Ozark Hills & Hollows June • July 2016

JUNE • JULY 2016

JUNE • JULY 2016

$4.99

18

Hope Floats Noel's Riverside Resorts Recovery

28

Summer's Harvest Take Your Pick and Pick Your Fave!

56

Lessons Learned The One Room Schoolhouse

June • July 2016 | 1

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Burtons Farm U-PICK Blueberries 445 Silver Lake Road Billings, MO 65610 5 miles south of Clever

417-369-5710 or

417-239-6684 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOR BLUEBERRY PICKING DAYS AND HOURS

www.burtonsfarm.com June • July 2016 | 3

Ozark

Hills Hollows

Photo by Rose Hansen

CELEBRATING HERITAGE, FARM AND HEALTHY LIVING IN THE HEART OF AMERICA

Our hope is to provide a window into the lifestyle, passions and beauty of the people and activities that are going on all around the Ozark communities we live in.

Our publication is widely available throughout southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

Please enjoy this issue -- and if you want to support us, please do so by advertising!

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS Brandi Newton ozarkhhbrandi@gmail.com 501-690-5999

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI Rob Lotufo ozarkhillsandhollows@gmail.com 417-652-3083

Our readers are your customers!

Ozark

Hills Hollows Celebrating Heritage, Farm and Healthy Living in the Heart of America PUBLISHER Rob Lotufo ozarkhillsandhollows@gmail.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sherry Leverich ozarkhheditor@gmail.com DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Veronica Zucca ozarkhhart@gmail.com

WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTORS Katrina Hine Jerry Dean Kim Mobley Nahshon Bishop Amanda Reese Stan Fine Kayla Branstetter Beckie Peterson Layne Sleeth Steve Parker PROOF EDITOR Barbara Warren

FACEBOOK Ozark Hills and Hollows Magazine TWITTER @ozarkhillhollow INSTAGRAM ozarkhillsandhollowsmagazine ONLINE www.issuu.com/ozarkhillsandhollows

www.ozarkhillsandhollows.com

Ozark Hills and Hollows is published bi-monthly by Exeter Press. In the pages of Ozark Hills and Hollows magazine, we hope to capture the spirit of country living in our beautiful region. Please feel free to contact any of our staff with comments and questions, and pass along any story subjects or ideas to our editor at ozarkhheditor@gmail.com. 417-652-3083 Exeter Press, P.O. Box 214, Exeter, MO 65647 4 |

OZARK

Hills&Hollows

Inside:

JUNE • JULY 2016

FEATURES: 18

Hope Floats Noel's Riverside Resorts Recovery

24

The Barn A Firm Foundation on the Farm

32

Prepping It Has It's Roots in Ozarkian Traditions

43

Heritage Ranch B&B What Was Old is New Again

46

The Way to Beaver Arkansas A Picturesque Adventure

52

The Thrill of the Hunt Ozark Storytelling Hits the Big Screen

56

The Schools that Time Forgot Lessons Learned in One Room

64

An Ozark Murder Mystery Was Justice Served?

PLUS: 28

Tomatoes and Watermelon Take Your Pick! (Recipes Too!)

30

Gear & Gadgets Solar Power It Up

34

Repurposing Revolution For the Farm

36 Cold Treat for a Hot Day HOME-MADE ICE CREAM

38

The Bicycle Part II, Looking for a Bicycle

IN EVERY ISSUE: 12

From the Ground Up A Little Blue Heaven

14

A Horsewoman's Journey He Changes Hearts

16

Backroads and Byways To Be Remembered

22

4 Live Baits For the Ozark Angler

49

On the Front Porch Steve and Sue Davisson

50

COVER: Summer is here and it's time to hit the lake!

Whether Canoeing, Boating, Swimming or Fishing is your thing, cool off and take a little R&R in the beautiful Ozarks!

Good For You Coconut Oil

54

Back Home in the Hills Lying and the Benefits Thereof

62

From the Hollow Finest Ozark Folklore June • July 2016 | 5

Celebrating Heritage, Farm and Healthy Living in the Heart of America www.ozarkhillsandhollows.com

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OZARK HILLS & HOLLOWS IS A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE LIFESTYLE, PASSIONS AND BEAUTY OF THE PEOPLE AND ACTIVITIES IN THE OZARK COMMUNITIES WE LIVE IN.

Ozark

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Hills&Hollows

Please fill out this portion and send to:

Exeter Press P.O. Box 214, Exeter, MO 65647

417-652-3083 • ozarkhillsandhollows@gmail.com

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sugar Mountain

By Neil Young Oh, to live on Sugar Mountain With the barkers and the colored balloons, You can’t be twenty on Sugar Mountain Though you’re thinking that you’re leaving there too soon, You’re leaving there too soon.

It’s so noisy at the fair But all your friends are there And the candy floss you had And your mother and your dad.

Oh, to live on Sugar Mountain With the barkers and the colored balloons, You can’t be twenty on Sugar Mountain Though you’re thinking that you’re leaving there too soon, You’re leaving there too soon.

What we choose to inherit

I

sat under a shady tree on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon. There was music in the air, people smiling, dancing and all was right with the world. The Peachtree Down South Music Festival in Crane, Missouri brought an eclectic mix of musicians and listeners to a little valley in Stone County for 4 days of (sorry Woodstock) peace, love and music. There were Country boys, Hippies, Hipsters, Preppies, Deadheads, Bikers, and everything in between in attendance. It started me thinking about where these characters all came from. I was born in the early sixties, so by the time I got to the age of reason, I was a child of the seventies. We heard about Woodstock, but at that time it was more of a cautionary tale than a legend. No one talked about Altamont to us children, that was a death knell to the peace generation. Still, some things persevered.

The timeless music, the sense of freedom. Some good things, and some less good things.

As I sat in my fold up chair, soaking it all in, I watched kids chasing bubbles, twirling hula hoops, dancing with each other, and their parents. I saw a young man in cosmic yoga pants and not much else, who hadn’t had a shave or a haircut in a couple of years swaying to the music. I saw a little boy in a “Where the Wild Things Are” lion costume running around roaring at people, and riding on his shirtless dad’s shoulders. I heard new interpretations of some of my favorite songs, from Bob Dylan to Neil Young, The Band and Gorillaz. I saw little girls of all colors and sizes dancing footloose and fancy free. Tattooed free spirits, belly dancers and old folks, co-mingling and enjoyed the day.

I stayed for a couple of hours, ate a shrimp po-boy from the food truck, dangled my feet in the cold creek as the kids hunted crawdads with butterfly nets, and genuinely enjoyed the day. Then a loud-ish Grateful dead cover band came out, and I thought I’d pack it up and head back to the farm. I’m sure the merriment continued on into the night, but I was about worn out.

So what do we inherit from generations past? We inherit what we want to incorporate into our lives. Sometimes I get the feeling that urban folks think we live in an anachronism out here in the country. I think its an amalgamation of all the things we want to inherit, and preserve for the next generations. From my childhood in the ‘70s, I learned to love live music, and relaxing with good friends. I learned to love the outdoors, and self sufficiency from

my career in Boy Scouting. From my Father, I learned that with enough patience, I could fix or build most anything. Mom taught me that if you are hungry, cook it yourself! We all put together all the pieces of the puzzle that we are drawn to, and discard the ones that don’t fit in. It’s what makes us all different, and special.

I hope this summer finds you listening to your favorite live music under a shady tree, dangling your feet in a cool creek, hunting crawdads, or taking a youngster fishing. I hope you get to eat a hot dog, or hamburger fresh off the grill, enjoy a picnic or camp-out with friends and loved ones some time soon. Maybe you’ll get to visit a farm, or enjoy working on your own. Perhaps you’ll try out a new recipe, or make a family favorite. Take the family on a road trip and visit someplace you’ve never been. I had a crazy college professor whose advice to us was: “It’s your life to live, make your own salad!” It makes more sense to me every year. From our family to yours, enjoy your summer!

Robert Lotufo Publisher, Exeter Press June • July 2016 | 7

About Our Contributors: Beckie Block was born and raised in the Wheaton area, and is admittedly a small town girl. She enjoys her job in customer service, along with writing freelance and blogging. She admits to always carrying a pen and paper in case she needs to jot down thoughts and ideas to write later.

She has three children, two at home and one in Nebraska, where she enjoys going to visit her two granddaughters. Beckie spends her free time in church activities, gardening and baking.

