January/February 2025
CONCRETE INTO CANVAS
Blake Wheeler creates art in public spaces
GAME ON
West Virginia man records game show history.
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Artist Blake Wheeler’s work is brightening West Virginia’s public spaces.
Tri-State Living (ISSN 02795124) is published every other month by Ironton Publications, Inc., 211 Center St., Ironton, OH 45638.
Periodicals postage paid at Ironton, OH. Copyright 2025 Ironton Publications, Inc. Reprint of any part of contents without permission is forbidden. Titles registered in the U.S. Patent Office.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tri-State Living, P.O. Box 647, Ironton, OH 45638-0647.
One of the greats
This issue of Tri-State Living is dedicated to the memory of Carter Taylor Seaton.
The Huntington author died in December at age 83.
Seaton was the cover feature for our first issue of Tri-State Living, published in 2010.
Before her acclaimed career began, she was a contributor to the Tri-State Community for decades, serving as marketing director for Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area, retiring in 2013. She was also director of Appalachian Craftsmen, Inc., a rural craft cooperative.
She began writing in 2003, and was the author of five novels and four nonfiction works.
One of those, which achieved prominence was “Rebel in the Red Jeep,” a biography of former U.S. Rep Ken Hechler, a longtime activist in the region, who recruited Seaton to write the book around the time of his 100th birthday.
Seaton’s final book was her memoir, “Wednesday’s Child: A Life Story,” which was released in the weeks before her passing.
Her work earned her a number of awards, such
as a Tamarack Foundation Fellowship Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts and an induction to the Huntington Wall of Fame. The city’s former mayor, Steve Williams, memorialized her as “Huntington’s muse.”
While her work is held in high regard, Seaton was also remembered for the encouragement she gave to others in the arts. She could often be found at book festivals, writing workshops and in-store appearances, meeting with readers and fellow creators.
Her contributions to the Tri-State were tremendous and she leaves a legacy that will grow through those she inspired.
HEATH HARRISON is the community editor of The Ironton Tribune and Tri-State Living.
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Tri-State Living
arts & culture
close p. 8
An artist since he could pick up a pencil, Blake Wheeler’s art now adorns public spaces across West Virginia.
From retro futuristic TO REALISTIC
Blake Wheeler turns pedestrian public spaces into a works of art
Story Amanda Larch Hinchman | Photography Submitted
Artist Blake Wheeler has been drawing since he could hold a pencil. Wellknown in school growing up as the kid with an artistic knack, after going to college at West Virginia State University to study fine art, Wheeler settled on painting rather than printmaking.
“I stuck with it; it was always something I wanted to do and something I knew I was pretty good at,” he says. “I took every art class I could there, printmaking and painting and drawing at every level they had.”
Before pursuing painting, Wheeler spent a lot of time sketching and creating his own characters, inspired by comic books. He is self-taught, with a natural talent to boot, though he acknowledges the importance of art school.
“In college you can pick up a lot of skill sets, like how to build a canvas and elements of art that you can really hone in on, but at the end of the day, you have to develop your own vision yourself,” he says. “It’s not something that can be taught more or less; you have to put the time in.”
Though it wasn’t until 2017 when, encouraged by his wife, Wheeler created his first public art piece, branching out into the sphere that he’s best known for in the arts scene now.
Part of the Gallery 64 project, Wheeler painted bridge piers under the interstate in downtown Charleston. Up until that point, he’d completed large canvases but nothing as sizeable as 10 by 13 foot columns.
“Since then, I’ve done three,” Wheeler says. “That was my first in 2017. I loved it, and I approached it like I would a canvas on a much larger scale. I used the same techniques as far as building up values, textures, color and form, just imposing that on a much larger scale.”
You can see his handiwork in public art pieces in many towns and cities, from Malden to Bluefield, as well as dotted throughout the Mountain State’s capital city, in places like Taylor Books, and murals along the Meeks Mountain Trails system in Hurricane. In 2021, he was chosen as a Tamarack Emerging Artist Fellow.
