn others away. Most of us are educated people and business owners. I like that we’re a sophisticated group.” Knitted together by curiosity and a belief in “something else” out there, the Ghost Finders meet on the second Sunday of each month at the Library Center on Campbell street in Springfield. Their bonding really comes in their field work. Luney explained that they go to locations, both public and private, to learn and discover. “If we go to a public place, or we’re paid to investigate, we go to further our education and to help understand what’s happening. If we go to private property like a home where people have experienced things, we try to take a scientific point of view to find explanations for what they’re experiencing. We check out air vents and doors, if air pressure is a factor. They may have reported hearing a door open and close, or water turning on and off, or having the feeling of being watched.
Story by Murray Bishoff
A photo taken by the Southwest Ghost Finders in a home where what looks like the head of a little girl sitting on the sofa at center. The girl does not appear in other photographs.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 39
A group photo of the Southwest Ghost Finders team. Kim Luney is seated.
“Our goal is to debunk the conclusion. When we run out of options, then we tend to think there’s paranormal activity, and that’s not as often as you might think.” Investigations can be conducted in daylight, but the team prefers to work at night when there is less competing energy. The Ghost Finders use meters that read electromagnetic fields (EMF). “We create high electromagnetic fields as we live,” Luney said. “It’s like a by-product of electricity. At night, TVs and computers are off and we aren’t cooking. It’s not that it’s spookier or there’s better activity. It’s easier on investigating to weed out extra noises and get a good baseline with other activity. “We are not a provocative team. We are respectful, because we are going home. Our clients live there. We’re there to help them, not to
40 | OCTOBER 2015
make it worse.” Luney may ask if the spirit has a message for the homeowner, or if there is something the team can do to help the spirit cross over. “We’re as much helping the spirit as the homeowner,” Luney said. Field work of this type relies on some basic tools. The group uses cameras that work on infrared light. They set up a grid of lights that will trigger cameras if some form walks through the pattern. They also ask questions, hoping for a sign or an answer. They ask for a name, the year, how long has the spirit been in that site, why is the spirit there, does the spirit want help, and are you afraid? A response, an electro-voice phenomena (EVP), may be inaudible to the ear, but surfaces on voice recorders that the investigators carry strapped to their arms.
Another one of their favorite tools, the Ovilus or “spirit box,” enables the spirit to take electromagnetic fields in the environment and trigger the device, which is encoded with a 400-word-plus vocabulary. With the device, team members attempt to directly communicate with a ghostly presence. “Spirits can manipulate the Ovilus to communicate with us,” Luney said. Sometimes with striking results. On one occasion, the team visited the Spanish Fort Cemetery east of Hoberg in Lawrence County. Sitting in the remote cemetery in the dark, the Ovilus began spitting out words. One was the name on a nearby headstone. In a site without electricity, the EMF meter should have had a reading of zero. The meter produced a steady reading of 1.3, a notable, not accidental recording.
“We didn’t have any EVP that night, but we had an eerie sense of being watched,” Luney recalled. “It was a real still summer night, hot and sticky. One of our investigators thought his hat was pushed down on his head. “When I walk out there, I feel it. The hair on my arms stand on end, and it feels like you can’t get enough air. There’s an overwhelming sense of sadness. We heard children playing and crying when there weren’t any children around. In older cemeteries, there is a profound amount of children. I think — and this is all speculation — that if an adult is going with the body and is on a different dimension and sees a child, I think the adult will stay with the child. We’ve gotten EVP that say, ‘Help the baby.’ We got an EVP out there that said, ‘Help me.’” The team had one of its hardest-toexplain experiences at a small cemetery northwest of Mt. Vernon. Luney said she learned of the site from a woman who claimed to have participated in a witches’ coven that met there for rituals. When the coven began to explore darker issues, such as opening portals, curses and Ouija boards, unlike the benign “Mother Earth” emphasis of Wiccan culture, the woman left. According to one person who went there with a friend, her truck keys disappeared from the cab and showed
up outside. Another reported being pulled to the ground by the flagpole and couldn’t get up. Luney and her team stayed at the cemetery one night from dusk to 2 a.m. “At first, nothing really happened,” she recalled. “Once it got real dark and quiet, all at once, the crickets went silent inside the chain link fence. The wind picked up and there was no noise. We went to the car, and there was no wind and you could hear the crickets. We went back into the cemetery and the wind was blowing and you could
an isolated location. While doing an investigation on a house in Crane used as a Halloween haunted house, Luney, who lives in Crane, was told the house really had spirit issues. “Another team member and I went,” Luney said. “It was so active. We heard a cackling laugh. We had our laser grid set up to pan the room in green polka dot lights. All night long, we had things tossed at us. We went back later with more investigators and more equipment. Our infrared camera caught a full body image. It takes
Kim Luney took measurements for electromagnetic fields at one of the overgrown turn-ofthe-century graves at the Spanish Fort Cemetery southeast of Mt. Vernon.
hear nothing. It was like stepping into something and stepping out of it. One girl we had there got upset and dizzy. We took her out and gave her some water and she was fine. It was a wild experience.” The team has spent an evening at the Lee Cemetery, near Verona, renowned for its spookiness and history of vandals who left evidence of Satanic rituals on the grounds. Luney reported no encounters on their visit, but the electromagnetic field ran very high for
pictures in bursts of three. We got pictures of our team member walking in and the apparition is behind him. On the next photo it isn’t there.” Not every trip proves eventful. Luney and team member Lori McConnell recently spent a night at a home in Nixa where the residents reported hearing voices. One night the husband, who does not believe in spirits, saw an apparition of an old woman looking down on him. He also found his sheets had become very hot.
Kim Luney measured for changes in the electromagnetic field around the home investigated in Nixa.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 41
Although the house dated to only 1996, a neighbor said the subdivision sat on a farm traversed by troops leaving the Wilson’s Creek Civil War battle. Luney and McConnell set up cameras and a light grid. In the daughter’s bedroom, they set up Boo-Bear, a small stuffed animal that “talks” a variety of messages, depending on the energy in the room. Child spirits respond to Boo-Bear, Luney noted. The Ovilus produced few messages that night, but through the early part of the evening, the electricity to the video camera trained on Boo-Bear kept tripping off. This did not surprise Luney. She recalled at cemeteries, batteries frequently drain at an unprecedented pace, a reflection of spirit activity. “We go through lots and lots of batteries,” Luney said. Later in the evening, while asking for a sign, a planter hanging in the ceiling in the living room fell, screw and all, out of the ceiling. Luney regarded that as confirmation. The team has taken road trips. Three went to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Ky., deemed to be “one of the most haunted places in the U.S.” They have investigated the Pythian Castle in
Kim Luney studied the set-up for Boo-Bear, the device that “talks” in the language of a child in response to room energy, in the daughter’s bedroom of the home investigated for paranormal activity in Nixa.
Springfield, made two trips to the USS Razorback submarine in Little Rock, Ark., visited the home of the “hanging judge” in Fort Smith, Ark., the site of the 1912 axe murders in Villisca, Iowa, Bobby Mackey’s nightclub in Wilder, Ky., known for its paranormal activity, the Stone House bed and breakfast in Chester, Ill., as well as hundreds of homes. Luney is looking forward to making a return visit to the Peace Cemetery in
Joplin — the burial place of the notorious mass murderer William “Billy” Cook, who shot an entire family and their dog in 1951, dumping their bodies in a zinc mine near his boyhood home in Joplin. Cook was executed in 1952 at San Quentin. His family brought his body back to Joplin for burial in an unmarked grave. “I can almost guarantee that any time we go out there, we’ll have an experience,” Luney said. The Southwest Ghost Finders set up a Facebook profile and maxed out at 5,000 friend requests. The group has since started a themed page that has acquired 4,000 followers. Luney welcomes inquiries. “We want people to know that no matter what they’re experiencing, they don’t have to suffer alone. We’re here to help,” Luney said.
Kim Luney surveyed the Spanish Fort Cemetery in Lawrence County, next to the 1930 historic marker that identifies the Native American site nearby that has been the source of many archeological studies.
42 | OCTOBER 2015
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417-847-3180 CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 43
PHOTO SUBMISSIONS This photos were captured by Alisha Ginn of Shell Knob in early September. She administers a Facebook page titled “Growing up in Shell Knob” where she shares photos and encourages others to do the same.
44 | OCTOBER 2015
Jennifer Cochran recently captured this photo of a fox in Roaring River State Park.
These photos were recently captured by Della Mae Stouder of Cassville.
Do you have a photo you would like to see published in Connection magazine? Email it to connection@monett-times.com for consideration. CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 45
There photos were recently submitted by Christy O’Neal.
