Jmag January - February 2016 by Joplin Metro Magazine

Note: Front cover rendering is of proposed facility.

13 Pathfinders

44 Glossary of History & Architecture

34 Staying Within the Lines

48 Day Trippin’: A trip to Crystal Bridges

38 Taste: Knot Work

54 Just Junkin’: Favorite Places

40 Looking for something to do this winter?

56 Pet Tales: Puppy Playtime 60 MYB: Arcade Fever

HEAD WRITER Amanda Stone

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Mitzi Starkweather Photography

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Michael Coonrod Bobbie Pottorff Andra Stefanoni Brad Belk Wally Kennedy

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Courtney Adams Regina Carnahan Gina Langston Justin Oden

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mitzi Starkweather Laurie Sisk Roger Nomer Christopher Guiney

JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

In each issue: 8 The Scene 10 The 10 Spot 63 The J List 64 The Parting Shot

LAYOUT/DESIGN Brian Huntley

THE JOPLIN GLOBE PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Mike Beatty 417.627.7291 mbeatty@joplinglobe.com EDITOR Carol Stark 417.627.7278 cstark@joplinglobe.com JMAG EDITOR Kevin McClintock 417.627.7279 kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Brent A. Powers 417.627.7233 bpowers@joplinglobe.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jack Kaminsky 417.627.7341 jkaminsky@joplinglobe.com JMAG is a publication of Newspaper Holdings, Inc. and is published bi-monthly. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be produced in whole or in part without the written permission from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials.

Katelynn – Spine Fusion Scoliosis Correction

Richard – Total Knee Replacement

Kolt – Arm Surgery

Judy – Total Anterior Hip Replacement

Tara – ACL Reconstruction

Brandon Williams, Defensive Tackle, Baltimore Ravens – Spine Surgery

Joplin Demize – Athletic Training

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Letterfrom the

Editor Open up Google and type in the word “Pathfinder” and many variations pop up. In whatever capacity, the word usually means the same thing — a way to a clearer, more concise path. For example, a pathfinder when it comes to the United States military is an elite soldier who is dropped into a specific location to set up and operate key drop zones or air supply operations. In another instance, a pathfinder was the name of a robotic spacecraft that consisted of a lander as well as a tiny, six-wheeled robotic rover that went on to capture the world’s imagination in 1997 when it explored the red sands of Mars. And in our case, for our latest issue of J MAG, a pathfinder is a selected person who goes ahead and discovers or shows others a safe path to follow. To this end, we recognize and highlight 10 local individuals who have — through their actions, words and critical decisions —

JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

helped the Joplin metro area become a better place for families and individuals to live. They are five women, four men and a child: all of them easily recognizable by their name or the organization they are associated with. And as Joplin Globe editor Carol Stark so eloquently put it, “You will read about leaders in art, education and community. Their names, in many cases, are the first you think of when these topics are mentioned.” So true. Also in this issue you’ll read about where to find the best deals when it comes to the area’s antique shops. Read about a local woman who makes delicious pretzels. A day trip across the Arkansas border to Crystal Bridges American Museaum of Art. Some pictures from a Christmas market, an ugly sweater race down Main street and a bunch of cute dogs having some fun at Joplin’s dog park. You’ll also read about what the new Joplin Public Library has to offer, how to keep the winter blahs at arm’s length, a mobile video game arcade business making the rounds and a phenomenon that’s sweeping

the nation from coast to coast: adult coloring books. Tied to the latter story is a sidebar about how Joplin’s Ann Leach has incorporated her love for coloring and doodling into her professional life. She also provides a link for a free download from her website of a unique “visual map.” And finally, just for fun, we list the top 10 Valentines movies, voted by you, and their most heart-melting quotes concerning love. Remember, if you have an interesting idea for a story, or if you know someone who would make a great subject for a feature, don’t hesitate to contact us or leave a message. You can reach me at kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com, by mail at J MAG, 117 E. Fourth St., Joplin, Mo. 64801 or by calling us at 417.627.7279. Kevin McClintock Editor, J MAG

The

Scene Photography by Laurie Sisk

1. 1. Similar to a NASCAR pace car, here, a motorized Radio Flyer wagon starts the annual Ugly Sweater race. 2. All kinds of racers of all ages participated in the race, which took place on Dec. 12. As you can see, there were plenty of gaudy sweaters on display! 3. Even Santa is getting into shape!

3. 8

JMAG | JAN â&#x20AC;˘ FEB 2016

The

Scene Photography by Laurie Sisk 1. Ella Pettyjohn, 8, Anne Pettyjohn, 2 and Kate Pettyjohn, 6, all of Tulsa, Oklahoma, participates in a game of Checkers during the Christkindlmarket at the Webb City Farmers Market, which ran through the end of the year. 2. Rebecca Bristow of Wyandotte, Oklahoma, managers her booth with holiday-related crafts created from recycled glass and soda cans during Christkindlmarket, an event featuring holiday-themed crafts, food and music. 3. One-year-old Paisley Nichols of Carthage, Missouri gets a chance to visit with Mrs. Claus (Alexandra Burnside of Carthage) during Christkindlmarket, which is held annually through the holiday season.

JAN â&#x20AC;˘ FEB 2016 | JMAG

The

TenSpot By Kevin McClintock

Romancing the Tube

You watch “Christmas Story” and “Christmas Vacation” leading up to Christmas. In honor of those who have or are serving in the military, you watch “Coming Home” or “Saving Private Ryan.” And on Valentines Day, you curl up with the one you love and veg out with a bag of popcorn, maybe a glass of red wine, and watch one or a dozen from the list of romantic movies below. We went online and asked you, the reader, what your favorite Valentines movies were. Most of the movies you guys suggested we thought would make the top 10; however, one or two surprised us a bit (Dirty Dancing for one). So below is the de-factor romantic movie list, complete with famed quote. Enjoy!

10.

Love Story (1970)

Dirty Dancing (1987)

“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

“Me? I’m scared of everything. I’m scared of what I saw, I’m scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.” 10

JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

“It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together... and I knew it. It was like... magic.”

Casablanca (1942)

“Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.” Titanic (1997)

Rose: I love you, Jack. Jack: Don’t you do that, don’t say your good-byes. Not yet, do you understand me? Rose: I’m so cold. Jack: Listen, Rose. You’re gonna get out of here, you’re gonna go on and you’re gonna make lots of babies, and you’re gonna watch them grow. You’re gonna die an old... an old lady warm in her bed, not here, not this night. Not like this, do you understand me? Rose: I can’t feel my body. Jack: Winning that ticket, Rose, was the best thing that ever happened to me... it brought me to you. And I’m thankful for that, Rose. I’m thankful. You must do me this honor. Promise me you’ll survive. That you won’t give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise. Rose: I promise. Jack: Never let go. Rose: I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go.

Notting Hill (1999)

“And don’t forget... I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

3. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

“I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

The Princess Bride (1987)

“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” The Notebook (2004)

“I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me, and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who’s ever lived: I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough.”

Love Actually (2003)

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there — fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge — they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.”

he dictionary definition of the word “pathfinder” is “a person who goes ahead and discovers or shows others a path or way.” Our definition can be found by reading the profiles on the pages that follow. You will read about leaders in art, health and community. Their names, in many cases, are the first you think of when these topics are mentioned. Some dared to be the first. They opened doors when all those doors were closed. Sometimes they had even been slammed shut. But through their courage, their passion and their dedication, they led the way. Our area is a better place because of our 2016 class of Pathfinders. Now, we proudly introduce them to you.

13 JAN • FEB courtesy 2016 | JMAG Photo of Silver Dollar City

‘We will draw some really good physicians in as a result of having a medical school’ Dr. Larry McIntire paving way for Joplin-based medical school By Andra Bryan Stefanoni Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

r. Larry McIntire didn’t always dream of becoming a doctor like many who enter the field. He stumbled into it in a roundabout way.

Dr. Larry

McIntire Congratulations Dr. McIntire freemanhealth.com/ent

But he thinks it’s possible that in a few years, children in schools throughout the Four States will consider the field of medicine as a would-be career much more readily than they once did — a positive, he said, because there is a shortage of doctors. “I think our entire educational process — the science curriculum — will be impacted in this area,” he said. “And all because we’ll have a medical school right here in Joplin.” Dr. McIntire was responsible for planting the seed that would make such an idea a reality. Married young, Dr. McIntire first earned a business education degree, then became a physical science teacher. It was while coaching junior high athletes that he took a new path — one that included medicine. “The first day when the team physicians came by, and they worked with the athletes, I spent two or three hours with them, then went home that night and told my wife, ‘I could do that’,” he recalled. Dr. McIntire spent four summers in a row in Emporia, Kansas, in preparation for medical school. He was accepted by the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kirksville, home to the oldest medical school in Kansas City, Mo., and the largest in Missouri. In a word, he said, his experience there was “outstanding” — so much so that although he completed his internship in his home state of Colorado, he returned to Kirksville for his specialty in ear, nose, and throat. After spending five years practicing medicine in Maine, he once again returned to Kirksville to chair the department for 12 years. “I got a sense of what can be done in a small setting, and the big impact it can have