Barbara Warren is a freelance editor with several years experience. She is currently working on her fifth book to be published this winter. She has had short stories and articles published in magazines such as Mature Living and Home Life, as well as being a devotional writer for Open Windows. Barbara is one of the founders of the Mid-South Writers Group, and has been speaker at writers conferences and other area writers groups. She and her husband live on a farm in the beautiful Ozarks, where they raise beef cattle.

Tom Koob is a city boy who relocated to southwest Missouri to pursue his love of the outdoors and fishing. Tom and his wife Cindy have lived in Shell Knob on Table Rock Lake for 25 years. He enjoys studying and writing about the history of the Ozarks. Some of his work is published in his book Buried By Table Rock Lake.

Veronica Zucca has been an Ozarks resident for over 10 years, moving from the sandy city of Virginia Beach, Va. She and her husband raise their two children in a quiet hollow in Southwest Missouri.

When she’s not working as a freelance graphic designer, she enjoys time with her family -- taking in everything the beautiful Ozarks has to offer.

Kim McCully-Mobley is a local educator, writer, self-described gypsy and storyteller with a home-based project dubbed The Ozarkian Spirit.

The essence of this project is anchored in keeping the stories, legends, lore and history of the Ozarks region alive for the generations to come. She makes her home in Barry County on the Mobley Chicken Ranch with her husband, Al. She is always looking for that next adventure on the backroads and byways.

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Wes Franklin is a born native of the Missouri Ozarks, where he has lived all of his life. He enjoys reading and writing about local history, especially Ozark folklore and culture, as well as classic literature. He also enjoys shooting blackpowder weapons. He is closest to heaven when roaming the hills and hollows of his beloved Ozarks.

Mary Lowry, originally from California, has made her home in the Ozarks for nearly 30 years. She lives on a small farm, which she loves, with her husband, and two teenagers – and is still learning to garden. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in dietetics from MSU, is a R.D., L.D. and a massage therapist. She has a passion for nutrition, and encouraging others and herself to heal and be whole – body, mind and spirit.

Stan Fine is a resident of McDonald County in Missouri. Born in Long Beach California, he spent his childhood in the west, but went to high school in St. Louis. He then married his high school sweetheart, Robin. There they raised their two sons, David (who passed away with cancer in 2006) and Rob. Stan was a Detective Lieutenant in a St. Louis suburb and attained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Management, and a Master of Science in Administration. He retired in 2006 and he and Robin moved to Noel. Robin passed away, due to cancer, in 2013 after 46 years of marriage. Stan now plays golf, substitute teaches, and writes, especially in the wee morning hours.

Kayla Branstetter is a born and raised Ozarkian is an avid traveler and local educator who loves spending time with her family, reading literature, and running trails. She lives on a beef and chicken farm with her husband Chris and daughter, Berlin. Many reasons she enjoys living in the Ozarks centers on the culture, the friendly people and the beauty of each season.

Amanda Reese has spent most of her life training and teaching with horses.

She has also studied journalism and is currently working on two books centered around her love of horses and God. When she is not riding or writing, Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters on their farm.

Experience the Freedom.

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June • July 2016 | 9

Photo by Jori Jepps

About Our Contributors: Steve Parker is a relatively new transplant to NWA. Growing up in the farming country, he received his teaching degree in Nebraska before venturing to Arizona where he continued his education and teaching career. He and his wife Angie love to travel and have been to many countries around the world – but always look forward to coming back to the Ozarks Living in Fayetteville, he has become a rabid Razorback fan, a blues fan and enjoys the great food in the area. He loves to cook, ride his bike on the beautiful trails and... just enjoy life.

Rose Hansen is a writer and photographer living on a cattle farm in southwest Missouri. Her work has appeared in Show Me the Ozarks Magazine, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Twin Cities METRO Mag, and more.

Katrina Hine is originally a flat-lander from Kansas who has come to love the charm of the Ozarks. After high school she worked on two different ranches in Colorado, and then came back to Kansas to work on a commercial dairy.

She married a Kansas farmboy who was in the Air Force and moved to New Mexico. Now in Missouri, she and her husband, Randall, have two daughters and one son – who currently serves in the USAF. They have five grandchildren and expect number six in June.

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Nahshon Bishop grew up in southwest Missouri around small family farms. Shon graduated from College of the Ozarks with a degree in Horticultural. He has been working for Lincoln University Cooperative Extension in the Southwest Region of Missouri since 2011. Shon also owns and operates Bishop Gardens L.L.C with his wife Heather, which sells early season tomatoes and strawberries, as well as cut flowers to the public.

Jesse Woodrow lives on a small farm in southwest Missouri, where he enjoys building things, gardening and spending time outdoors. He chronicles his mini-adventures in hunting, fishing and self-sufficient living through writing and photography. He loves to cook, eat and visit with friends. His current passions include establishing a Boer goat herd, training a couple of nutty Beagle pups and renovating a forty acre cattle ranch and home.

Layne Sleeth is a wildlife and environmental educator, writer, and aspiring homesteader. She grew up in Shell Knob, Mo., and now dwells in the woods of Northwest Ar., with her husband, Brian. In her free time Layne can be found reading, gardening, and planning her next travel.

Fried Chicken Sandwich with Slaw & Spicy Mayo

Forester Farmer’s Market® is butcher-shop quality chicken – a healthy, wholesome chicken that is rare in today’s marketplace.

Our nutritious, hometown quality will take you back to a time when chicken was chicken.

BY FORESTER FARMER’S MARKET Spicy mayo and slaw:

1 garlic clove, finely grated 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot pepper sauce 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage 1/2 cup bread-and-butter pickle slices, plus 1/4 cup pickle juice

Fried chicken and assembly:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more 1 cup buttermilk 4 4-ounces skinless, boneless Forester Farmer’s Market® chicken breasts, halved crosswise Peanut or vegetable oil (for frying) 4 white sandwich rolls 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For spicy mayo and slaw: Mix garlic, mayonnaise, and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl; cover and chill.

Toss onion, jalapeño, cabbage, pickles, and pickle juice in a large bowl to combine; cover and chill.

For fried chicken and assembly: Whisk flour, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl. Pour buttermilk into another shallow bowl. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Dip in buttermilk, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Dredge again in flour mixture, shaking off excess.

Pour oil into a large heavy skillet to a depth of 1/2Ð. Prop deep fry thermometer in oil so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium heat until thermometer registers 350°F. Fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet; season with salt. Spread cut sides of rolls with butter. Heat another large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook rolls buttered side down until browned and crisp, about 1 minute.

Spread with spicy mayo. Build sandwiches with rolls, chicken, and cabbage slaw.

Nutritional Information, Per Serving: 694 calories • 19 g fat • 6 g saturated fat • 85 g carbohydrate • 6 g fiber • 10 g sugars • 45 g protein

Find more great recipes at www.foresterfarmersmarket.com

Why Forester?

ALL NATURAL

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My goal is to provide your family the same quality chic ken that Ma cooked for Dad. Trea t your family to chicken that’s chic ken. r

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foresterfarmersmarket.com June • July 2016 | 11

groundUP From the

A GARDEN COLUMN BY SHERRY LEVERICH

A Little Blue Heaven Berries, all berries, are just about my favorite thing to eat. I can’t get enough of them. Especially beautiful blueberries. They are so sweet and tasty and even a lot of fun to pick. I asked owners of Burton’s Blueberries, Dale and Kristin Burton a few questions about their big harvest.

When does the blueberry season generally start, and is this year early because of the early spring?

Blueberry season is typically in June and July.

This year does not appear to be early even though we started out with an early spring.

What kind of year has it been?

Do you anticipate a good harvest?

We had 3-4 weeks of warm weather early on and the plants put on new growth that got froze back, but that will not affect this years harvest. We expect a good harvest this year, there is a lot of fruit on the bushes.

Having a u-pick blueberry farm takes a lot of work. Do you rely on the help of family and friends to keep it going during the busy few weeks of the blueberry harvest time?

Yes, it is a lot of work! We are blessed to have our 4 children to help and they each have friends that like to come over and help us pick and fill the pre-picked orders.

We couldn’t do it with out them.

Are birds eating your berries a big problem?

Yes, birds are and can be a huge problem.

One afternoon we took a nap during the heat of the day, planning to finish 12 |

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harvesting that evening. When we went back out we discovered they had moved in and ate around 400-500 pounds of berries. The big migratory flocks are what you have to watch out for.

What is your favorite recipe?

