Joplin Metro Magazine, Home Show 2013, September 2013 by Joplin Metro Magazine

Thomas J. Kennedy of Missouri, DDS, LLC, and Associates General Dentistry

Dr. Joe Robinson Dr. Ty Barnes

Thomas J. Kennedy of Oklahoma, DDS, PLLC, and Associates General Dentistry

Dr. Johnny Maravich Dr. Sebastian Tietze

Dr. Bradley Acker Dr. Karl Gubser

Volume 4 | issue 5 | september 2013

oplin Metro Magazine

13 i n each i ssu e

13 on the cover: J Mag Home Show

34 • Brown family’s modern home • Schifferdecker home • Home buying trends • Bargain hunting

4 Calendar 6 the scene

40 profile: Ryan Hurn’s drumming

10 the 10-spot

44 Profile: Shopping for arts and crafts

55 the J list

has taken Branson by storm

in Arkansas

32 style: The Pearl Boutique

48 Profile: Halloween Haunts

34 Profile: Bill Martin—Urban Explorer

48 music to the ears: Totojojo

56 the parting shot

38 Profile: Gary Wheat runs

nearly 58,000 miles

THE J TEAM EDITOR Kevin McClintock Phone: 417.627.7279 Fax: 417.623.8598 E-Mail: kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com MAGAZINE WRITER Ryan Richardson CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Scott Meeker

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Scott Meeker Andra Bryan Stefanoni Michael Coonrod

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Roma Harmon Regina Carnahan Barry Linduff Michael Duntz Jimi Adams PHOTOGRAPHERS T. Rob Brown Roger Nomer Curtis Almeter B.W. Shepherd Ryan Richardson Andra Bryan Stefanoni COVER PHOTO B.W. Shepherd

COVER DESIGN Jimi Adams GRAPHIC DESIGN Gaila Osborn THE J O P LIN G LO B E PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Mike Beatty Phone: 417.627.7291 Fax: 417.623.8450 E-Mail: mbeatty@joplinglobe.com EDITOR Carol Stark Phone: 417.627.7278 Fax: 417.623.8598 E-Mail: cstark@joplinglobe.com

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Brent Powers Phone: 417.627.7233 E-mail: bpowers@joplinglobe.com SALES MANAGER Janette Cooper Phone: 417.627.7236 Fax: 417.623.8450 E-Mail: jcooper@joplinglobe.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jack Kaminsky Phone: 417.627.7341 Fax: 417.623-8450 E-Mail: jkaminsky@joplinglobe.com

DIRECTOR OF MAGAZINES Julie Damer Phone: 417.627.7323 Fax: 417.623.8450 E-Mail: jdamer@joplinglobe.com Joplin Metro Magazine is a publication of Newspaper Holdings Inc. and is published monthly. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without 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.

from the editor

“There’s no place like home.”

My wife and I had to drop off some heirlooms to family in Greensburg, Penn., a few years ago. Didn’t think much of it. To me, it’s all lines and colored circles on a McNally map. It certainly wasn’t a vacation. And it wasn’t really a business trip. It was just something we had to do. We left Joplin with the sun in our eyes before 8 a.m. and ended our first day with the sun directly behind us,

Minutes later, as we stepped inside the house, as we collapsed onto the sofa

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 Joplin Metro Magazine, 117 E. Fourth St., Joplin, Mo. 64801 or by calling us at 417-627-7279.

Kevin McClintock, Editor Joplin Metro Magazine

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In this issue, you will also read about a local urban explorer, some of the area’s favorite Halloween haunts, a look into popular arts and craft shows in Northwest Arkansas, popular local band Totojojo and a nice feature by Michael Coonrod about a JHS graduate who is making it big in the music industry.

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t’s probably one of the most recognized quotes from “The Wizard of Oz.” The phrase is likely spoken by road-weary families stepping inside their homes for the first time following a long vacation or business trip. No matter how sweet that hotel suite is; no matter how nice your second cousins in Kansas are, absolutely nothing compares to the comforts — and bed — of your home.

When we woke up on our third day, both the wife and I were sore, tired, cranky — and dreading the 700 mile drive back to Joplin. In fact, it was probably the first time in my life where I actually dreaded a drive. I think I said more than once that I wish I could just hit this imaginary red button and ~POOF~ we’d be home. But there was no red button. Only the ignition key. So I turned it and, one mile after another, we slowly boot scooted our way back through Indiana, back through Terre Haute, stopped for lunch at a town called “Effingham,” sighed with relief when we spied the Gateway Arch on the horizon, sweated our way through that never-ending stretch of road between St. Louis and Rolla, and finally — FINALLY — entered Joplin with the setting sun directly in our eyes.

This issue of J-Mag, in essence, is all about the home. The comforts of the home. How to buy a home, or maintain the home you already have. Currently, Joplin is a buyer’s market when it comes to homes. There’s never been a better time to snatch up your dream home — especially for firsttime home buyers.

We spent the night at a Drury Inn just off Highway 70. Next morning, we jumped back into the car and drove from Dayton to Greensburg — a nifty little jaunt of about four hours. There, we dropped off our package, ate a quick pizza pie, turned back to the west, and retraced our tire treads back to Dayton, back to the same Drury Inn for another night. In all, about nine hours spent on the road.

in front of the television, with the dog and cats happy to see us, there was never a better feeling in the world than being inside our home.

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searing our eyes, in Dayton, Ohio — a haul of roughly 650 miles, or nearly 10 hours on the road. Not bad.

calendar

October PAW S IN THE PAR K Grab your four-legged friend and head out to the Joplin Humane Society’s 12th annual Paws in the Park celebration. There will be a one-mile fun walk beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Joplin Humane Society’s building at 140 Emperor Lane on North Main Street. Aside from the walk, there will be food, games and vendors. There will also be a weenie dog race beginning at 11 a.m. For the first time ever, there will be a “Show’n the Love” bike ride. All riders will meet at the shelter and enjoy the festivities until noon. From there, there will be a parade of bikes launching from the shelter grounds and ending at the Hideout Harley Davidson on South Main Street. And please, while you’re there, adopt a dog or cat in need. Or give a monetary donation. Just $35 will help spay/ neuter a dog or cat. A $50 donation will supply a warm bed for a dog or cat inside the kennel. A $70 donation will help sponsor the adoption fee for a four-legged friend, and $100 will help cover all vetting and adoption fees.

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ART THIR D THURS D AY 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, Third Thursday through downtown Joplin offers great food, music, art and shopping opportunities.

MUSIC p r o m u s i c a co n c e r t 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 24, Ozark Christian College Chapel, 1111 N. Main St. Founded in 2008, the Linden String Quartet has enjoyed remarkable success, including winning the 2010 Concert Artists Guild competition and obtaining a gold medal and grand prize in the 2009 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. B IR D S , B LUE G RASS & B B Q 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy and evening under the stars at Wildcat Park with music from Red Bridge Bluegrass, barbeque and a fabulous silent auction. This event will raise funds for the Audubon

Center education programs. Tickets are $30 per person, and includes dinner and two beverages of your choice. Ages 21 and older. Tickets are available at the Heron’s Nest nature store at the Audubon Center. For more information, call 417.781.6287. Pre-registration required. FAMILY FESTIVAL AN D PARA D E The 47th annual Maple Leaf Festival and parade will take place from Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 20. The festival began in the late 1960s as a marching band competition. Since then, 80,000 visitors come to the Maple Leaf City to view the celebration and one of Missouri’s largest, longest parades. The parade, set for Saturday, Oct. 19, runs from 9 a.m. to noon. The parade will also feature a city favorite: the Willie Arthur Smith’s Marching Cobras. There will also be an arts and crafts festival, a car and dog show, a quilt show, a family run/walk, beauty pageants, a baby and toddler content, a chili cook-off and salsa competition,

a gospel sing and a lip-synching competition.

FRESH FRUITS AN D VE G G IES 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday of the month at the Memorial Hall parking lot. Sample the most recent fresh fruits and veggies from local vendors. There is no fee this year to be a vendor in the Joplin Farmers Market. For information, call 417.624.0820. D OLLS 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Joplin Senior Citizen Center. Peruse over more than 300 antique, modern and reproduction dolls at the annual Heartland Doll Club Show & Sale. There will also be supplies, clothes and

TRIC K OR TREAT 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, kids in costumes are welcome to drop

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VINTAG E MAR K ET D AYS 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, and Saturday, Oct. 12, as well as 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Jack Lawton Webb Convention Center. Vintage Market Days is an upscale, vintage-inspired indoor/outdoor market featuring a gathering place for shopping all under one roof. Shoppers will find clothing for adults and children, vintage jewelry and home furnishings, re-purposed items for decorating your home alongside vintage-inspired jewelry made by local artists. Unique and oneof-a-kind items will also be available for sale as well as specialty foods and even home scents.