nationwide or worldwide,” he said. “I had no trouble understanding what a small town could do with regard to medicine.” He came to Joplin in 1992 and started in private practice at Oak Hill Hospital, with privileges at other Joplin area hospitals. His son, Kent, soon joined him as the first resident in Joplin from Kirksville. “When he was in about the seventh grade, one of my friends asked him, ‘Are you going into medicine like your dad?’,” Dr. McIntyre recalled. “He said, ‘Probably, and if I do, it’s going to be ear, nose, and throat’.” For 20 years, they have had a joint practice. “It adds confidence to the practice because you have someone you know very well, and you have their best interests at heart and they have yours. It means someone you trust that you can turn to,” the elder Dr. McIntyre said. Now affiliated with Freeman Health System, an idea formed in the elder McIntire that the city would be perfect for a medical school. Not knowing what kind of reception it might get, he ran the idea past officials at Missouri Southern State University. “I didn’t know whether the idea would take root. But it did,” Dr. McIntire said. “I noted there were no wrinkles in their forehead when I spoke to them. They accepted it almost at face value. And, when I spoke to the people in the medical community, they got in behind it, too.” “That’s the important piece: without people supporting it, coming alongside of the idea, it would never have happened,” he said. “It takes a lot of folks, a lot of organizations, to make it a reality. Businesses expressed interest, as did hospitals throughout the region. “This will create the next generation

of physicians — regional physicians — and in turn will strengthen our regional universities,” he said. Utilizing the 150,000-square-foot building that Mercy Hospital Joplin used following the 2011 tornado, the campus will be the first new medical school location to open in Missouri in 44 years. The university plans to enroll 150 students per year in its osteopathic program, with its first class to begin in 2017. The school will include graduate level medical education, which means once students graduate from the medical school, they have an option to stay in Joplin to complete their residency. It also means students from other medical schools would have that option. “This is a regional project,” Dr. McIntire said. “We’re looking beyond just Joplin. We fully expect that up to a third of all students will be from the region — from Dodge City, Kansas, to Cape Girardeau, Missouri — very widespread.” Certainly, he noted, medical care in the region will be enhanced as a result. “There are doctors already being attracted to Joplin because of the opportunity to serve as teaching physicians,” he said. “That will be a dynamic we experience — that we will draw some really good physicians in as a result of having a medical school.” “The thrill of it is, it will happen, and six months from now, we’ll be accepting our first students.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘Arts are important to Joplin. It’s such an exciting time’ Jo Mueller has transformed Spiva Art Center into the premier art center it is today By Amanda Stone Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

he future is wide open for recently-retired Jo Mueller. After 12 years serving as the executive director of Spiva Center for the Arts, the Joplin native is taking time to consider what’s next.

Mueller Congratulations from

A proud supporter of Spiva Center for the Arts

“I have so many ideas, it’s hard to narrow my focus right now. I hope there will be more art making in my future.” The way Mueller tells it, Joplin’s thriving arts community is centered on collaborations, including Spiva’s success under her direction. She quickly brushes off the notion that she made Spiva the rich, educational arts center that it is today. “There is so much dedicated staff and volunteers,” she said. “I wanted them to feel like it’s their place and to be proud. We did it all together.” She noted several Spiva collaborations that have been especially important to her such as Rebuild Joplin, the Ronald McDonald House and the Boys & Girls Club, among many more. “Many things were already in place at Spiva. The education component was already there. I just wanted to dream it bigger and to reach more people,” Mueller said. “We started really stretching in terms of exhibits we were able to bring in. I wanted to knock down the notion that you have to know anything about art in order to walk through the doors.” Spiva did indeed grow, reaching members of the community it hadn’t before with engaging shows, workshops and unique benefits. Mueller lists the motorcycle show as one of her favorites. “There were nearly 500 bikes parked outside. I remember there was this great painting with some tough-looking bikers leaning in on one side to get a look, while a couple of little old ladies were leaning in on the other side. They looked like parentheses. The image of it in my head is just so great. It was an unlikely grouping, but they were all interested in the painting. Art brings people together that may not otherwise meet,” Mueller said. Some of Mueller’s most memorable and proudest moments came in the wake of Joplin’s devastating EF-5 tornado strike in 2011. Amongst the pain and destruction, the community came together through art in many ways. “The explosion in arts after the tornado is what’s phenomenal,” she said. “People

were expressing themselves everywhere you turned. There’s been a coming together due to art. That can’t be denied.” Public art, she continued, sprung up overnight, murals were in the works and artists everywhere responded the best way they knew how. “On the Other Side,” a tornado-themed exhibit held at Spiva following the storm, was formed as a way to contribute to Joplin’s healing process. Artists and people from the community who felt compelled to contribute, created pieces as a way to

deal with complicated emotions. Many of the works included pieces of debris from the path of the tornado. Mueller said that projects like this one, the community-based “Dear World, From Joplin With Love” and “The Shoebox Project” gave Joplin a chance to express themselves after the tornado. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Photo Spiva, the nation’s longest-running photo competition. Founded by her late brother, Jim Mueller, the competition also includes PhotoSpiva Kids and PhotoSpiva Tweens. “It wasn’t a choice to keep it going. It was already in full swing,” Mueller said. She doesn’t take credit easily, but Mueller is responsible for starting programs such as the SpivaKids Fun Fund, among others. The scholarship fund ensures that all kids can participate in programs at the center, which is a non-profit organization. “We started that early on because a lot of kids need more art in their lives and don’t

have the financial means to make it happen,” Mueller said. The center was named for philanthropist and art lover, George Spiva, who believed art opportunities should be available to all. Mr. Spiva would be pleased with Jo Mueller. Aside from expanding his vision for Spiva Center for the Arts, Mueller is walking away with several honors from the community, such as: Contributions to the Arts/Artist of the Year 2006 from the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, Joplin Tri-State Business Journal (Most Influential Women Class of 2010), Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce (Arty Award for leadership in the arts 2014), and Missouri Department of Tourism (Spotlight Award for contributions to Missouri tourism by individuals outside the tourism industry 2011). In February, she will travel to Jefferson City to receive the Leadership in the Arts award from the Missouri Arts Council, an award given to the state’s art heroes. The annual Missouri Arts Awards celebrate people, organizations, and communities that have made profound and lasting contributions to the cultural and artistic climate of the state. “Arts are important to Joplin. It’s such an exciting time,” said Mueller, as she noted the growth of arts-based businesses and the “extraordinary” work of Connect2Culture, the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Art Feeds and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce’s Cultural Affairs Committee. Leaving Spiva was not a decision that Mueller took lightly. “It was such a tough decision to reach. Spiva has been my entire life, along with my husband of 27 years, Don Ayers. They are my family. I stopped and wondered what else is out there,” she said. “I had to take this first step to allow other opportunities to surface, to see what other joy was out there.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘It’s so important to get kids while they’re young to show them what the outdoors has to offer’ Janet Garvin continues to preserves the area’s ecosystem. By Amanda Stone Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

t’s no exaggeration that Janet Garvin knows everyone who walks through the doors of Joplin’s Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center. At least that was the case on one warm winter morning recently.

Janet

Garvin

Sponsored by:

THANK YOU, OLIVIA A s! furry friend FOR HELPING our

Now 11, Olivia is a regular kid; she just wrapped up a theater performance, takes dance classes and talks about her best friend, her dogs and how awesome it is that her grandparents only live a few houses away. Awesome because they love spending time together, and because that’s where her dogs live. It’s an ideal situation. She doesn’t let a few allergies get in the way of having what she wants. She’s a regular kid, but she has determination that’s extremely rare. Olivia’s mother, Keegan Pierce, recalls a horrific event a few years ago when her only child was med-flighted to Kansas City and intubated for 14 days. After extensive tests, and a bout with bacterial pneumonia, severe allergies were found to be the cause. Six years later, Olivia rarely uses an inhaler and ditched all of her meds, save for a Benadryl tablet here and there. “She’s so much better, it’s under control. We hope she’s growing out of it,” Keegan said. Through the years, Olivia continually begged the doctors to allow her to have a dog. Her family was a dog-loving family; she had always been around dogs. Then one day, she and her grandfather left the house and came back with a pup named Princeton. It was done. When Olivia was younger, she loved trying to train her dogs to walk around trees and to go through her homemade obstacle courses. She modeled the Westminster Dog Show, which she looked forward to watching each year. She had no doubt that her beloved pooches should enter. However, an innocent Olivia knew nothing of the Westminster being a conformation show, in which purebred dogs are evaluated to see how well they conform to the breed. At the age of 8, Olivia was sure her dogs were shining canine specimens, worthy of judging by professionals. “I couldn’t believe it when I found out

my dog couldn’t compete because he was a mutt. I had no idea he was a mutt. He was perfect,” said Olivia. She asked her grandmother why they couldn’t make their own dog show, where all dogs would be welcome. Without hesitation she responded with, “Let’s do it.” Olivia named the all-dog show Muttminster. The show debuted in Carthage’s Central Park three years ago. Olivia had a goal of raising $300 for the city-based humane society located on Dog Kennel Road. “When they gave me the totals, and it

was over $1,200, I fell on the ground. I just couldn’t believe it,” Olivia said. Added Keegan, “That first year, we just had no idea what would happen. I was just really hoping my mom would split the $300 cost with me. The way it turned out was so overwhelming and awesome.” Mutt-minster has become an annual event, with plans already in the works for 2016. Like every year, the 4th annual Mutt-minster Dog Show will be held on the Saturday before Mother’s Day at Central Park. Olivia now works on ways to raise funds for the humane society all year long. She made paintings and her mom painted postcards that they sold at a Carthage Art Walk, raising nearly $200. They also created a Cups for Pups event, selling cups of chili and cupcakes and raising about $300. Another Cups for Pups is in the works; patrons can look forward to the teaming

up of The Lunchbox Truck and Annie’s Epicurean Delights for that one. As word has spread about the Muttminster Dog Show and its young philanthropic founder, the show doesn’t lack support. They’ve received donations from around the country, as well as plenty of help from Olivia’s family and friends. “Every year we raise more money than the last, and that’s important. But I really want more dogs to come just because it’s so much fun,” said a smiling Olivia. Since Mutt-minster is growing, they’re working on publicity now, hoping to get the word out to even more dog lovers. The idea of corporate sponsorship is being considered and Olivia may even write to Ellen DeGeneres, who is well known for her generosity, particularly toward children and animals. Olivia’s generous spirit comes from her large extended family as well as her time spent in the hospital, according to her mother. “She clung to whatever dolls or toys or even chapstick that people brought her,” Keegan said. “Those gestures made her so happy. She remembers what that feeling was like, and now she wants to be the one giving.” With three dog shows under her belt, Olivia shows no sign of losing interest. “I imagine Mutt-minster in the future being like it is now, but just more,” Olivia said. “I want more people to come and more dogs. I have no intention to stop whatsoever. I want to be a vet when I grow up. I love dogs of course, but I love every single kind of animal. They’re just amazing to me.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

“I said to him, ‘You are going to see this all over Joplin in the future.’ He shook his head and said, ‘I hope you know what you are doing’’ Dr. Richard Joseph, both a longtime family dentist and real estate developer. By Wally Kennedy Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

R Dr. Richard

Joseph

ichard Joseph knew at an early age that he wanted to be a dentist. “When I was a little boy, my mother would take us — me and my sisters — on the streetcar from Galena to the Frisco Building in Joplin to see Dr. Donald Crockett,’’ Joseph recalled. “His office was on the sixth floor. Dr. Crockett was all dressed in white. He would work on us and it did not hurt at all.