BLUEBERRY BARS 1 C Flour 3/4 C brown sugar 1/4 C butter 1/2 C sour cream 1 egg beaten 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 C fresh blueberries Combine the flour and brown sugar then cut the butter in with a pastry blender. Press 1 1/3 cups of this mixture in the bottom of a 8-inch square pan.

Next combine the remaining crumb mixture, sour cream, egg, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla and mix well.

Then stir in the blueberries. Spread the berry mixture over the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. This can easily be doubled to make a 9 x 13 pan.

FRESH BLUEBERRY PIE 4 Cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries 1/4 C water 1 C sugar 3 Tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. lemon juice optional 1 9-inch baked pie shell Line cooled pie shell with 2 cups blueberries. Cook remaining blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water until thickened. Remove from heat, add butter and lemon juice. Cool a little then pour over blueberries in pie shell. Refrigerate till cold and top with whipped cream.

My daughter makes this pie a lot during picking season.

What’s the best way to prepare and freeze blueberries to use throughout the year?

We always just pick the berries and then remove and leaves or stems that you might have and then just freeze them in gallon-size freezer bags. We take them out of the freezer and rinse before using. They freeze really well and will not stick together, they just roll out of the freezer bag like marbles.

CANOES • KAYAKS • RAFTS • TUBES • PADDLE BOATS

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Visit the perfect destination for fishermen and floaters alike!

2 Campgrounds • Full RV Hook-ups • Snack Bar Gift Shop • Hot Showers • Firewood Fresh Water Stream • Gravel Beach • Fishing Shallow Swimming for Kids • Float Trips

Whats it like picking blueberries?

Blueberries are very easy to pick, no thorns, hardly any bending over.

There is mowed grass in between the rows, that is mowed from spring to late fall, so no chiggers. Simply use your thumbs to roll the berries off into your hand, making it quick to fill your bucket.

How many years have you been farming?

We have been farming all of our lives.

My husband was born and raised on a dairy farm. We milked cows for years and after selling the milking herd we bought Angus beef cattle, which we still have. We had always wanted to see if we could grow blueberries, so we planted a small patch to see if we could grow them and over the past 10 years it has grown into 3.5 acres of blueberry bushes. It is a full time job, with pruning and mulching to do over the winter and mowing and watering all summer. My husband and I really enjoy being out and taking care of the bushes. We also enjoy watching our customers come to the farm with their children and making memories picking blueberries together.

Don’t let this blueberry season pass you by! There are many great blueberry u-pick farms all over the Ozarks! If you need help locating one, send me a note at ozarkhheditor@gmail. com, or call at 417-652-3083.

Burtons Farm U-Pick Blueberries 445 Silver Lake Road Billings, Missouri www.burtonsfarm.com 417-369-5710 or 417-239-6684

Noel, MO 201 Minnow Springs Ave • 417-475-3230 • 417-475-3561

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A Horsewoman’s Journey

“

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

BY AMANDA REESE

”

He Changes Hearts T

Ezekiel 36:26

ears fell down the weathered face of a once hardened man known for brawling and mocking Christians.

Now, his tender heart toward God produced tears as he sat in the Presence of the Lord. It touched me to watch such a large, strongly built cowboy respond to God’s Spirit in such a way.

Who or what can take a cold stony heart and turn it into “a heart of flesh” that is tender toward God and the things of God. This is a triumph brought about by the Lord himself. Only God transforms hearts.

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MY HORSE While working with a reining horse trainer, he explained to me that my colt was stiff and needed to be softened. I quickly discovered the trainer was right. As I picked up on the reins, the horse felt stiff and resistant to my cues. When I used my seat and leg aids, his body was rigid and felt as though he was pushing back against me.

My colt needed to be softened, but how? I needed help! After extensive instruction and practicing, I learned how to soften a horse in the bridle. I

also learned how to soften his body and develop responsiveness.

Without the trainer’s help, it would have been difficult for me to change my colt and make him softer. But under the instruction and teaching of a professional, we accomplished the goal.

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I can’t say it enough, “God is good!” Only God can take a hard heart and soften it. Even if a heart has been disappointed, hurt, abused, sick, stressed and strained in all sorts of ways, God is perfectly able to bring forth healing, hope, softness and responsiveness toward Him. If you find yourself hard towards God and His Word, cry out and ask God to replace your stony heart with a heart of flesh.

Much like the old cowboy, who I greatly admired for his tenderness and admiration toward the Lord, I hope to allow Jesus to take the reins of my heart and soften me. As I experience Him softening me, I hope to become more responsive to Him, allowing Him to mold me and make me into all He desires.

417-847-2137

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June • July 2016 | 15

BACKROADS&BYWAYS

BY KIM MCCULLY-MOBLEY

How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Two sets of my students have been studying “legacy” issues involving the anchor question: How do you want to be remembered?

This might not be a popular question to ask teenagers on the brink of graduation and the rest of their lives. In reality, we are dying the minute we are born. I will turn 55 in June and am well aware of some the pitfalls of the aging process and the glories of living life to the fullest at any given moment. I spend countless hours in old cemeteries throughout the Ozarks each summer – taking photos of tombstones, jotting down epitaphs, looking up symbolism and wondering what kinds of tales lie beneath the surface of these final resting places.

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By the time this issue goes to press, we will have observed the annual kickoff of summer – where folks go to the lake, plan family picnics and hit the roads for some sunshine. Ironically, this burst of life usually occurs on Memorial Day weekend, a time set aside to pay tribute to veterans, friends and ancestors who have found a final resting place in the cemeteries that adorn our backroads and byways. My mama always said there was a fine line between living and dying. It would seem she was right.

One of the first jobs I had was that of writing obituaries for the local newspaper. Back in the 1970s, local community leaders often wrote their own obits in order to maintain accuracy when something inevitably happened. We kept manila folders of them in a cabinet at The Aurora Advertiser – where I worked a part-time job.

In turn, if this person was a bank president, a school board member or a local businessman, that obituary would appear in its entirety on the front page of our paper, along with a large black and white photo. We always ran a cause of death and an age. The survivors’ list did not include special friends or pets back then. It was pretty cut and dry: spouses, children, grandchildren, siblings and a list of those who had preceded them in death.

Obituaries today are more compact and concise. They usually follow some kind of template. Obits are no longer free.

Space is a commodity sold by newspapers by the line, word or column inch.

As my students have been writing their own obituaries, some chose to write them for me, which was an option. I found an old obituary online about Ed McGowen, of Green Forest, Arkansas.

“Whisky Ends His Life” the headline from 1899 read.

The obituary says McGowen was honest in his business dealings and had a literary turn of mind. The article says Ed went out on the town in a bout of binge drinking between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. At one point he was given coffee to help sober him up. At another point, he was taken to the town “cooler”…to cool off.

Whisky Ends His Life Goodbye to 1899!

Our Team in Action for Justice

Ed McGowen; the Miller, Dies Suddenly on Tuesday Night Ed McGowen, who has been for some time past employed by the Green Forest Roller Mill Company, died on Tuesday night as a result of a drunken spree.

The facts as we hurriedly catch them for the inquest over his body, which is in session as we go to press seems to be about as follows: He had been drinking heavily since Christmas Eve. His conduct became such that the management of Hotel Pleasant, where he boarded, could put up with it no longer and put him out. Marshal Carter found him on the street in his condition, and for want of a better place, took him to the town cooler, where he was kept for some time. He was given a cup of coffee and revived up.

The boys at the mill came after him with a wagon and took him to the mill, giving him a bunk in the office by a fire. He walked to the wagon

As I write this, I am reminded of the great William Shakespeare – who had a fine literary turn of mind – who died after celebrating his birthday with friends. While accounts vary in nature, it has been said he had a dinner of pickled herring and drank alcohol before being found dead several hours later. He was only 52.

The story and headline are, at first glance, somewhat amusing. Then, after the details are allowed to percolate a little, the tale is simply tragic. I am sad for Ed McGowen, who died alone in 1899. I am sad for the townsfolk who “deplored” the circumstances as part of a ploy to avoid accountability for Ed’s rowdiness. It was easy to jump on the evils of alcohol and strong drink back in 1899. The Victorian era was in full swing. Morals were touted on the front pages of most newspapers and any vices were dealt with behind closed doors.

We still have some of those types of

when they started off with him, but on the way became unconscious and remained so. The boys supposed he was “dead drunk,” and that he would come around all right, but when they went to see him about 1 o’ clock Wednesday morning, he was dead.