Wheeler has also completed 2,000 square foot murals in Summersville and Marmet, where he lives now, showcasing the history of these towns. More recent projects include painting the staircase for the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center in October 2024— altogether a 1,500 square foot piece—and continued work on a 50-foot mural for the town of Belle, West Virginia. All done on polytab, a non-woven fabric commonly used for murals, Wheeler paints it just like he would a canvas. Polytab adheres with a special glue to the surface and can be more beneficial than painting directly on walls, he says.
The projects that appeal to Wheeler most are those
that give him independence, allowing him to adhere to fewer guidelines and to exercise his creative and artistic freedoms.
“Ultimately, the projects I’m most interested in are the ones that do give me a little bit more free rein to let me get my vision out there; basically, not super reined in,” he says. “I have a specific way I like to do my compositions, and I like my paintings to work with and talk to each other, to relate in some way or have some similar ideas in them, that you can see across them all.”
Wheeler’s style leans more on the realistic side, with a splash of retro futuristic. Though to really understand and appreciate his work, you simply need to see it for yourself.
“I like to have a limited color palette a lot of times,” he says. “If I’m given free reign on a painting, then a lot of times what I go to is sort of classic, kind of retro futuristic or surreal things like that.”
Not an easy question to answer, he cites a painting not far from where we are meeting, at Mea Cuppa in Elk City,
as the epitome of his style—a funky take on a portrait of a deep sea diver.
“It’s in that vein of tongue in cheek almost, with a retro kind of feel to it and surreal at the same time,” Wheeler says.
Being an artist is rewarding in many ways for Wheeler, especially in the age of social media where he can follow other modern day painters he admires and draw inspiration from them.
“I can see their process in real time, almost,” he says.
“That’s really nice nowadays; if you see more of how they do it and you borrow from that to be inspired to do your own thing. There’s a lot of painters I follow on social media. Of course, I looked at art history in school, painters like Norman Rockwell, things I was more drawn to, usually on the illustrator side.”
Aside from public art, Wheeler completes illustration work for a company that produces medical commercials.
“Before they make the commercial, they want to show illustrations of what it’ll look like to the hospital, and they
say yes or no to that,” he says.
Wheeler says he wants to keep pursuing public art, but with experience as an illustrator, he at one point wanted to be a comic book artist, even completing an independent graphic novel in 2020.
“I loved comics as a kid; I tried to think of my own comics and characters, and I would draw from other artists and kind of copy their work, to figure out how they actually did it,” he says. “Eventually you develop your own style and sensibilities as you get better. But in recent years, definitely since 2017, public art is what my focus is.”
As a native West Virginian, Wheeler says the state’s landscape and beauty can’t escape the notice and inspiration of any Appalachian creative, sneaking its way into their work—and he is no exception.
“Being from West Virginia, I think with a lot of West Virginia artists, it’s going to kind of feel like West Virginia, just because that’s what we see all the time,” Wheeler says. “We see the mountains, we see wildlife and things like that, so that kind of seeps into the paintings.” a
Big Brothers Big Sisters continues its mission of supporting kids by being there for them.
close p. 16
You don’t have to be perfect TO BE A BIG
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State is now its fifth decade
Story Dawn Nolan | Photography Submitted
For 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of the Tri-State, one of more than 270 affiliates of the national organization, has helped match adolescents (“Littles”) who are at-risk or need additional adult support in nine counties across West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio with volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) to help them realize their potential and build confidence.
“Our mission is to provide children and youth who are facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally-supported, one-to-one relationships to alter their lives for the better, forever,” Executive Director Stephanie Collier said. “We serve nine counties — Boyd, Carter and Greenup in Kentucky; Lawrence County, Ohio and Cabell, Kanawha, Mason, Putnam and Wayne in West Virginia.”
To fulfill its mission, BBBS of the Tri-State has four
main programs: community-based, school-based, high school and workplace mentoring. The community-based program, Collier explained, is what most people imagine when they think of BBBS.
“That’s going to basketball games or other sporting events, going out for ice cream, seeing a movie together — taking their Littles for outings in the community,” she said.
Prospective volunteers for the community-based program need to be at least 18 years old, have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation. A one year time commitment, broken down into 6-8 hours per month is requested.