Sunset
The day is done. The sun has set. Yet light still tints the sky; My heart stands still In reverence, For God is passing by. — Ruth Alla Wager
46 | OCTOBER 2015
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 47
2 & 3 bedroom apartments available • Private residences Full bath w/safety features • Housekeeping every other week 24-hour emergency call service • Scheduled transportation Take a virtual tour at: www.lacoba.org Or, come by for a personal tour.
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Food
Fall favorites Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Plum Sauce Prep 10 minutes Cook 50 minutes Ingredients 1 pork tenderloin Salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 red onion, sliced 2 shallots, sliced 3 fresh thyme sprigs, or more to taste 2 firm plums, pitted and each cut into 4 wedges 1 cup water 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon cold butter
Beef Stew Prep 20 minutes Cook 2 hours Ingredients 2 pounds cubed beef stew meat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled 4 cups water 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large onion, chopped 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons cold water Directions In a large pot or dutch oven, cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown. Dissolve bouillon in water and pour into pot. Stir in rosemary, parsley and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Stir potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into the pot. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 teaspoons cold water and stir into stew. Cover and simmer 1 hour more.
Pumpkin Chipotle Soup Prep 10 minutes Cook 20 minutes Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 cups vegetable stock 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced 1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream 2 tablespoons sofrito 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika Directions Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour has turned golden brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the pumpkin puree until no lumps remain, then add the chipotle peppers, half-and-half cream, sofrito, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and paprika. Return to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 8 minutes until thickened and hot.
Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Generously season pork tenderloin with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tenderloin until browned on all sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer tenderloin to a plate. SautĂŠ onion with a pinch of salt in the same skillet until just softening, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until shallots and onion are golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir thyme into onion mixture; place tenderloin over onion mixture, and set plum quarters, skin-side down, around pork tenderloin. Cook until pork is slightly pink in the center, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Transfer pork and plums to a plate. Place skillet over medium-high heat and pour water and balsamic vinegar into onion mixture. Bring mixture to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir until liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 10 minutes; remove from heat. Whisk butter into mixture until melted and sauce is shiny. Pour sauce over pork and plums.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 49
Butternut and Apple Harvest Soup Prep 30 minutes Cook 35 minutes
Apple Butter Spice Cake Prep 25 minutes Cook 40 minutes Ingredients Topping: 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup chopped pecans Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 3/4 cup apple butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup whole bran cereal or wheat germ 1 cup sour cream 2 eggs, room temperature Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch pan. Prepare the topping by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped pecans. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating each egg into the butter mixture before adding the next. Add apple butter, vanilla, and wheat germ or bran cereal. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream; mix well after each addition. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan; sprinkle with half of the topping. Pour remaining batter into pan and top with the rest of the topping. Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 large potato, peeled and cubed 2 cups cubed butternut squash 1 cup diced carrots 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick 1 quart chicken stock 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional) 1/2 cup light cream 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Green Bean Casserole Remix Prep 15 minutes Cook 30 minutes
Directions Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in leeks and onions, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, squash, carrots, apple, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Carefully purĂŠe the soup in batches in a blender, or use a stick blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Once the soup has been pureed, return it to the pot and stir in wine and cream. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper; simmer gently for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives.
Ingredients 2 (9 ounce) packages frozen cut green beans, thawed 10 slices bacon 10 small fresh mushrooms, chopped 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1 cup half-and-half cream 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place green beans into a 1 quart or similar sized casserole dish. Fry bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crispy. Remove to drain on paper towels. Drain off some of the grease, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add mushrooms to the grease in the pan and season with garlic powder and onion powder. Cook and stir until tender, about 4 minutes. Pour the half-and-half into the pan with the mushrooms and stir to scrape the bacon flavor from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Pour this mixture over the green beans. Crumble bacon over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is toasted.
Source: AllRecipes.com
50 | OCTOBER 2015
Bottles & Brews Tap Room No. 21 Copper Lager A pilsner-style lager with Manitoba white clover honey added for flavor, Tap Room No. 21 Copper Lager lives up to its name. The hops dry out the hone’s sweetness, and the beer still holds on to its crisp, dry finish. The name and artwork on the bottle harkens back to the lifting of prohibition, which Tap Room No. 21 aims to celebrate.
Oculto A product of Missouri’s own Anheuser-Busch, Oculto is a different take on beer. Brewed with blue agave and aged in tequila barrels, Oculto has a fruity, tequila flavor. Launched in the spring of 2015, Oculto features a label with a skull and the Oculto name etched inside, and the eyes will glow when the bottle is cold.
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Bacardi Oakheart Launched in 2011, Bacardi Oakheart is a smooth, spiced rum aged for 1-2 years and flavored with maple, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. It’s name, one of 2,700 suggested, refers to the charred American white oak barrels used to age the rum. According to RumRating.com, Bacardi Oakheart is rated 5.7 out of 10 with 117 ratings.
Monett Purdy and Cassville Have a
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Goose Island Honkers Ale Inspired by English country pubs, the Chicago-brewed Honkers Ale combines a fruity hop aroma with a rich malt for a perfect balance. The beer uses four types of hops and four types of malts. It won the bronze medal for English style bitter beer at the World Beer Cup Awards.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 51
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Unique entrepreneur creates own lifestyle
Clifton Wells enjoys a moment with pet pig Wilbur and Bulldog Buford before heading to his main gig, Wells Custom Butchering.
Wells: ‘I would rather play for a living’
C
lifton Wells takes the title “jack of all trades” to a whole new level. A 2003 graduate of Wheaton High School and self-styled entrepreneur, Wells has worked as a butcher, announcer, auctioneer, Santa Claus, fireworks seller, promoter of children’s activities including Easter egg hunts, pony rides and haunted houses. Other than working as a butcher during his senior year of high school, Wells admits he never had a “real” job. At least not like the ones most have. So just how did all this start? “The first thing was the auctions,” Wells said. “I grew up going to auctions and flea markets and garage sales. And then it led to announcing, and that led to meeting different people, and that led to the pony rides and steers that I could travel with and see the country. And I guess you could say it was a lifelong dream to be able to play for a living and not have to work. Some may know Wells as Clifton “Holla” Wells.
Story and photos by Julia Kilmer
What:
As an innovative entrepreneur, operates several businesses and activities in the community and regionally
When:
Wells has been self-employed since graduating high school in 2003 To contact Wells, call 417-342-2727 or visit his Facebook profile at Facebook.com/clifton.h.wells
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 53
Clifton “Holla” Wells of Wells Custom Butchering gets his familiar truck ready to roll before heading off to his main gig of butchering.
“’Holla’ is a nickname,” he said. “That came from five or six years ago. Me and a friend went to Nashville, Tenn., to audition for a TV show called TMT-Singing. Everywhere we went, there were people were saying “holla” all the time and everyone started calling me that here.” While “Holla” always has something going on, many know him for his main gig — butchering. “I’ve been a field butcher since graduating high school, with three different meat lockers that I butcher for, that’s my main deal. “I got into butchering my senior year, working for Wheaton Locker Plant. I wanted something that most people don’t want to do so I didn’t have any competition. Then I went on my own and that’s where Wells Custom Butchering came in.
54 | OCTOBER 2015
“I was super busy my senior year, and the phone kept ringing, and people were wanting me to take their beef or pork to different places, and it grew from there. You do people a good job and they come back. It’s still going today.” In addition to butchering, Wells has a unique interest in animals, often using uncommon animals, or common animals in unconventional ways, in his business ventures. “I have a Texas Longhorn steer that is broke to ride and drives a buggy,” he said. “His name is Fat Albert and he is 7 years old. He has six-foot, two-inch horns and is red and white. “I can ride him in parades. He carries a flag. He’s been from Texas to New Mexico to Iowa to Minnesota and Colorado. I also sold pony rides. “Last week I bought a Zony — a
half-zebra, half-pony. He is 6 years old, and his name is Spot. My shows are fairs and festivals from Kansas City to St. Louis. Kids get on him, take their picture with him and take a short ride. “I also have a Zebu. It’s a miniature cow that’s broke. His name is Frank and he is 5 years old. I’d always wanted a cow that you could ride and found one and that’s how that got started.” A big influence for Wells was a rodeo clown named Gizmo McCracken. “He came to help me and I went to a few rodeos with him and he was a big encouragement,” he said. “He’s at Fairview and travels 90 percent of the year. He travels around with a longhorn steer to rodeos.” This year, Wells is able to stay a little closer to home.
