Avenues June 2023

VENUES

SALES STAFF

Sales

SHERRY HARPER

417-274-8618

Renee Janes, Editor

rjanes@cherryroad.com

870-895-3207

Salem, Ark.

WRITERS

Renee Janes

Elaine Brown

Vincent Marshall

John Norberg

Cheri Lynn Quattrochi

RENEE JANES

Editor

Graphic Designer

DEBBIE DOWNUM

Graphic Designer

In this month’s issue of Avenues

Elaine shares with us the story of Brenda and Bob Hults of Cherokee Village, Ark. and their feathered friends.

Vince visited Short Store Eatery located on the square in Salem, Ark., which offers a new dining experience.

I recently toured Eleven Point State Park, which is not yet open to the public but is in the process of being developed into a Missouri State Park. This former Oregon County ranch has unique natural aspects as well as historic.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of Avenues.

388 Hwy. 62/412 East

P.O. Box 248

Salem, AR 72576

Office 1-800-995-3209

Fax 870-895-4277

news@areawidenews.com

870-895-3207 A

Gardening in the Ozarks And She Said, “Poppies”…

How exciting it is to finally have some “summer” weather. I like snow, but I also like all the simple wonders that the warm weather provides. It is time for vegetables fresh from the garden, and flowers. Continuous flowers. It starts with the early bulbs, then the trees and then irises, and what do we have over here? The flower that was made famous in my favorite movie. Can you guess what movie and what flower I am talking about? Well, it is the Oriental Poppy in the amazing movie “The Wizard of Oz” of course. Oriental Poppies come in colors that can range from red, to orange, to salmon and even plum colors. This flower is a perennial in zones 3 to 7. The colder the better, is what they want. A mild winter would not be a

good choice for this plant.

Oriental Poppies have a long tap root, which makes it a bit difficult to transplant. Keep in mind that Oriental Poppies will die back to the ground after blooming and it gets hot. In doing this, it will leave a bare spot in your flower bed. You can “hide” this area by planting daylilies, Rudbeckia or Russian Sage as companion plants in front of your poppies.

John Norberg Sharp County Master Gardener

Choose you location wisely when planting Oriental Poppies. They prefer full sun (6 hours of good sun) with well-draining soil that is kept medium moist. They like a good rich compost and is not happy in clay soil. Dig your hole twice as wide and deep as the plant. Do a mix of peat moss, good potting soil and the dirt from the hole at a third of each. Mix this well and plant your poppy on top of the loose mixture so the tap root can grow easily.

Oriental Poppies like evenly moist, but not too wet or too dry, soil. Water in the beginning when the soil

feels dry to the touch.  Once it begins to form flower buds, increase the watering to about one inch per week. After the bloom cycle is finished, cut back on the watering. Poppies do not like their roots wet when they go into dormancy during the summer.

These flowers like a continuous fertilizing during their growing season. I suggest a slow water release fertilizer applied as a side-dressing in the spring. Just gently dig about 10 inches around the plant. Sprinkle in the fertilizer and cover it up. As you water, the fertilizer will release and feed the plant.

Oriental Poppies can also be grown from their seed. It is best to plant the seeds directly into the soil in the fall. These seeds require a cold spell in order to germinate. If you did not plant them in the fall, you can still plant them in the spring about a month before the last frost.

So, there you have it. With a little prep and the right location, you can have Oriental Poppies for many years to come. And as they bloom, you will catch yourself saying “Poppies”, in the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West.

LocatedinthehistoricalCastleberryBuilding ontheSquareinSalem.