FITNESS MOTHER ROA D MARATHON 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13, the Mother Road Marathon is the only race in the country where marathon runners can run through three states along historic Route 66 and a number of towns, from Commerce, Okla., through Kansas and ending in Joplin. Don’t miss this opportunity to get your personal best on a piece of this historic highway! Participants in each event receive a tech shirt and finishers in the full and half marathon will receive a goodie bag and finishers medal. Age group awards for ages 16-75-plus.

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D IRT B I K ES 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 13, five miles west of Highways 71 and 60, the sixth annual Run-What-Ya-Brung Dirt Drags take place, presented by the Covenant Motorcycle Ministry. Free camping, all weekend, with live music on both nights. Free vendor spaces, along with Saturday biker games and activities, including slow races, dirt drags, tugof-wars and rail ridings.

collectibles. For more information, call 417.438.4627.

THEATER G Y P SY ROSE LEE 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Friday, Sept. 27, and Saturday, Sept. 28, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, the folks at the Joplin Little Theater will be putting on the musical “Gypsy,” which is directed by Greg Swartz. Based on the memoirs of famous striptease artist, Gypsy Rose Lee. The musical tells the story of the dreams and efforts of “Mama Rose” to raise her two daughters to perform onstage. Songs will include “Everything’s Comin’ Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You” and “Some People.” For tickets, call 417.623.3638.

ROC K Y HORROR SHO W 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 26, for the first time ever in the history of Joplin’s Little Theater — the oldest continuously operating community theater west of the Mississippi — the “Rocky Horror Show” will be played on stage and in front of a live, if rowdy, audience. For tickets, call 417.623.3638.

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by the children’s desk inside the Joplin Public Library, 300 S. Main St., for some treats any time during the day. The library will be open until 8 p.m. on Halloween. For more information, call 417.623.7953.

the scene

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Photography by Roger Nomer

Joplin kindergarten students gather together to read aloud from the book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Groovy Granny and the Character Bees,â&#x20AC;? written by author Sheila Gunlock.

This young Joplin student, Noah Wilcoxon, sports some spikey hair during his days at school.

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Kindergartner Ilee Branstetter poses for a photo with Joplin Superintendent CJ Huff inside Cecil Floyd Elementary School in mid-August. In 2013, Huff continued his annual tradition of taking a photo with every kindergarten student in this district.

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the scene

t h e ba n d p e r ry

Photography by Ryan Richardson

Lead singer Kimberly Perry also serves as a guitarist for The Band Perry. Flanked by her younger brothers, Neil and Reid, the band put on a nearly twohour set at Joplin’s Downstream Casino in early September.

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Bassist Reid Peery hits the right notes during the band’s second song. The band has been playing music since 1998. Brothers Reid and Neil supported their sister’s earlier bands.

Kimberly Perry ditches the guitar for a full vocal performance of Dolly Parton’s hit, “I Will Always Love You.”

the 10 spot

green living

By Scott Meeker and Kevin McClintock Photography by T. Rob Brown

Ten ways for Joplin residents to “live green”

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n terms of energy efficiency, the future is here and it’s at 2215 W. 27th St.

The 2,200-square-foot residence — billed as Joplin’s first reproducible green home — is owned by Frank Schaffer II, president of F.E. Schaffer Construction. The house, built on a property belonging to Schaffer’s mother, wiped out after the May 22 tornado, utilizes the most up-to-date efficiency technology. “Every single circuit in the house has a monitoring system to it,” Schaffer said. He has an app on his iPhone that offers a series of bar graphs and percentages, breaking down the current and past energy usage statistics from all over his house. “I can monitor and calculate all of our

costs right here for the past day, or past week. We have three kids. If they were to leave the fridge door open, the parameters can be set so that it sends us a text alert so we know something’s going on.” From the AC unit and tankless water system to the hydronic furnace and plumbing system, everything has been designed to lower utility costs by making a much smaller energy footprint. Other key components to the home’s success is the thermal enclosure system. There’s also the two and a half ton HVAC system, and the hydronic furnace that taps into the tankless water heaters to heat the home. While outfitting a home with topof-the-line technology does require a significant up-front investment, it’s

one that eventually will pay for itself. The proof, Schaffer said, is in the bills. A couple of months ago, “we were still constructing the house and we were in and out, in and out,” said Schaffer. “The AC was running pretty much non-stop at 65 degrees to pull the humidity out of the house. Our bill was just $51.90.” “This is just one of the many types of green homes that Joplin has, but it shows that a normal-looking house can be energy efficient,” said Catherine Hart, general manager of GreenTown Joplin, which has been in the area since the 2011 tornado to educate homeowners about energy efficiency. “This is a home for the future. It incorporates a lot of the bells and whistles we’re going to see in homes down the road.

Frank Schaffer II, owner of Frank Schaffer Construction of Joplin, talks about the energy-efficient features of his Joplin green home during an open house back in July.

Energy-efficient LED bulbs are part of the features in the new Joplin green home of Frank Schaffer II.

• Install a programmable thermostat to lower utility bills and to better manage heating and cooling systems • Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle

• Lower the thermostat on the water heater to 120 degrees • Take short showers instead of baths; in the shower, use low-flow shower heads

• Air dry clothes

• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes

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• Plug home electronics, such as television and DVD sets, into power strips; turn these strips off when the equipment is not in use

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• Turn off lights, television sets, entertainment centers and computers when not in use

• Check to see that windows and doors are closed when heating or cooling your homeowners

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James Bartley, owner and master electrician for Skywire Electrical Systems, demonstrates how to monitor the green features of a new Joplin home, the wave of the future, at 2215 W. 27th St.

Here are 10 low-cost, no-cost ways to save energy and to “go green.”

• Look for ENERGY STAR labels on light bulbs, home appliances and electronics - energysavers.gov

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on the cover

Jmag home show

Quite literally, it’s something Joplin has never seen before. It’s called a “Home Show,”but it’s so much more that that.

Vendors from all around the Four State Area will be presenting products for the home. Everything from “dishes to driveways, roofs to rugs,” Damer said.

More than $2,500 in door prizes will be handed out throughout this twoday event. Tickets are $3 per person and are good for both days, with $1 of each ticket going to the Hearts and Hammers of Southwest Missouri. This organization provides home repairs for the elderly, physically disabled and single parent or low income families.

We hope to see you there!

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The J Mag Home Show 2013 takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 3615 S. Range Line Road.

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Attendees are encouraged to bring with them notebooks and lots of questions, because a number of experts, ranging from home improvement to construction to outdoor landscaping, will be on-hand. Speak to them oneon-one at one of dozens of vendor booths. Aside from answers, vendors will also be presenting products for the home, both inside and out. There will be information and pricing samples for a number of small and large projects, dealing with the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. A landscaping sponsor will be on hand with information concerning ponds and water garden. There will also be booths pertaining to outdoor entertainment, automotive issues, the

garage and audio/video set-ups for the den or home theater.

“The Home Show is a chance for Joplin area residents to talk to the area’s best home improvement and construction experts under one roof,” said Julie Damer, event coordinator. “Truly, there’s something for everyone at this year’s show.”

Last year’s Home Show generated $1,800 for the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity.

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hink of the J Mag Home Show 2013 as — how do we say it? — a “one-stop shop” for everything that involves a home; from the kitchen to the bathroom to the master bedroom: indoors and outdoors, from the entry way to the back closet, from high up in the attic to way down inside the basement.

on the cover

Jmag home show

By Ryan Richardson Photography by B.W. Shepherd

Modern home reflects family’s warmth

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hile a house reflects the architect’s plans in the way it’s built, the character and soul of the home comes directly from those who occupy it.

you see now,” Linda said. “We steadily bought things to tailor the home to our needs and to update it to a more modern look. “It has become a special place to us.”

That is truly the case for artist Linda Brown and her husband, Chuck, who live in a two-story, five-level Joplin home at 1919 E. 39th Place, built in the early 1980s. While many of the rooms have changed over the first 30 years, the 4,600-square-foot structure has continued to grow — right along with the Brown family. “When we bought the house, you didn’t see the same thing

While the home is only two stories tall, the house splits into two separate levels upstairs — the master bedroom occupying one level; two bedrooms in the other. This unique feature harkens back to older model homes where the master bedroom was set apart from other rooms to make the former feel more distinguished. “We definitely have a kids floor and an adult floor and it works well in the home,” Brown

said. “All of the rooms have their own distinct feel and offer their own perks. The master bedroom may be the biggest, but my daughter’s room has a wrap-around deck that is unique to the house. There is a definite variety to the rooms.” That uniqueness spills over to the main floor, which includes a modernized kitchen equipped with a pantry, a stove located off the main counter, as well as open windows allowing natural

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Topping off the main floor is an enhanced Florida room providing plenty of sun. “In the winter, you feel like you’re outdoors with” the freezing weather, Brown said. “The temperature is well regulated here so that doesn’t happen, but you get to see a beautiful view of the whole yard and you get plenty of sun.”