“If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
— Clifton Wells
“All the fairs and festivals this year are pretty much right here in Missouri,” he said. So what do his family, including parents and four siblings, and friends, think about all his activities? “They think it’s crazy,” he laughed. “They think I’ve got too many irons in the fire. But they’re always good to help. I can count on them. “I also have really good friends if I get in a bind, too. My older brother, Clint Wells, travels with me to shows and we’ll be gone anywhere from three days to two weeks.” Wells keeps a full calendar. In July, you can find Wells selling fireworks, and on holidays, doing activities for children. Other times, he is participating in benefits to help others. “There’s no sense in growing up,” he joked. “We sell fireworks in July at Washburn, and the weekend before Easter have a huge Easter egg hunt
in Washburn. Last year, we had 3,000 eggs. This year, our goal is 6,000 eggs, and to have an airplane drop them out. “I’d never been to an Easter egg hunt, growing up, there were five of us and we didn’t really do much like that. So I bought 3,000 eggs and candy and me and my sister and friends filled them and I had three different age groups and whoever found a golden egg got a free family pack of fireworks. “I also run a Halloween spook house, and all the proceeds go to help ladies who have breast cancer.” Wells got involved with breast cancer benefits from an unlikely place — rodeos. “It was something I saw at a lot of rodeos, Tough Enough to Wear Pink, that kind of got me started on the breast cancer deal. I usually know someone who has it and help just for that.” He helps with the breast cancer
One of Clifton Wells’ unique animals is Spot, a 6-year-old Zony, (zebra and pony mix) he has for children to ride at fairs and special events.
auction at Indigo Sky Casino in Seneca, and also helps with a breast cancer benefit at Downstream Casino by Joplin every year. “I always help Gizmo and his wife do the Power of Pink benefit in Wheaton in May every year,” he said;. He also does announcing for all the truck and tractor pulls for Spring River Pulling Association. For Wells, the bottom line and underlying motivation for doing so many different things and having such a varied lifestyle is simply this: “I would rather do what I love and play for a living than have to go to work every day,” he said. “If you love what you do, you don’t ever work a day in your life. I am 30 and blessed enough not to have to punch a time clock.” For those who may feel stuck in a rut or in a job or lifestyle they don’t like, Wells offers this advice: “If there’s a will there’s a way. That was my motto. And you can do anything if you set your mind to it. “And follow God. One of the best things you can have with you is having God in your life, having Him by your side. Whether you’re traveling down the road going to a fair or festival or going to a real job, without God, you ain’t got nothing.” In December, you can find Wells out and about in a Santa Claus suit bringing cheer. “I play Santa Claus for area towns, make house calls, go to nursing homes, and go all over,” he said. “A friend of mine was Santa Claus for 28 years in Wheaton. I announced in the parade. He passed away and they asked me if I would be Santa Claus and it was an honor to fill his shoes. His name was Larry Butler.” Wells is available for any and all of the services he specializes in, and the best part, he says, is he can be reached for all of them at one number.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 55
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Proud Parent
Andrew Finch
is the 2-year-old son of Jimmie and Jaime Finch of Mt. Vernon. Andrew is October’s cutest kid.
Congratulations, Andrew!
Are you a proud parent? If so, take this opportunity to show off that cute kid of yours. We invite you to share a photo of your child to be featured in Connection’s very own proud parent cutest kid contest. Email your child’s photo to connection@monett-times.com. Photos should be sent in the original JPG format at the highest resolution possible. Remember to include your child’s name, parent’s name, age, city and your contact information. The contest is open to children ages 10 and younger. The photos submitted will be used for the sole purpose of this contest.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 57
Quilt
Monett native Jason Hoggett is working on expanding his already large handmade quilt.
58 | OCTOBER 2015
Therapy Monett native sews to set world record
S
tanding on the large, colorful quilt spread out on the grass in his backyard, Monett native Jason Hoggett’s smile shows his pleasure in his creation. “I started out with three-inch quilt blocks, and then I made them bigger and bigger,” said Hoggett, who now lives in Clever. “I shaped it like Missouri because I’m from Missouri. I like Missouri. “I get material from the thrift shop, Goodwill, garage sales and from friends and neighbors. Sometimes, I buy a large piece and cut it up. I do quilting every day. I’ll probably work on it all winter.” There are more than 1,000 panels that make up Jason’s quilt. They are different shapes and sizes. Some are big two-foot rectangles, some are small three-inch squares. There are cartoon characters, patterns and stripes and every color imaginable. It covers roughly 2,000 square feet and is beginning to take the shape of the state of Missouri, but is nowhere near complete. “He started making little blocks and it just got bigger and bigger,” his mother, Joan Hoggett, said. “Then, he got the idea to make it the shape of Missouri and go for a world record.” Jason’s laugh tells everyone how happy the project makes him, without saying a word. One look at the quilt and it’s evident that Jason, who has a learning disability, pours his heart into his hobby. “This keeps him occupied and it makes him happy,” Joan said. “It’s very important to him, and he talks about it and he works on it every single day. It gives him a sense of purpose.”
Story and photos by Don Abernathy, Christian County Headliner News
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 59
The project started in 2012 without any goal in mind. First, it was about learning a skill. Then it became a therapeutic outlet. When Jason discovered how much he enjoyed the process, the project evolved into something much larger. And it’s still evolving today. When the quilt is spread out in the Hoggett’s backyard, it covers nearly all the available space between the trees and fences. The quilt weighs approximately 200 pounds, and when folded up, it spills out of the 33-gallon trash can Jason uses to store and move it. His goal now is to make it 10 times larger. “I’m proud of it,” Jason said. “It makes me happy. I want to reach that goal.” He started making threeinch quilt blocks at the Southwest Center for Independent Living in Springfield, where he goes a couple times a week. He also makes stuffed animals, bibs, aprons, chair covers and hand lotions. “I had no idea it would grow into the size and shape it is now,” Joan said. “I thought he would get tired of it. I’m really happy for him that he’s worked so hard trying to reach his goal.” Jason, 36, graduated from Monett High School in 1998, where he took special education classes. He moved to Clever with his parents in 2000. Shortly after moving to Christian County, Jason had an accident that
60 | OCTOBER 2015
forever changed him. On a hot day in 2001, he got overheated, passed out and fell and hit his head on concrete. He was in a coma for two weeks. The medical team wasn’t sure about the damage and prepared the Hoggetts for the worst. “They told me when he woke up that he might be like a vegetable,” Joan said. “When he first came out of the coma, all he could do was shake his head yes or no. He didn’t remember the accident at all. It took him a
while to get to where he could talk and now he has trouble talking because he gets in a hurry. He can’t get his words out and say what he wants to say.” As an adult, Jason has worked several jobs — Price Cutter, McDonald’s and a nursing home — but since the accident, he can no longer work. “Since I got disabled I haven’t worked a lot,” Jason said. “Now, I just make my quilt. That’s my hobby. I have a speech problem, if I slow
down, people probably understand me better. There are all kinds of disabilities. I have a speech problem. That’s just part of life.” He embraces his disability — he owns it — it’s not something he’s embarrassed or shy about. He knows very well who he is and he takes on challenges full force. “I believe in not keeping things secret just because he’s disabled,” Jason’s father, John Hoggett, said. “I don’t think it’s anything you should hide, that’s part of it. If you care for your kids, I think that’s the way it should be. I think if a person is disabled, they shouldn’t worry about it and just go on living. Things like that are a part of life. We just let him do his thing. We try to make the best out of life.” And Jason makes the best of life by sewing one panel after another to his already largerthan-life quilt.
“I’m proud of it. It makes me happy. I want to reach that goal.” — Jason Hoggett
FALL FESTIVAL CASSVILLE Music variety show featuring HomeTown Sound and the Redhots along with other local talent.
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Purchase table seating and advanced tickets at the Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are $7 in advance, $8 at the door, kids 12 and under are free! The Fall Show is at the FEMA building and event center at the Cassville R-4 elementary campus.
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’ n e K CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 61
Getting a ‘higher’ education For more information on flying lessons, plane rentals or maintenance, call Aurora Aviation at
417-678-3000
or visit Aurora Aviation on Facebook.
A little fun, a little adventure, a little learning Earning a pilot’s license Study material /POH.................................. $160.90 FAA physical exam.............................................$100 45 hours - C172/PA28*.............. $4,455/$4,905 35 hours primary instruction.................... $1,400 12 hours ground instruction..........................$250 FAA Written Test..................................................$165 FAA Oral /Practical Test.....................................$350 Total estimated cost.... $6,880.90/$7,330.90 Pilot service rates from Aurora Aviation Single $60/hour ($300/day minimum) Multi $75/hour ($400/day minimum) 62 | OCTOBER 2015
Justin Richmond is pictured at the controls of a Piper Arrow, used for teaching students on instrument flight.