McGowen was about 60 years old. He had been known here for a number of years, staying here for a short stay occasionally, but no one knows anything of his family or relatives. He was a very peculiar man and never said much of his personal affairs. He was given to drink and had gone on a number of sprees here. He was honest in his business dealings and was a man of a fine literary turn of mind. He was an exceptionally fine miller, that being his profession.

The circumstance is deeply deplored by the community. It is just another of the sad stories that follow the use of strong drink.

tendencies today.

I applaud the fact those 1899 newspaper employees worked to find some of McGowen’s better attributes and made sure they touted his business and literary strengths in writing for some researcher to find some 117 years later.

In the Ozarks, we still hold true to some traditions involving grief. We pay homage to those who go before us. We share stories of their strengths and try to overlook their shortcomings. We sign the books at visitations and bow our heads in prayer at funerals and often – join the the procession to the cemetery, where a tombstone will mark the spot for decades to come.

With death comes new beginnings, reflection, food, solace, tears, stories and laughter.

The bottom line is this still: How do you want to be remembered?

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June • July 2016 | 17

Elk River at the Letts’ Wayside Campground.

Families canoeing in the sun, children wading in the water—these are the iconic images of Noel’s idyllic summer float industry.

R The canoe and float industry is such a vital part of Noel’s economy that it’s the iconic image of their city limits sign.

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY ROSE HANSEN

18 18 ||

& &Hollows Hollows

OZARK OZARK Hills Hills

enee Letts holds up a mud-caked tank-top in disbelief. “This is something I would have sold,” she says. “Floods are part of this business but…”

Trailing off, she lays the tank-top on a nearby picnic table.

Renee and her husband, Roddy, have run the Elk River Floats and the Wayside Campground in Noel, Missouri for the past two decades. Dreamy as it sounds, the industry’s ebbs and flows are as unpredictable as the water it depends on.

“The river can be good to you, or it can devastate you. A lot of people look at our business and think it’s all profit.

I hear that a lot. But there’s a lot of work involved. It takes a lot of money to operate a business like this. It’s going to flood, being on the river.”

When a slow-moving storm swamped southwest Missouri last December, rainfall exceeded 12 inches in parts of McDonald County. A flood this severe hadn’t hit since 1941. Rivers swelled in

their limestone-flanked valleys, swallowing everything – from hay bales and vehicles, to refrigerators – anything in the waters path. Perhaps no community was hit

Renee and Roddy Letts are still finding destroyed merchandise that washed downriver during the flood.

harder than Noel, population 1809. Its location straddling the Elk River makes it a vacation magnet. Every year, thousands of visitors from Kansas City and northwest Arkansas flock to the town, generating millions of tourism dollars for the area.

Planting a resort here seems like an easy goldmine… until disaster strikes. Today many canoe outfitters and campgrounds are still wading through the clean-up efforts after the December flood.

According to McDonald County’s Emergency Management Director Gregg Sweeten, more than 125 homes and 30 business were directly impacted by the flood. Estimates in dollars of damage are still being tallied, but have exceeded one-million dollars. Statistics are only part of the story, though. Individually, the recoveries of these riverside resorts are complex and varied.

John Poynor owns and manages the River Ranch Resort, one of the largest destinations on the Elk. Post-flood clean-up began immediately and took weeks of hosing and squeegeeing. The main office was buried in 45-inches of silt. Picnic tables hung from trees.

John Poynor surveys construction efforts in his riverfront lodges.

Permanent structures like bunkhouses and shower facilities had to be completely rebuilt. Every living room of his waterfront river lodge cabins flooded.

Today, scars of that damage are marked by a contrasting shift in wood panels five feet up the walls.

“FEMA only pays you to the water line,” says John. “My OCD hates that right there.”

Insurance helps, but only for structural damage. The $20,000 cost of repairing the landscape – debris removal, gravel hauling, RV site repairs, lawn reseeding – comes out-of-pocket.

“The water just rips and cut holes. It looked like the surface of the moon out here.”

Today, new grass is springing up and the buildings are almost complete.

Ready or not, the resort officially opens on Memorial Day Weekend.

Dry today, these picnic structures at the Riverside Resort were completely submerged underwater during the December flood.

“We don’t have a choice, so our goal is to make it look like it never happened, or to make it look better,” explained John.

While most resorts are preparing to receive clients, one major hurdle still waits: the closure of Highway 59 between Ginger Blue and Noel.

The flood destabilized the bank supporting the road, severing a vital transportation artery for the tourism industry. In addition to longer supply runs, guests face the added inconvenience of longer shuttle times between dropoff and pick-up points. What was once a 20-minute hop has evolved into a 45-minute slog on back-roads.

According to Noel’s Mayor John Lasley, the highway should reopen by mid-July, but its closure until then will still “curtail things a bit.”

June June •• July July 2016 2016 || 19 19

Shady Beach Campground’s location beyond the road closure barricades on Highway 59 present significant headaches for the resort owners.

The campground looks beautiful today, but after the December flood this place “looked like the surface of the moon” according to John Poynor.

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Warning signs and barricades also confuse out-of-towners, causing headaches for resorts near the closure zone. The entrance to Two Sons Floats & Camping is located just past a set of these signs. After surviving the flood with minimal damage, they’re open for business, but getting the word out is still tough.

The nearby Shady Beach Campground faces similar troubles. Next to coping with significant merchandise losses and campground clean-up, owner Bobbie Adamson is also plagued with worries about the highway.

“I’ll have to tell everyone to ignore [the barricades] and drive around. Right now, the customers aren’t confused because they’re not really paying attention,” says Bobbie. “If people are planning on coming from Kansas City and I tell them to go around, the typical response – when it’s not immediate – they say, ‘Okay’ or ‘It’s no big deal.’ But we’ll have to go back and call every customer that week and remind them that the road’s closed and how to get around it.”

Weather-related news in rural outposts like Noel doesn’t make for lasting headlines.

To summer visitors, imaging the impacts of a severe storm is difficult. According to Bobbie, many customers who call for reservations inquire briefly about the flood, but don’t quite register its scale. She shrugs it off, chalking it up to human nature.

“You know, we look at the pictures of the earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador and say, ‘Oh that’s bad, so sad,’ and you hurt for an instant and go on with your life because it’s not affecting you immediately right now. With the campgrounds, they’ll call down and say, ‘Yeah-you-guys-havereally-had-it-bad-and-I-want-to-makemy-reservation.’ But it’s okay. I don’t want people to feel sorry for us. If you’re going to stay in the business, you’ve got to figure out how to keep going.” With a laugh, she adds, “Like don’t eat as much.”

A cloud of uncertainty will always hang over businesses dependent on the river. Primitive resorts that cater mostly to tent and RV campers have little to lose as long as the property itself doesn’t float away. Those with permanent structures must bear the damage, learn from it, and move on. At River Side, John Poynor has upgraded his structures to be more resilient because, for anyone who depends on the river, flooding is a fact of life.

“That’s life on the river,” says Poynor.

“It’s not a matter of if – but when.”

FLOAT. PLAY. STAY. The Elk River is a great choice for a summer float trip. We offer canoes, rafts, kayaks and tubes to rent for your floating pleasure!

We have a store and a cafe on site with many food options, along with our very popular pizza with delivery right to your site! We even cater BBQ diners.

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June • July 2016 | 21

4

LIVE for the BAITS Ozark Angler T

BY JESSE WOODROW

he dog days of summer are just around the bend. For many of us, that means a change of pattern. I usually stay off the water between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. when the sun gets high and hot. I like to think the fish lay low during the heat of the day as well. Some of us even start night fishing when the days get to sweltering. As much as I love to catch a fish on an artificial lure, I am an opportunist. When the fish get so lazy they won’t even take a rubber worm, I turn to the old stand by, live bait. Its more fun if you round it up yourself, but sometimes handy works just fine. Here are my top 4 picks, from the bait shop, or your backyard, whichever works for you.

Minners

The Worm Turns

I use minnows strictly for Crappie. They work like a champ. Lip hook them on a #4 aberdeen, or a light jig head, and trail them a couple feet behind a round bobber. Maybe 10-lb line on a medium-light setup.

Crappie hounds will tell you that it’s all about depth when you’re prospecting for slabsides. Unless you’ve come packing some fancy electronics, this can be a trial and error deal for the first little while. Once you find the depth they are suspended at, stay there until you’ve got your limit.