Congratulations from your very proud family! You have been a wonderful role model as a husband, father, and grandfather to 13 amazing grandchildren, while blazing your path through life.

“When we got back home, my father would ask my mother how much Dr. Crockett had charged her,’’ he said. “She told him it cost $16 to see the three of us.’’ Imitating his father’s gruff voice, Joseph then said: “You paid him $16! Why, he’s a highway robber.’’ Joseph said, “I thought about that. I decided I’m going to be a highway robber.’’ Dr. Crockett, who passed away at age 95 in 2008, would practice family dentistry for more than 50 years, and would own and operate Crockett Oil Co. in Joplin. Like his mentor, Joseph would become a dentist who would venture into the world of business and real estate development. He, and his four children, have shaped much of Joplin’s retail landscape with strip malls, shopping centers and office buildings since the 1960s. But it all began at Galena, Kansas, where Joseph learned the value of a dollar from his father, who operated the Galena Meat Market, 718 Main St., and where his mother made sure he got a head start in school. “I graduated from high school when I was 16. That’s because my mother started me in school early,’’ he said. “I remember in one class that I should have been 7, but I was 5. The teacher did not believe me when I told her my age. She made me bring a birth certificate from home to prove it.’’ That early introduction to education would have a profound influence on his life in that he would be the youngest among his contemporaries throughout his higher education. He would graduate in 1953 with a bachelor of arts degrees from Kansas State College — now Pittsburg (Kansas) State University. From there, he would receive his dental degree from the University of Missouri School of Dentistry at Kansas City in 1957. “My father paid my way through dental school. I remember that it was like $30 a semester,’’ Joseph said. When he graduated from dental school, he enlisted in the Army Dental Corps. He would serve in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, a MASH medical unit, as its only dentist for 16 months. On his first weekend home from Korea, he would meet his future

wife, Sue. With a laugh, she said, “My timing was real good.’’ “And so was mine,’’ added Joseph. Joseph opened his practice in Galena in 1959. That same year, he would buy a white Impala convertible with a red interior from Henry Robertson, with R&S Chevrolet in Joplin, for about $1,600. He and Sue would marry on Nov. 28, 1959. His practice was not far from his father’s meat market. “On that first day, I had a man come in who wanted to have nine teeth pulled. I told him I would charge him $5 for each tooth,’’ he said. “I took that $45 down to the market

and showed my Dad. He said, ‘He paid you that much?’’’ Joseph would extract as many as 100 teeth per day as his practice grew into one of the largest in the area. His office also provided dentures. A few years later, Joseph decided to venture into business-property development. He wanted to build a strip shopping center, West Town Center, at Eighth Street and Maiden Lane, which at the time was just south of the popular Keller’s Barbecue. “Maiden Lane was a two-lane road. It was not zoned commercial so I had to go before the City Council to get a zoning change,’’ he said. “At the time, the mayor was C.C. Haynes, who owned the Haynes Rexall Drug Store in downtown Joplin. Haynes said to me, ‘You want to build a shopping center? Shopping is downtown, young man.’ “I said to him, ‘You are going to see this all over Joplin in the future.’ He shook his

head and said, ‘I hope you know what you are doing.’’’ With the success of that project, Joseph purchased more land at the southwest corner of 26th Street and Maiden Lane shortly after the construction of St. John’s Regional Medical Center. He would construct the 70,000-square foot Professional Park, where he would move his dental office and lease space to other medical providers. It would be destroyed, along with St. John’s, by the tornado that struck Joplin in 2011. Joseph continued his business-property development with the construction of the Mall Plaza directly west of Northpark Mall. After that, he would tackle his biggest project with partner Fanun Kanan — the 125-acre development of Silver Creek Galleria at the southwest corner of Interstate 44 and Range Line Road. “He did all of this while raising four kids — Richard Jr., Michael, Cynthia and Lisa. He would take them to school, go to his office and when he was done there, he would do the real estate,” said Sue Joseph. “He was always doing something.’’ Most recently, Joseph took the insurance settlement from the loss of his three buildings in the Professional Park and used it to construct the Executive Center, three new office buildings just west of Maiden Lane and West 32nd Street. Joseph, who retired in 2004, would serve on the Board of Directors of several local banks. Three of the Joseph children would have careers in medicine and one in law. Like their father, they have become businessproperty developers in Joplin, constructing nearly a dozen shopping centers. “Everything is location,’’ said Joseph, now 83. “And Joplin is the hub of everything in this area. It’s always going to be a good place to do business. I think the real game changer for this town will be the opening of the medical school.’’

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘I feel passionate about what we do at Joplin NALA Read’ Marj Boudreaux remains a teacher and a tutor after 21 years By Bobbie Pottorff Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

he’s a teacher, a tutor and after 21 years as head of Joplin NALA (Neighborhood Adult Literacy Action) Read, Marj Boudreaux is also a trailblazer.

Marj

Boudreaux

And because she’s done it so long and so well, one would never guess that Boudreaux was once totally reluctant about leading the organization. “I am very glad they were persistent because I love what I do,” Boudreaux said. “My reluctance at first was because I had no concept of what NALA accomplished in the lives of students.” Joplin NALA Read was started in 1981 by Frances Jones, Geraldine Brackett and a handful of community members. “We are the only literacy program in a radius of 70 miles,” she said. “We work with people from low-level literacy and high school exam preparation to college-level writing at no cost to the student, thanks to the gift of time and expert teaching of our 40-some volunteers.” And long after most people would have retired, the 80-year-old executive director is still going strong. “I would like to serve Joplin NALA Read as long as I am useful and able,” Boudreaux said. “Practically speaking, that will probably be another two to five years.” However, retirement in Boudreaux’s world

isn’t quite like retirement for most other folks. That’s because she intends to be a volunteer teacher at NALA. And she does all of this work because she absolutely loves educating others. “It’s exciting to use what I know to make a difference in someone’s life,” she said. “There’s a joy in seeing the light come on when the other person understands a concept or has a new perception because of what I’ve taught.” Joplin NALA Read receives a majority of its funding from the United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas. “NALA does it all — books, materials for class, facility costs and a two-person staff — on a shoestring budget because we believe every person deserves the right to reach their full potential,” Boudreaux said. Boudreaux teaches a pronunciation class for English as a Second Language students. In it, they focus on a specific sound each class period completes with practice through dialogue and person-onperson conversation. She also works with a developmentally-challenged student who has progressed two grade levels in reading,

and Boudreaux says the two of them have an enjoyable time. “I substitute teach any time one of our ESL teachers is absent in order to keep continuity in the class,” Boudreaux said. “Joan (Boner, Program Coordinator) and I monitor and oversee the curriculum of tutors and students, and we do the initial tutor training.” Boudreaux said when she does retire, she would like to leave behind a legacy of a smooth-running program that meets the needs of adults to improve their reading, math and English. “I feel passionate about what we do at Joplin NALA Read,” she said. “Our vision is to close the book on illiteracy.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘My wife and I both feel like even though we’re not Bill Gates or the Zuckerburgs, there are little things we can do’ Tim Mitchell loves helping, giving to the good people of his hometown Neosho By Michael Coonrod Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

f you married your high school sweetheart, earned a college degree and had a job teaching at a local school, many would call you successful.

Tim

Mitchell Jon. L. Reagan, Jr.

1112 Baxter St. | 417-451-2403 www.neoshosmiles.com

Congratulations on this deserving award! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our community!

But what if you felt you should be doing something else… something more? Tim Mitchell was that local boy who came back home. He and his wife were both teaching in local school districts. Simultaneously, they were expecting their first child. “One day I came home after a tough day at school at Cassville, I told my wife I’d like to apply to pharmacy school, and she was like, ‘okay,’” Mitchell said. He had considered pursuing a medical degree while attending Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield and working inside a student health center and pharmacy on the campus. Mitchell applied to a number of schools and was finally accepted into the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Pharmacy. After graduating in 1996, the Mitchells returned to the Neosho area. “When I first came back here, I worked for a large chain pharmacy for about a year and realized that a chain pharmacy wasn’t really how I wanted to work,” he said. “So I came to a smaller pharmacy called Family Pharmacy of Neosho, which I ended up purchasing about five or six years later from the gentleman who owned it.” Phillip Rozell, the pharmacy’s previous owner, made a huge impression on Mitchell. “He became my mentor, and still is today,” he said. “He showed me how to run a pharmacy and keep it moving in the right direction.”