“That’s the minimum goal, and there really isn’t a maximum,” Collier said. “It’s tied to that desire for consistency. We don’t want to give these kiddos this wonderful adult in their lives and then have them leave.”
Many of the mentoring relationships that develop in the community-based program last much longer than that one year commitment.
“We have many relationships that are still enrolled well past that first year — some Bigs have even continued to be involved into adulthood,” Collier describes.
With the school-based program, conversely, volunteer Bigs go and meet their Littles on school grounds during the day. Their time together can be spent having lunch, reading, playing sports, helping with coursework or similar activities.
The high school program, Collier said, is similar, but the volunteer Bigs are juniors or seniors who go meet with Littles who are in elementary and middle school for approximately one hour per week during the school year. We currently have a few relationships with area high schools, including Huntington High School, Hurricane High School, Tolsia High School and George Washington High School in West Virginia as well as Russell High School in Kentucky,” she described. “The program is really fast-growing.”
Finally, workplace mentoring is where a Little’s parents or guardians take them to a professional environment to observe a Big’s job.
“That’s a special kind of relationship because our corporate partners are giving release time to their employees to do mentoring during their work day,” Collier said. “It’s exciting, especially for the older youth, who might be considering their next steps post-high school.”
Collier also mentioned that the organization is considering group mentoring opportunities.
Difference Makers
“We are looking at ways to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our kids and youth that may not be best-suited for one-to-one mentoring,” she said. “So, going forward, we hope that there will be chances where Bigs, who might not be able to commit to the one-year time commitment, can still have a relationship with a Little, just for a shorter term.”
While BBBS of the Tri-State does have around 240 volunteer mentors, there is a constant need for more.
“The heart of our mission is our volunteers, and our capacity to serve is limited by the number of volunteers we have,” Collier explained. “We keep about 100 Littles on our waitlist at any given time who are actively waiting for a mentor.”
Individuals interested in becoming a Big can start by filling out an application, found online at bbbstristate. org/be-a-big or by contacting Enrollment Services at 304394-4901 or enrollment@bbbstristate.org.
“We like to say that it takes Little to be Big,” Collier said. “I think there’s a lot of misconception that being a Big or a mentor takes a great deal of time, and it’s very heavy work — and it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. We have all of those different programs and they each carry a different weight of time commitment and responsibility.”
The screening process to become a Big does require a few steps, however, including an in-person interview, references and background check, training and a home visit for community-based matches that intend to spend time at a volunteer’s home (after 3 months of being matched and with parent/guardian approval).
“Safety is our number one priority,” Collier emphasized. “We also want to make sure it is a good
living | Difference Makers
match for both sides, and so when interviewing a potential volunteer, we really go in-depth in terms of what is it that they are looking for, which of our programs would work best for them and their schedule, as well as interests and any sort of life experience that they have that could be helpful in connecting with a Little in the same or a similar situation.”
A Big whose parents are divorced, for example, might relate and be more helpful to a Little in that position.
“As well as the inverse of that,” Collier added. “If there are things that are triggering to you or kind of ‘no-go’ areas, where you have had experiences in your life that you feel could limit your ability to interact in a beneficial way, then we certainly take that into account. We want to make a match that works best for both the Big and the Little, and we are very intentional about our decisions.”
Collier also stated that the organization “does not discriminate on the basis of age, race/nationality, belief or nonbelief, sexuality, gender identity, political affiliation, ability or disability, or socioeconomic status when determining acceptance into our program.”
“But, we do have a large number of boys who have an absence of men in their lives, and they are enrolling specifically with that targeted need,” she added. “So, we are constantly looking for men, especially Black
and Brown men, who would be interested in serving in this way and bringing up boys in a mentorship capacity because it is absolutely an identified need.”
One other thing to keep in mind, Collier said, is that you don’t have to be a perfect person to be a Big.
“Sometimes there is this perception that we’re looking for perfect people, and my answer to that is, ‘These kids aren’t looking for perfect people. They’re looking for someone who has and is facing life’s challenges successfully,’” she explained. “We have great Bigs who have backgrounds in substance use disorder, or others who are also wonderful that have criminal backgrounds that they have overcome, and they’re living successful lives now. So, there’s really not a hard and fast limitation for folks. I encourage anyone who is interested to have a conversation with us about it.”