Be careful not to get too excited and rip the hook out of old paperlips. A little firm set will do just fine.

The lowly worm ain’t so lowly as far as fish are concerned. I know this is totally unscientific, but I consider there to be 3 classes of fishing worms, Canadian Nightcrawler, Red Wiggler and Earthworm.

THE CANADIAN has been promoted heavily, and sometimes can look more like a baby python than the worms we find under a rock here in the Ozarks. If I’m looking for a big lazy bass, or a monster cat, this is what I’ll strap on. A big hook, maybe a size 0 or larger, poked through the meaty middle of the critter 4 or 5 times, to make a focal point for the fish, with an inch or two dangling on each side is my presentation of choice. I call it “the meatball”. A couple of decent sized (1/16-oz or more) split shot sinkers 2 or 3 inched upline, with or without a bobber. I’d use 15-lb test, just in case a behemoth takes the bait, on a medium spinning rig.

RED WIGGLERS are a great bait for Bream. Sunnies, redear, bluegill, punkinseeds, shellcrackers, whatever you choose. I like a #6 or 8 aberdeen hook, gold and shiny. Thread those boogers all the way up the hook, or they’ll get

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picked clean. One little bitty split shot (a #7’ll do) a couple inches upstream, and a balsa stick float (4”?) about 18” up the road, and you’ll have it.

When that stick float starts to twitching, give it a little snatch, before you’re stripped clean. I swear I’ve caught 10 million brim with this rig, from 2” to 10”in size.

“EARTHWORMS” are what I dig up in the yard. I like to leave a couple of logs or hunks of firewood where the sun doesn’t shine so much, so the ground stays moist. In the early part of the year, old hay piles are great for worm gettin’. The magic combination of manure and rotting hay are a perfect storm for propagating uncle wiggly and his kin. I fish earthworms just like the other two. If they are big, ball them up on a big hook, if they are small, thread them up the shank of a gold aberdeen. Chances are you’ll catch bream on the babies, perch, small bass & croppie on the middlin’s, and big bass and old whiskers on the fatties.

Baitfish Now is where it gets serious. Depending on your quarry, angling with live baitfish can be quite an art. I hear of many Ozark fisherman hooking up big cats on goldfish, which you can get at some bait stores. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never done it. If I want to get a cat in the sack, I’m going old school. I might chum a little with some greasy dog food to pique their interest, but for my money, a chicken liver, carefully swaddled in a patch of mamma’s old panty hose, impaled on a sturdy hook does just fine. I’d free drift it with 20-lb test or more, on a heavy baitcasting outfit. But this article is about live bait. Strange as it may sound, many Striped Bass stalkers swear by using a little 6 to 10-inch rainbow trout. for trophy fish. Lip hooked on a #5 hook, 20-lb test, with any number of float/planer/trolling rigs.

Jiminy Cricket and Young Grasshopper

Here’s my favorite deal, it’s like a magic trick sometimes.

Get yourself a band-aid box full of middlin’ worms and dirt.

Hook up your little gold hook and stick float on some 4-lb test I cut my teeth catching on an ultralight spinner. Slide lots of Bluegills on crickets. just a piece of a worm (pinch off Even on the steamiest about 3/4”) on your hook, being sure to cover the days and nights, if you pointy end with wormage. Carefully fling it under can keep the bug on the some overhanging limbs in relatively shallow hook, you will catch fish water. Repeat this process until you have your 2 with these long-legged ½ to 3-inch bluegill, or whatever you can muster baits. I like to fish 4 to 6-lb up on the line. Get out your 25-lb test baitcaster monofilament line on an with a double 0 Bass Hook tied on securely. ultralight spinning combo.

Skewer that bad boy between the scales in the A #6 Aberdeen hook poked meaty part behind the dorsal fin, without hitting through the shoulder armor the spine. is usually the most secure No float, no weight. Toss that little feller in place to hold them on. I use all the likely places, brush, weeds, sunken trees. a larger float, like a 6-inch Make sure it splats when it hits the water! I balsa stick type, about 12 swear that big bass love that sound, plus it dazes inches up to add casting the bait a little. Big bass love a crippled baitfish. weight without dragging I’ve had bass make a beeline 50-yards to check the cricket or hopper down this scene out. But here’s the trick. He should unnaturally with lead. This grab it head first and swallow it. But he may bust is a great rig for kid fishing, it first. It can be frustrating. Or he may grab it and they will likely catch tail first, wreck it in his mouth, spit it back out fish over and over, as long and then turn it around and give it a gulp. Think as you don’t run out of about it, that dorsal fin on your bait can poke bugs, or dad doesn’t run a hole in your hand. How is that going to feel out of patience from baiting going wrongways down Mr. Bass’s throat? Be hooks all day. patient, when he hits, you should be freespooling, with just a tad of thumb pressure to prevent a backlash. Let him run! For 30 seconds or more. He may scoot to his hidey hole to digest, but we’re not worried, that’s why we have the 25-lb test on. When you are sure he has the whole fish in his mouth, but hopefully not down his gullet, set the hook. Set the snot out of it. Twice if you want. Lip lock that wallhanger! He may jump, he will run, that’s the fun part. Smacking yourself in the head with a bare hook, or an 8-ounce brim, that’s not good. But believe me, its worth the effort. I have caught many, many bragging-rights bigmouths just like this.

That’s my first take on a live bait primer, stay tuned for frogs, mudbugs, leeches and more. Remember to keep your bait frisky, your line taut, and ready, set, go!

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June • July 2016 | 23

Ozarks Hills & Hollows Ad MNP 5529.1 2.31" x 9.75"

TheBarn Barn The

II

STORY AND ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE PARKER PHOTO BY JERRY DEAN

have lived on this same slope in the beautiful Ozark Mountains for nearly seventy-five years. Actually, I started as a dream even two years earlier.

During the first year the Mister and his young bride were so busy moving into the old farm house and making it livable. The Mister started tilling the soil with the help of a couple of lop-eared mules. The soil was a mixture of clay and slate and many of the old-timers would sit drinking coffee in the local restaurant and talk – not even giving that ground a chance to grow anything. But, some who had worked the soil in the Ozarks knew good crops would come. Both the Mister and his wife believed in themselves and knew with hard work they would be fine. The Missus worked daily on the old farmhouse making it a special place for the both of them. I recall hearing her sing softly to herself as she hung the clothes on the line enjoying the freshness brought by sunny skies and soft summer breezes. She worked hard in the garden and harvested and canned many delicious staples for the winter. More than once, when both were exhausted from the toil of the day, they would sit at the table in the evening and dream about me.

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was deep on the floor as it rolled down the grade to where I stood. In the winter, the snow would drift against the barn door and make it difficult for the animals to get food. One year a tornado came across the valley and narrowly missed me but did some damage to the farm house. Early next morning, undaunted, the Mister, his wife and young son were out making the necessary repairs to restore their home.

{ }

n

My life began when they walked the property and determined just exactly where I would live. Using the mules, the Mister cleared a patch of land, struggled with the rocks and stumps, sweating and even cursing (as long as the Missus couldn’t hear), finally completing the area that would remain level throughout my life. The mules did their part by hauling large rocks used for the foundation, seeming to understand that when completed, this would be a place of shelter for them.

One day in the early spring, a glorious day with the scent of blooms on the air, I sensed there was an electric excitement on the property.

The air was filled with laughter and the smells of fresh baked breads, roasted meats and pies. I did not know the term “barn raising” but quickly found out it was directly aimed at bringing me to life. What a concert of sawing, pounding, laughing and joking finally resulting in my creation! At the end of a busy day, all the friends of the Mister and his wife proudly looked at me and I knew I was born of love and hard work. Even the mules watched, knowing this would be a place of refuge from the cold of winter snows the rainy springs and the heat of the summer.

Birds in the nearby trees were happy to sit on my roof and sing.

Once the Mister spent some special time with me after the daily work was done, creating something that made him smile and hum to himself. Working diligently for a month, he proudly showed his efforts to the missus who cried when she saw the beautiful wooden crib ready to celebrate the birth of a newborn child.

One morning, the lightness in his step and the off-key singing announced to the world a new addition to the family, a son, had been born. In addition to the two mules, two cows had been added as residents to my structure and their soft morning sounds and gentle movements seemed to punctuate the joy of the event.

My life was not without hardships.