Mitchell believes that by making his own policy decisions, it allows him to better serve the pharmacy’s clientele. For example, he was the first in Neosho to start pharmacist immunizations. “I wanted to be able to step outside of the box of what people typically think pharmacists do; not necessarily staying in the back counting pills all day long, but actually counseling patients,” Mitchell said. “We administer immunizations; we do sit-down session with patients where we actually talk to them about their medications and get involved in their care.” His contributions aren’t limited to those who grace his pharmacy’s entryway. He’s also involved in the Missouri Pharmacy Association, Bright Futures of Neosho and the Talkington Foundation, which supports people recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. “My wife and I both feel like even though we’re not Bill Gates or the Zuckerburgs, there are little things we can do,” Mitchell said. “I want my kids to be able to see me giving back to my community — to make this place a little bit better. It may be just a simple thing like holding the door open for somebody. It could be helping a family out at Christmas, and we do that every year as well, through my stores and through our family, we try to help out other individuals. (But we don’t) ask anything in return. “I think, unfortunately, this world has gotten pretty selfish and materialistic; it’s

easy to become that way,” he said. “We built our home on Christian foundations. We attend Racine Christian Church, and I can tell you those Christian values need not be forgotten. I feel like our world is kind of losing focus of those Christian values. It’s important for us to be able to continue to rely on (them) to help make this world a little better place.” So does giving to others give back to Mitchell? “Absolutely,” he said, “tenfold, a hundred fold. God has truly blessed our families, blessed our businesses, blessed our community, and I feel like it’s important for people to give God the glory in that. “I’ve got kids in the community and I want them to be involved with good things, and to be honest with you, I stay active in the community because it supports me and I feel like if I support it, it will continue to support me,” he said. “It is a relationship that, hopefully, I’m able to continue to give back,” Mitchell continued. “I give back to our school district and they help support me and various things that we do as well. I just feel very fortunate to have independent pharmacies here and do what I love to do.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘I feel like I was supposed to be here’ Ruth Kolpin-Rubison remains a legend in the broadcasting industry By Andra Bryan Stefanoni Mitzi Starkweather Photography

uth and George Kolpin’s honeymoon wasn’t of the usual variety. “We traveled the country looking for radio stations to buy,” she recalled. “When we came to Carthage, I said, ‘This is it. This is the one I want.’ It was a 250-watt radio station, but I knew I could take it to 1,000 watts and someday put in FM.”

Ruth

Kolpin-Rubison

They made the purchase in 1962. It’s been in the family ever since. Today, 93-year-old Ruth Kolpin-Rubison is something of a legend in the broadcasting industry. A short biography on Missouri Southern State University’s website refers to her a “pioneer,” a moniker underscored by her induction in 1988 to the Cable Pioneers Society and her recognition with the first Pioneer Broadcast Award from MSSU in 1997. The radio and television broadcast center there bears her name, as does a foundation that has benefitted area charities since 1999. In 2014, the Carthage Board of Education approved naming a new early childhood center after KolpinRubison after her donation of $100,000. Not bad, she concedes, for having started in humble beginnings. Kolpin-Rubison grew up in Northwest Kansas near Colby and attended a one-room school. The nearest town, Achilles, had a post office and a general store. To get to the nearest city of any size — some 30 miles away — required driving a Model T. As a little girl, she dreamed she’d travel to New York and have beautiful luggage, she recalled. In her young adult years, she took a newspaper course by correspondence from the University of Kansas and dreamed of being Brenda Star. “Then I met some radio people, and I thought, ‘That’s what I’m going to do’,” she said. “It was much more exciting.” She never looked back. Seeking a job as a scriptwriter, she caught the eye of those in the industry who thought she had national potential. Eventually she would travel a sales circuit between radio stations in southern Nebraska and eastern Colorado. “Sometimes I’d get home at midnight, then get up the next morning and start again,” she said of those days. “All for a salary of $50 per week.” Working her

way up the career ladder, she advanced to a sales manager and in 1957 helped found a television station in Dodge City, Kansas. She says she was a “bit of a novelty back then,” being a woman in the business. It was while on the job that she met her future husband, a native of New York City. He attended conferences for the National Association of Broadcasters and led the transition of her station from ABC to CBS. “I told him I didn’t have time to get married,” she chuckled. “When we finally did, we focused on the business. And that’s why we looked for stations on our honeymoon.” Her husband still had his job at CBS in New York, and it wasn’t certain the Carthage deal would go through anyway. When it finally did, she said, it was “a dream come true.” The couple settled in Carthage, where Kolpin-Rubison “felt at home,” she said. In 1965, they were granted a television franchise and worked to build the station through special promotions and an eye to the future. After George’s death in 1979, KolpinRubison carried on in the business and eventually would grow their franchise to 27 communities. When she decided in 1999 to retire from active ownership, the cable companies were sold to Cox Communications. Her sons Ron and Dean Petersen would join the business, which today includes KDMO AM 1490 — now a 50,000 watt station — and KMXL FM just off the square in Carthage. In 2003, Kolpin-Rubison married Richard Rubison; he died in 2012. Today, she keeps busy with the Ruth I. Kolpin Charitable Foundation, which recently funded an upgrade to digital broadcast technology at MSSU; with activities throughout the community; and with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. And she still works a little every day. “I feel like I was supposed to be here,” she said.

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘When Chet and I were not involved in shows, we were always involved (somewhere else) in the theater, one way or another’ Cecie Fritz continues to preserve the history of a Joplin landmark and legacy By Kevin McClintock Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

erhaps it’s only appropriate that Valentines Day lies just around the corner, because Joplin’s Cecie Fritz has three major loves in her life.

Cecie

Fritz

Congratulations and Thank You for All you Do! From, William H. Perry III

The first, of course, is her husband, Chet, of nearly 50 years. The second isn’t a person but rather a place — the Joplin Little Theatre. And the third is neither a person nor a place but a honed talent — the ability to play music. And it’s through Cecie’s love for music that helped her come into contact with the other identified loves. Cecie has personally been involved with every musical staged inside JLT since 1981, either playing the music herself in front of a grand piano or coordinating its production off-stage. But overshadowing even these key functions are the many years Cecie’s spent preserving the history of JLT as a whole, which today is the oldest continuously running theater found west of the Mississippi River. She began collecting and encasing in protective plastic the theater’s historical documents beginning in 2007 — play posters, production pamphlets, director’s notes and newspaper articles about certain shows. Some of these documents, which had been stuffed into cabinets in the theater’s kitchen, date all the way back to before the outbreak of World War II. “I have always been involved with the theater,” Cecie said. “I have been president of the board, served on the board several times, so I know the inner workings of the theater. Even though there were some years where Chet and I were not involved in shows, we were always involved (somewhere else) in the theater, one way or another. If we weren’t performing, there was always something needing to be done. Both of us have been very active.” Cecie has always been associated with the piano. At the age of 13, she would fill her Webb City home with music. Her first professional job was plying the ivory keys while dancers rehearsed moves inside Jane Benson’s Dancing School. Cecie would continue to do this up through her senior year at Webb City High School. While attending Joplin Junior College, Jane’s husband, Bruce, started up a dance band and was in desperate need of a skilled piano player to complete their set. “I was 17, and I remember he came to my folk’s (house) and asked them if, ‘Cecilia could come and play with my band.’ He told them, ‘I’ll always pick her up and always bring her home,’” she said with a laugh. Her parents gave him their blessing, and so Cecie helped strike up the Bruce Benson Band. “Every Saturday night we’d play at the Golden Door in Carthage (where Stone’s Throw Theatre now sits on Route 66). It was a bring-your-own-bottle dance hall, people came out and danced — the floor would

just be full of dancers of old-time ball-room dancing, the jitter bug, just the good music,” she said. “I have always credited Jane and Bruce Benson with giving me my start in music and (being able to) play jazz and swing. In 1960, she oversaw the music behind the JLT production of “The Boy Friend.” That was the first time a musical had been performed at the theater since the 1950 production of “Ms. Calico Comes to Town.” Based on the popularity of those two productions, each JLT season after 1960 would have at least two musicals scheduled. Despite the fun she’d had on the set of “The Boy Friend,” however, the JLT wouldn’t play an important role in her life until 1964. That’s when she decided to take in

a performance of the “Show Boat.” The lead actor was a handsome young man named Chet, newly arrived to Southwest Missouri. “I absolutely fell in love with him on stage,” Cecie said with a laugh. “Really, it’s the truth — the very first time I laid eyes on him. I thought, ‘Wow!’” Because both were professional musicians — Chet was playing with a trio of musicians at the Bob Cummings Motor Motel on Range Line Road in Joplin — the two would soon meet during gigs. Later, they would play gigs together —mostly at the Tropics Lounge, (located next to the Tropicana Motel and its famed palm tree and tiki stick sign), before the two purchased the lounge in 1966. “We owned and managed and performed there for eight years — we performed six nights a week,” Cecie said. “For several years it was the hottest spot in town.” Chet and Cecie would also tie the knot that year. “That was a big year for us,” she said with a

chuckle. “We worked well together. Was it fate? Oh yeah, I think so. I really do think so. There was a reason we were put together. And now we’ve been married for almost 50 years.” Owning and performing at the Tropics, raising two children, the JLT was absent from their lives between 1964 and 1981. But the two would work side by side for the first time on the JLT stage during the musical, “Man of La Mancha.” Chet played the lead, while she performed and oversaw the production’s music. “From that time on, both of us would be involved doing nearly every major musical (job) for at least the next 25 years. It was just the perfect time in our lives; the next step together. It just worked out very well.” In 2007, Angela Lowe, then president of the JLT board, asked Cecie if she could become the theater’s historian. “When I got involved in the history, it just kind of exploded (after that). We found these old scrapbooks that had been kept for years in the cabinets in the kitchen, and the mice had gotten to them, so something needed to be done to preserve all of it. And it didn’t take me long to realize that just one person couldn’t do it, so that’s when we formed the (Joplin Little Theatre History Preservation Committee)” in 2008. All along the eastern wall of the theater sit rows and rows of poster frame pages showcasing the theater’s history right before the eyes. It’s really a step back in time, moving from the distant days of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the modern era under Barack Obama. “Every project needs an organizer, so to speak. You have to have one, and I’m a very good organizer.” Her last performance on stage also took place in 2015. But that will likely, sadly, be her last. “You don’t realize the physical involvement that goes into doing a show and when I was 30 or 40 or even 50, I didn’t even think about it, but the age I am now, it just wears me down. I just don’t have the physical stamina. I’ve always said I wanted to stop playing before I heard someone say, ‘She should have quit in the last show.’ “But I’ve enjoyed my (continued involvement) with JLT. It is a big part of our lives.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