Like Bigs, enrolled Littles come from all walks of life.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all qualification,” Collier said. “We are looking for kiddos who want and need a consistent, caring adult in their lives, and so that’s really broad. A lot of our kiddos come from backgrounds where they faced a challenge of some kind, whether that be living with a grandparent or having a single parent household. Perhaps they’re facing challenges with school or developing friendships. Perhaps they’re facing challenges in their home environment. Whatever it may be, it’s really more about what they’re looking for than where they’re coming from.”
And while BBBS of the Tri-State maintain solid working relationships with schools, probation officers and other adults which allows them to identify potential Littles, they must ultimately be enrolled by a parent or guardian.
“The enrollment process is similar to that of potential
Bigs,” Collier described. “There’s an application, and then they’ll go through an interview. We interview the kiddos as well as the parent or guardian to interview the parent or guardian to hear what they’re looking for, what their lives are like, what kind of challenges they may be facing and what kind of things they like to do.”
Fundraising is an essential part of keeping BBBS of the Tri-State running.
“We are a nonprofit organization, so we operate exclusively on funds raised through our community, individual donors and foundational grants,” Collier said. “We host a series of fundraisers annually which include our Bowl for Kids’ Sake and Golf for Kids’ Sake events and our annual Christmas Tree Sale.”
Collier announced that this year the organization will be hosting a 5K and 10K race that will be held in conjunction with the USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships in Charleston in May and a murder mystery dinner in October.
There will also be a special 50th anniversary picnic at Heritage Farm in Huntington on April 12.
“That event will be open to all of our friends, family, partners, parents, Bigs and Littles,” Collier said. “It will celebrate what we’ve done together and the relationships we’ve been able to form over the years.”
And as BBBS of the Tri-State continues to create relationships that support area youth in achieving their full potential over the next 50 years, the effects that the organization has had will continue to grow and create positive change — not only for those directly involved but also the communities they serve.
“I like to remind folks that, while what we’re doing helps youth improve their emotional well-being, there are also real community impacts, including economic success, workplace preparation, increased school attendance, reduction in substance use disorder, etc,” Collier said. “These outcomes are so important to us collectively and are essential as we work together for a better future.”
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State, visit www.bbbstristate.org, like @ bbbstristate on Facebook, Instagram and X. a
Tri-State Living
shopping
Historic Hippie preserves and promotes records amongst a resurgence of the vinyl albums.
close p. 22
In the Biz | shopping
Preserving & Promoting
THE ARTS
Historic Hippie caters to artisans, music fans
The Historic Hippie, at first glance, may seem like any groovy record/metaphysical shop, with crates full of its large vinyl selection, crystals to bring good energy and music permeating through speakers, but it stands out in one unique way with its major purpose of music preservation.
Owner Kate Cox has a passion for not only introducing vinyl to new customers, but also for preserving this form of physical media by restoring and rehoming albums of the past.
“People bring albums in, and as long as they’re in good shape, I could do everything from vacuum them, clean them, put them on the shelf, price them,” Cox says.
“If people bring me a banged up record, I will fix it. It’s a delicate process, definitely.”
In the digital age, it also simply keeps music of the past alive.
“Music preservation is a big thing for me,” Cox says.
“It’s keeping the history of music going. Some of our albums are getting up there in age. Whether it’s from 1942 or 1967, I feel like it’s important to preserve that in its entirety. But also, if you’re not an aficionado with records, we will get you started with a player and the genre you like, so I’m happy to help people shop, too.”
Cox also buys collections for inventory at The Historic Hippie, carefully maintaining them so they’re in the best shape for her customers. Those with collections for sale are welcome to reach out.
“I just got a great one in from Louisa, Kentucky; he had albums from the UK, Germany, Tokyo, and we were able to preserve them,” she says.
Opening in 2020, The Historic Hippie stemmed from Cox’s lifelong love of music and counterculture, as well as her art and jewelry making. Her own music taste accounts for much of the shop’s offerings as well — though it’s very eclectic.