Sometime the spring rains came with hail and fierce winds. The Mister dutifully repaired lost shingles, broken boards and hinges on the barn door numerous times because Ozark Mountain storms can be severe. There were times when the water

I find it strange how the life of a human can affect an inanimate object, but I am visual evidence of that action.

When the son was nearly twenty, he brought a beautiful young girl out to see me.

They petted the cows, spoke to the mules, and looked for eggs after scattering feed to the chickens. They climbed the nailed board ladder to the hay loft and lay in the soft hay, sharing an innocent love that would grow into a beautiful marriage. Afterward, they lingered and looked out the barn door at the beautiful blue sky and laughed as they identified pictures and animals in the clouds. Several years later, they were married at the farm with the Mister and Missus, friends and neighbors sending warm wishes. They had procured a small house just west of Fayetteville but before leaving the farm, they came back to visit and quietly held hands remembering that wonderful day of first love. Years later, when they had children of their own, they would come to the barn to show off my residents and as the children were marveling at the cows and chickens, they would hold hands and look at the loft and remember back to that wonderful day, thinking silently about the innocence of cloud pictures floating by the open barn door.

June • July 2016 | 25

As the years progressed the Mister did his best to keep me in good repair and we both retained the pride of caring construction. Even the barn owls who had taken up residence seemed to enjoy the shelter and raised broods for a number of years. There were plenty of barn mice for them to dine on and often I would see them leave the nest and swoop in total silence to pick up an unsuspecting rodent and return to the nest to feed the upturned mouths. Of course we had pesky sparrows and swallows who were always around trying to eat the grain which was meant for our regular residents, but I enjoyed the activity and the conversational chattering they brought to my world.

Then one day the footfalls of the Mister were different. It was as if his entire body was filled with heavy stones. No more soft humming, singing, or addressing the farm animals. No more stopping to survey my inside structure checking for loose boards and shingles. Like a ship adrift at sea, he seemed to be going through the motions of life with no port in mind. I heard him tell someone the Missus was very sick and shortly after folks gathered at the house dressed in dark Sunday clothes, 26 |

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men with their hats removed showing their light skinned heads which had been protected from the sun, bringing food and flowers and speaking softly, awkwardly paying tribute to his departed wife.

I find it strange how the life of a human can affect an inanimate object, but I am visual evidence of that action.

Piece by piece, the inhabitants of my world were taken away. Cows were sold, chickens given to neighbors and all that was left were the inhabitants who went unnoticed. Even the birds started looking for structures with grain for the stock and would only come occasionally to check on their former housing.

Gradually the shingles began to loosen and in an early spring storm, several large holes opened up in my roof and some siding broke away.

One day, the son and his wife were on the property and they persuaded the Mister to move to a tiny apartment in town where they could look in on him more often. I understood that as a ship without a rudder, he did not even know or care where he spent the rest of his days. An auction was held for the furnishings and equipment and the land around me was

sold for grazing ground for some cattle and horses, but I was not needed for shelter ever again.

Seventy-five years...seventy-five years. I stood strong and full of hope and was needed. I provided shelter for the lop-eared mules, the shuffling cows, the communal chickens and even the birds, mice and owls. The Mister was proud of me because I was constructed with help from kind neighbors and his own strong hands. I housed his first baby crib, watched his son express his love and heard the joy of grandchildren. Now I am unsure of my fate for it has been a number of declining years and I am falling into ruin.

To someone passing by on the road, I am probably an eyesore.

However, last week a car stopped and I heard someone say... “Wow, what a cool old barn!” They took out a camera and a drawing pad and spent some hours looking at me, peeking in through the missing siding – and just looking and smiling. Perhaps I will live on as a picture or a painting…perhaps some of my weathered exterior will become a bird house or a picture frame. My life has been full but my story will continue if you listen.

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www.fohnfuneralhome.com June • July 2016 | 27

Karla Coatney:

Black Diamond watermelon and Celebrity tomato

Stephanie Fuller:

Moon & Stars watermelon and Arkansas Travelers tomato! Yummo!

Rhonda Scott: Black Diamond and Big Boys.

&

Tomatoes Watermelon Take your pick, and pick your favorite!

In the Ozarks summertime, tomatoes and watermelons just kinda go together.

We surveyed a few of our readers around the area, just to see if there was any predominate favorites. As you can see, the winner in the tomato category is pretty much BIG RED SLICERS, and the overriding watermelon favorite is Black Diamond, which is a BIG RED SLICER too!

Whatever your favorite, as the sun gets high in our beautiful region, enjoy those home-grown, farmers market, roadside or neighborbartered tomatoes and watermelon until the fall days start catching up with us. Here’s also a few fresh recipes to try out too!

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Jamie Ledgerwood:

Cherokee Purple Purple... ... a very old heirloom fruit.

Lucretia Brattin: Better Boy tomatoes and Black Diamond watermelons.

Paula Rawlings:

Sugar Baby watermelon and Snowball tomatoes (white).

Mike Lowe:

Watermelon and Tomato Summer Salad

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 cups tomatoes, quartered 2 cupsseedless watermelon, cubed 1 cucumber, seeds removed, cubed 1 cup feta cheese, cubed or crumbled 1 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped 1/2 Tsp Herbes de Provence Salt and freshly ground pepper In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together. Srt aside.

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, and feta.

Toss with oil/vinegar mixture. Top with the fresh mint, herbs and salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Carla Brown:

Frozen Watermelon Lemonade 4 cups cubed frozen watermelon 2 cups lemonade, plus more if needed In food processor, blend frozen watermelon and lemonade in a until combined. Add ice if you’d like it thicker, or more lemonade if you’d like if thinner. Serve immediately.

Black Diamond watermelons, and with out a doubt, Brandywine tomatoes.

They take awhile to produce, but are well worth the wait.

Whopper or Big Beef tomatoes and Sugar Baby watermelons.

Deana Deming:

Big Beef Steak tomatoes and Black Diamond watermelon!!

Michelle Hinton Curren: Moon and Stars watermelon – I’m not sure I can pick one tomato.

Mary Hagens:

The beautiful Purple Cherokee tomato. You can eat it as soon as you pick it – no salt needed. Our 2nd favorite tomato is the Black Crim.

Crim I eat watermelon only once or twice a summer, so I’m not an expert. Daddy “burned me out” on watermelon one long-ago summer when he raised a bumper crop.

Krystal Kidwell: Fresh Tomato and Pesto Grilled Cheese For 2 sandwiches: 3 Tbsp. Basil pesto ½ cup Mozzarella cheese 4 Slices of whole wheat bread 4 Tomato slices 1 Tbsp. Butter

I’m a Roma tomatoes kinda girl. And watermelon? Any of them ripe, sweet and extremely juicy.

Lani Prewitt: Black Diamond watermelon and Beef Steak tomatoes.

Spread two slices of bread with pesto. Layer with cheese and tomato. Top with other slice of bread. Heat iron skillet and add butter when hot. Grill both sides of sandwiches till golden and cheese has melted.

Sue Mattingly: Beef Steak – they’re ugly but they taste good. Also Early Girl.

Tomato Pie 4-5 Medium-size tomatoes, peeled and sliced (lightly salt and place in colander over bowl or sink for 30 minutes to remove access juice) 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped 1 bunch chopped green onion 1 (9-inch) prebaked pie shell 1 cup grated mozzarella 1 cup grated cheddar 3/4 cup mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan Cheese Salt and pepper

Katrina Hine:

Better Boy is what my grandparents always bought. I also like Beef Master. I entered three huge tomatoes a couple years ago in the fair and got a blue ribbon.

The whole time they were there all three sat on that paper plate.

One of the judges told me I had to wait to pick them up on the last day and when I went back there were only two.

The biggest one was gone, of course!

Beckie Block: Mortgage Lifter tomatoes because they get huge!

J.L. Anderson:

I personally have good luck with the Arkansas Traveler tomato plant. Would like to know more about some heirloom varieties that do well in the Ozarks.

Julie Ball:

I like Black Crim tomatoes.

Nokomis Myers:

I’ve been growing Jetstar for three seasons now. It’s fruit is meaty and tasty.

Not too juicy, just right. The plant I love as well because it doesn’t require a whole lot of staking.

Mojo Watermelon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pie shell. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. lime zest, plus 2 Tbsp. juice 1 Tbsp. sugar kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper (optional) 1/2 small watermelon, chunked and rind discarded 1/3 cup torn mint

If you’re in Barry County, I’m for you.