M
an has dreamed of flying since before the age of Leonardo da Vinci and his studies of birds in flight, his ideas on the principles of aerodynamics and his sketches of gliders, flying machines and parachutes that were largely undiscovered and unpublished until after his death in 1519. It wasn’t until December 17, 1903, when Orville and Wilbur Wright built the first functional airplane, that those dreams became reality. For Justin Richmond, owner of Aurora Aviation, those dreams only took 32 years to fulfill. “I’d dreamed of flying since I was a kid,” Richmond said. “I didn’t start until I was 32.” Even then, it was more by chance than by design. “I was a manager at McDonald’s and one of my employees was waiting on a ride from his mom,” Richmond said. “He said she was running late and he would be late for his lesson, so I offered to take him. “It was then that I got hooked. I kick myself for not doing it when I was 16 or 17.” The great thing about flying, Rich-
Story and photos by Melonie Roberts
Justin Richmond, owner of Aurora Aviation, is pictured seated in a Cessna 172, the plane used to instruct students wishing to obtain their pilot’s certification. The small, single-engine plane manufactured by Cessna was first flown in 1955 and, to date, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft. A Cessna 172 was used in 1958 to set the world record for flight endurance. That record still stands today.
mond said, is that a student can start at any age. “There is no minimum or maximum age limit,” he said. “As long as they can pass both the medical exam and the test, they can get certified.” Richmond urges young people to consider taking up flying in their early teens. “People can take lessons at any age,” Richmond said, “even at 5 or 6 years of age. But they can’t pilot an airplane alone before their 16th birthday, and they have to be 17 years old before they can be issued a pilot certificate.” Those who hope to obtain a pilot’s certificate should be willing to play by the rules, on many levels. “If someone has a drug conviction, they can’t get certified,” Richmond said. “If they have their certificate and break one of the Federal Aviation Association’s rules, it can be revoked or suspended, depending on
the severity of the violation. “If you’re speeding on the ground, you’re not necessarily going to kill someone. If you violate another aircraft’s airspace or fly too close to the ground, you can kill someone.” There are a number of jobs in which prospective pilots can earn a living, including working with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, pipeline patrol, charter flights, becoming a corporate pilot, the Missouri Army National Guard, cargo, mail and bank runs, business, banner towing and fire spotting for the forestry department. “Those are just a few jobs for pilots,” Richmond said. “But I think the most important aspect of flying is that it makes everything accessible. For instance, if you wanted to spend the weekend at the beach, someone would spend 10-12 hours of their time driving. If you fly, you can leave here around 4 p.m., and be having dinner in
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 63
What may appear to be a confusing array of instruments in this Piper Arrow can guide the instrument-rated pilot through squally weather when visibility has been reduced. While instrument ratings can help guide pilots during inclement weather, pilots with only a visual flight rules rating will have to navigate around weather systems or be grounded until the skies clear.
BY THE NUMBERS Monett to Destin, Fla.: 825 miles Cost of aviation fuel: $4.50-$8.50 per gallon Private aircraft fuel economy: Less than 5 miles per gallon. 13 hours by car 1 hr. 43 min. by private aircraft 3 hr. 40 min. to 9 hr. 20 min. by commercial aircraft Commercial flight cost: $278-$404, depending on carrier and number of layovers. Plane rental: $1,788 ($109 to $149 per hour of flight time, depending on type of aircraft rented)
There is a minimum three-hour per day for any 24-hour period. Pilots must be checked out on plane operations before rental is approved. For a four-day excursion, at a cost of $109 per hour for three hours of flight time, renters can expect to pay $1,308. At $149 per hour, estimated cost would be $1,788.
Cost of private pilot license: Approximately $7,000
64 | OCTOBER 2015
Destin, Fla., by about 6 p.m. After spending the weekend, you fly home on Sunday afternoon and be ready for work Monday morning.” One benefit to flying, according to Richmond, is the certificates never expire as long as the medical endorsements are current. “It’s something you can use your entire life,” he said. “People can learn how to fly over the course of a summer and it opens up a world of opportunities for them — recreational, vacation or business. All kinds of things they wouldn’t normally be able to do. It’s up to the individual as to how far he wants to go with his flying.” And the adventures can be endless, from spending a weekend at the coast or in the mountains, taking a weekend to hop in the cockpit and travel to a fly-in, or spending quiet time in the air reflecting on the important questions in life, pilots can leave the mundane day-to-day behind and soar among the clouds on a whim. Richmond, who has been flying now for 25 years, has owned Aurora Aviation for 13 years and is a certified airframe and power plant mechanic. “That means I can maintain my own fleet and work on my customers’ planes too,” Richmond said. “Planes must be completely torn down and inspected and reassembled each year to ensure they are in good flying condition.” Richmond has two certified flight instructors available for lessons, Steve Vodden and Chandler Wammack.
“We average about 25-30 students a year,” Richmond said. “We teach private pilots on VFR, or visual flight rules, where pilots can only fly while they can see the ground. Instrument ratings can be added when the student pilot has completed the initial phase of flight training and obtained a private pilot certification. There are other ratings and add-ons that can enhance a pilot’s employment opportunities. “This is where the novice comes to ask questions and we answer them.” Students will learn about aeronautical navigation, stalls, S-turns, circles around a point and flying rectangular patterns, as well as maneuvers needed to land safely. The lessons require students to purchase their study materials, obtain an FAA physical exam, spend 45 hours behind the controls of a Cessna 172, 35 hours of primary instruction and eight hours of ground instruction, as well as the FAA oral and written exams. Some students take longer to get comfortable behind the controls of the plane, while others take to the skies like ducks take to water. “We ignore the instruments when just learning VFR,” Richmond said. “The instructor is there to keep you safe while you’re learning. That’s their job.” For Richmond, the reward of owning the business is in seeing people accomplish their lifelong dreams of flying. “I enjoy it,” he said. “It’s fun to see other people learn to fly. Every flight is an adventure; it’s whatever you want to have.”
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CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 65
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Nature’s bounty preserved as art Purdy woman reviving pressed flower craft
Nature’s bounty
preserved as art
Purdy woman reviving pressed flower craft
B
arbara Ward is an artist, but her medium isn’t paint and canvas. She uses dried, pressed flowers to embellish framed prints of gospel sheet music, photos, wedding announcements and candles. “Years of sewing and tole painting have led me to pressed flower art,” Ward said. “I found an old hymn book with no front or back. The pages were like onionskin and ragged. I took pages from the hymn book and matted them. Then I took dried flowers and decorated the edges and framed them. I’ve given away nearly 90 pieces to family members, church members, neighbors and friends.” Each piece is unique in that it can never be exactly duplicated. Pressed flowers dry in various configurations and colors. Two blossoms from the same plant may not dry exactly alike, nor be the same color when they are ready to be used in a project. “I always wished I could hold on to springtime, because I love it so much,” said the octogenarian. “I’ve found a way to do it.” When area yards and fields are filled with blooms from daffodils, rhododendron, azalea, roses, pansies, Queen Anne’s Lace, wild strawberries, holly-
Story and photos by Melonie Roberts
hocks, petunias, periwinkle, tree leaves, grapevines and even twining stems from cantaloupe and cucumbers, Ward gets busy with her friends to collect the most perfect specimens for her art. “Everyone I know sends me blossoms,” she said. “One of my favorites is Edelweiss, which comes from Germany. “There is a legend about Edelweiss. It grows at the most dangerous peaks of the mountains in Germany. If a man truly loves a woman, he would brave the dangers of the mountain to bring back the Edelweiss blossom to his love to prove his devotion to her.” Other favorite embellishments include pansies, grapevine and Helleboros blossoms, also known as Lenten Rose. Even weeds, such as goldenrod and chicory, find their place in Ward’s art, where she uses the textured stems and blossoms in various stages of growth to color coordinate with elements of her latest project. Ward rarely has to purchase a frame for her work. “We recycle frames,” she said. “People bring me all kinds of frames. Or, if they want a particular item made, they will bring their own frame.” Ward doesn’t have many rules to follow with her projects, typically using blossoms in groups of three and embel-
lishing with greenery or ribbon. To preserve her fragile blooms, Ward presses collected blossoms between the pages of large telephone books, where absorbent pages help dry and preserve them for later use. Once dried, she stores them between layers of waxed paper in metal cookie tins and boxes. “I have 17 tins filled with blossoms,” she said. “You don’t want to try to dry very moist blossoms, like lilies; They mold quickly. I usually put those blossoms in desiccant to pull moisture out. Sometimes it works and sometimes they don’t turn out so pretty.” Ward said the craft is mostly done by trial and error. “If I don’t like the way something looks, I scrape it all off and start over,” she said. “You can’t really make a mistake with this either. If you do, just cover it up with Queen Anne’s Lace.” Since starting her hobby up again two years ago, Ward and her crafty cohorts don’t look at flowers the same way they did previously. “I never really noticed things growing before,” Ward said. “I do now. And I eye my neighbor’s flowers to see what blooms I want.” Ward occasionally uses gold or silver leaf to accent or brighten a petal, leaf or stem.