“Records are across all genres,” she says. “My personal taste is like, Bob Marley, Sublime, Loretta Lynn or Led Zeppelin, so all over the place, kind of.”
Many of Cox’s original crystal jewelry and designs are available for purchase at her shop, as well as goods from other local artisans, all adding to the atmosphere of the shop.
“I create a lot of things,” Cox says. “It’s an experience. I do a lot in house; I make a lot of jewelry here, offering something a little special that you can’t get anywhere else. I’ve been making jewelry and working closely with crystals for almost eight years.”
Story Amanda Larch Hinchman | Photography Heath Harrison
As Cox understands the importance shopping small can be for a local business like hers, she strives to return the favor when sourcing pieces for her jewelry.
“I source all my gemstones from local places,” she says. “I don’t go online for them. I’ll go to gem shows in Tennessee and Charleston. I still love to go to a lot of local events, fairs and markets.”
Aside from the shop’s wares, what The Historic Hippie really sells is customer experience.
“Reminding people to slow down, be nostalgic and joyful and enjoy life, I think, is important right now,” Cox says. “It’s one of my biggest goals, which maybe seems small, but it matters.”
Currently the only employee, one of Cox’s goals for the year is to work on building a team at The Historic Hippie, located in Huntington’s Heritage Station. The shop is currently open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 12-7 p.m. and Tuesdays from 12-2 p.m.
“Really, every year it surprises me that I honestly didn’t expect to make it this far,” Cox says. “Every year it just keeps building onto itself, and experiences through people and different businesses around just keep molding us.”
Not only is a goal of The Historic Hippie to preserve any music or albums that make their way through its doors, but Cox, a native Appalachian, says she wants to support arts in Appalachia, too, through the artisan side of the business. Many other arts and crafts are on consignment, including local paintings, medicine bags, photographs and more.
“A big part of what I’m trying mostly to do here is to preserve music history and arts in Appalachia,” she says. “We do a lot of local arts here, and it’s not just stuff I make. We also have some art in supporting refugees. It just keeps building. It’s fun.”
Cox says she enjoys owning a small business in Huntington, with friendly people and a supportive
customer base.
“It’s just been wonderful,” Cox says. “We have so many people from different walks of life that come in and chit chat or give me new ideas, or even just amp me up about what I’m doing. I’ve actually got a ton of support from total strangers, and it wasn’t expected.”
“I think Huntington, as far as West Virginia goes, is super open minded, really easy to speak to about spirituality or music,” she says. “There’s just such a great presence here that you don’t get in a lot of the smaller towns. We’re like a tiny Asheville or something.”
Another aspect Cox enjoys about owning her own business is being able to manage her own time and enjoy her life, something she always tells and encourages her customers to do.
“I want to just show my kids that it’s good to dream and not to give up, and when you have something on your mind that you really want, it doesn’t matter if anyone else understands it, as long as you do and keep working hard for it,” she says. a
feature | Adam Nedeff
Adam Nedeff, with Brooke Burns, on the set of Master Minds where he was head researcher and game judge.
A Winning Path
Story Heath Harrison | Photography Submitted WV native makes career out of lifelong love of game shows
Adam Nedeff says there isn’t a time in his life when he doesn’t remember being obsessed with game shows, a subject he now has made his livelihood
“It dates back to the very, very beginning,” he said of childhood. “I would say my earliest memories are watching Wheel of Fortune and The Price Is Right
He says this is common for many people, and he understands why
From the Cookbook
those at an early age are drawn to them.
“You can see how, for a little kid, there’s a lot of appeal there,” he said. “Game shows have lots of music, they have flashing lights and they have lot of colors. There are things that spin and turn and flip.”
But he says it is the nature of the hosts that also plays into it.
“I always tell people — I heard this theory that Mr. Rogers expressed — children gravitate toward shows where someone is looking into a camera and directly talking to them,” he said. “And he said it matches a child’s worldview. Most of your life early on is your parents being right in your face and talking to you. And that’s a game show – the host is looking into the camera and talking to you directly.”
Nedeff, who is from Parkersburg and Vienna, West Virginia, says, besides inspiring his career path, there were other benefits to his fascination.