Chad Yarnall (417) 847-3399

Whisk together oil, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl. Toss into chunked watermelon. Season with salt and pepper (if desired).

Serve watermelon topped with lime zest, mint, and sea salt.

Jess Nichols:

Cherry tomatoes! And as long as the watermelon has seeds and is red, I’ll eat it!

June • July 2016 | 29

GEAR&GADGETS

BY JESSE WOODROW

Here Comes the Sun S olar powered devices are gaining ground rapidly. After many years of good intentions, but expensive and cumbersome equipment, affordable, efficient sun driven products are beginning to see the light of day, literally.

Here are some carefully researched picks that I’d be proud to tote on my next outdoor adventure.

GET CHARGED UP Since we have already chosen many of our must-have electricity driven devices, maybe the most useful accessory we can buy is a portable, high output charger. With dual USB ports, a 2Aoutput for tablets and 1A for cellphones, and 1000 milliamp storage capacity, this little charger (or one of the many similar models) will get the job done in a small package. It reaches a full charge in 2 hours, and can also be charged via a USB or wall outlet input.

LIGHT IN A FLASH This solar-powered flashlight will give you two hours of light after an hour in full sun, and packs a hand crank in case you run out of sun.

POCKET SIZED POWERHOUSE Ergalogik’s mini-beacon can provide over 10 hours of light on a single charge.

It has three lighting modes, high (65Lm), low (25Lm) and SOS. It’s USB outlet allows the lantern to power any compatible device. Reciprocally, it can be charged via solar or USB. It’s small enough to fit in your pocket, or hang on your backpack.

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READING LAMP Can’t put that book down, even in the back country? This solar-powered reading lamp may be just the ticket. This one also includes a USB port so you can charge your phone if you need an emergency boost. The entire lamp folds flat so it’s easy to transport.

SOLAR BACKPACK Solar chargers and backpacks just seem a natural combination, like peanut butter and jelly. There are a lot of solar backpacks out there, but Birksun has some that look and work pretty cool. Colorful, with clean lines, and an unobtrusive solar panel, it can charge your devices on the go and look stylish doing it.

One-Liter Light Hack

LIGHTING THE WAY There are zillions of cool solar lanterns out there, I have picked out just a few that seem to stand out in the crowd.

I’m always looking for economy, portability, longevity and of course – style.

Sunhiker’s super lightweight and compact lantern is collapsible with a simple push. You can use it as an emergency USB charger. It includes 6 individual low powered LED bulbs, designed for over 12 hours of continuous operation. Solar, wall outlet charger and 3 AA battery power options. It even includes a built in multifunction compass.

Green Energy’s camping lantern with solar panels is portable, light weight and provides light for up to 8 hours.

A cool feature is the Glow-in-the-dark button to help you turn on the lantern in the dark. Is it just me, or does it seem like that housing could double as a tumbler for a frosty post-hike beverage?

Truly a monumental invention, created by Brazilian mechanic Alfred Moser, they are actually just plastic bottles filled with water and bleach. Yet when installed in the roof of a house, barn or workshop, they produce light with a strength of 40 to 60 watts of clean white light.

Sunlight refracts through the bottles to make them glow like lamps, providing a cheap and renewable source of light, while reducing landfill. Now that is innovative recycling.

Specializing in land, ranches and farms Office licensed in Missouri and Oklahoma Member of two Multi-list Systems

417.226.3363

obrienrealty.biz

Donnie & Tammy O’Brien, agent/owners 26 Peacock Lane, Jane, MO June • July 2016 | 31

PREPPING Has its Roots in Ozarkian Traditions

BY KIM MCCULLY-MOBLEY

B

y now, most people have heard of the “Prepping Movement.” There are social media sites dedicated to it. There are stores dedicated only to marketing to “preppers.” There are books about it. There are also myths and rumors. Some people think prepping is smart; while others connect it to paranoia and conspiracy theorists.

What is Prepping?

In the Ozarks, the movement has been growing since the Y2K scare when the calendar rolled over in the year 2000 and the world feared computers would malfunction and kick folks off the grid.

Then, a year later 9/11 brought tragedy to the nation’s doorstep and people realized how your world and environment can change in an instant.

Compound that information with the news reports of mass chaos in the Superdome when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, and thousands of people across the United States decided they wanted to be ready…ready for anything.

But, real preppers say the tips, tricks and advice they often use comes from people being resourceful during the Civil War and our ancestors becoming adept at the barter system and making do with little during the Great Depression.

Marjorie Riggs (not her real name) is an older businesswoman in southwest Missouri with homes in Barry and Lawrence counties. She defines “prepping” as “saving tomorrow.” Her fellow preppers on a private social media site agree with her.

The terms “personal responsibility,” “self-reliance,” and “calm, focused, determined” come up in casual conversation.

Riggs is quick to point out that “survivalists” are often confused with “preppers.” They are not the same thing.

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While both might be skilled at living off the land, survivalists want to focus on having every skill needed to survive off the grid and sometimes focus on doomsday scenarios.

Preppers, on the other hand, often have their own areas of expertise and share their knowledge and goods with one another. They want to be ready for anything, big or small, that might disrupt their routines or resources.

A survivalist might be fearing the end of the world or the Apocalypse, while a prepper just wants to be prepared for anything: emergencies, death, injury, the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one, attack, natural disasters or even economic crisis.

“We’ve been prepping since 2011 for an extended family of 20,” Riggs says in her soft voice as she puts her long gray hair behind her ear and smiles.

It was hard in the beginning as everyone in the family was not on board and she felt “all alone.” Now, family members work together as a team and she says it is “much easier and not nearly as stressful.”

“I never turn down a candle. I can everything I can get my hands on,” she stated, adding she also does a lot of dehydrating.

She spends 8-10 hours per week prepping during the regular year. During the garden season, the clock goes up to 20 hours per week, she said.

DIRTY DOZEN list of must haves: A supply of good, clean water or access to water Extra food Non-perishable items are best A garden to replenish the food Include herbs and items for making medicine, tinctures, salves, etc.

Animals for food Riggs raises rabbits Alternative fuel for heating, cooking and light Secure locations Locked doors, gates, entrances and some kind of alarm system of locations are breeched Weapons for security and hunting Guns, knives, crossbows Ammunition for the weapons First aid kits and extra medicines Radios or plan for communication if phones do not work Electrical backup Like-minded neighbors and friends who will respond for assistance as a team

21st Century Prepping Involves Our Ancestors' Advice: Be resourceful. Most things have more than one purpose.

Network. Make sure you have a group of like-minded people who can come together in times of trouble.

“We gain comfort in knowing that if our money is short, due to whatever reason, there is food in this house – way beyond a three-day supply,” Riggs explains with a laugh and points to the cabinets, the garage and the garden just outside the window.

She also routinely creates ointments for the family first aid kit. She has natural insect repellents, plantain ointment for skin issues, cuts and bites and even a cream for burns.

By making her own ointments, salves, soaps and creams, she is also using healthier ingredients and saving money at the same time.

The rabbits outside? They are pure gold, she explained.

“The manure from the rabbit cages is wonderful for the garden. The freezer is full and the pelts are waiting to be processed,” Riggs said.

Riggs also indicated she has a wide variety of books and files on hand. If there is a natural disaster or an emergency, chances are there will be no internet either. It is a good idea to have some “how to” items on hand. She also has a stack of cookbooks for a variety of items.

Creating a Bug Out Bag One of the first things a beginning items, weigh the bag. Prune it. Then prepper does is create a “bug out bag.” prune it again. The items in the bag That bag should contain necessary items should only be essential items. to survive for at least three days. You grab the bag in case of fire, Some tips for the “bob” bag include: emergency or travel.

Leave some room. If you pack it too tightly, you will not have You keep this bag room for something if you see it and need it. Or, you run into the in the trunk of your possibility of having to dump something out of the bag to make car or in the closet. room for the new item.

It is a good idea to make everyone in the Be sure to include water. You can live a while without a lot of family a “bug out” things, but clean water is an essential. bag. Some preppers Be sure to include some lightweight, grab-and-go food. call the bag in the car Granola, dried fruit, peanuts and sunflower seeds are good the “get home” bag. suggestions.

Ideally, a “bug out bag” or “bob” A flashlight is essential. There are numerous lightweight and should weigh less bright versions on the market. Matches or a lighter will come in than 25-30 pounds. handy if you need to build a fire.