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light to pour across the floor. “There is a natural feel to the kitchen and it has plenty of space available,” Brown said.

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Jmag home show

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Landscaping is a natural and beautiful way to keep your home cool in summer while reducing energy bills. A well-placed tree, shrub or vine can deliver effective shade, act as a windbreak and reduce a home’s energy bills. Carefully positioned trees can save up to 25 percent of the energy a typical household uses. Research shows that summer daytime air temperatures can be up to six degrees cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods than in treeless areas. Also, a lattice or trellis with climbing vines or a planter box with trailing vines shades the home while admitting cooling breezes to the shaded area.

Even the basement has adopted the personality of the home’s owners. Linda, a ceramic artist, has a fully operational art studio, including a kiln and pottery wheel. Many of her works decorate the house. “I can come down here for work and I’m able to pursue my craft inside my own home,” Brown said. “But it also serves as a reading area for the family and as a place that is just quiet. “That is something everyone should have in their own home.”

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on the cover

Jmag home show By Ryan Richardson Photography by B.W. Shepherd

Schifferdecker home is a historic treasure for Joplin

Williams calls the house “her” or “she” due to the property’s unique personality. “It is modernized now and everything is insulated, there are new pipes and the heating and cooling elements are in place,” Williams said. “The façade is there to retain ‘her’ charm, even to go as far (as) to change some of the

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Instead of ripping the structure apart, Williams took the massive undertaking of building the house back up as close as possible to its original look. What stands now is a four-bedroom, four-bath home complete with a restored game room, living room and dining room; all three rooms retain much of the classic turn of the century look. But here and there, where necessary, are tasteful displays of modern touches.

Her two story home, located in the Murphysburg district of Joplin, is the famed Schifferdecker Home built in 1890, by Joplin philanthropist Charles Schifferdecker. German craftsmen were brought to Missouri to work on the house. Though it was gutted by fire in 1991, Williams spent the better part of two years rebuilding the home to its current illustrious state. In doing so, the Williams family has restored one of the city’s most storied homes to its past glory. “When we purchased it in 2000, there wasn’t much of a roof left and there was a hole in the kitchen that went down to the basement,” Williams said. “There was water coming down the stairs when it rained. There was soot all over the walls and fixtures

and it was a mess. It had been condemned at one point and there were discussions of tearing it down.”

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s far as homes with historic significance in Joplin go, residents will be hard pressed to find one with more history than Joy Williams’ house at 422 S. Sergeant Ave.

rooms around to resemble what they looked (like) when Mr. Schifferdecker was living here. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If he walked in today, he would be right at home.â&#x20AC;?

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During the restoration work, many of the original artistic features of the home were kept in place, despite the damage from the fire. In the gold room, for instance, which serves as

417-483-2082

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Jmag home show |

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Though the main restoration work took just two years, Williams is still working on restoring pieces that she’s saved, or at least hoping to find matching pieces to put inside the house. “A house like this will always have something more to do, something more to add,” Williams said. “But that is the charm that ‘she’ has. This will always be a project that I will be dedicated to bringing to life.”

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a living room for Williams’ family, the original cherub sculpture work still hangs over the fireplace, though the matching cherubs across the adorned the ceiling have long since been removed. “Every day that I came in here to work, I was covered with soot,” Williams said. “It was such a massive undertaking, but I was determined to not trash anything that couldn’t be saved.”

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on the cover

Jmag home show By Ryan Richardson

Home buying trends point to new homes

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“Most of the houses average around $110,000, which puts the homes right in the price range for most middleclass families,” Richmond said. “You see a lot of nice homes being built here and you see a simple quality inside (them). Even in the homes that aren’t being built from scratch, you see people looking for homes that reflect that quality.”

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The city has long grown past the mining roots which helped define it so many decades ago. Over the last 100 years, the demographic of the city’s residents have continued to reflect a strong middle class. This, in turn, drives the current home buying trends. According to Charles Burt Realtors agent Linda Richmond, that demographic is the main buying power in town right now.

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or a city with a population of just over 50,000, Joplin residents are diverse in their tastes when it comes to homes inside the city.

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The needs of the community changed following the May 22, 2011 tornado, she said. A natural disaster can impact the tastes and wants of residents. And she should know: she worked as a realtor outside New Orleans during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “There is a lot of simplification in what people want. They want smaller homes that are more cozy and are stripped down from a lot of extra area,” Richmond said. “Game rooms aren’t the same hot item that people were looking for 10 years ago. People are looking for functionality and a place to live together closer.” Though local citizens are looking for smaller homes, they are also looking to make every possible spare inch count. This is evident with the kitchens inside newly-built homes, Richmond said. “People want a nice kitchen because it is the heart of the house. You are also seeing some materials appear in midlevel houses like granite counter tops or other solid surfaces, where that simply wasn’t affordable before. No one did that 20 years ago,” Richmond said. “Dark wood is coming back for cabinets and trim are becoming really popular as are the islands inside of the kitchen.

“While those trends are popping up, some of the old standbys are still popular,” she continued. “Stainless steel is still popular as is having an accessible pantry.” Another trend influencing buyers locally is the type and amount of windows available in a home. “You are also seeing more houses with large windows letting in natural light,” Richmond said. “Rooms are getting multiple windows where there was only one in houses in the same price range from 15 years ago.” Window build quality has led to this change, because of improved weatherproofing over the past 20 years. “Windows aren’t bleeding money out of a home as much as they once were,” Richmond said. “With heating and cooling becoming more efficient inside of houses, you see people taking advantage of windows as a tool to accent their homes.” According to Micci Coggeshell, broker for New Generation Realty of Joplin, the overall deciding factor, of course, is price. “Price is leading the buyers; they want the biggest and best for their hard-earned dollar,” she said. Energy efficiency has also become a major factor when it comes to potential buyers building or wanting to buy a new or used home, Coggeshell said. “Energy efficiency is a factor for (a majority of ) buyers; rather if it is a new construction or an updated/retro-fitted house,” she said. “The cost associated with utilities (heating, cooling and water) is important as it will have to be part of their budget.

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As for the tastes of Joplin buyers, Coggeshell said tastes in homes is as unique as the people themselves. “Joplin is somewhat of a melting pot. We are blessed to have people from all over the world (living) here, each one bringing their own unique influence (and) putting their personal stamp on it.”

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Most buyers want smaller, cozier homes. “(They) want a house that is energy efficient (and) has a functional floor plan,” Coggeshell said. “My buyers have very busy lifestyles and, while they don’t mind making some changes to a house to make it personal, they are not looking for an” extended, long-term project that’s costly in both time and money.

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“A growing factor when considering the cost of owning a home is home owner’s insurance. Premiums are continually increasing, and a buyer’s credit score plays into factoring the cost, not just (the) value of the real estate.”

on the cover

Jmag home show Written and photographed by Andra Bryan Stefanoni

Filling a home on a budget

hen Brandi Lee set up her first home, she was on a budget. “It was the typical story that everyone can relate to. I was in college, I was young, I had a tiny house,” Lee said.

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A year ago, Lee turned her knack for decorating on a dime into a business by opening Podunk Posh in downtown Frontenac, Kan. It’s filled with vintage furniture and whimsical finds, from chests of drawers painted and sanded for a shabby chic look to screen doors that might serve as a room divider, and a vintage wheelbarrow that might work as a flower planter in the garden. “The best decorating look, in my opinion, is eclectic,” she said. “Especially if you’re on a budget. You have to have a good mix of both modern and flea market finds, of painted and unpainted.”

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Combining thrift, sweat equity and an imagination, she was able to achieve the look for which she was hoping. Since then, that look has caught on in the design world.

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That didn’t stop her from wanting it to look magazine covershot worthy. “I went to garage sales to find old furniture to haul home and paint,” she said. “I found discarded items and repurposed them.”

Redecorating a home in 15 hours By Kevin McClintock

ere’s a new reality television series for you. Premise: A married couple builds their dream home. But due to lack of time or knowledge, the house remains an empty shell. Enter a veteran designer that quickly outfits the home in a matter of weeks. And when the homeowners walk into their home for the first time, tears spill. Sounds like a future HGTV series, doesn’t it?