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 67
From left: Jill Ostertag tried her hand at arranging pressed flowers with the assistance of LouAnna Dodson, who, along with Barbara Ward, (not pictured) have been collecting blossoms and greenery to use in their art for over two years.
“You can get it at the craft store,” she said. “I like the way it looks on leaves. It changes the way they look and adds something to [the project].” Sometimes, Ward will work on a project for hours at a time. “It’s something I can do without thinking,” she said. “Last winter, when we couldn’t get out of the house from Sunday to Sunday, I spent a lot of time working on projects. The amount of detail I put into each project varies. I add a little here and a little there. I don’t always know where I’m going with it, but I know when it’s done.” Ward finds layering light-colored blossoms against darker greenery provides a pleasing contrast. “If you want more color on the petals, stack a couple of blossoms together on top,” she said. “I like to layer dried blossoms together to make each one look different.” Taking up the hobby is not expensive. “Anyone can afford to do this,” Ward said. “All it takes is some flower blossoms, some glue and a frame.” For Ward, the most pleasing aspect of the craft, aside from giving gifts to friends and acquaintances, is continuing to spread a flower’s beauty after most people would have tossed it away. Some of Ward’s work can be seen on display at Tomblin’s Jewelry in Cassville. “These are gifts that keep on giving long after the flowers fade,” Ward said. “God made these so beautiful. I’m just a petal pusher.”
Barbara Ward, right, showed samples of her pressed flower art to members of the Purdy Book Club during a recent demonstration of the craft. Ward, 80, has been working on pressed flower art for about two years, collecting flowers, drying and pressing them and then adhering them to framed copies of hymns, weddings memorabilia and other significant family events.
68 | OCTOBER 2015
Pansies, greenery, Queen Anne’s Lace, violets and maple leaves combined together make a lovely natural element tribute for any occasion. This sample, made by Barbara Ward, of Purdy, is just one of over 80 gifts she has made for family, friends and church congregation members in the past two years.
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CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 69
Who: Landon Brattin
What:
Owner of Brattin’s Tree Service
Where: Ridgley For more information on Brattin’s Tree Service or for help with a tree issue, Brattin can be reached at
Landon Brattin goes out on a limb for customers Business owner helps keep residents safe
417-846-3714
Visit his Facebook page at Facebook.com/BrattinsTreeService
Landon Brattin, owner of Brattin’s Tree Service, carefully works on trimming branches from a tree, high up in the air.
70 | OCTOBER 2015
L
andon Brattin, owner of Brattin’s Tree Service, is no stranger to hard work, and is always willing to go out on a limb for his customers. The oldest of five raised by their father in Ridgley, Brattin had plenty of opportunities as a youngster to develop a strong work ethic, a deep sense of responsibility, a commitment to family and serving others. “I learned to be responsible at a young age,” Brattin said. “I felt like I grew up pretty quick. I was the one baby sitting and making lunches. I’ve never been afraid of work.” Brattin used his experiences and work ethic to make his Exeter-based business, Brattin’s Tree Service, successful, serving residents of Barry and surrounding counties since 2005. “I work just about anywhere within a 50-mile radius,” Brattin said. “I like that I am completely busy all the time. I love to be up in the air.” On a daily basis, Brattin does all manner of tree work, removing limbs from houses and yards, doing storm damage removal, trimming trees and removing hazardous trees. “I’ve never turned anyone down,” he said. Being up in the air comes natural for Brattin, who recalls that he was always climbing for people. “I used to do tree work in high school,” he said. “I had a logger friend I helped who was like a big brother to me.” Nowadays, he stays busy helping residents with various tree issues, and involves family as much as he can. “I’ve always been about family,” Brattin said. “I always dreamed of having a business where I could have my family in it. Now that I have one, I try to incorporate my family. Everyone pitches in. A lot of my family works for me.” Brattin said he is always swamped with work and has a loyal customer base for several reasons. “I always call people back and I’m always honest with them,” he said. “One of the most important things is calling people
Story and photos by Julia Kilmer
back... And being honest with them. If they ask for a tree to be removed and it is not dying or doesn’t need to be removed, I’ll figure out how to either save the tree or their money. My motto is I don’t make everything I earn all in one place. I try to be as affordable as possible. That’s how I’ve built my clientele, is by trying to save people money. “I feel like my business is something I can do for people that they can’t do for themselves. I have the equipment and keep them from getting hurt and offer a service that people can’t do for themselves.” Brattin also offers free estimates, which gives customers the option to do the job or not. And he never turns anyone down. At times, other tree services have contacted him for help completing tricky or dangerous jobs. Brattin recalls a job with which he was asked to help in Monett, which involved moving a tree away from a house. Three other tree services did not want to touch the job. But, Brattin, who credits his father with being mechanically-minded, ended up figuring out not only how to remove the tree safely, but how to keep the tree away from the house. “It takes a mechanically-minded person to figure out how to take trees off houses,” Brattin said. But he admits it isn’t easy. “That was probably my toughest job,” he said. “I told them I can get the tree down, but can’t guarantee I could keep it from doing any more damage. I’m always willing to help other tree services with jobs if needed.” The job isn’t just tricky at times, it can be dangerous, too. One time, the boom broke while his son was in the bucket. “Luckily, it happened when he was just starting to go up in it,” Brattin said. “And it was a new truck.” Lots of unusual things have happened, too. Like bicycles, pitchforks, or other items left that trees grew into or around.
“I took a bike out of a tree in Cassville,” Brattin said. “They didn’t even know it was there.” One of the challenges of being in the tree business is keeping up with equipment. “About the time you get stuff paid off it’s worn out,” Brattin said. “It’s a never-ending battle.” Although he’s does some advertising, Brattin, who has hundreds of customers, gets most work from repeat customers. “A lot of my jobs are referrals,” he said. “I usually have return clientele. When they have problems, they call me.” Brattin’s children also help with the family business. A father of five, ranging from 23 years to 14 months, Brattin is
“I’ve built my clientele by trying to save people money.” — Landon Brattin
blessed with a lot of help from his family and extended family members, living his dream of a family-owned and operated business. Even the youngest of his five children likes to help. And, his oldest son Anthony has his own tree service now. In addition to managing trees, Brattin also sells colored mulch and runs Brattin Graphics, in which he creates signs, billboards and logos, including his business logo on his truck. Brattin cites lots of reasons for having a successful, family-operated business in which he is never short on jobs, but there is still one more — his faith. “I feel like God has blessed me,” he said. “I want to keep growing and keep growing a customer base. I’m swamped all the time. I’m not complaining. I’m definitely blessed. “And I would like to thank all my customers. I hope God blesses them just as much.”
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 71
Carolyn Hunter, D.M.D., PC, thoroughly reviews X-rays and oral health with patient Sara Maloney and Dental Assistant Janny Moua. Hunter has owned and operated her own general dentistry practice in Cassville since 1983 and believes that working as a female dentist in a mostly maledominated industry has worked to her advantage.
To make an appointment or for more information,
417-847-2461,
CarolynHunterDMD.com Facebook.com/CarolynHunterDMD.
Local businesswomen set example, provide service to community Each found unique niche in business and industry
L
ocal trend-setters and entrepreneurs Carolyn Hunter, D.M.D., PC; Dr. Lisa Roark, M.D.; and Shelter Insurance Agent Terri Lynn DeGraffenreid Brattin are no strangers to the business world. As women-owned and operated businesses, each has found a unique niche in their industry. Thirty-two years ago, Dentist Carolyn Hunter, D.M.D., PC, opened a dentistry practice in 1983 in Cassville, and has been in business ever since. Upon walking into her aestheticallypleasing and cozy 4,000-square-foot practice on Smithson Drive, which was remodeled about six years ago, and meeting her friendly staff, one feels right at ease — no need for dental anxiety here. With a business motto of Caring for Your Smile, Hunter offers comprehensive
72 | OCTOBER 2015
dental care for the entire family including fillings, cleanings, dentures, partials, implants, limited orthodontic and sleep apnea appliances, making everyone smile. “We also reserve times in the daily schedule to see people that call last minute with toothaches or problems that just cropped up.” Hunter always liked working with her hands. But just like life, she went one direction and ended up in another. She originally wanted to become a registered nurse. There was a school she wanted to attend in Chicago, but it closed. She looked into other nursing schools, but changed her course. “The hats they wore were ugly,” she laughed. Instead, she set her sights on dental hygienist school, which at the time, was made up of about 10 percent of female students.