MEDICAL DIRECTORY

COUNSELING SERVICES

Families, Inc. Counseling Services

Ash Flat - 870-994-7060

75K Hwy. 62/412, Ste. J

Ash Flat, AR

Mountain Home - 870-425-1041

700 S. Main, Mountain Home, AR

DENTISTS

Sonya Hames Wiles, D.D.S. Family Practice Dentistry

28 E. Court St., Melbourne, AR 72556

Telephone: 870-368-6666

Most insurances accepted

MCNA Dental & Delta Dental Smiles

Mammoth Spring Dental Clinic

Main Street, Mammoth Spring, AR 72554

870-625-3262

Dr. Mike Kersey, DDS

Tuesday thru Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. www.mammothspringdental.com

HOME HEALTH

Elite Home Health

111 N. Main St. • Ste. 1, Salem, AR 72576

Phone: 870-895-2273 • Fax: 870-895-5515

www.lhcgroup.com

Hours of operation: 8:00-4:30 Monday-Friday

RN on call 24/7

We provide home health services of nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapy and in-home aid services in the comfort of your home. “It’s all about helping people.”

Preferred Home Care

Trained and Professional Staff Offering Personal Care, ARChoices, PASSE, Veterans Aid and Attendance and Private Pay/Insurance 24/7

Mammoth Spring: 870-710-7053

Pocahontas: 870-248-1031

Rector: 870-595-2100

Spring River Home Health

1323 Hwy. 9 North Salem, AR 72576

870-895-2627

Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Personal Caregiver Program

HOSPITALS

MENTAL HEALTH

Southern Missouri Community Health Center

West Plains • 417-255-8464

1137 Independence Dr., West Plains

Thayer • 417-264-2990

U.S. Hwy. 63 North, Thayer

NURSING/REHAB

Shady Oaks Healthcare Center

715 S. State Route 19, Thayer, MO 65791 417-264-7256

Dr. Christopher Cochran - Medical Director

Leigh Kincheloe, RN, LNHA - Administrator

Lynsey Miller, RN - Director of Nursing

Long Term Care • Rehabilitation Services

Wound Care • Hospice Care

In House PT OT ST Services • IV Services

Shepherd’s View ALF Alton, MO 65606 417-778-7959

Level 2 Assisted Living for Seniors

Activities of Daily Living

Diabetic Care • Restorative Care • Rehab Care

SouthFork River Therapy & Living 624 62/412 West, Salem, AR 72576 870-895-3817

Kathy Speaks - Administrator

Cassandra Stafford - Director of Nursing

Deb Jeffery - Admissions

On-Site Hospitalist

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

Delta Medical Supply

www.ARdeltamedical.com

facebook.com/ARdeltamedical

15 Choctaw Trace, Cherokee Village, AR 72529

870-257-4445

916 Sidney St., Batesville, AR 72501

870-612-0049

401 Hwy. 5 N., Mountain Home, AR 72653 870-656-4140

Tri-County Medical Supply

We’re Here To Serve You”

260 Hwy. 62 E. Salem, AR 72576

Toll Free: 888-476-2234

www.tricountymedicalsupply.com

Alton Drug Store 201 State Hwy. 19, Alton, MO 65606 417-778-7000

Mon.-Fri. 8 am to 5 pm • Sat. 9 am to noon

Becky Peace RPh

Matthew Combs RPh

RX--drive thru--mail--delivery Home Health Services Gifts Available

THERAPY SERVICES

Spring River Therapy 1323 Hwy. 9 North, Salem, AR 72576 870-895-2627

Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy

Nothing compares to living with fine-feathered friends!

Story by Elaine Brown

photos By Elaine Brown

There is nothing like having a brood of youngin’s around, the sighs and coos, the pitter/patter of little feet, the small chitter/chatter and the gurgles and giggles and even squeals of laughter, and catcalls, whistles and caterwauls…the kinds of special moments parents may come to cherish as they raise their children. Brenda and Bob Hults

of Cherokee Village, Ark. are no exception. Those special moments for the Hults also include the flutter of feathers amidst deepthroated gurgles, a flapping of wings with a cacophonous squawk, a spirited rendition of “Old MacDonald had a Phh, E-I-E-I-O,” or a perfect impersonation of Brenda calling “B-OBB!”