Truth be told, this isn’t a fictional concept. It’s an everyday occurrence inside Nuance Décor, one of the area’s few, fullservice home furnishings and interior design store. “We do turn-key, or ‘from the ground up’ services and we travel all over the United States,” said Amber Benson, a veteran interior designer who teamed up with store owner Terri Robinson nearly 10 years ago to launch Nuance Décor. “We can get a 10,000-square-foot home done in 24 hours, non-stop.” In other words, Benson can walk into an empty house and, following a careful tour of the home and a detailed interview with the homeowners, know exactly how to decorate the living room, the master bedroom and the kitchen. “I design every single piece. I place every single piece,” Benson said.

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And she does it such a way that when the homeowners walk inside their completely-furnished dream home for the very first time, there are startled, but enthusiastic, gasps. “That’s why we’re different,” Benson said proudly.

Several years ago, she refurbished Charlotte Hurd’s Webb City home. “(Hurd) had a completely empty home,” Benson said, “and we came in and got it done in less than 15 hours. The hinges, faucets, commodes … every single thing in her home is new — except for the washer and dryer.” Crews replaced the old kitchen counter with a new one made of granite, removed the popcorn-textured ceiling throughout the house, jettisoned the frosted glass and added new windows and curtains, and even put up new artwork throughout the house. “It was totally transformed,” Hurd said. “It didn’t seem like it was my house at first. Everything before was all white, with lots of wallpaper. That was my style. It took (my family) a long time to walk through the home when it was done. We would walk in, just stare and stare, and then go on to the next room.”

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Longtime dealer Mona Swartz, of Paradise Antiques & Collectibles in downtown Pittsburg, says she sees hundreds of budget conscious shoppers each fall in the form of university students. “They are coming in for beds, for dining room tables, for desks,” she said. “They come in to get good value for their dollar.” But Swartz noted that there is an advantage to such a look beyond just budget: It allows for a completely unique and individualized look. “You know that if you bring home pieces from our store, you are not going to have the exact same living room set as your neighbor,” she said. “And it looks much more charming than having everything as a matched set.”

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A coat of sage green paint, a bit of distressing, and it became what many are seeking for use as a television stand. “For a lot of people, it’s just getting past the mindset that you can’t paint stained oak,” Lee said.

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The largest piece for sale at Podunk Posh is a buffet with mirror. It previously was stained and had brass hardware. “It was very dated,” Lee said.

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The rest of the pieces can be antique store, garage-sale or flea-market finds that are painted for an update, or are used in different ways.

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H o w to Want to make over a living room? Lee recommends starting with the most basic piece — the sofa — and purchasing that new. “That’s an investment you’ll have for a long, long time if it’s built well. If you buy one that’s neutral, you can change up the style of the room several times and it will work,” she said.

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items for home decor since Pinterest came on the scene. “We’re seeing people be so imaginative and creative when it comes to decorating, because they are able to use things in a whole new way,” she said. Turn an old door into a headboard or coffee table. Attach to a piece of discarded crown molding several serving spoons, evenly spaced apart and bent slightly upward, to create a coat or hat rack. Purchase metal coffee cans to hold kitchen utensils. “Doing that not only saves on your decorating budget, it’s green because it gives new life to used items and it gives a sense of age to your room,” Lee said. D i d yo u k n o w ? In addition to finding home decor items at antique stores and flea markets, try recycling centers, Freecycle and Craig’s List for discarded items that could be repurposed or revitalized with not much more than a coat of paint.

Ways to Winterize Your Home

t doesn’t take much to get your home ready for Old Man Winter. A single weekend is all you need to properly winterize your home.

• Before you turn on that furnace for the first time this winter, have an HVAC professional come check it out and give it a tune-up. A furnace inspection will set you back $100 or more, but the energy savings and your family’s safety is well worth the investment.

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• While the HVAC man is at your house inspecting your furnace, have him do the same to your heating ducts. Studies have shown that up to 60 percent of heated air escapes from ducts before making it to the vents. That’s a lot of money leaking out of your pocket.

• If you have any tree branches hanging near your roof, windows or driveways, trim them back. Snow and ice will weigh them down and possibly cause them to break. The additional sunlight through the windows will help, and your cats will love it. • On every ceiling fan there’s a switch that allows you to reverse the direction of the blades. Switch it so your ceiling fan rotates clockwise. That will push warm air down and force it to recirculate throughout the room. • According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste up to 30 percent of a home’s energy use. If you find a leak underneath your door, put a draft snake across the bottom of it. A simple rolled up bath towel will also work. If you have leaks near your windows, get some weather-resistant caulk and caulk them from the outside.

• A dirty filter impedes air flow, reduces efficiency and could even cause a fire in an extreme case. You might consider replacing your disposable filters with reusable electrostatic or electronic ones. • Storm doors and windows can increase energy efficiency in your home by 45 percent. Federal tax credits are available to help offset the cost of purchasing them. • Simply adding more fiberglass insulation in your attic can boost the energy efficiency in your home. You need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic. If your insulation falls short, just add another layer of the pink or yellow itchy stuff. • Insulating your pipes reduces heat loss and can raise hot water temperatures, which allows you to reduce the heat on your boiler. That will save you money on your gas bill. • Winter sees an uptick in the number of home fires and cases of carbon monoxide poisoning because people are running their furnaces and boilers overtime in order to keep warm. To keep your family safe, check the batteries on your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and change them if needed. • Clogged gutters can lead to the formation of ice dams on your roof. Ice dams occur when water backs up and freezes near the edge of the roof. The ice continues to build up and eventually forms dams that block the path of melted snow from your roof. Water starts pooling in mini reservoirs and begins to seep into your house, causing water damage. To prevent ice dams, clean out the dead leaves and other gunk in your gutters so water can drain freely.

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“When you say you’re an urban explorer, people want to classify you as a thief or a vandal. And I’m exactly the opposite. I don’t want to vandalize anything; I don’t want to take anything. If I wanted antiques, I’d go out and buy them. You know? All I want to see is the architecture, how these old buildings were built. They just don’t build them now like they used to.” — Bill Martin

urban explorer

by Kevin McClintock Photography by B.W. Shepherd

a Forgotten Past Beneath Joplin

wenty years ago, Joplin resident Bill Martin was exploring a manmade tunnel deep beneath downtown Joplin when the flashlight in his hands suddenly blinked out.

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He was immediately smothered in darkness. “That’s where I stopped and turned back,” Martin said with a chuckle. “I was probably a block-anda-half, two blocks down the tunnel. I knew I was directly underneath Seventh Street because I could hear the traffic above my head.”

Bill Martin feels right at home in shadows. He likes to explore at dawn, when there’s enough light to see and help avoid any serious accidents.

Martin had stumbled across a rare opening into a complex maze of tunnels dating back to the 1920s. The experience inside the tunnel, he said, was “very spooky.” “It was eerie down there. You could tell that nobody had been down there for ages. Or if they had been down there, they hadn’t left behind any evidence.”

The tunnel that Martin briefly explored back in the late 1990s originated from the basement of the former Rains Brothers Building, recently destroyed by a fire earlier this year. Constructed in 1900, the building had been located at the 900 block of S. Main Street. The tunnel was just an inch above Martin’s 6’5” frame, he said, and was seven feet wide. The tunnel he was in had a natural brick lining to it, “and you could see evidence of gas lighting.” There were no intact wall fixtures, he said, though he could clearly see pipes sticking out of the walls. “These weren’t mining tunnels,” he said. “Mining tunnels were way deeper. These tunnels were used for elicit trade.”

It was his one and only foray into the system of tunnels that, at one time, linked many prominent downtown Joplin buildings together.

What he means by that is, well, Joplin, back in the 1890s, was a rough and tumble kind of place. Because the city’s fortunes was built primarily on lead and zinc mining, and because mining was a dangerous daily job, there were scads of saloons and brothels scattered through town to help the miners forget the dangers once the sun went down.

And unlike the older, deeper mining tunnels which are now underwater, a majority of these tunnels — some less than a dozen feet beneath the dirt and concrete — are still intact, he assumes. “I would love to get back inside those tunnels,” Martin said.

Eventually, Martin said, the city elders and a group of elite citizens decided it was time to clean up the city. “They’d had enough,” Martin said, “of the classy women having to walk on one side of the sidewalk while everyone else walked on the other side.”

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Martin has been inside one tunnel and has eyeballed a second one. This one, he said, “sat at the corner of Eighth Street and Main. The building’s no longer there; it’s now the parking lot for Pinnacle Bank (at 802 S. Main Street). When they were tearing the building down, they tore open (and exposed) the entrance to the tunnel, and a Joplin police car had to be stationed there for three days before they could seal it back up.”

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“And it’s hard not to believe the tunnels didn’t exist because the entire town was built by miners, so... why wouldn’t (the tunnels) be there?”