“Now it’s a lot more.” After working as a hygienist for eight years, she came to an impasse. “I was a hygienist, and just got bored with teaching oral hygiene,” she said. Fast forward 30-some years, where Hunter sees close to 100 patients a week. As a practitioner and self-made entrepreneur, Hunter believes she developed a successful practice by continuing dental education regarding products and practices, educating patients, providing dental work at a reasonable fee, and being active and visible in the community as a member of Rotary Club, Cassville Main Street and the Chamber of Commerce. In an industry that has been traditionally male dominated and known for patient anxiety, Hunter has found that being a female dentist has worked to her advantage, adding a nurturing compo-
Story and photos by Julia Kilmer
Carolyn Hunter, D.M.D., PC, shares a laugh with patient Gay Sheddrick of Cassville while reviewing her chart.
nent, if you will, which certainly helps in an industry where so many are anxious to pay a visit to the dentist. “I have actually found being a woman to be a positive in the dental industry,” she said. “Many people find it reassuring to be treated by a woman, and I believe they find me easy to talk to.” A loyal staff of nine, including two hygienists, three dental assistants and four administrative staff, with Hunter, agree. “We have a lot of patients that come here who’ve had bad dental anxiety and have overcome it just with her talking them through it,” said Dental Assistant Janny Moua, who has been with Hunter since 2003. “Dr. Hunter is an awesome dentist. She’s very thorough, spends a lot of one-on-one time and she’s very caring. She listens to what the patients want. Cassville will miss her if she ever retires. She works very hard.”
“She appreciates you,” said employee Linda Brattelid, who’s worked for Hunter for five years. “She’s on our level. She’s the best boss I’ve ever had. She makes you want to come to work each day.” Hunter considers her best strengths to be strong communication skills, networking, hiring and developing a skillful, caring staff and excellent memory and recall of patient’s needs and ethical and business practices. She attributes her business longevity to ethical business practices and fair charges for dental work. Hunter’s approach to patient care includes providing comprehensive dental care and determining the treatment that would be best for each individual, while continually promoting good oral health. “I tell my patients, do you want to have your teeth when you’re old?” Hunter also advises patients to lay off the soda.
“The pH of soda is very acidic and dissolves tooth enamel,” she said. As a business owner, daily life is not without its challenges, but Hunter has been able to strike a balance between work and family life by making an effort to stay organized. “No question, owning your own business takes a lot of extra time, but I raised two children and have had two different foreign exchange students in my household,” she said. “The key to making time for everything — for me, is staying organized. I make a lot of lists.” At the end of the day, when it comes right down to it, Hunter says her success and joy comes from her patients. “I appreciate each and every one of you,” she said. “I love caring for your smiles!” Hunter’s practice is located at 77 Smithson Drive in Cassville.
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Shelter Insurance Agent Terri Lynn DeGraffenreid Brattin discusses business with Office Manager Reagan Stringer at her agency in Cassville.
Shelter Insurance Agent Terri Lynn DeGraffenreid Brattin always enjoyed working with people and thrives on giving clients assurance with insurance products. Upon walking into her office on Mill Street, one feels that energy. “I absolutely love the people,” she said. “I am passionate about giving people peace of mind. I was the front desk manager at a hotel for a number of years. I have even worked as a telemarketer. Anything involving people has always been my passion.” DeGraffenreid Brattin moved from Lebanon to Cassville in 2008 and began offering auto, home, life, farm, business, boat, ATV, personal articles, motorcycle, and RV insurance products to the community. “My dad offered me the position in 2008,” DeGraffenreid Brattin said. “I be-
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came fully licensed, then in 2010 attended agent school in Columbia and became an affiliate agent. Insurance is in our blood. We are a Shelter family.” As an entrepreneur, DeGraffenreid Brattin is driven in her goal of providing a quality service to the community, and attributes her father, Terry DeGraffenreid, who operated the Shelter agency in Cassville for 30 years, for teaching her everything she learned about the industry. “I had an amazing mentor who was a wealth of knowledge,” she said. “I have learned this business from one of the best. And I love taking care of my clients.” What brings DeGraffenreid Brattin success, she feels, is simple. “I walk into the office each morning with a positive attitude and knowledge of the products I offer,” she said. “I also treat people how I would like to be treated.” Her staff agrees.
“I love it here,” said Office Manager Reagan Stringer. “She’s amazing to work with, she’s taught me a lot and pushed me further than most.” Working as a woman in business is not without its challenges, though. “I would have to say, being a woman in the business world you must learn to have thick skin,” she said. “Don’t take anything too personal. Be positive, love what you do, and be the best at what you do.” As for her personal philosophy on balancing work and family life, DeGraffenreid Brattin, a busy mother of a threeyear-old, doesn’t sugar-coat it. “It’s difficult,” she said. “Not impossible, though. Nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough and you work hard. I am very blessed to have an amazing husband that supports me 100 percent. “I also have to mention my family and clients. Without all of them, and their
For more information on insurance products, DeGraffenreid Brattin can be reached at
417-847-2100 or tdegraffenreid@shelterinsurance.com also visit ShelterInsurance.com/CA/agent/tdegraffenrei. love and support, this new transition into this new role would not have went as smooth. I am very blessed.” DeGraffenreid Brattin offers the following words of wisdom for other female entrepreneurs she often heard quoted by her well-known father, Terry DeGraffenreid, whose legacy is evident and continues through his daughter. “As the late, great Terry DeGraffenreid always said, ‘If you do not go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. If you do not step forward, you’ll always be in the same place,’ — author unknown.” Life is short. Follow your heart, chase your dreams and be the best you can be, not just part of the time, ALL of the time. Shelter Insurance is located at 500 Mill Street in Cassville. Dr. Lisa Roark, M.D., set an innovative example for health care and women-
owned businesses when she opened her new clinic in June of this year in Cassville. A full-family care clinic for all ages and stages of health, Roark offers a unique model of health care which for a monthly membership fee includes, get this — no co-pays, no co-insurance, no deductibles, at-cost medications, at-cost laboratory tests, unlimited office visits during business hours, same day appointments (pending availability), longer appointment times and unlimited access to physician including phone, text and email. The clinic also houses a spa, which offers microdermabrasion, chemical peels, Botox, hair removal, a skin care line, massage therapy and other feel-good services. Changes in the health care system prompted Roark to take a leap of faith, open the clinic and begin her journey as a business owner and entrepreneur. “With the major changes in health
care due to the Affordable Care Act, I felt like we needed to offer different options to patients,” she said. “Currently, many people have high deductible insurance, or no insurance at all. With the high price of health care, many people can’t afford primary care. I went to a medical conference in Washington, D.C., held by the AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians). “At the conference, there were several lectures focusing on direct primary care as an alternative to the typical health care system. All of the doctors who were currently practicing this type of health care were very happy, had more time with their patients and felt they were providing better health care at a lower cost. It seemed like a fantastic option for our community.” Roark has a simple business philosophy: keep happy employees, happy
Dr. Lisa Roark works with staff at her full-family care clinic in Cassville. Pictured from left are Massage Therapist Amanda Evans, Medical Assistant Ann Ring, Phlebotomist Chell Taylor, and Registered Nurse Cindy Roark.