‘People say, ‘You are so lucky’ and I’ll say, ‘I’m not lucky, I’m blessed to have another chance’’ After near-fatal heart attack, Bobby Ballard teaches healthy lifestyle to neighbors By Kevin McClintock Photography by Mitzi Starkweather Photography

ery few people receive a second chance on life. Those that do usually dedicate their newly-won time to their community and those living in it.

Bobby

CONGRATS FROM:

Ballard

Michael Carman Adriana Perez Chavarria Karen King Lesley Newton Dianne & Ken Schramm Jillian Twiss

Jodie Story & Jay White Frank & Rhonda Thompson Lance & Anne Windsor Kris Drake Kathy Jordan Jerry & Patty Pyle

Tom Rogers Jeanne & David Porter Lynn Fleshman Stacey & Dan Middleton Liz Scheurich

Joplin’s Bobby Ballard is no exception. Ballard had just completed a practice run with members of his YMCA-based beginner’s running group at Campbell Parkway in early 2011 when he stopped to rest beneath a tree. That’s the last thing he would remember for the next 192 hours. “We were sitting there, just talking,” Ballard said. “One of the girls thought I was acting silly. She said I was lying back (against the tree), making a snoring noise. Well, that was me gasping for air.” A piece of plaque had apparently broken off from the inside of his artery as Ballard sat there on the grass, causing what doctor’s call a “widow maker” — a heart attack brought on by blockage at a key junction inside the heart. Luckily for him, one of the members of the running group was a nurse. The woman, who Ballard per her request will not identify, immediately recognized Ballard’s condition, and began CPR, both to the chest and mouth. Her actions saved his life. “I had many angels on my shoulders that day and she was one of them,” Ballard said. On his way to the hospital, paramedics had to use the defibrillator seven times to revive his dead heart. “Nine out of 10 times people who go through that never survive,” Ballard said. Later, when his wife Jane made it to the hospital, the doctors took her aside and told her his prognosis wasn’t good. And he looked like someone on death’s door — he had more than a dozen tubes sticking out of his mouth, nose and chest. “They told her there was a pretty good chance that I wouldn’t live through the night,” Ballard said. Later, they put three stents into his chest. On the fourth day, still under in a medically-induced coma, physicians successfully completed a quadruple bypass. He was slowly brought out of the coma during the seventh day. He woke up early on the eighth day. His wife’s face was the first thing he saw. This is when Ballard’s famed willpower kicked in. “I remember shuffling down the hall with the nurse techs and asking them, ‘What’s it gonna take for me to get out of here?’ And they said I’d have to do down this hall, down a flight of stairs and back up again — by myself,” Ballard said. He paused before smiling. “In three days I’d accomplished that, and they let me go home.” Back in 2009, when Ballard turned 50, he weighed more than 305 pounds. At 5-9 height, he wasn’t in good shape. “I finally had the realization that something in my life had to give. It was January. It was

cold outside. I was miserable — I just didn’t feel good about myself. So I started eating better. And I went out to (Northpark Mall) and started walking. At the time I couldn’t even walk one lap. I’d stop a quarter of the way to catch my breath. But I knew, in the back of my mind, that something (bad) might happen if I didn’t change my lifestyle, so I kept at it. Over time, I lost 50 pounds. I got to where I could walk six miles a day. So I was feeling pretty good. My next step was to join the YMCA and (participate) in their beginner’s running group. I started that in February, 2011. By April, I had gotten to where I could run three miles, which was good for me. My weight was down to 220. On April 11 is (the day) when I sat down beneath the tree — and had my heart attack.” Before the heart attack, Ballard had been training for the Armed Forces Race, scheduled for May 21, 2011. After the heart attack, he got himself to the point to where he could walk three miles, which is the distance of a 5K. In the end he kept the promise he’d made to himself — he crossed the finish line, though he did so by walking it. Members of his YMCA running class doubled back after completing

their race to surround Ballard in solidarity. As one, they crossed the finish line together. “And that was five weeks after my surgery,” Ballard said, a bit of pride in his voice. “It was a great day.” Since then, Ballard has run four full marathons, completed more than 100 races, participated in 15 half-marathons, conducted a 200-mile relay and ran an obstacle course in early 2015. But the ultimate accomplishment occurred when YMCA leaders hired him to be the organization’s running coach. He’s served in that capacity now for three years now, an RRCA-certified coach. He also helps out with the family business at Hertz Rental located at Virginia Ave. and Fourth Street. “It’s ironic,” Ballard said with a chuckle. “I’m now teaching the (beginner’s running) class that I took all those years ago, and I’ve taught it for several years now, three times a year.” For the first time in class history, Ballard helped Joplin residents train for a full marathon in 2014, which covers 26.2 miles. It took four months to train for it. Seventy Joplin residents signed up to race the Bass Pro Shop-sponsored race held on Nov. 2, 2014. Another 180 signed up to participate in the half-marathon. In total, more than 260 people traveled to Springfield to race the Conservation 26.2 Marathon. The Joplin contingent represented 7 percent of total racers that day. “It was really a lot of fun,” Ballard said. “You know, running has gotten so big in Joplin. It used to be four, five, maybe six people showing up to run. We’ve had over 100 several times (in 2015), just showing up to run or walk.” So why has Joplin embraced racing so much? And why have the number of races and marathons quadrupled in the last 10 years? “I don’t know why. It just has. I just happened to get in on it at the right time, and we’ve started promoting it heavily. I think it’s (racing’s) time. It’s now very big. It’s just growing by leaps and bounds. Everybody wants to get healthy. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get a call, a text or an e-mail from somebody who wants to start running. “And I like helping people,” Ballard continued. “I’ve received a new lease on life — that’s the way I look at it. People say, ‘You are so lucky’ and I’ll say, ‘I’m not lucky, I’m blessed to have another chance.’ I feel like I’ve been brought back and this is what my life’s ambition is now.”

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

Staying Within the Lines Adult coloring books, local coloring book club, proving more than a passing fad By Kevin McClintock Photography by Roger Nomer

When the stresses in her life nears a breaking point, Ann Leach reaches for a coloring book and a fistful of markers. “It’s so calming,” Leach said of the activity that has been sweeping the nation. “As things get crazier and crazier out there Ann Leach spends at least an hour a day working on an adult coloring book. Doing so, she says, “relaxes me.”

in the world, we need this.” Once regulated to the realm of children in elementary schools, today there are now thousands of coloring books marketed to stressed-out and overworked adults, who simply crave the quiet tranquility these

coloring sessions create. Leach usually tackles a single page per day; in fact, it’s become a part of her morning ritual. “I can center myself,” she said. “In the mornings I literally sit here (in a comfy chair next to the living room’s bay window, coloring book propped up on the right armrest). Some people read their Bibles. Some people do a daily devotional. I draw. It’s extremely relaxing.” “We’ve never seen a phenomenon like it in our 30 years of publishing,” Lesley O’Mara, managing director of British publishing company Michael O’Mara Books, said in a recent interview published in The New Yorker magazine. “We are on our 15th reprint of some of our titles. Just can’t keep them in print fast enough.” One of the most popular coloring books, titled “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt & Coloring Book,” by Johanna Basford, made Amazon’s bestselling list for December, reaching as high as No. 3. And it wasn’t the only adult coloring book on the list. Other titles included: “Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book” that reached No. 6 and “Balance, Angie’s Extreme Stress Menders, Vo. 1,” which reached No. 9. These titles shared elbow space on the list with the likes of Stephen King and Harper Lee. And in the book aisle of the local Walmart stores in Joplin, there’s entire sections dedicated to these coloring books. Leach, describing herself as a “water person,” tends to purchase and color pages that have to do with the ocean — sunsplashed waves, seashells or sting rays. Adult book illustrations are more detailed and challenging than those geared toward children, with many offering intricate drawings of a forest, deserts and seas crashing foam against sand. Sitting on a small table next to her coloring chair are several containers stuffed with all types of markers and colored pencils. “I’ve been doing this for a while now and I love that it’s a fad,” Leach said. “It’s a great family activity. Your kids color, so why not sit down and color with them?” Leach is one of many local enthusiasts

number,” Frankoski said. Future club dates are April 2, June 4, Aug. 6 and Oct. 1, 2016. Lori Marble is another adult who turns to her coloring books when stress levels reach the red. “I have always wanted to be an artist, unfortunately I have no talent,” Marble said, a mother of two who works in public relations. “Coloring books allow me to dive headfirst into my creative side while not becoming too wrapped up in the process. Ultimately, she added, “I’m simply able to enjoy myself.”