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The tunnels “were used to escort ladies of the night, or used for liquor, or illegal transport of liquor. But no one on the streets could see what was happening,” Martin said recently to a group of Joplin residents during a presentation at the Joplin Public Library. The tunnels “were used for people who wanted products and services, but they didn’t want to be seen going into a brothel or going into the House of Lords, or going into a gambling establishment — places that were frowned upon at the time.

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A beautiful mural from within Joplin’s Olivia Apartments.

Martin has only heard rumors of other tunnel locations, including one that ran from the Olivia Apartments on West Fourth Street to the First United Methodist Church at 501 W. Fourth St.; a tunnel that ran from the former Connor Hotel, where the Joplin Public Library now stands, to the infamous saloon, the House of Lords, on Main Street. There are no maps or even pictures of these tunnels, just rumors and stories. Many of the tunnel’s entrances have been covered over due to the removal of the building through collapse, fire or urban renewal. Even renovations of existing buildings can erase a tun-

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Bill Martin stands outside the Olivia Apartments. He is one of Joplin’s premiere urban explorers. He is one of the few residents who has explored the abandoned tunnels from the 1920s beneath Joplin’s downtown area.

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The Olivia Apartments is one of Bill Martin’s favorite urban exploration haunts. It used to be the playground for the rich. Today, it sits empty and is for sell. It’s also believed to be one of Joplin’s most haunted buildings.

nels existence, Martin said, which is what occurred inside the Frisco Building, at 601 S. Main St. “There used to be an area where, if you go inside the basement, and you go into the elevator shaft, there was this door that goes off the side of the shaft that’s not on the blueprints. I’ve seen the Frisco’s original blueprints and that door isn’t there.”

He was told by one of the workers renovating the Frisco building into an apartment complex who opened the door and said it led to a tunnel that snaked off directly beneath Main Street. Sadly, during the renovation process, a staircase was built down over the front of the tunnel entrance, sealing it off. “A

A peek outside, from darkness to light.

lot of the tunnels have been, because of progress and renovations and new street projects, many of these tunnels have been covered up or dozed in, but I’m sure a lot of them still exist today,” he said.“It’s just a matter of finding those entrances inside the buildings and knowing the right people who will allow you to get in there and explore them.”

Historic Crusader Exploring Joplin’s history inside urban structures

People who “urbex,” such as Martin, does so out of a deep-seeded historical interest. Martin explores manmade structures, primarily abandoned ruins or buildings, so he can study and take pictures of architecture designs no longer used or seen today. But it’s a misunderstood hobby, he says. “When you say you’re an urban explorer, people want to classify you as a thief or a vandal. And I’m exactly

Urban explorers were made popular thanks in part to the 2006 David Morrell novel “Creepers,” which detailed what happened when a group of five “creepers” explored the fictional Paragon Hotel.

“They just don’t build them now like they used to.”

He travels light: heavy clothes and boots, carrying only a bottle of water, a pocketknife, a flashlight and his camera.

Martin has explored dozens of buildings in Joplin. And soon, he and his wife will explore both the Moreau Tunnel and the old Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. The prime directive of any urban explorer, Martin says, is “to leave it as you found it, and the only thing you take out of there are pictures and memories.” He doesn’t even nudge aside a brick with the toe of his boot, he continues. “You just leave the brick there. You leave doorknobs and windows there; you don’t molest or disturb a place in any way. The only thing you want to leave behind are footprints.”

But he never explores after dark or during the witching hours. “No, I always explore early in the morning, after the sun’s up,” he says. It’s too dark and dangerous to tiptoe through an abandoned building after dark, even when armed with a flashlight. “You go into a building in the dark, and if a cop does drive by and sees the flashlight, even if you have permission to be in there, he will come in with a whole lot harder attitude than he would otherwise.”

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Armed with a camera and a curiosity, this Duenweg resident has stealthily explored a number of old, vacated buildings throughout Jasper County, including the Union Depot (before it was fenced) and the Frisco Building (before it was renovated) in Joplin as well as the haunted Kendrick House in Carthage. “There’s a natural curiosity to go through doors,” Martin says. “As an urban explorer, I want to go through all the doors.”

the opposite. I don’t want to vandalize anything; I don’t want to take anything. If I wanted antiques, I’d go out and buy them. You know? All I want to see is the architecture, how these old buildings were built.

ill Martin is one of Joplin’s premiere urban explorers.

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By Kevin McClintock | Photography by B.W. Shepherd

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G a ry W h e at

By Scott Meeker Photography by Curtis Almeter

Running: By the numbers Joplin man has logged nearly 58,000 miles

he numbers add up slowly. But each mile that Gary Wheat logs is added to those that came before it. Six days a week, he dutifully notes just how far he has run. That total number continues to build, just as it has for the last 30 years.

To date, he’s put 58,000 miles under his feet. That’s an impressive number. To put it in perspective, the circumference of the Earth is 24,901 miles. Wheat’s total mileage is nearly equal to two times around the globe.

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And it all started with a challenge from his brother. “My brother came out from Alabama,” said Wheat. “He had started running and wanted me to run with him that afternoon. We ran out to Carthage Marble and back, and it just about killed me.” His brother, 16 years his senior, then challenged him to a race. But not just any race. It was that fall’s 10k race held as part of the Carthage Maple Leaf Festival. When he began training for it, Wheat thought it appropriate to start keeping a record of his mileage. And when the race was over, he continued running and keeping fastidious records. Oh, and as for the results of the race? “(My brother) beat me,” Wheat said with a laugh. But the following year, when he traveled 38

to Alabama to run the Rocket City Marathon — his first full marathon — the tables were turned. Wheat, who had been in training for a year and a half at that point, crossed the finish line ahead of his brother. “Last year, I ran the Mother Road Marathon, then I turned around and ran the Bass Pro Marathon (in Springfield),” he said. “That was the first time I have run two in a year, much less a period of one month. The goal of a marathon is to keep me moving.” Each time he moves, he records it … not surprising given that he’s the longtime coordinator of data processing for Ozark Christian College. And it’s not just the mileage he records. He also keeps careful track of data such as weather conditions. He said he’s hit the streets in Joplin when it was 10 degrees below 0, and as hot as 109 degrees. Wheat tries to average 40 miles a week, more when he’s training for a marathon. The coordinator of data processing for Ozark Christian College said he’s trying to get his overall average up to 2,000 miles a year. And, Lord permitting, the 66-year-old said, he wants to eventually pass 70,000 total miles. “I run early in the morning. It’s time I spend with the Lord … my prayer time,” said Wheat. “I feel like He’s blessed me because my knees have held up and my hips have held up. All of that has gone really well.”

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By Michael Coonrod Photography courtesy Ryan Hurn

Joplin man making big on dream Ryan Hurn’s drumming has taken Branson by storm

By the time he was a member of the Joplin High School band, music as an interest had shoved its way to the forefront. And there it would stay. “I remember

“I remember thinking around that time, ‘This might be more than just a hobby.’” When Ryan attended Missouri Southern State University, his intention was to nab a music education degree so he could teach music. However, “I wasn’t really interested in that. It was kind of a safety thing. I wasn’t exactly sure I wanted to try to make it as a performer,” Ryan said.

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“Music was the only thing I could keep going back to that I never got bored with. I would wrestle a little bit, and played football for a couple years, but they would kind of go by the wayside and I would (always) go back to that (music).”

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And to think, at one point, music was just another hobby for this Joplin High School graduate. “I had a friend when I was in elementary school. His parents had gotten him a drum set for Christmas one year. I used to spend a lot of time over there,” Ryan said. “He’d let me just sit down and play his drums. It was always fun. I enjoyed it. I think I started hitting my mom up for a drum set just because he had one and I didn’t have one, kind of like a competition thing.”

there was a Dave Matthews CD that I loved. I just loved it. It was that “Live at Red Rocks” concert, and at the end of that concert, the Ants Marching song, there’s this huge build-up and there’s a massive drum fill that Carter Beauford plays, and the energy shoots through the roof,” Ryan said. “I remembered sitting in my bedroom, air-drumming to that album. Every time I listened to that song it gave me goose bumps, almost tears, just from the excitement. It affected me that much.

Ryan Hurn has done all that — and more. He’s played for Andy Williams. He’s performed countless live shows on the Branson Belle showboat. Currently, he’s globetrotting to countless, exotic locations to play the drums, most notably China.

Ryan’s mother, Susan, worked at Joplin High School at the time, and one of her co-workers happened to be a drummer. He told Susan to get her son a snare drum and a good instructor. She followed his advice, and soon Ryan was taking drum lessons, though, surprisingly, he didn’t quit his other activities. “It really wasn’t an ‘aha’ moment,” Ryan said. “When I was growing up, I had a lot of different interests. I have a very short attention span; I’ll get into something and I’ll go really hard at it, but then I’m bored.