“Looking back on it, I think it also gave me a leg up in school,” he said. “Some of the shows I was obsessed with were ones that involved reading – on Wheel of Fortune, the contestants call out letters and you see words gradually come into formation.”
Nedeff graduated from Marshall University with a degree in electronic media management, specializing in radio and television. From there, he took a job, working for a year as a disc jockey in Marietta, Ohio before an opportunity came up
that set him on his career path.
It was from there that Nedeff, now based in Glendale, California, got the chance to move to the West Coast and pursue opportunities in his lifelong obsession.
He was invited to move, along with two other Marshall graduates, and it was there that a connection back home helped him.
He was in touch with Fred Wostbrock, who Nedeff described as “a very quirky man in Los Angeles,” known as “Mr. Game Show,” who was the author of several books on games shows and collector of memorabilia.
Nedeff’s friend, Huntington broadcaster Ernie Anderson, had several photos of Art Fleming, the original host of Jeopardy! from a visit to West Virginia.
“So I cold called Fred Wostbrock, and I said, “I’d like to meet up with you about getting started in the game show business. I have some photos of Art Fleming and I guarantee you’ve never seen these.”
He said Wostbrock, eager to see the photos, immediately met with him, and afterward, called up contacts at “Wheel of Fortune” and got Nedeff a job in the prize department.
Nedeff worked there and in the same department on
“The Price Is Right,” but he said calling companies cold to get them provide prizes was no a job that he was suited for, and he was eventually let go.
From there, he took a job as a theater usher on Hollywood Boulevard, as well as a guide at Madame Tussauds wax museum, where, as he says, he soon enjoyed “15 minutes of fame.”
Late Night talk show host Conan O’Brien filmed a segment for his show at the museum and Nedeff was chosen to be his guide. His demonstrated his ability to recall network game show lineups of any given year to the talk show host, and the clip went viral online.
He said he told O’Brien he was thinking of writing a book on game shows, and he said, and that “got me off my butt.”
“‘Everybody says I want to write a book,’” Nedeff recalled. “Ok, I said it out loud with a VIP, with cameras rolling into microphone. Now I have to.”
Nedeff approached Bear Manor Media, a company specializing in entertainment history. The result was his first book, “This Day in Game Show History.”
Inspired by Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, it consisted of 365 essays, corresponding to a significant
From the Cookbook
happening in the genre on each date of the calendar.
From there, he went on to write biographies of game show hosts, including Bill Cullen, Gene Rayburn, Chuck Barris, Dennis James and Allen Ludden.
Nedeff talk about the things he learned in researching the books, such as the origins of details on the show. One he recounts is how the buzz-in sound for Family Feud originated from a visit producer Mark Goodson made to his dentist.
“They felt none of the sounds they were using worked for the show,” he said. “The phone at the receptionist’s desk rings, and Mark Goodson sits up and says, ‘That’s the sound!’” Nedeff said. “And he goes over to the phone to call an ABC technician to come down to the dentist’s office and they made a recording of the phone ringing.”
He said the publication of the books led to his making it into the industry.
“I was writing all these books and just churning them out and, what ended up happening, they fell into the laps of people working in game shows,” he said.
From there, he was offered a job as a graphics producer on Idiot Test for the Game Show Network.
“That was my first big break, where my foot got in and it stayed in,” he said.
After working there, one season, Nedeff said he moved into research, where he has worked as an off camera judge on shows.
“It’s an interesting job,” he said. “The easiest way to explain it, if you ever watch a game show where a contestant gives an iffy answer and the host says, ‘I need a ruling from our judges on this,’ That’s me. I’m the guy sitting in the big chair, giving a thumbs up or thumbs down about whether or not we can accept the answer.”
Nedeff says he plans to continue writing, and also has a book coming out around a project he is involved in, a wing at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
He said the museum has wings dedicated to “play in all its forms,” such as video games, board games and doll houses. And now they are creating a collection on game shows.
Nedeff said they have collected archival materials for this, as well as notable props, such as the giant Bob Eubanks PEZ dispenser from MTV’s Remote Control and the set of the late 1980s version of Family Feud, hosted by Ray Combs.