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patients, and a stress-free work environment. “All of the employees get along well. We have a weekly family evening where we have pizza and pool night with our families and interact outside of the work environment,” she said. “If someone needs a day off or to leave early, we all work together as a team to make sure that happens. I’m right there with my nurses answering the phone if needed or vacuuming the floor.” Her strategy for keeping patients happy is giving them accessibility (same day appointments, access via phone/text/ email), affordability (low cost labs, medications, and no co-pays/deductibles), and more interaction with their physician (on the basis that longer appointment times allow time the patient to participate in their health care decisions) — all things
great, and Dr. Roark takes care of all of us. She is very professional and loves her patients and employees.” Roark, who is married to Dr. Roark’s husband’s brother Grant, was working at Mercy when Dr. Roark invited her to work at the clinic. “When she approached me, I knew I wanted to work with her. And not just because I am her sister-n-law but because she’s a good person and doctor, too.” Phlebotomist and Administrative Assistant Chell Taylor likes that the doctor takes time with everyone. “I didn’t have experience right out of school and a lot of people won’t take the time to train you and she did,” she said. “That’s really special that she did that for me. She takes time for people and cares about them. “It’s a great place to work.” Medical Assistant Ann Ring previous-
For a complete list of medical services, spa services, or for more information on membership, Dr. Roark and her staff can be reached at
417-847-1111 or at roarkfamilyhealth@gmail.com on their website at RoarkFamilyHealth.com or on Facebook at Facebook.com/RoarkFamilyHealth
a patient can’t get in a regular doctor’s office. Upon walking in, one feels more like they’ve walked into the spa, not a doctor’s office, as several senses are immediately captured with pleasing warm colors, interesting decor, friendly staff and pleasant essential oil aromas. It’s definitely not your typical cold, clinical, bare doctor’s office — which just makes the whole package sweeter. “I love working here because it feels like a family environment,” said RN Cindy Roark. “I don’ feel like a coworker but like family, and Dr. Roark is a huge part of that because she is caring, compassionate and she loves her patents. She takes time to get to know them and their families. “It doesn’t feel like you’re going to a workplace, and it’s fun. We all get along
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ly worked with Dr. Roark and can attest to her ability and character. “She’s a great doctor to work for,” she said. “I used to work for her at Cox in Aurora and she actually knows her patients, the family and the history so she really cares about the patient.” As a business owner, Dr. Roark’s goals include meeting a need in the community, keeping overhead low so that she can pass savings on to her patients, maintaining efficiency through collecting fees at time of service (no billing or collections), and eventually having enough members to generate income for her family without being so busy that she can’t continue to provide open access and longer appointment times. Working in the health care industry as a female business owner does present
challenges sometimes. “There are definitely unique challenges to being a female doctor as well as a woman in business,” she said. “I can’t count the number of times I’ve been through an entire office visit, then had a patient ask me, when will the doctor be in? I think it just takes some time to break down those stereotypes, then I frequently hear, I love having a woman doctor, you seem to listen better.” Like any parent, Roark deals with the daily challenges of balancing work with family life, but as a mother of four (ages 8 and under) and business owner, she believes in organization, structure, and has found a way to set appropriate boundaries yet incorporate family alongside her business. “I really have to work to leave work at work,” she said. “I make sure my notes are all completed at the end of the day, all loose ends are tied up, all phone calls have been made, and prescriptions have been filled. I really don’t keep my family life away from the clinic. My patients generally know I have four kids, often know my kids’ names and interests. “My children come to eat lunch with me or even walk down to the clinic from school frequently, so having them at the clinic isn’t unusual. I take pride in the fact that kids are welcome in our clinic and generally feel comfortable here.” Roark’s husband Griff is also involved. “I am the sole owner of the business, although Griff is a huge asset to the clinic,” she said. “He keeps the books, works as our IT guy, general fix-it man and did the majority of the remodel on the building.” In the past, Roark worked for a hospital system under very different circumstances, such as wondering if insurance would cover a visit, labs or meds. But at her clinic, she doesn’t have to involve insurance at all and can focus more on patients. “Now, I work for my patients and don’t have to worry about insurance issues,” she said. And neither do the patients.
Gourd-gous decor
Dr. Hunter’s gourd dressed up for Easter. Patients and their children are eager to see what the gourd will be, and staff keeps a photo book so patients can see what characters they missed.
Local dentist, staff create conversation piece with ever-changing produce
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hen patients walked into Dr. Carolyn Hunter’s dentistry practice at 77 Smithson Drive in Cassville during the month of August, they were greeted by a twofoot high school boy wearing a hat and carrying a backpack. But, wait — it’s not a boy, it’s a gourd. Yes, gourd. As in those bumpy things that look like a cross between a pumpkin and a squash seen during the fall harvest season. But this gourd is dressed as a school boy. Each month, “The Gourd,” as staff call it, transforms into a new persona and personality according to the season and occasion. Quite the conversation piece, it is unlike anything patients would expect to see in your typical practitioner’s office. It started last October when Dr. Hunter bought a gourd at the Cassville’s Farmers’ Market. She planned to use at home, but the colors weren’t quite right. So she gave it to front desk staff and asked them to decorate the front desk area with it. Later that day, she asked them to decorate the gourd.
Story and photos by Julia Kilmer
“We had no idea what she meant by that until she told us she thought it looked kind of like a pig,” said Bookkeeper Jennifer Meginn. Receptionist Jeanne Lambel took on the task, printing a picture of pig ears and a hair bow, then added eyes, lips, and a curly, pink foil tail — and Voila! A following began. From that point on, Lambel became chief decorator, who has shopped and sewn and painted the gourd. Some of the creations are named. There’s Penelope the Pig (which a patient claimed was clearly a “wart” hog), Tom the Turkey, Rudolph the Reindeer and Cowboy Bob in June to celebrate the Rotary Rodeo. “I am amazed at the creativity of the whole thing,” said Dr. Carolyn Hunter. “Sometimes when I see the new costume, I just have to shake my head. I don’t know where she comes up with all these ideas. It has lasted much longer than I expected.” “I always giggle when I come in to work and Jeanne has decorated “The
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Gourd” in yet another outfit,” said Hygienist Heather Mackey. Patients and their children are always interested in what the gourd will be next and have become accustomed and attached to seeing the gourd transform into its next persona. Lambel said she gets lots of ideas from patients and their children. “Our patients seem to enjoy it, the kids especially,” Lambel said. “We keep a set of pictures at the front desk so patients can see costumes they may have missed. We are putting up a bulletin board in the lobby to display pictures. If the gourd is not on the front desk, we have patients ask about it when they come in. “I really love it when the kids run in and tell me they wondered all the way to the office what it was going to look like this time. My coworkers give me a hard time about these planning sessions, but last winter, when I was a little slow bringing it back in with the new costume, they got together and printed up a Missing Gourd poster. It adds a little fun to each day.” As unique of a conversation piece the gourd has become, what remains to be seen is the sense of connection it has created with all who enter the dental practice. “You don’t see that personal touch and welcoming feeling when you walk in the door of a doctor’s office,” said Jacqueline Fuller of Cassville, who has been a patient since 2009. “You get a feeling of welcome with a touch of whimsy because the gourd is so cute. It’s entertaining to see what she’s going to have it dressed as next.” Fuller said another thing she likes is that Dr. Hunter takes time to know her patients, and helped her overcome severe dental anxiety. During one visit, Fuller, who is diabetic, was having trouble with her blood sugar. “She actually fed me her lunch so I would be stable for the procedure because my blood sugar was down,” Fuller said. “It’s nice for a doctor to know you
Bookkeeper Jennifer Meginn works at the front desk, where a gourd dressed as a school boy (a.k.a. Gourdo) greets patients during the month of August. Each month, the adopted gourd transforms according to the season, occasion and the whim of staff and patients. The gourd has created interest and a following with patients and children, along with a sense of connection and fun at the dental practice.
that well. I would say she and her staff are top notch. They are so friendly and welcoming. Other doctor’s offices are not as connected.” ‘The Gourd,’ with its near-celebrity status, will even have a birthday party soon, complete with cake, balloons and party favors. “We invite everyone to come by and see what we have going on,” Lambel said. Gourds are known for longevity and hardiness, and staff have been using and decorating the same gourd since October. “If not punctured, gourds will dry out and can be used for years as decorations,” said Lambel. Each month, Dr. Hunter texts a picture of the gourd to the farmer whom she bought it from and posts pictures on the business’ Facebook page, which also draws attention. “When I ‘like’ the pictures of The Gourd on Facebook, my cousin, Denise Barratt from Asheville, N.C., always comments,” Mackey said. “She loves the creativeness and always looks forward to what The Gourd will be next month.” Patients can get in on the fun of decorating, too. “Jeanne has a notebook at the front desk where she keeps a list of ideas she
gets from patients and coworkers,” Meginn said. “Last year, we decorated for the season, with a snowman in January and February and a display of April Showers brings May Flowers for those months.” Come this fall harvest season, gourds will have a whole new meaning to patients and staff — and perhaps some of them will adopt a gourd of their own. Fuller said another thing she likes is that Dr. Hunter takes time to know her patients, and helped her overcome severe dental anxiety. During one visit, Fuller, who is diabetic, was having trouble with her blood sugar. “She actually fed me her lunch so I would be stable for the procedure because my blood sugar was down,” Fuller said. “It’s nice for a doctor to know you that well. I would say she and her staff are top notch. They are so friendly and welcoming. Other doctor’s offices are not as connected.” ‘The Gourd,’ with its near-celebrity status, will even have a birthday party soon, complete with cake, balloons and party favors. “We invite everyone to come by and see what we have going on,” Lambel said. Gourds are known for longevity and
hardiness, and staff have been using and decorating the same gourd since October. “If not punctured, gourds will dry out and can be used for years as decorations,” said Lambel. Each month, Dr. Hunter texts a picture of the gourd to the farmer whom she bought it from and posts pictures on the business’ Facebook page, which also draws attention. “When I ‘like’ the pictures of The Gourd on Facebook, my cousin, Denise Barratt from Asheville, N.C., always comments,” Mackey said. “She loves the creativeness and always looks forward to what The Gourd will be next month.” Patients can get in on the fun of decorating, too. “Jeanne has a notebook at the front desk where she keeps a list of ideas she gets from patients and coworkers,” Meginn said. “Last year, we decorated for the season, with a snowman in January and February and a display of April Showers brings May Flowers for those months.” Come this fall harvest season, gourds will have a whole new meaning to patients and staff — and perhaps some of them will adopt a gourd of their own.