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ant to be a rock star? Travel, play sold out shows, meet and perform with your musical idols?

He then attended a summer jazz camp at the University of North Texas. “It was the summer of ‘02, and it was absolutely incredible for a lot of reasons,” Ryan said. “I remember coming home from that camp and sitting down with my mom, saying, ‘I think this is where I need to go.’” He graduated cum laude in 2006 from UNT with a degree in jazz studies and a minor in music theory. “I had been gigging in Dallas starting about 2004, I worked all through college. Once I graduated, I had a lot of time on my hands. I did take a little part-time day job just for something different, but I was gigging most nights of the week and enjoying it.”

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Since college, Ryan has performed with a number of musicians, even doing a 12-week stint on a cruise ship. He moved to Branson, where he played with the likes of Ray Stevens and The Gatlin Brothers. And then Ryan received his big break: he was given the opportunity to play onstage with Andy Williams inside the Moon River Theatre. “I did not take it for granted, that’s for sure. Andy was always great to me. We got along very well. Musically, it was incredible,“ Ryan said. “I remember the first night of the show. He started singing those two words. I do remember tearing up, just a little bit. It was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m playing Moon River with Andy Williams right now.’ I was just giddy to be able to do that.” He’d only been with the band for three weeks when they flew to London to play Royal Albert Hall. “It was awesome. You walk around downstairs, underneath the place, it’s massive, it’s huge, and there’s signatures of everybody. There’s the Beatles, there’s Jimi Hendricks, there’s Tchaikovsky, there’s Leonard Bernstein — he’d played there several times, it was just another gig to him [laughs]. I was like, ‘God, this is awesome.’” Ryan would also play countless live

profile By the time you read this story, Ryan will have just completed a tour of China with the Tenors. “We’re going to do a lot of sightseeing, the guys have traveled overseas before and been very well received, I think this is an introduction to a different part of the world, and to the kind of music that they do.”

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A PBS special with the Phoenix Symphony, titled “You Should Dream,” will air this December. It’s been timed that way to hype the Tenors’ second album, “You Should Dream,” which releases soon. “The special was triumphant because it came out unbelievable,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen a couple of the early

rough cuts of it and it’s gone through several edits now. It looks unbelievable. I can’t wait for it to air.”

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Currently, Ryan is drumming for The Texas Tenors — he’s been with them for a little over a year now. “It’s a really fantastic group,” he said. “They were on

‘America’s Got Talent’ a couple years ago. We have toured quite a bit this year. I really enjoy working with (the Tenors). It’s a lot of fun.”

gigs aboard the 278-foot long Showboat Branson Belle, one of the Branson’s most popular attractions. During the two-hour cruise, Ryan on the drums would entertain thousands each week as they watched the shows, ate a dinner and, during breaks, walked throughout the boat.

Ryan, in the back with the drums, as the three singers of the up-and-coming country/classical band, The Texas Tenors.

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Ryan Hurn, on drums near the center of the picture, during a live show with Andy Williams inside the spacious Moon River Theatre in Branson.

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Ryan Hurn, bathed in light during one of his drum solos, during a live show inside the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson.

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shopping

By Kevin McClintock photography courtesy Rebecca morrissey

Shopping Spree Joplin resident spends annual weekend at arts & crafts fairs

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or the last 15 years, Joplin resident Rebecca Morrissey’s home away from home has been a brick-red gristmill and 18-foottall waterwheel hidden away in a secluded corner of Northwest Arkansas. Called War Eagle, this historic area

has recently become the epicenter of a number of arts and craft shows that appear each fall, spawning a gold rush-like fervor from shopping enthusiasts from as far away as Texas. “In the beginning it was only for the day,” Morrissey said of her trips to War Eagle. Each fall, she caravans south of the Missouri border with her mother, Betty Baiamonte, and her two sisters, Donna Alford and

Cathy Crawford. “Then we started staying the night. Now, in the fall, we go down there on Thursday (morning) and we don’t come back (to Joplin) until Saturday night.” You know how groups of men will get together to spend a week criss-crossing the country, taking in baseball games at eight or nine venues? Why Morrissey does this each year has something to do with that — participating in something that’s fun and relaxing in company with family and friends. “It’s mostly about getting away together, having fun and just doing something different. We also incorporate regular shopping into our weekend as well, so it’s also the chance to shop at stores that Joplin does not have. If there is something in particular one of us is looking for, we let it be known so we can all be looking for it. “The best part of going is the time I get to spend with my sisters and my mom...each of us have stressful jobs

Taking a break at a restaurant in Rogers, Ark. during a weekend spent at the War Eagle fall show, Rebecca Morrissey (fourth from the left) stands with sisters Donna Alford, Cathy Crawford and Karen Warden as well as her mother, Betty Baiamonte.

and greatly look forward to getting away and destressing. We always have a great time, find good places to eat, create lots of memories, talk, catch up and laugh a lot.” And what does she look for? “All kinds of different things,” Morrissey said. “Often you can find unique décor for the house, gadgets to use in the kitchen, food items such as salsa, jellies, canned items or dry mixes and spices, and jewelry. There are also always lots of holiday-related décor items to find. Room in the car sometimes limits what we can buy or bring back.” And at some point in the weekend, she said, “we reach the ‘only small items or jewelry because we are out of room’ point.” Some nifty items she’s purchased from shows over the years often range from hand-made jewelry to unique dry rubs for her husband Jeremy’s barbecue grill. “One thing I always find is jewelry,” she said. “There are three The family car is packed full of a good weekend’s haul of crafts, shopping and luggage — but no more room.

Tips for arts & crafts searching

By Kevin McClintock

Here are some tips by craft fair connoisseur Rebecca Morrissey on what to look for or anticipate when visiting a local arts and craft fair: • “It’s always fun meeting the different vendors from different places. It is interesting to see where they have all come from. We have bought from vendors as far away as the Dakota’s, Texas and Colorado. Going for as many years as we have, we have gotten to know several vendors that return each year, and so we will purposely look for those vendors — our ‘favorites’ that we buy from each year. So we will go with our list of ‘I want to make sure we find _____ and ____.’ Usually the vendors that return each year will reserve the same places at the same shows, so you know exactly where to find them each year.” • “We always book our hotel room several months in advance, especially for the fall shows, because the rooms book up so fast. As far as the fall shows go, my sister starts looking and calling as early as January for the October shows!” • “We always have two challenges when we first start out: one, who will be the first to buy something and two, to watch for the most popular item of that show. You do that when you keep seeing everyone (holding the same item). One year it was metal weather vanes; we kept seeing people walking around carrying those vanes everywhere.” • “The weather is a huge factor every year. If it’s nice weather, we know the crowds will be big, so we will go to the most popular shows first — like War Eagle on Thursday, to try to avoid the biggest crowds (during the weekend). If it’s raining or cold, the crowds will be smaller, so this might not be such a problem for War Eagle or the other outdoor shows (on a Friday or Saturday). But in turn, (the cold weather) will impact how crowded the indoor shows are. We have gone for years where War Eagle was cancelled due to flooding, and this last spring, many vendors shut down due to the late spring snow we had. We’ve gone a few times where there were tornados or really big spring storms, and some of the outside shows took damage. We’ve gone when it’s freezing outside, or raining, or sunny, or nice; heck, we even left once because it was too hot. Last spring, we skipped the outdoor shows because it was cold and there were snow flurries.”

However, “I can’t tell you how much I spend or I’d get in trouble,” she added with a laugh. “I personally don’t have a limit to what I will let myself spend. I save up and plan for this in the months leading up to it. I usually still have cash left when I come home.

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But there has never been a time that she hasn’t brought something back with her from the Natural State.

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“Probably the biggest and oddest thing I have ever bought was a pink metal flamingo yard ornament that is now in my landscape out in the back (yard). I have found numerous Christmas gifts, as well.”

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vendors that are always there and I buy from them. You can find beautiful stone and silver jewelry. There are also a couple of food vendors that have spices, dry mixes and salsas that I look for and buy each time.