Nedeff said he is working on assembling a book that features items from the collection.
While he knows his lifelong passion has gotten him where he is, Nedeff said is grateful for those who have helped him, citing connections he has made in researching his books.
“I’ve had a lot of help,” he said. “It’s having people in my corner that has helped most in getting the books released. Once you establish you know what you’re talking about and show that you care about the genre and prove that, then people give you the time of day.”
More information on Nedeff’s work can be found at Game Show Author Adam Nedeff on Facebook. a
On the set of Nickelodeon's reboot of Double Dare in 2018 with Marc Summers.
This edition’s recipes focus on classics with a modern twist.
p. 36
Mini Beef Wellingtons
MUSHROOM SAUCE
• 1 can (14 ounces) mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces beef tenderloin steaks, cubed
• 1 package (17 ounces, 2 sheets) puff pastry
• Water
• Garlic and herb spreadable cheese
1 package (2 1/2 ounces) real bacon pieces
• Mashed potatoes, for serving
To make mushroom sauce: In blender, blend mushrooms and chicken broth; set aside.
In skillet over medium heat, melt butter and mix in
flour. Slowly add mushroom broth while stirring. It should start to thicken; if it doesn’t, add 1 tablespoon flour and stir well.
Add garlic powder and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix in heavy cream while continuing to stir. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat oven to 400˚F.
Cube steaks and place in bowl then cover and mix well with 1 cup mushroom sauce.
Cut each puff pastry into six squares for 12 total.
Use water to moisten each corner of squares and bring them together, forming small box shape. Place 1 heaping tablespoon meat mixture into each pastry square.
Place squares on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes.
Spoon spreadable cheese over hot squares and top with bacon pieces. Serve with mashed potatoes and use leftover mushroom sauce as gravy.
Barbecue Chili
• 1 pork loin (2-3 pounds)
• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 2 cups barbecue sauce, divided
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (27 ounces each) chili beans
• 1 package chili seasoning
• 1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Sour cream, for serving
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
• Corn chips, for serving
Place pork loin in slow cooker. Cover with diced tomatoes and green chilies, 1 cup barbecue sauce and water; cook on low 4-6 hours.
Cut up cooked meat and place in Dutch oven along with juices from slow cooker. Add remaining barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, chili beans, chili seasoning, barbecue seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cook over medium heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and corn chips.
Positively Proctorville
I’ve lived all but two years of my life in the quiet village of Proctorville, Ohio. My father and mother opened their first grocery store, The Little Giant, in the late ‘60s and then built a bigger grocery store next to it. It would be known as Elliott’s Gateway for many years. They were very successful with their business and were able to retire comfortably from it.
Growing up in Proctorville kept me busy, playing sandlot baseball and football, riding bicycles, climbing trees, spending countless hours on the hills behind the village and riding anything with a motor.
Proctorville has always been a sleepy little village and it has been home to me. I tend to call it a mom and pop village, because it lives from paycheck to paycheck. Village extras are not easily afforded. I grew up knowing a lot of its leaders and knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps. They cared for all aspects of our community, and so do I.
From an early age, I’ve always had a desire to help people in whatever way I could find. Starting as an 18-year-old kid out of high school, I spent 13 years on the Proctorville Volunteer Fire Department, before becoming a paramedic. I earned a degree in paramedic science from Mountwest College, and eventually obtaining a degree as a registered nurse from Ohio University. I’ve worked as a full time paramedic for 32 years and as a part time RN for 13 years. I spent approximately 20 years as a village councilman, before becoming the village’s mayor at the start of 2024.
I’m surrounded by a great bunch of people, from our village leaders to community members who have gotten
involved in several projects for the betterment of the Proctorville community. Our biggest project is renewing our village playground to make it a more modern and an all inclusive park. Our group raised almost $24,000 in 2024 towards improving the park for our community. We will continue into 2025 with identifying needed village improvements, along with our efforts to raise money for our community park.
Bringing positivity to our village has been my number one goal along with breaking down walls between our neighboring communities. We’re definitely off to a great start.
Bill Elliott is serving his first term as mayor of Proctorville.
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