Bob and Brenda have actually lived in their house in Cherokee for about three years now, but have owned the property for almost 13 years while they spent a good part of those years completely renovating their house, including enlarging their kitchen into a beautiful marble-countertop space where more than two picky chefs could maneuver around without butting heads with each other. They even incorporated an outdoor shed into a beautifully enlarged walk-in closet extension off their master bedroom, a lovely way to unite two seemingly disparate storage spaces…Brenda’s ingenious idea, according to Brenda. It worked! Their spacious hardwood floors are so lovely and unscathed it would seem the Hults had no

children living there, much less a major menagerie of critters, primarily birds, flapping and scuttling around it. Anyone who has owned just one parakeet can tell you, birds are MESSY and I’m not just talking poop. With paper, wood, rope or any kind of material that can be destroyed, they will rip, tear and compost it into nesting type material and toss it willy-nilly to wherever it may land. And let’s not get started on the dregs from their food bowls, especially with hulls and shells from seeds! When the Hults’ miraculously clean floors were noted, Brenda simply said, “I do A LOT of sweeping…” Both Brenda and Bob have military in their background. Bob, born in Indianapolis, served

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

14605 US 63 | Thayer, MO 417-821-1006

in the U.S. Army for three years, and later in the U.S. Navy for 17 years, reaching the rank of Lt. Commander. He served in many places, the last one was San Diego Naval Base from 1998 into the early 2000s.

Brenda, born in Tuscon, Ariz., was an air force brat and traveled the U.S. and the world as a kid. Her most memorable spot was Naples, Italy, for three years during her teens. As she described it, her first year was culture shock, the second year she hated it but by her third year, she loved it. During that time, her family vacationed to other parts of Europe as well.

Along the way, Bob and Brenda each developed their own interest and affinity for exotic birds as “pets” before they found each other in northeastern Tennessee in 2004. It seems Bob tried to sell Brenda a refrigerator with a dent in it, upon the discovery of which Bob decided to give the lady a discount. It’s been magic ever since…

They married in 2005 and lived in northeast Tennessee, where they began to cultivate their crop of avian brood. The term “pets” should be

put in quotes here because the word itself implies a sort of ownership capacity of the household, a ruler of the roost of sorts. Avians, particularly of the exotic category, however, are a different story. To live in harmony with an exotic or “wild” animal of any species, it is not a matter of ownership, but rather a relationship of mutual respect and understanding… and that kind of relationship requires the development of a special kind of communication that can only be achieved by listening. Once this communication starts to blossom across species boundaries, a remarkable yet inexplicable world of opportunities opens before you and your new-found friend!

Of the brood that Bob and Brenda currently house in their Cherokee home, the birds far outnumber the other species. Each individual has his or her own separate cage to which they are not always confined. The cages are dispersed between two separate rooms of the house. In the front room, Oliver, Sunny and Kermit could be heard “conversing” amongst themselves as we entered. Oliver, a blue-and-gold macaw, came from a

breeder. Brenda stated, “He’ll be eight on the Fourth of July. We’ve had him since he was six months old.” No one knows what sex Oliver actually is; none of the Hults’ birds have been sexed, which requires a surgical procedure. Unless one of the birds actually laid an egg, their true sex often is not known.

While Oliver crawled around on top of his cage and Brenda’s shoulder, he was curiously eyeing this reporter with her camera and trying to “talk” a bit. Oliver likes to go for a walk with Bob outside around the Hults’ neighborhood in Cherokee. He just rides along on Bob’s shoulder. Sunny is a sun conyer and lives next door to Oliver. He was curious and remained quiet and shy during the visit. Kermit was another resident in the front avian neighborhood, a white-eyed conyer who the Hults politely leave caged while visitors are present as “he WILL bite.” One thing to note, a bird of any background will bite an arm to test for sturdiness before using it as a perch. If you want your arm to be chosen as a perch, do not move it away when tested; otherwise, your arm is perceived as “unsteady.”