“That just starts my ‘stash’ for the next (year’s) festival.” 45

shopping

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Spanker Creek Farm Arts & Crafts festival on Spanker Creek Farm What: Sixth year, one of the largest, affordable arts and craft fairs in Arkansas. Featuring clothing, leather goods, basket-makers, woodworkers, ironworks, jams and jellies, pickled veggies, furniture and sculptures. Holiday-themed gifts are in abundance, as well as seasonal decorations; 100plus exhibitors Where: 8250 W. McNelly Road, Bentonville, Ark. When: October 16-20; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Who: 479.685.5655

Northwest Arkansas arts &craft shows: • The War Eagle Mill Fair

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What: The largest crafts fair in the FourState Area, located on the banks of War Eagle River that draws 180,000 visitors each year, but is still a dedicated effort “of little people, by little people, for little people.” Exhibits include stained glass items, leather, basket makers, woodworkers, oil and acrylic painting and sculptures; 250-plus exhibitors; $2 parking fee Where: 11045 War Eagle Road (10 miles east of Rogers, Ark.) When: October 17-20; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Who: 479.789.5398

Where: 11045 War Eagle Road (10 miles east of Rogers, Ark.) When: October 17-20; 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday Who: 479.789.5343

• Sharp’s Show of War Eagle What: Held adjacent to the two other War Eagle-based fairs and festivals, there will be 250 booths offering a wide array of hand-made crafts from skilled artisans from all around the country Where: 11045 War Eagle Road (10 miles east of Rogers, Ark.) When: October 17-20; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Who: 479.789.5683

• Bella Vista Arts & Crafts

• War Eagle Mill Craft & Culinary Fair What: Celebrating its 40th year in 2013, located on the grounds of the Historic War Eagle Mill. Enjoy breakfast at the Bean Palace Restaurant on the third floor of the Mill. Featuring all original and handmade creations, such as handpainted, decorative items, country furnishings, botanical art, ceramics, pottery, watercolors, homemade soaps and jewelry. There will also be cooking demonstrations with samples

What: In its 45th year, more than 200,000 visitors will visit Bella Vista for this premiere festival, offering some of the highest quality art and hand-made craft work; also known as the “friendliest” festival found in Northwest Arkansas; 325 booths inside five circus tents Where: Highway 279 (Forest Hills Blvd.) and Highway 340 (Lancashire) in Bella Vista When: October 17-19; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday Who: 479.855.2064

• Jones Center Arts & Crafts Festival What: Get outside of the heat and rain and enjoy a show indoors; free parking

By Kevin McClintock

Where: 922 E. Emma, Springdale, Ark. When: October 17-19, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday Who: 479.751.9313

• Frisco Station Mall Arts & Crafts Festival What: More than 150 booths inside the air-conditioned comfort of the Frisco Station Mall in Rogers, Ark. Where: Frisco Station Mall When: October 17-20, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Who: 479.631.0006

• Ozark Regional Arts & Crafts Fest What: This 22nd annual event is so huge it’s been split into two venues: the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, Ark., and the NW Arkansas Convention Center at the Holiday Inn in Springdale, Ark. The festivals are located inside the two “finest” facilities found in the Northwest Arkansas region, and represented by the most talented artisans and craftsman locally and nationally Where: NW Ark Convention Center, 1500 S. 48th St., Springdale, Ark.; John Q. Hammons Convention Center, 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers, Ark. When: October 18-19, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Who: 479.751.8300 for NW Ark Convention Center; 479.254.8400 for John Q. Hammons Convention Center

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hallowee n haunts

By Kevin McClintock Photography by B.W. Shepherd

Halloween Haunts S

Most recently, one of the area’s most prominent ghost hunting groups, Paranormal Science Lab, was featured investigating the Kendrick House in Carthage during an episode of the Biography Channels “My Ghost Story Caught on Camera” — televised nationally back in mid-August.

one of the show’s characters, “The Angel of Death must be brought into this world at midnight, through a place of awful carnage. Now back during the Civil War there was a battle in Carthage. A battle so intense the soldiers called it the Battle of Hell-hole.” So, yeah — historical inaccuracies aside — Southwest Missouri and the surrounding Four State area can be a pretty spooky place, both in fiction and reality.

Earlier this year, television crews with the Syfy channel’s popular “Haunted Collector” visited Joplin resident Bob Wilson and his family after their runin with a scary paranormal problem.

The following are some local haunts, old and new, that can be mostly enjoyed by the entire family during the month of October.

Frank N. Furter and a much beloved song about a “time warp” will be playing there the weekend before Halloween.

And back in late 2009, in the fictional television series “Supernatural,” (an episode called “Abandon All Hope”), the Winchester brothers discovered the location of Satan — in Carthage, Mo. Why did the Prince of Darkness choose the Maple Leaf City as his home away from home? According to

• For the first time ever for the Joplin Little Theater — and let’s face it, with JLT being the oldest continuously operating community theater west of the Mississippi River, that’s really saying something — a Halloween favorite stage performance featuring a transvestite named Dr.

Two performances of “The Rocky Horror Show” will take place at 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 26, under the direction of Lisa Wood.

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outhwest Missouri has been a television supernatural hot spot over the last several years.

Some fun, local scares for the entire family

Both performances will raise money for the Angel Guild as well

Historic Ghost Tours, according to Becki Gooch, is “comprised of haunt actors and storytellers and are set up so that we can discuss dark parts of local history while explaining to skeptical people where they can find the records, news-

“We are very excited to be giving an all new tour at the Carthage Square,” Gooch continued. “New history, new stories — this season will be fresh and our Boo Crew is chomping at the bit to get started.” • Halloween is one of the most popular times for The Corn Maize in Verona, Mo., when it opens on Sept. 21 and closes down in late November. Called the “Field of Screams,” for $8, adults can stumble through the large corn maze after dark every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday until Nov. 2. Also on the property is a haunted hay ride, spots reserved for camp fires, and a concession stand. For more information, go online at www. themaize.com. And don’t forget, there’s also the Right Choices corn maze and pumpkin patch at 1161

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• The folks who brought you both the historical and, at times, chilling tours of downtown Joplin after dark have now moved operations 30 miles east to the county seat in Carthage.

“This may also answer the question as to whether or not our tours are family friendly,” Gooch said. “We have had parents push (their) sleeping infants in strollers (during) our tours.”

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And please note, during an onstage performance of “Rocky Horror Show,” it’s considered bad etiquette to throw the usual movie theater props (rice, confetti, water pistols or toast) onto the stage, not to mention it’s dangerous for the actors. Please don’t do it!

Historic Ghost Tour tickets can be purchased at the office at 205 Main St. in Carthage, and nightly tours will begin on Friday, Oct. 4, and continue each Friday and Saturday evenings through Nov. 2. There will be two tours per night, Gooch said, the first at 8 p.m. and the second at 10 p.m. Admission is $10, and children under 5 are free.

• T h e Pa r a n o r mal Science L a b, a group of paranormal investigators, is about the closest thing the Four State Area has to the famed TAPS ghost hunting group, and they want to share their experiences with the public during the month of October. PSL members will be conducting day and night tours of three haunted, historic locations in Jasper County. These locations include: • T h e Olivia Apa r t m e n t s i n J o p l i n This building was known as the “playground” for Joplin’s elite. Built in 1906, it was home to the rich, notorious gangsters — even a gangster’s aunt, as it turned out, as Al

as JLT. The 1975 musical comedy horror film is a humorous tribute to the science-fiction and horror B movies of the 1940s and 1950s. Two years after its release, it gained fame as a midnight movie, where audience members began participating with the film, both throwing items at the screen or shouting back specific word phrases. In fact, the film is considered to be the longest-running release in film history. It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and it continues to play in cinemas to this day.

But the tours aren’t just historical drudgery. “What’s wonderful about what we do is that our tours are based on entertainment, so we also discuss urban legends, eyewitness accounts, and good old-fashioned ghost stories with our guests. Our guides make sure they are aware of what is fact vs. fiction and in the end, everyone can walk away feeling both educated as well as entertained.”

Manning Road, Southwest City, in McDonald County, which offers a corn maze, hay ride, cow train and a corn cannon.

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paper articles, etc., on their own if they wish.”

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Capone’s aunt lived inside one of the Olivia apartments — and even one known death: Marvin Reynolds, who died in a 1908 explosion. • B u r l i n g a m e and C h a f f e e Op e r a H o u s e i n C a r t h ag e Site of Civil War battles and murders, a little ghostly girl and a Victorian couple together in death. • K e n d r i c k H o u s e The oldest standing home found in Jasper County, built in 1849, it was once

used as a hospital during the battle of Carthage, and shadow people still allegedly haunt the two-story structure today. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and under per tour. Upcoming tour dates for the Kendrick House include Friday, Oct. 11, Friday, Oct.