Here’s a collection of adult coloring books that Lori Marble owns. “I have issues,” she quipped about her ever-growing collection, “or a very short attention span.

who now participate in the popular Coloring Book Club that has already met twice in public. It is a collaborate effort between the Post Art Library, Connect2Culture and the Spiva Center for the Arts. With locations rotating between the library at 300 S. Main and Spiva at 222 W. 3rd St., the club meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of every other month. “Jill Sullivan (director of the Post Art Library) and I were brainstorming one day and we decided an adult coloring club would be so much fun,” said Emily Frankoski, community arts director for Connect2Culture. “From there, the idea blossomed and came to life.” Everything found in the club is free, including the supplies. “I think it is so popular because there are no expectations,” Frankoski continued. “People come to socialize, drink coffee, eat snacks and color. It’s a nice brain break.” Which is true. The top three reasons why adults, primarily women, doodle colors onto the pages of these books are really nobrainers: To relieve stress and anxiety, to

go back to their childhood and to use as an excuse to ditch technology, even if it’s just for a passing moment during the day. “Partly, it’s the nostalgia of it,” wrote Marta Churchwell in a recent Joplin Globe column about this popular activity. “It’s a retreat to the simple joys from childhood and a release of the inner child. There’s also the lack of pressure for artistic excellence. It allows expression without expectation. Then, there’s the attraction of its mindless yet mindful Zen-like qualities. It allows people to unplug from the world, get into a zone and color away stress or just unwind from the day.” The Coloring Book Club’s first two sessions, the first held in October and the second in early December, drew an average crowd of around 75. “We will now be taking RSVPs for the next session (scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6) since we run out of room each time. We decided 60 is a comfortable

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

Joplin woman uses love of color and art to aid grieving adults By Kevin McClintock Photography by Roger Nomer

Ann Leach loves adult coloring books so much she’s incorporated the concept into her busy business life. Leach is a life coach and professional grief counselor based here in Joplin. When she lectures, she gives hand-outs to audience members. But these aren’t your run-of-the-mill hand-outs. They are what Leach calls “visual notes.” Beginning this year, she plans to make copies of her completed coloring book drawings and, on the back of them, print out a plan that corresponds with the life lesson she’s teaching. For example, she says, lifting up a completed, colored, detailed picture of a seashell. “This one I think I’ll use because it reminds me of my clients collecting or attracting new clients, like seashells on a beach,” Leach said. Another page, showing the blues of an ocean, she continues,

“makes me think of being in the flow of my newsletter, so maybe I’ll put on the back of this one what my 52 topics will be for (2016).” Instead of tediously long chunks of text, the information is broken down into simple headlines, words underlined, each with an artistic header. There are all kinds of icons used throughout the pages. For example, during a lecture about living a life with love, hearts and the color red dominate the page: There are big hearts and small hearts, with little heart-like symbols representing each bullet point. To contrast the reds, there’s a swath of blue for the sky and a splash of yellow representing the sun. Certain phrases are underlined, with some letters spaced apart with cleverly-drawn red dots. Using images, bright colors and neat, precise icons, Leach is able to make her marketing materials stand out from the crowd. She is constantly coming up with new icons to add to future documents. The icons are key, in a way, since they help the material leap off the page, right alongside the bold colors, large numbers and the trademark little banner at the page’s top. “When I find an icon I want to learn,

Using her love for adult coloring books, Ann Leach has incorporated using colored doodles and icons into her professional work, ranging from thank you cards to samples she hands out during the seminars she leads nationwide.

JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

I practice it,” she said. “I’ll practice them (over and over again) in front of the TV, using my markers and my sketchbook. I do that three times a week, for about 30 minutes (each).” She came across the concept five years ago. “I think it was in 2009 that I came across the work of Christina Merkley in Victoria, Canada,” Leach said. “I hired her to help me with my business and after our first session she sent a visual map of my life story. I was wowed. And I thought, ‘I’d like to do that with my own note taking.’ I followed up and attended a graphic recording training that she held and I’ve been using the skills and tools ever since.” In fact, Leach added with a bright chuckle, “I’ll probably draw my own funeral announcement.”

The link below was created by Leach specifically for you, the J MAG reader, to begin 2016 with a purpose and sharper focus. Want your own copy of a visual map? Visit the link below and you’ll receive a free download. Enjoy: www.chartyourcoursegraphics.com/visual-map. JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

Looking for something to do this winter? By J MAG staff

Caught in the icy clasp of the winter’s blues? Looking for a way to get out of the long and drawn-out funk that always hits post-holidays, when there’s a long stretch of frigid and frozen winter “blahs” that continually crop up between the new year and the end of February? Don’t fret. With this handy calendar, you’ll be able to schedule a date outside the house and away from Old Winter Blue. • Grand Ole Opry veteran and favorite singer/actor Roy Clark will take to the stage on Sunday, Jan. 31, inside Buffalo Run Casino’s Indoor Peoria Showplace. Clark has performed inside Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Moscow’s Rossiya Theatre, and he now finds himself headlining a 5 p.m. show right here in the Four State region. Details: Tickets range from $25-30 — call 918.542.7140 for more information.

• Running from Wednesday, Feb. 3 through Sunday, Feb. 7, be sure to head over to the longest continuously running community theater located west of the Mississippi River at 3009 W. 1st Street to check out the very first Joplin play of 2016. Think of “Seven Keys to Baldpate,” which is directed by Jim Lile, as a “formulaic melodrama typical of the 1930s with a satirical and farcical send-up of those same melodramatic stereotypes.” Novelist Billy McGee makes a bet with a wealthy friend that he can write a 10,000word story within 24 hours. He retires to

a summer mountain resort in the dead of winter and locks himself in, believing he has the sole key. However, he is visited during the night by a rapid succession of other people, including a corrupt politician, a crooked cop, a hermit, a feisty girl reporter and a gang of criminals — none of whom have any trouble getting into the remote Inn. Curtains open at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Details: For ticket information, call 417.623.3638. • The curtains open on Stone Throw Theater’s latest play, “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” on Friday, Feb. 5, and runs through Sunday, Feb. 7, as well as Friday, Feb. 12 through Sunday, Feb. 14. Written by Neil Simon, this play premiered on Broadway in 1969. It follows the life of Barney Cashman, a middle-aged married man who wants to join the sexual revolution before it passes him by. Having been a kind and faithful man all of his life, he launches — and comically

fails — in his attempts to seduce three women, including a sexpot and a staunch conservative. The Stone’s Throw production is being directed by Betsy Fleischaker. Details: For ticket reservations, call 417.358.9665.

• The folks at Stained Glass Theater will be holding their winter play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” from 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, through Saturday, Feb. 13 and Thursday, Feb. 18, through Saturday, Feb. 20, and from 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, and Sunday, Feb. 21. The play will be directed by Gregg Murdock. The cast has been named and includes: Zach Bradley,

Mary McWethy, Shy Rees, Lydia Wolfe, Jonathan Roesler, Jeremey Wolfe, Travis Hurley, Lee Doss, Jeff Ray, Bill Weaver, Sid Davis, Marcus Van Dorn, Jacob Ray and Zach Roesler. Details: The box office opens 45 minutes before each performance and tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the play.

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• On Friday, Feb. 12, world class entertainment comes to our little corner of the world when the Glenn Miller Orchestra strikes up jazz tunes beginning at 7 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School. The biggest of the socalled “Big Bands” during the swing era, the group of musicians formed by Glenn Miller began playing their own unique style and sound in 1938. A year later, Miller had 17 hits at or near the No. 1 spot in America. By 1940, the band had another 31 top 10 hits under their belts, followed by another 11 in 1942. Some of their greatest hits include “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “A String of Pearls,” “(I’ve Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo,” “Tuxedo Junction” and “Little Brown Jug.” The Glenn Miller Orchestra was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943 when, in 1944, Miller was traveling to entertain the U.S. troops in France during World War II when his aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel. Eventually, a new

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Glenn Miller Orchestra band was formed in 1956, named in memory of Miller. For the last 60 years, this band has recorded and performed under various leaders. Currently, the band is led by Nick Hilscher, who has been the touring director since 2012. The stop in Joplin is just one of 300 live dates the band performs each year. Details: Tickets go on sale on Monday, Jan. 25. Call 417.781.5124. • Lorrie Morgan, who has recorded more than 15 studio country albums and sold more than six million albums worldwide, will headline a concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13. at the Pavillion at Downstream Casino. Her latest album, 2013’s “Dos Divas,” was recorded with Pam Tillis. • On Friday, Feb. 26, Joplin’s Pro Musica will present Chanticleer, which will

perform at 7 p.m. inside the Central Christian Center at 5th and Virginia. Called the “world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker magazine, this San Francisco-based ensemble is celebrating its 38th season. Chanticleer is known around the world as an “orchestra of voices” and includes 12 male voices ranging from soprano to bass and singing a wide-range of music, from the distant Renaissance to jazz and more contemporary music. At 6:30 p.m., the Missouri Southern Choral, led by David Sharlow, will present a pre-concert. Details: For information about this freeto-the-public concert, call 417.625.1822. • On Saturday, Feb. 27, the cold temperatures outside could melt thanks to the heat found inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center was the Missouri Southern State University Lions clash with their heated and hated rival, the Gorillas of Pittsburg State University. The women face off in the State Farm Trophy Series match at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s teams at 3 p.m.

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Written by Brad Belk Photography by Joplin Historical & Mineral Museums, Inc.