In a back room of the Hults’ home is another Avian neighborhood, aka Bob’s office. One of the more popular residents is an umbrella cockatoo named PJ, who is very sociable and has a foot fetish. He not only enjoys getting on an arm and showing off his beautiful crest atop his head, which he will shake and dance for you, he likes to scuttle around the floor, nose to the ground and will bite at your feet in a playful game!

Marvin, a plum-headed parakeet, makes a highpitched noise like “ping, ping, ping, ping! Star Wars,” said Brenda, thus the name Marvin. Across the way is Trudy, a striking blue and white parakeet who was very curious. She had a neighboring parakeet behind her, George, who remained quiet and shy.

Back in the corner by Bob’s desk is JoJo, the green-cheeked conyer who taught Bob how to play fetch…or as Brenda called it, “He plays ball with Bob…JoJo picks the ball up and throws it,” Bob retrieves it and brings it back…sounds like “fetch.”

The Hults have acquired their birds in a number of ways, often from people who can’t keep them

any longer. Some of the parrots, especially the larger ones like cockatoos and macaws, can live up into their 70’s, occasionally even 100-plus years-old, and outlive their owners. Passing them on to other bird-lovers is common.

“A lady in Georgia…was in her 90s, she’s got three birds…we told her we’d take them off her hands,” Bob said. “Birds like Oliver, unless something bad happens, he’ll outlive us by 40 years.” He added another place in Tennessee called Parrot Mountain, a very Christian place with lots of different birds, “If you want to, you can will your birds to them.”

The Hults have brought their hobby with them to Cherokee Village, where they enjoy their fine-feathered family along with their two mixed-hound puppies, Hobo and Dinky. If you’re taking a walk along a road in the Village and happen along a man or woman wearing a blue-and-gold macaw or cockatoo with an umbrella crest, say “Hello,” you’re likely to get more than one response back! Open

A new slice on The Square

Short Store Eatery offers a new dining experience in Salem

Story by Vincent Marshall

photos By Vincent Marshall and Submitted

With limited options on dine-in experiences in Salem, two local women sought to bring a new, fresh take to the square in the form of food.  Short Store Eatery, located at 124 Short St., is that newest dine-in option especially for pizza lovers.

“It’s a fast-causal restaurant,” Short Store Eatery co-owner Shay Westcott said.  The food options are hard crust pizza, deli sandwiches, soups made from scratch and fresh salad, all done through a build-your-own menu.  Westcott and co-owner Emma Neal came

together to open the shop in early April. Neal’s family, the Shorts, owned the building for decades and when Neal moved back to the area from Austin, Texas, she told her mother Patty Short, she wanted to do something with the space.  “My family has owned the property since the 1960s when we had the Short Store,” said Neal of the locations early days. “There is still the original shelving and photos of the old store in areas of the restaurant. It’s our way of paying homage to it.”

Some of the original shelving was used when the property was a hardware store, now the shelving holds games, books and kid games which add to the dine-in experience the eatery intends to flex its muscles towards.

There is even the original bank safe that was bought and used by the Short family in 1908.  “It’s just decoration now,” Neal said with a laugh. “I think they only used it once. It was brought

over from Kentucky when this was a bank.”  The idea to open the eatery began in August 2022.

Neal said she wanted to put something back into the building. The eatery is within the Whatever boutique store which used to house a nutritional tea business.

“We looked at what the market needed and what was needed to fill it,” Westcott said of choosing to

start a restaurant.

So, Neal with her food service experience and Westcott with her business experience, decided to combine their strengths.

“Opening day we sold half off pizzas and we sold out entirely,” Westcott said. “Now that we have some footing under us, we won’t be selling out again.”

Other food options are desserts and the ladies use fresh produce with their salads and toppings.  Pizza being the biggest seller, despite a plethora of topping options, the owners said pepperoni is still the top go-to.

The eatery sells tomato basil bisque soup daily but there is a weekly soup option that is made from scratch. The soups are either vegan or vegetarian. One unique seller that went over well was a curry stew mulligatawny.