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18, and Saturday, Oct. 26. Tours of the Olivia Apartments will take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Friday, Nov. 1. Tours of the Carthagebased Opera House will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, and again on Friday, Oct. 25. For more information, e-mail the group at lisa@paranormalsciencelab.com or phone them at 417.622.8997. • Sp o o k l i g h t While the Four State area may not have a Sasquatch or Nessie, we do have the famed Spook Light. And it is famous. Studied by every local paranormal group, seen by tens of thousands since the 1830s, and even studied by a team from NASA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the light continues to shine, move and even split up into smaller balls of light on a lonely stretch of road hugging the Missouri/Oklahoma border. Aficionados say the best chances for spotting the light occur after dark when parked on Oklahoma East 50 Road, four miles south of the three state junction of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma in Ottawa County, Okla. and looking to the west. You must sit very silently. And when seen, it is usually from a distance, far away from sightseers. Its color is also not consistent: some eyewitnesses report a greenish glow while others describe it as orange, red, yellow or even blue. It is almost always said to be in the shape of a ball, although some say it more resembles a camping lantern traveling a couple of feet off the ground. In 2006, Pixar released a computeranimated short film for DVD called “Mater and the Ghostlight,” which is based off some of the main characters from the Pixar film “Cars.” In the film, Mater is haunted by a mysterious blue light modeled after the Missouri spook light. Our area is filled with spooky

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• P e ac e C h u r c h C e m e t e r y — Peace Church Cemetery is an old, ramshackle and mostly abandoned burial ground just north of Joplin that allegedly is home to the ghost of 21-year-old Billy Cook, who was executed and dumped in an unmarked grave after he killed six people — including three children and a family dog.

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• P r o s p e r i t y School B e d a n d B r e a k fa s t — Erected in 1907 and serving as a

two-story school until 1962 outside Carterville, it is now a prizewinning bed and breakfast location that is haunted. Both TAPS and the local group, the Carthage Area Society of Paranormal Research, have conducted investigations there.

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• O l d F r e e m a n H o s p i ta l — Located at 20th and Sergeant, this nicely-sized building opened in 1922 but, just over 50 years later, was closed after the new Freeman Hospital opened. Now unoccupied and used primarily for storage, it’s allegedly haunted, as so many abandoned hospital buildings seem to be.

• C a r t e r v i l l e C e m e t e r y — One of the oldest cemeteries in Jasper County, this rather large cemetery, located just off Route 66, has long been rumored to be haunted with apparitions and shadow people and, according to the Tri County Paranormal Research Society, is one of the most paranormally active cemeteries in Jasper County.

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locations, many of them visited by various paranormal groups and evidence recorded by said groups. Here is a quick run-down of these area:

music to the ears Totojojo

Written and photographed by Ryan Richardson

Bassist Josh Zimmer and guitarist Trey Burkett trade off licks during the Aug. 24 show at Joplin’s Blackthorn Pizza and Pub.

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otojojo is the premier jam band out of Joplin and has found success touring the Midwest, landing them on some of the bigger festival stages in the region.

Music to the

Ears: Totojojo

This five-piece band recently put out their second album, opting to release a live album recorded this past May at the Patton Alley Pub in Springfield. J: The words “jam band” have a negative connotation sometimes when a band gets labeled that way. Do you guys take issue when someone uses that label with you guys? Josh Mullen: We actually like the jam title. It is one of the only genres that describe how you make your music

instead of what the music is. It isn’t limiting or anything; we have several different elements of our sound. We put out music that has a little bit of jazz, some reggae, and we definitely get funky. There is definitely something there for everyone. It’s mixing those sounds and see(ing) where they go. J: I noticed during a breakdown at a recent show that you (Mullen) kind of turned your back on the audience to watch (Josh) Zimmer solo a bit; you were bouncing back and forth between your other guitarist. Do you catch yourself doing that a lot mid-show? Mullen: Everyone here is well trained. Its all real music, real training. He (Zimmer) goes to Serbia and teaches drums, but he’s playing bass for us.

J: How so? Zimmer: Well, I think part of that was that we expected things to just start rolling after that. We just stepped back

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J: So you guys have found success? You participated in the Wakarusa (Ozark, Arkansas) Winter Classic, right? Mullen: We actually won the nationwide winter classic that landed us on stage at Wakarusa. We kicked the whole thing off in 2011. It was a really good time, but it really dried up after that.

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J: Was bass a natural progression for you? With staying in the rhythm section? Zimmer: Yeah, it was. I picked it up at the same time because I was in a band and I wanted to stay more involved in the writing process. I still use a lot of drum work in my bass. Half of what I play on bass is what I would write if I (playing) drums.

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Josh Zimmer: (laughs) Yeah, my background is percussion, that’s what I went to school for. I teach that.

Totojojo

music to the ears

Bassist Josh Zimmer makes up half of Totojojo’s rhythm section. Zimmer also plays drums, an instrument that he picked up around the same time he started on bass.

Tom Smith is the band’s lone brass player. Lead singer Josh Mullen said that Smith, along with other members of the band, each bring a special element to the group’s live show.

Lead singer and guitarist Josh Mullen looks on during an extended jam by the band’s other musicians.

waiting for it to happen and then we grew up and realized the world doesn’t happen that way. Mullen: We want to be successful, we want to be on the road. We want that life. But we also understand that it is one step at a time, and it takes a lot to get from where we are to that point.

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J: So you are focused on being a live band, like many other jam bands. Is that the motivation behind putting out a live album instead of a studio album? Zimmer: I feel like more people identify with the live show. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to do it. We want to bring that sound into people’s homes.

J: So do you have any plans for a future studio album? Or is this going to be more of a trend with the band sticking to the live format? Zimmer: I think the songwriting is just as important as the freedom to improv. For us, you have to both. Mullen: We won’t have anything new on album this year. We’re working on music and I’d say we’re halfway through in writing it… but we’re looking at next year before we would have anything out. Be sure to check out the band at totojojo.com or on Facebook at www. facebook.com/pages/TOTOJOJO /204368277367.

5 gangsters who lived or had ties with Southwest Missouri

A l C a p o n e Though no facts back it up, it’s alleged that Al Capone, America’s most accomplished criminal and gangster, often visited an aunt who lived in Joplin, and even for a time lived inside the Olivia Apartments. At the time, the Olivia building was described as a playground for the rich, where the average monthly rent was $250, which would roughly be around $3,000 by today’s standards. Capone, local legends state, would visit his thirdfloor apartment during the late 1920s and 1930s to relax and kick back.

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B o n n i e a n d C ly d e The death-do-us-part gangster couple of Bonnie and Clyde made national headlines when their two-bedroom hideout in Joplin —3347 ½ Oak Ridge Drive — was sniffed out by local authorities, and a gun battle promptly ensued. In the aftermath of the April 13, 1933, gun battle, Detective Harry McGinnis and Newton County Sheriff ’s Constable J.W. Harryman were killed. Photos and one of Bonnie’s poems were confiscated by the JPD, and later reprinted by newspapers nationwide. Both were killed in a 1934 ambush in Louisiana by a posse of law enforcement hunters.

Wilbur Underhill A Joplin native, Wilbur was a criminal at an early age, robbing the Wilhoit Filling Station at 19th and Main streets in 1922. He would continue to ambush and hold-up unsuspecting people throughout Joplin. He shot a 16-year-old boy during a robbery in Baxter Springs, Kan. Soon, he sported the nickname, the “Tri-State Terror.” Eventually, his crimes included murder. And during one seven-month spree, he robbed 10 banks. All told, he was credited with killing five people, including a Picher, Okla., police officer in 1927. He spent time in both the Missouri and Kansas penitentiaries. By 1933, Underhill was one of the FBI’s most wanted men. Following a shootout with authorities, in which he absorbed a number of bullets, he was captured and sent back to prison, this time in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. There, he died inside the prison’s hospital, bringing an end to a reign of terror.

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Ma Barker Arizona Donnie Clark, better known as Ma Barker, was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the “public enemy” era of the early 1930s. At various times, Ma and her kids lived in Joplin, Webb City and Carterville. Ma’s son, Herman Barker, was arrested for highway robbery (stealing cars) in Webb City in 1910 and again in Joplin, in 1915, for stealing cars. The Barkers then left the area for Tulsa that year. Five years later, Arthur Barker, another son, was arrested in Joplin by the JPD after he’d escaped prison. He was shipped off to Leavenworth. He later died escaping Alcatraz.

H e r b e r t A l l e n Fa r m e r A career grifter and gambler, Herbert Farmer was in and out of local jails in Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma for much of his youth. In about 1910, his family settled in Webb City. As an adult, Farmer made the Joplin area his home. He was also close to the Barker family. In about 1927, Farmer and his wife purchased a 23-acre farm seven miles south of Joplin and it became a safe place for criminal friends to “cool off.” It was also one of the best underworld postal offices in the country, according to federal agents. Farmer died in Joplin in 1948.

parting shot

new beginnings

Photography by B.W. Shepherd

A long line of new homes await new owners as a new housing complex takes shape in Webb City.