Mining the Past Mills: The ore that was mined in the TriState Mining District was seldom in the form of pure lead or zinc. The minerals of the district were not all deposited at the same time. There were perhaps six or seven major periods of mineralization, with somewhat different assortment of minerals laid down in each period. This resulted in some minerals being layered on top of those that had been previously deposited. Geologist’s refer to this as “paragenesis.” Therefore, the miner’s ore buckets filled below the surface contained a combination of associated minerals and rock. Once the full ore buckets were brought to the surface, the separation process began. The purpose of the mills that dotted the landscape was to separate the various rocks and minerals always concentrating on the valuable lead and zinc ore. These concentration plants separated millions upon millions of waste rock and ore. By the 1920s the milling procedures continued to evolve with most

Miners Mill

Tri-State mills using gravity separation combined with froth flotation. In a typical mill, the ore went through several stages of processing, each involving several stages resulting in the same repeated functions of crushing, washing and separating. The waste material from the mills was kicked

out forming huge chat piles. This is what most people remember from the mining era — the tailings or mountains of waste rock. Today the chat piles continue to dwindle and only a few foundations of the mills remain as a testimony to the prolific lead and zinc mining era.

Mineral Museum:

Mules: Mules were an integral part of the early days of lead and zinc mining. Without the mules pulling the extremely heavy ore cans long distances underground to the shaft, the most prolific zinc story in the United States would never have been written. The miners laid rails on the mine floors so the mules could pull a line of ore carts loaded with cans of ore. Miners and mules working in tandem relying on each other became a part of life underground. These slow, steady and sure-footed natural pullers in a harness could be taught a work skill in half the time it took to teach a horse. Their ability to work in small, close quarters, their dog-like friendliness and desire to please made them a natural coworker as well as faithful companion to the men toiling long hours underground. Mules were involved in many legendary stories. Miners told the story of their ability to sense a movement in the earth which in some instances resulted in a cave in. Their uncanny ability to tell time, pinpointing within minutes break-times, noon time and quitting time simply added to their charming qualities.

The Schifferdecker Mineral Museum officially opened on Sunday, May 17, 1931. The museum was dedicated to the lead and zinc mining industry of the Tri-State District. Charles A. Neal, president of the TriState Zinc and Lead Ore Producersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association, christened the museum on that memorable day. The two-story concrete museum building was originally a concession stand in Electric Park (19091914). Harry Kingsbury, a retired ore buyer for the American Metal Company, was appointed the first caretaker/custodian of the newly created museum. Several zinc companies and local citizens donated $2,000 for display cases as well as materials to convert the former concession stand into a museum. The original museum committee in charge of the museum was Joe H. Myers, Joplin city commissioner of public property and public utilities, Fred H. Nesbitt representing the Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association and J. H. Wadleigh with the Joplin Globe. The museum that showcases the most fascinating lead and zinc specimens in the world will be celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2016.

Joplin Mineral Mu

seum

Spotlight Biographies John Malang: Joplin resident John Malang began his legendary career in 1914 as the superintendent of the Joplin Special Road District. Under his direction four years later, the “first” concrete highway was constructed in the state of Missouri. The 18-foot wide paved road ran from Webb City to the Kansas state line. In 1919, he was appointed as the “first” Missouri superintendent of the highways. In Missouri history, Malang will be forever remembered as the “Father of the Missouri Highway System.” He earned this title by developing the first united Missouri Highway plan, authoring the Morgan-McCullough Law which started the first highway program, and was instrumental in instituting the first 2 cent sales tax on gasoline, which financed the state’s first highway department. Malang

Joplin Miners Park

coined the phrase “Lift Missouri Out of the Mud,” which referred to the completely undriveable conditions of the pitifully inadequate dirt road system he inherited. In 1920, he led the way in passing the first state road bond proposal in the amount of $60 million. Long before the automobile became an iconic symbol of the 20th Century, John Malang had already forecasted its future.

Murwin Mosler: Murwin Mosler was a

master recorder at capturing a “moment in time.” His photographic artistry touched lives while freezing history with a click of a button. His images would tell the stories of Joplin, a monumental collection that monitored daily life as well as anyone in his profession. His eye for detail behind the camera was equaled by his record keeping. The true value of his creations had real meaning — names, locations and dates. He understood the relevance of those records for they defined the story and the importance of these magical moments. Joplin has had some

outstanding photographers, but none of them meticulously preserved their work like he did. His incomparable collection continues to tell the history of Joplin by visually explaining the true significance of the past.

Donald C. McKee: Donald C. McKee in

1948 was named president and general manager of Empire District Electric Company. He was elected at Empire’s Board of Directors meeting on April 13, 1948, to fill the vacancy created by former president James Harsh. Newly-elected

president McKee joined Empire in 1920. He previously had served in various engineering and executive capacities. In 1935, he was elected to the board of directors and later held positions of vice president and assistant general manager. Regionally, he served as president of the Missouri Valley Electric Association, president of the Petroleum Electric Power Association, vice president of the Missouri Utilities Association and director of the Oklahoma Utilities Association. Locally, McKee served as president of the Joplin Rotary Club and was a two-term president of the Joplin Chamber of Commerce. He remained president of Empire until 1959. Eleven years later he retired from the utility company.

Miners Park: The first game played at Miners Park located at Third & High occurred on April 20, 1917. The baseball park construction began one year earlier. The first regular season game was scheduled for April 18; however, the weather failed to cooperate. With two days of rain in a row, the muchanticipated opening day was postponed until April 20. Following a grand parade through Joplin streets, 2,000 baseball fans watched the Miners beat the Lincoln, Nebraska Ducklings by a score of 5-3. A fire destroyed the park in 1936. The entire wooden grandstands ignited as though it was combustible tender wood. The teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes, bats, gloves, uniforms and

Murwin

Mosler

other related equipment also perished in the blaze. The stadium was rebuilt and remained until another devastating fire in 1971. In 1956, the Joplin Miners Association, which owned the park and grounds, offered the ballpark to the City of Joplin. The Joplin City Council, during a 1956 business meeting, took possession of the ballpark. It was at this time the facility was renamed as Joe Becker Stadium. The longtime home of the Missouri Southern State University Lions and Joplin Eagles until just recently, it is now the home park for the Joplin Blasters.

Day Trippin’:

A trip to Crystal Bridges Written and photographed by Kevin McClintock

Roll out of bed, pour coffee to go and hop in the car — it’s time for a day trip to the 23rd fastest growing area in the United States — Northwest Arkansas. Now, we say Northwest Arkansas, which makes it sound like this huge and sprawling area, but it’s essentially five cities all stacked up one right after the other along Interstate 49: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista, the third,

fourth, eighth and 10th and 17th largest cities found in the Natural State. Crystal Bridges, located in northern Bentonville, is really a day trip unto itself, which is why we chose it. It offers loads of educational family fun, so be sure to grab the kids for this one. Featured here are the major highlights to see in a single day within this 120-odd acre destination. We’ve planned and tested the itinerary, all

you have to do is get in the car and drive the hour-and-seven minute trek. Mix and match with adventures from the alternates section if you want, or go again another day. With Crystal Bridges just 60 miles away, Bentonville and the surrounding Northwest Arkansas area is worth repeating.

First stop — Crystal Bridges Inside 11:00 a.m. In a little more than five years, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has become Northwest Arkansas’ No. 1 tourist destination. And it’s no surprise why. You simply don’t find museums like this located in the heart of a city with a 40,000 population. But then again, Bentonville isn’t your average small town — it’s home to Walmart. And Alice Walton, daughter

of Walmart founder Sam Walton, spearheaded the development of this 217,000-square-foot museum. Art historian John Wilmerding said the museum ranks at least in the top half-dozen of American art museums and its “quality and its range and depth already place it among one of the very best.” Since the museum, built atop two manmade lakes, is located at the bottom of two ravines, you have to take a speedy (and we mean speedy!) elevator ride that plummets you from the parking level to the museum level four stories below. You instantly come across the 30-foot-tall Maman, a 1999 bronze, steel and marble spider sculpture dominating the museum’s entrance. Inside, there are several galleries — Native Americans, Colonial, 19th Century, 20th Century and 1940s to Now, among others. The

beauty of art museums is that everyone will have their own and unique list of favorites, that may change upon multiple viewings. One painting that you may have overlooked during one visit may immediately galvanize you the next. For me, my person favorites include: Thomas Cole’s “Landscape with Indian” in the Changing Perspectives of Native Americans gallery; “A Tight Fix — Bear Hunter, Early Winter (The Life of a Hunter: A Tight Fix)” by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait and “Winter Scene in Brooklyn” by Francis Guy, both located in the Colonial to Early 19th Century Gallery; “Depression Bread Line,” a lifesized plaster, wood and metal sculpture by George Segal in the Early 20th Century Gallery; and William Trost Richard’s “Along the Shore” in the Late 19th Century Gallery.

JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

structure, “The Way of Color.” In all, there are seven different trails, with most running a half-mile; the longest nearly two miles.