“Some people haven’t had hummus or pesto around here so being able to introduce people to new flavors has been cool,” Westcott said. “We also have a three-cheese grilled cheese that has been a hit with a lot of adults even.”

“It’s all about balance,” Neal said of the menu, “we use our panini press for the sandwiches and can put anything and everything together. It’s a mixed deli pizzeria and one day we hope to get roast beef in because a lot of people have been asking for it.”

The owners want the location to be a hangout for everyone to come to.

“We are thinking about some sort of after-school program to hold here,” Westcott said. “It’s in the early stages of thinking about it so we’re not sure yet what we want to do but we’re thinking about it.”

Short Store Eatery is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with doors opening at 10 a.m. and can go to 7 p.m. It will offer dine-in and carryout. The pizza size options are hand tossed 8, 12 and 15 inches and a 10-inch cauliflower crust.

“Surprisingly a lot of people have enjoyed the cauliflower crust,” Westcott said. “Some people were leery of it, we were as well when we put it on the menu but people are liking it.”

Short Store Eatery can be reached on its Facebook page or call 870-750-8321.

Local Taste

191 HWY 62/412

ASH FLAT, AR

(870) 994-2101

Tues - Thurs 11-8; Fri -Sat 11-9

Dine-In & Carry-Out

Facebook.com/meachamsashflat

ARTASIA MAIN ST. BISTRO / TWILIGHT APOTHECARY

112 E. Main St. | Hardy, AR

(870) 209-7606

Espressos, Teas, Homemade Baked Goods,Sandwiches and Wraps

Sun 9-3; Mon 7-3; Thurs.-Sat 7-3

Facebook.com/artasia

BUTTERCUP’S KITCHEN

922 N. Main St.

Cave City, AR

(870) 283-5000

Mon. - Sat. 6 am - 3 pm

Breakfast till 10:30 am

Facebook.com/Buttercups-Kitchen

SWINGLES FAMILY DINER

126 Locust St.

Salem, AR

(870) 895-5008

Mon - Sat 6 am - 2 pm

Facebook.com/pages/Swingles

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

3612 Best Circle, Thayer, MO 65791

Office - 417-256-2556

Sacred Heart Schedule:

Weekday Mass: Thursday 11:30 a.m.

Weekend Mass: Sunday 8:30 a.m.

Confession: First Sundays at 8:00 a.m.

Rosary: Sundays at 8:00 am.; Weekdays before Mass

Mammoth Spring Church of Christ

110 S. 3rd St. / P.O. Box 251

Sunday 10:00 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

Barry O’Dell - Preacher

Find us on Facebook or YouTube

Ash Flat Church of God

124 Arnhart St. • Ash Flat, AR 501-574-8294

Sunday School 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.

Sunday Evening 5:00 p.m.

Thursday Bible Study 6:00 p.m.

Pastor CL Abbott

Salem United Methodist Church

205 Church St., Salem, AR 72576

Sunday School 10:00 am

Worship 11:00 a.m

870-847-6030 • 870-895-5157

Pastor Ken Anderson

Welcome Hill Church of Christ

Church Directory

Church Directory

Peace Lutheran Church

4 Iroquois Dr. • Cherokee Village

870-257-3957

Pastor Brian Pummill

9 a.m. – Traditional Worship

10:15 a.m. – Adult Bible Study & Sunday School

11:15 a.m. – Contemporary Praise Service

Hardy Church of Christ

Adoration: 3rd Thurs. & 1st Fri. 11:30 a.m.

305 Johnston, Hardy, AR

870-847-6024

Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship 5:00 p.m.

First Baptist Church of Mammoth Spring 16600 Highway 9, Mammoth Spring, AR 625-3273 • www.mammothspringfbc.com

Chris Powers, Pastor

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.

Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Evening Service 6:30 p.m.