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My Gary and Gail Martin of Mano and Tony and Vicky Kelley of Monett took Connection magazine with them to the beach at Negril, Jamaica.
Rosa Stockton of Monett sent a photo of a recent trip to Graceland, home of the late Elvis Presley, in Memphis, Tenn. From left, are: Sharon Taylor, Rosa Stockton, Robin and Jim Brigman, Kaitlin Fisher and Tyler Brigman. The group then continued to Nashville, Tenn., to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame.
From left, cousins Ashley Cole, Lyla Wingo and Sydney Rea spent time in Anna Maria Island, Fla., this summer, enjoying the beach with their mothers — Robyn Cole, Lee Anne Wingo and Jennifer Rose.
Leslie Mareth of Purdy, left, a teacher at Monett schools, and Sonya Estes of Springfield took Connection magazine with them to Mexico in July.
Jillian Hodge of Cassville, left, and her son, Bodie Hodge, recently took Connection magazine with them on a trip to Encinitas, Calif., to see Jillian’s sister, Kalyn McGee , formerly of Cassville. While there, the sisters went to Disneyland, where this photo was captured.
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The Veith and Mattingly families traveled to Fort Walton Beach, Fla., in August. They enjoyed parasailing, snorkeling and great weather while at the Emerald Coast. Front: Reese Veith. Second row: Renee Veith, Rhonda Mattingly, Kinsley Mattingly and Kara Stephens. Back row: Ronnie Veith, Kelton Mattingly, Jim Mattingly and Riley Veith.
Jose and Judy Rodriguez took Connection magazine with them on their recent trip to Austin, Texas. They spent a few days visiting with Jose’s son and daughter-in-law, Jose and Yazmin, enjoying great food, shopping, sightseeing, and catching up.
Connection magazine visited Skagway, Alaska, during a family cruise. The family includes: Gene and Barbara Paulus of Purdy; Bob and Vickie McDougle of Shell Knob; Stacy Cochran and daughter Mya Cochran-Gaines of Eagle Rock; newlyweds, Leslie and Jay Snelson of North Kansas City; and Susan Courtney of Webb City with mother, Carolyn Courtney of Monett.
Charles and Jan Rowell recently took Connection magazine with them while traveling through northern California and visiting their son, Nick, and daughter-in-law, Robin.
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Linda and Bill VanEaton held up Connection at the Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City, Calif., where they volunteered during the month of August.
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The Freistatt Lions held their annual Ernte
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Front: Katie and Michelle Fisher. Back: aunt Marley McKinley Hannah Bennett, Sara Drewianka, Chrissy Williams, Bethany Williams Jacob, Beth and Jacie Hudson Front: Lyndsie and Lorelei VanDerhoef. Back: Sharon and Tom VanDerhoef Greg and Lynn Schad
PO Box 37 • 816 Broadway Monett, MO 65708 jjfloor@suddenlinkmail.com 84 | OCTOBER 2015
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“A Little Store With Big Savings” Residential & Commercial Owned & Operated by Jim & Jayne Terry
Bus. (417) 235-0016 Fax (417) 235-6364 Res. (417) 442-7974
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The 16th annual Kings Prairie Community Center Benefit concert was held on Aug. 8 next to the historic Kings Prairie School, east of Monett.
TiTle loans Pay Day loans Phone: 417-235-4200 • 775 Chapel Dr., Suite F, Monett, MO 65708 CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 85
Howdy Neighbor Days was held at Pierce City’s South Park from Aug. 12 through Aug. 15.
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The 27th annual Pierce City Car Show, Aug. 26 at the Pierce City South Park.
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The second annual Monett Repurposed Faire was held on Aug. 22 and 23 in downtown Monett.
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The 57th annual Wheaton Barbecue, Aug. 26 at the Wheaton City Park.
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5. Stacy, Braxton and Hailey Beck 6. Jeremy Agans, Alexander Harmon, Brittany Agans 7. Renea Corn holding Evey Landstad, Chelsea Landstad, Desiree Corn 8. Tyrell, Katrina, Molly and Miranda Brattin 9. Mary and Wayne Dyer 10. Pat and Gene Stickler
3 11. Bobby and Don Hounschell, Jim Vermillion 12. Harley Carter, Susie and Austin Meltabarger
Ad Index Acambaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Four States Dental Care. . . . . . . 56
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Plymouth Junction. . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Bennett Wormington Funeral Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Guanajuato. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Race Brothers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Carolyn Hunter DMD. . . . . . . . . . 6
Hangar Kafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Ramey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Houlihans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Scott Regional Technology Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cassville Chamber of Commerce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 and 61 Cassville Health & Rehab. . . . . . 36 Community National Bank. . . . . 16 Cornerstone Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Country Dodge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Cox Medical Centers. . . . . . . . . . 92 Crane Family Dentistry. . . . . . . . 32 Diet Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Doug’s Pro Lube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Eastside Church of Christ. . . . . . 32 Edgewood Creamery. . . . . . . . . . 33 Edward Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Exeter Corn Maze. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Farm Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 First State Bank of Purdy. . . . . . 34 Fohn Funeral Home. . . . . . . . . . . 26 Four Seasons Realty . . . . . . . . . . 66
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Hudson Collision. . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Ila Bohms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 J&J Floor Covering . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Ken’s Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Lackey Body Works. . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lacoba Homes, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . 48 Les Jacobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Macadoodles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Making Memories. . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Michael Riehn, Attorney. . . . . . . 33 Missouri Loan Center. . . . . . . . . 85 Mocha Jo’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Monett Chamber of Commerce.36 Monett Main Street. . . . 33 and 66 Morton Buildings. . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Old Town Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ozark Methodist Manor. . . . . . . 78
Second Chances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Security Bank of SWMO. . . . . . 90 Shelter Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Smile Designers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Superior Spray Foam. . . . . . . . . . 18 The Jane Store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Tomblin’s Jewelry. . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Tried & True Candles and Tans. 65 Trogdon Marshall. . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Verona Corn Maze. . . . . . . . . . . . 18 VisionHealth Eye Center . . . . . . 90 Walmart Pharmacy. . . . 24 and 43 Whitley Pharmacy. . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Wickman Gardens. . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Willis Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Youngberg Chapel. . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Peppers and Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
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5
8
7
10
Pickin’ Patch Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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12 CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 89
We care about their eyes!
More than 600,000 eye injuries related to sports and recreation occur each year. 42,000 of these injuries are of a severity that requires emergency attention.
Our doctors provide urgent care for ocular injuries. Dr. Justin Hart, Optometrist Dr. Greg Huntress, Optometrist, FAAO Dr. Scott McSpadden, Optometrist, FAAO
AvAilAble for WeDDiNGS
CHURCH SERVICES:
Sunday School: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Sunday Service: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Outstanding eyecare, exceptional eyewear!
612 E. Elm 215 4th Street 401 W. College Republic, MO 65738 Monett, MO 65708 Greenfield, MO 65661 417-732-5575 417-235-2020 417-637-2010
22653 Farm Rd. 1150. Verona, MO
417-498-6511
Non denominational • Rev. Charles Bahn
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Great, Friendly Service Committed to Barry County Prompt Decisions Made Locally
www.visionhealtheyecenter.com
SBSECURITY BANK OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
Your Locally Owned Independent Bank
Let All Our Friendly Faces Serve You At Any Of Our Three Locations:
Cassville
Jct. 37, 76 & 86 417-847-4794
Wheaton
302 Main Street 417-652-3204
Exeter
Bill Pay & Internet Banking at www.sbswmo.com 90 | OCTOBER 2015
Front Street 417-835-8111
Parting Shot Photo by Sheila Harris
I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand. —Confucius CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 91
92 | OCTOBER 2015