Fourth stop — Bachman-Wilson House 1:53 p.m. By taking the Art Trail, I was also able to visit one of the newest additions/ attractions to Crystal Bridges, the Bachman-Wilson House designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is just a brief walk from the museum’s south entrance, and like the museum itself, it is free. The house was built in 1954 in Millstone, New Jersey and, earlier this year, was shipped 1,200 miles to the museum campus. As quoted from a hand-out I received at the south entrance, the house features a “dramatic open floor plan, mahogany-framed glazed panels, and a deliberate use of natural elements.” It is a “stellar example from Wright’s Usonian period.”

their adult families. Everything found inside this museum is hands-on and designed to be touched and interacted with. The Jones Center (922 E. Emma Ave., Springdale), a massive indoor recreational facility for both kids and adults, and includes an ice skating rink. Pea Ridge National Military Park (15930 E. Highway 62, Pea Ridge) is a 4,300-acre national park preserving the artifacts and memories left over from the

Battle of Pea Ridge, which was fought on Marcy 7-8, 1862. A highlight is the historic Elkhorn Tavern. The Clinton House (930 W. Clinton Drive, Fayetteville) was the first home of Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham while they both taught at the University of Arkansas School of Law. The house operates as a museum and contains many pieces of Clinton election memorabilia as well as Hillary Clinton’s wedding dress.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Frank Lloyd Wright House 600 Museum Way, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays Closed Tuesdays 479.418.5700 Free admission

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3701 East 7th Street, Joplin, MO 417.781.1711 www.masonwoodard.com JAN • FEB 2016 | JMAG

Pet Tales:

Puppy Playtime Photographer shares pictures of Joplin dog park By Kevin McClintock Photography courtesy Christopher Guiney

A collie asleep with his owner in the grass. A terrier fetching a tennis ball. A brown lab grinning, eyes closed, to the camera. Two dachshunds, tongues lolling, enjoying life following a romp. Two buddies, one blue-eyed and the other baby brown, playing a friendly game of tug-of-war. These are the everyday scenes captured by Joplin photographer Christopher Guiney inside the Joplin Parr Hill Dog Park. Under the name John Henry 56

JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

Holliday (the name of famed gunslinger Doc Holliday), he uploads the pictures to the dog park’s popular Facebook page for other dog lovers to enjoy. The Facebook page is a must-see for anybody interested in attending this park. Like kids discussing plans after school or during recess, it’s really cool to stroll through the comments and read about how a Mishka, Indigo or Syed — or even Guiney’s beloved Australian Shepherd — will be out at the park at a specific time so other dogs can show up there for a play date. There are videos, too, including one

showing Chester and Gabbie having a blast in the grass. “I worked for a doggy day care while going to college in California, and photographing dogs was a natural progression of the meeting of two of my favorite hobbies,” Guiney said. “Photography allows the person behind the camera to take an object of everyday life and present it in any way they see fit. Dogs in particular have personalities and attitudes that are as diverse and unique as their owners, and I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of discovering that persona and

“All the pictures I take are free for the owners or anyone else to use as they see fit... I feel very lucky to have a great hobby that not only brings joy to others but is something I truly love doing.”

presenting it in a way that the owner can instantly recognize and appreciate.” Guiney’s pictures aren’t just snippets of dogs frolicking around inside the fencedin park in blurred and chaotic action: Like only good photographers and their photographs can do, they convey a story. Maybe it’s Heather triumphantly returning a tennis ball to a waiting owner. Perhaps it’s Bobo captured in that universal canine display of doggy play — body arched, head close to the ground, butt high in the air, huge grin splashed across the face. Or it might be Janice, sprawled on a warm clump of grass, eyes bright and happy but

joyfully tired following a fierce chase with other four-legged friends. Owners of the dogs Guiney photographs can download the pictures free of charge. In a way, it’s his gift to the Joplin dog community. “All the pictures I take are free for the owners or anyone else to use as they see fit,” Guiney said. “I feel very lucky to have a great hobby that not only brings joy to others but is something I truly love doing. Hopefully it will help draw more dogs and owners to the park as well.” Located at 18th and Kansas inside Parr Hill Park next to the southeast playground

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JMAG | JAN • FEB 2016

area the dog area is the only one of its type found anywhere in Joplin. However, safety must come first. You can’t just show up there with your dog and a fetching stick. You first must bring your pet’s veterinarian records (all dogs must have updated vaccinations and be neutered or sterilized) to the city’s Parks and Recreation office at 3010 West First St. and pay an admission fee to utilize the park (the fee is $8 for the first dog, $4 for additional canines). The fee covers the

cost of the magnetic gate card that all approved owners receive in order to access the off-leash, fenced-in dog area, as well as the tag that must be attached to dog’s collar at all times while they play there. The dog park includes drinking fountains for both dogs and humans, a giant shade structure and resting benches. There’s an area for small dogs and big dogs, with the line divided at the 30-pound mark. Only two dogs per person are allowed inside the park during a visit.

“The community and spirit of this town is wonderful, and it’s great seeing how much Joplin has grown and changed in the years I’ve been a resident.”

And it should go without saying that you’re responsible for any “deposits” your dog might happen to make during his time spent at the park. There are waste cans located nearby. The park is open from 6 a.m. until sundown. Parr Hill suffered horrific damage from the 2011 tornado, but the $50,000 dog park was one of the brand new amenities found at the park when it re-opened to the public in mid-2013. “I am very grateful to Mars pet care and the city for providing this wonderful place for us that allows both dogs and owners some healthy and enjoyable socialization time,” Guiney said. “The community and spirit of this town is wonderful, and it’s great seeing how much Joplin has grown and changed in the (seven) years I’ve been a resident.”

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Golden Age of video games comes to Four States By Kevin McClintock Photography by Laurie Sisk

Two Joplin men are bringing back the Golden Age of arcades to local gamers. Aaron Hailey and Brandon Miller are owners of MobilCade, which is essentially an arcade on wheels. The concept behind the idea, Hailey said, was an easy one. He has fond memories of playing some of the classic arcade games — “Galaga,” “Ms. Pac Man,” “Dungeon’s Lair” and “Mortal Kombat” — inside the Aladdin’s Castle and Just Fun arcades, which were popular destinations for gamers inside Northpark Mall during the 1980s and 1990s.

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“I’ve been a gamer forever,” Hailey, 33, said. “I miss the old arcade days; my friends and I spent a lot of time in the arcades. I just thought: Why couldn’t I make a portable arcade ... that can go almost anywhere, to bring the (games) to the gamers?” Hailey spent a lot of time getting a proper hold on the idea, working out the kinks on paper. He knew it could work. But he realized he couldn’t do it alone. So he approached his buddy, Miller, about the idea of joining together

to make MobilCade a reality. To say Miller’s reaction to the business plan and partnership proposal was enthusiastic would be an understatement. “He thought it was the coolest idea in the world,” Hailey said with a chuckle. “Once I got him to calm down about the idea, he was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ He was extremely excited. (And) I knew it was a cool idea; I knew I could make it work.” Hailey wasn’t the first person to come up with the idea. Other businessmen in other states have launched similar operations; some of them quite large, with branching franchises — but not locally. Their MobilCade was the first to serve gamers in the Four-State Area. So back in the July, the two men purchased a 24-foot trailer from Joplin’s Tricks 4 Trucks and, working through the summer heat, began converting the interior into a comfortable arcade. “It was just a shell, plywood floors and walls, so Brandon and I put in the ceiling, all the wiring, the couches. It was like renovating your house, in a way,” Hailey said. “We did most of it in one week. We probably have a couple hundred hours invested in (the trailer), I would imagine.” But the work was well worth it. The trailer was converted into a comfortable, climate-controlled environment — similar

“Really, the hard part isn’t to the dark and loud interiors of those classic 1980s arcades — with custom LED lighting running along the walls, five separate gaming stations and plush, comfortable couches sitting across from each of the five 50-inch LED, high-quality monitors hanging from the wall. Four of the stations offer Xbox 360 consoles and a huge library of games, ranging from the “Halo” series to all the varied “Call of Duty” games. The fifth station utilizes a Nintendo Wii U for highly addictive “Mario Kart” racing. When asked if he sneaks out here at nights for some therapeutic, tensionreleasing gaming sessions, Hailey just chuckled and shook his head. “I get asked that a lot, ‘Do I ever leave the trailer?’” he said. “Honestly, I’m never in it unless there’s an event. I have three little ones, so I don’t get out here and play like you’d think I would. Truthfully, what I do like is watching the kids come in here

getting people to come in ... The hard part is getting them to leave.”

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and play. I love to facilitate. I love the idea of (MobilCade); I love that it’s an original idea for this area. I love that everybody has been receptive to the idea like we’d hoped it would be.” MobilCade went live at the start of October, and already, it has made a visible impact in the area: the Maple Leaf Festival in Carthage, a Third Thursday evening in downtown Joplin, a fall festival at a local church and, most recently, helping to launch “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3” on Nov. 6 at the GameStop store in Joplin. “Really, the hard part isn’t getting (people) to come in,” Hailey said with a grin. “The hard part is getting them to leave.” While MobilCade’s bread and butter will most likely be birthday and graduation parties (up to 15 kids can fit into the trailer to play at one time — $200 for the first hour or $300 for three hours), the sky’s the limit, really, when it comes to promotional gigs, whether it’s repeating what they did at the Joplin GameStop for a future title, such as a new “Halo” game, or showing up at a gaming store on Black Friday or parking near a theater during premier night of a

new blockbuster movie with direct game Still, MobilCade is as about as close as tie-ins that can be played inside the trailer one can get “to that multiplayer fun, where such as the new “Star Wars” movie this a 12-man ‘Halo’ tournament can happen,” December. Hailey said. “That’s really what we’re after, Hailey also is looking hard into here. Arcades have changed. They aren’t organizing future multiplayer gaming what they used to be. We see ourselves as competitions throughout the area kind of a new school of arcades; I think — maybe “Halo” or “Call of Duty” that’s what makes us unique and what competitions, either held monthly or makes people respect us for who (and during major holidays, such as New Year’s what) we are.” Eve. Concerning the latter, it would give “We just took the idea of the 1980s teens younger than 18 the opportunity arcade and made it portable.” to do something during a holiday usually associated with adults. Perhaps MobilCade isn’t a direct copy of an ’80s arcade To book MobilCade for a — nothing but a full-on vintage arcade could reparty, call either Hailey or create that dark and moody Miller at 888-870-4221 or decor, splashes of neon, games constantly flashing go online to www.mobilcade. colors and sound, with us for additional details. people marking their place in line for a popular game with a quarter or token nestled into the top of the gaming cabinet.