St. Michael’s Catholic Church

Corner of Tekakwitha Dr. & Hwy. 62/412 Cherokee Village, AR • 870-257-2850

Email: stmichaelcv@yahoo.com

www.stmichaelscv.org

Daily Mass: Mon., Thur., Fri. - 9 am; Wed. - 6 p.m.; Saturday Vigil - 4 p.m.

Sunday - 9 a.m.

Rev. Amal Punganoor • 870-257-4456

Cherokee Village United Methodist Church

21 Otter Drive, Cherokee Village, AR 72529

Sunday Worship - 8:30 a.m. & 10:45 a.m.

Sunday School - 9:45 a.m.

Wednesday Night Meal - 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Faith Infusion - 6:00 p.m.

Phone: 870-257-3869

Website: cherokeevillageumc.org

Pastor Angie Gage

St. Paul United Methodist Church

Business Highway 63, PO Box 241

Thayer, MO 65791

Sunday School - 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship - 11:00 a.m.

Email: stpaulumc@centurytel.net

417-264-3296 • Pastor Mark Coffey

Faith Presbyterian Church

1001 Third Street, Horseshoe Bend, AR 72512

Sunday School - 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship - 10:30 a.m.

2nd Day Bible Study - Monday, 10:30 a.m.

Email: faithpresby@centurytel.net

www.horseshoepresbyterian.org

Rev. David Schaller – Call 870-670-4103

Horseshoe Bend United Methodist Church

600 West Church Street

870-670-5392

Christian Conversation Wednesday - 12 noon

Sunday Worship - 9:00 a.m.

Pastor Ken Anderson

16309 Highway 9 South, Mammoth Spring, AR

PO Box 495 / 417-293-6355

Sunday Morning Bible Study 10 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship 10:45 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship 5 p.m.

Wednesday Evening Bible Study 7 p.m.

Minister: Erman Croney - 417-264-3371

First Christian Church “Disciples of Christ”

7th & Archer Street, Mammoth Spring, AR

Sunday School - 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship - 11:00 a.m.

Bible Study Wednesday Evenings - 6:00 p.m.

www.fccms.org

First Missionary Baptist Aba

Highway 62 West At Spruce, Salem, AR

Sunday School-9:45 a.m.

Sunday Worship-11:00 a.m.

Sunday Night Services - 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday Services - 6:30 p.m.

Call 870-895-2634 or 371-2067

Pastor Holden Phillips 870-834-5852

To reserve your church’s listing in Avenues’

Church Directory contact Areawide Media at

First Baptist Church of Hardy Highway 63-412, Hardy, AR

Sunday School-9:30 a.m.

Worship-10:45 a.m.

Evening Worship - 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Prayer Meeting - 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Larry Kindrick, Pastor - 870-847-0897

Hardy United Methodist Church

Fourth & Spring / Every Sunday

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.

Open Hearts ~ Open Minds ~ Open Doors

Preservation of historic ranch: Eleven Point State Park

Story by Renee Janes

photos By Renee Janes

Of the many unique places in Oregon County there is one special to the area that is in process of becoming a state park.

Eleven Point State Park has been in the works for a while with the planning process beginning through a conceptual development plan.

Recently, an open house was held to give the opportunity to visitors to tour the historic ranch.

The mission of Missouri State Parks includes natural, cultural and recreational, elements greatly considered when designing a park. When designing a park Missouri State

Parks takes into consideration the natural and cultural aspects and what would be compatible recreationally. The designing process takes approximately 12 to 14 months with gathering public input to begin putting plans together. The conceptual development planning process includes data gathering, drafting, public feedback, finalizing a plan and implementation.

According to information provided by Missouri State Parks, some of the natural resource priorities at the park will focus on upland fields/prairie and savanna management. This will include to “convert 550 acres of pastureland

and hayfields into warm-season grasslands managed by prescribed fire or haying; maintain the mature and Post and Spanish Oaks stands to retain the savannas on-site

woodlands/oak hickory woodland and oak-pine forest management by preventing woody encroachment with

Consisting to 4,197 acres, the park includes wooded native forests as well as open pastures. “This diversity

recreational facilities that allow visitors to experience the wilder and more remote aspects of the park, as well as to identify locations where greater recreational development may be appropriate,” was stated in information presented

In addition, interpretative panels to be featured at the park will provide information for visitors to learn about early homesteads and mills in the 19th century settlement region. Recent history will also be featured including about the Beatles visiting Pigman Ranch in 1964 as well as the designation of 44 miles of the Eleven Point River

As development plans progress, archeological surveys will also be conducted to protect cultural resources such as historic structure remains, a small historic cemetery within the park boundaries and other artifacts indicating a Native American presence dating back at least 4,000

Once the park is open, it will be free and open to the public and be part of the 92 state parks and historic sites

ACNA’s February Artist of the Month: Stanis E. Vanous

The Arts Center of North Arkansas’s June Artist of the Month is painter Stanis E Vanous. Since Stanis is also a writer, here she is in her own words . . .

Let Art escape the Box. Set its Spirit free. If it’s contrived, I’m not in love with it. It must have a life of its own.

Color is my passion. Color energy excites me to create the unexpected. Self-expression is my raison d’etre. Why not? I’m 75. I’ve earned the right to speak as I wish, to assert my ripeness, to unfold my perceptions in irreverent formlessness with unabashed disdain for any measured calculations which might contain them. Art can reveal or conceal.

By Cheri Lynn Quattrochi

People sometimes see things in my work which appear uniquely to them. Of course, one must know there are rules in Art but learn to see beyond them, even dispense with them to arrive at the freshly new. Along the way one pays one’s dues to the learning process, the struggle to really see a thing, to feel into it, to interpret it, to bring its essence into the light, to put flesh on something ethereal.

I am a scribbler—have been ever since Grampa gave me colored pencils and paper at age five. I learned by doing. Perhaps I was an Egyptian Scribe in a former life. Certainly, I have been a traveler on the roads less traveled, enjoying many a strange encounter and adventure. Art, Dance, and Books nurtured my inner being long before TV, cartoons, computers, gaming, and cells took over Life. I refuse conformity. I am out of the box, free of

the cell.

When I was 44 years young, I took a long jump off the edge of the known Corporate World, abandoning the golden handcuffs forever. I became Mary Contrary, living in a trailer on a Floridian Beach. I sold seashells by the seashore. I fought tyrants and slew dragons in many a weary battle. Like a true Scot and the warrior that I am, I fought and won, surviving to tell the tale.

So what am I now? A Poet, a Fool, a Seeker still. Kissing the Joy as it flies. Spreading my branches, dropping my fruit, delving my roots ever deeper into the Natural World which sustains me. Art is my Passion, my Swansong, my Last Long Jump into the unknown.

Glass Company

I was born in Scotland in 1948 to an Irish-Scottish mother and a Polish-Armenian father. The eldest of five siblings, I was christened Stanislawa Elizabeth Sobieralska to honor both of my grandmothers. I earned a higher-level education in Literature and Art, in which I excelled.  In 1978, following emigration to Canada, a failed marriage, and the birth of two children, I earned a diploma in Radio and Television Arts at Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. My creativity served me well during a fifteen-year career as a television journalist, writer-producer, and marketing coordinator with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto. In 1991 I opted for the sunny shores of Florida, where I bought and sold collectibles and married Mike Vanous. Since my retirement to the beautiful Ozarks in 2006, I have developed my unique abstract style which reflects my prolific enjoyment of the magical process of watercolor and acrylic flow painting. Well over two hundred canvasses grace my studio-gallery in the woods. My works can be viewed and purchased in my art gallery located upstairs in the Ozarks Classic Crafts Mall in Hardy and at the Arts Center of North Arkansas in Cherokee Village.

June Activities

Questions? Call 870-751-3793. Watch for notices or check ACNA’s Facebook page or website.

Writing: 1st Saturday, 10 a.m. - 12 noon

2nd Saturday: (No Art Club) Sidewalk Sale, 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Photography: 3rd Saturday, 10 a.m. - 12 noon

Tai Chi: Mondays and Thursdays, 10-11 a.m.

Open Studio: Tuesdays, 5-7 p.m.

Ceramics: Mondays and Fridays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Dulcimer: Tuesdays—Check Facebook, ACNA Mountain

Dulcimer Group

June 17: Sip-and-Dip Party, 4-6 p.m. — Sip wine and pour paint; email Stanis, vanstanam@hughes.net

June 19: Board Meeting, 2:30 p.m.

June 21 and 28: “It’s Summer,” 1-3 p.m. with Barb Massie —Three techniques to complete one beach scene

WIN A DINNER FOR TWO

FRED’S FISH HOUSE

RULES: To register for the drawing, fill out a card on location at Fred’s Fish House in Mammoth Spring, Ark. Look for the pictured box to drop your card in to be registered. The drawing will still take place around the end of each month at the restaurant.

LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Gary Andews

FOR A FREE DINNER GIVEAWAY FOR TWO WILL BE JUNE 21.

THE NEXT DRAWING

Fishing This Year

By: Dewayne French

I hope all your winter fishing has been safe and fun this winter. I have been out fishing on our Ozark waterways several times and so far the year is starting off great. No limit out days, but no zero’s yet either. I have had safe trips to and from the water. As you are fishing in the Ozarks region during this cold time of the year, make sure you always tell someone your plan for the day and where you will be launching your boat at and the time you will expect to return back home.

Fishing on our Ozark streams, rivers, and lakes means many different things to the people in this region. Our day to day life, body, and soul is connected to the water we have in our own backyard! If you have been following any of the western water issues, you should know by now we have a great natural resource. We need to use the issues like they are having out west as a lesson of what not to do here. They have lakes that are hundreds of feet low and may never return to normal levels. Our water is like “liquid gold” and I hope our kids and grandkids never see what is happening out there around here! Our liquid gold has fish of all shapes and sizes. We have many cold water and warm water species, some even in the same river system.

Fishing on our water ways can be intriguing to say the least. We have many great rivers, streams, and lakes that can be floated, played on and fished in. Whe ther you are out for a day float on the kayak or a peaceful fishing adventure. The Ozarks has what it takes for water fun and relaxation, even in the winter. With the spring season coming soon our Ozarks fishing and weather will hopefully both be getting better.

Water brings us fish and good quality water brings us lots of fish. We have both good quality and good amounts of fresh clean water in the Ozarks. The fishing opportunities we have in the Ozarks are unlimited. We can wade fish a creek, fish a deep clear lake, or kayak a river for a day. The best part of “Fishing” isn’t the fish. It is the who, what, where, when, and how it causes or lives to cross paths with family and friends. Fishing memories we make with family and the friends along the way last a

lifetime.

When you start fishing on our Ozark waterways this year I wish you many days of enjoyment. Eagles, deer, turkey, waterfowl, and other species are all around the water and who knows what you will see besides the fish you catch. Beautiful sunrises and pretty orange-pink sunsets are the norm when you take it all in. Like we talked about earlier the fish isn’t the only thing in “Fishing”. Take it all in Mother Nature is turely alive and well in the Ozarks.

Remember we all “Live Downstream” so please pick up your trash and any other trash you see out floating around! Never discard old fishing line in the river or lake! Wear your life jacket, and tell your family your expected return times, and a general location of where you plan to fish.

Check out my social media pages and follow my fishing adventures around the Ozark waters we call home.

Facebook: Dewayne French Fishing

Twitter: @French_fishin

Instagram: french_fishin

Youtube: Dewayne French or French Fishing

Fish: An animal that grows the fastest between the time it’s caught and the time the fisherman tells his friends

Unknown