In case you have to Duplicate items when possible. That will allow for you to lose carry the bag far on one, break one or sometimes even simple things malfunction. foot, you do not want it to slow you down.

Maps are a good idea for your bug out bags. If the highways Experts say: make are closed or a bridge is out, alternative routes to safety will your list, gather your need to be followed.

Have a plan for your friends and family to observe if something happens. Give everyone a copy. Do a run-through of the plan to see how everything works. If there is a problem, trouble-shoot and fix it.

Start a clothing bank of hoodies, coats, gloves, boots, socks and extra items for everyone in the family. If you have children and grandchildren in your group, remember that they will be growing. It is smart to have things in a variety of sizes.

Make sure you have sewing kits on hand to do normal repairs on clothing.

Do not forget the “spiritual” side of prepping long-term. Bibles or song books might provide comfort during times of distress. You might also consider appointing a preacher for the group.

Have some extra resources on hand for home repairs such as wood, tin, metal, old-fashioned tools, like hammers, saws, screws and nails. You might consider storing up some super glue and duct tape. Extra trash bags will also come in handy, along with some additional cleaning supplies, bandages, toilet paper. Even vitamins is a good idea. If something happens, you will need these items that make your day-to-day life even better.

Online resources indicate the prepper movement has over three-million members. For most, it is not about being paranoid or crazy – it is about being ready for whatever happens.

For Marjorie Riggs, it is all about “saving tomorrow” for her family of 20 and her extended family and network of hundreds of colleagues and friends. It is hard work, but it also connects people united for a common goal of surviving, thriving and enjoying life on any terms.

June • July 2016 | 33

Repurposing Revolution

BY SHERRY LEVERICH

FOR the FARM Easy ways to make the good-for-nothin' junk laying around good for somethin'

BUSY GOATS ARE GOOD GOATS Rubber Tire Goat Gym Keep those curious critters busy with an obstacle course made of old tires. Stack them, bury them, rope them together to create surfaces for goats to sleep in, jump on or walk through.

EDGEWOOD CREAMERY PHOTO

NO DIRT-TRACKS IN HERE! Bottle Cap Shoe Scraper Start saving those bottle caps and put this quick boot-scraper together in no time. Just take a scrap board and nest and nail each bottle cap tightly together to create a scratchy surface to sit beside the front door as a reminder to all your guest that dirt stays outside!

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KEEP THEM COOL! Tractor Tire Waterer Large, used tire waterers are a great way to recycle tires. For help in creating a waterer for your farm or purpose, contact an extension specialist near you for plans.

BONUS: The inside of the bucket can be used for holding hose attachments and sprayers!

USE THOSE RIMS Keep itReeled in Take an old wheel rim, and mount it to a wall or post near your spigot for a handy hose reel. OR, use an old galvanized bucket (maybe one that’s gotten a holey bottom).

Easy Farm Hack Use an old wheel as a base for a salt block. It will hold it off the ground, drain rain water, and help keep it from dissolving quicker than it should.

Family owned and operated since 1971.

For over 30 years, Race Brothers Farm and Home Supply has been owned and operated by the DeForest family, who is dedicated to providing the Ozarks with quality service and products including a complete line of farm and home supplies.

"Round the Fire Big or small, a wheel rim can make a handy base for a fire pit.

Surround with rocks for insulation, and bring out the marshmallows!

GOOD FOR NOTHING HOLEY HOSE Yes, is is Good for Something Pieces of hose can be used as a protective cover for sharp metal corners, such as tin roof shed corners. Split a section of hose lengthwise and adhere to metal edge with construction adhesive.

Hotwire Insulator: Use an old piece of hose to insulate a hotwire that might be a little too close to a tree or other obstacle.

A longer piece of hose can also be used to insulate a section of hotwire where you typically walk across (no more leg jolts).

For your garden, make a holey hose even holier, plug the end with a cap or tightly wire it closed, and use as a dripping soaker hose.

CLOTHING | ELECTRICAL PLUMBING | LAWN AND GARDEN OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT TOOLS | TRUCK ACCESSORIES PET SUPPLIES | TOYS C AT T L E H A N D L I N G E Q U I P M E N T

SPRINGFIELD 2310 W. Kearney 417-862-4378 CARTHAGE 2309 Fairlawn Drive 417-358-3592 MONETT 210 Hwy 37 417-235-7739

www.racebros.com June • July 2016 | 35

Home-Made Ice Cream

ICE CREAM MAKER TIPS & TRICKS Always chill the ice cream mixture before freezing.

This is true with all recipes, but especially for cooked, custardstyle recipes. Cooked recipes should chill at least 6 hours.

Home-Made Ice Cream made in a hand-cranked ice cream churn is probably just about as fun to make as it is good to eat.

I

know I am not the only one with fond summer memories of watching, and taking turns, with the ice cream maker. Hearing the crunching ice as the maker turns, mom layering ice and rock salt around the can, and that salty cold water drizzling out of the little spout as the ice would melt while the ice cream was freezing. At the end of the process, only the bigger kids could keep the churn going, and you didn’t want to stop till it was ready.

Then mom would wrap it with a heavy blanket and let it ripen for a bit before serving. Even though it was ice-cold, it melted fast on those hot summer days... and nothing could beat a spoonful of fresh vanilla ice cream with a just-made blackberry cobbler.

Never fill your ice cream maker over 2/3s full.

The churn will either stop, or become hard to crank when it’s done (usually 20-25 minutes).

Wipe any ice or salty water away from the cover before opening.

Be sure to have plenty of rock-salt for the freezing process.

Not enough salt will keep the freezer from getting as cold as necessary to freeze the ice cream properly.

Same goes for ice! Be sure to have enough ice crushed and ready to go.

For a tastier ice cream that’s better to scoop, let the ice cream ripen.

Cover with more ice, and insulate with an old blanket and let sit in a shady spot for a couple of hours.

FOR THE KIDS: Zip-loc Bag Ice Cream 1/2 cup cream 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 Tbsp. sugar 4 cups crushed ice

4 Tbsp. salt 2 quart size Zip-loc Baggie 1 gallon size Zip-loc Freezer bag

If bags get too cold to hold, wrap with a towel.

Mix together the cream, vanilla and sugar in one of the quart size bags. Seal tightly, removing excess air. Place this bag inside the other quart size bag, again removing excess air and sealing well. By double-bagging, you reduce the risk of salt and ice leaking into the ice cream. Put the double bag inside the gallon size bag and fill the bag with the crushed ice. Sprinkle the salt on top. Remove excess air and seal the bag. Shake and the bag, making sure the ice surrounds the cream mixture. Within 5 to 8 minutes you will have Ice Cream!

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"In a Hurry" Strawberry Ice Cream "Trendy" Avocado Ice Cream 3 avocados flesh scooped 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup heavy cream Place avocado, lemon juice, milk and sugar in blender carafe and puree until smooth.

Reduce blender speed to low and slowly add the cream.

Chill the mixture in an air-tight container 6 hours.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

This mixture sets up very fast, so count on it only 10-15 minutes to process to soft-serve consistency. Serve immediately or ripen for 2-3 hours for a firmer texture.

Creamy Milk Chocolate Ice Cream 3 cup milk 2 (4-1/2 oz.) packages instant chocolate pudding 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 cup half n’ half (or cream) 2 tsp. vanilla Beat milk & pudding mix until smooth, add condensed milk and stir till combined. Stir in half n’ half, & vanilla. Pour into ice cream canister. Freeze, makes 2 quarts.

1 pound frozen strawberries 1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup sugar In a food processor, puree the strawberries with yogurt and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve immediately.

Old-Fashioned Custard-Style Vanilla Ice Cream 6 large egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar 1/8 tsp. salt

2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar and the salt. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering; pour into the egg mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly, and then pour into the saucepan.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens (or lightly coats a metal spoon). Be careful not to overcook, or curdling can occur and ruin the custard.

Strain the custard into a medium bowl set in an ice water bath; stir in the vanilla. Let cool in refrigerator, stirring occasionally, for at least 6 hours. Using an ice cream machine, process the chilled custard according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

June • July 2016 | 37

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT AN OLD TOY T H E B I C YC L E

PART 2: GETTING STARTED STORY AND PHOTOS BY NAHSHON BISHOP

T H I N GS I WI S H SO MEONE WOULD H AV E TOLD M E In modern American, the bicycle is considered an efficient machine used to propel humans forward for fun, exercise or travel. For those of us who are just entering the arena of riding, this classification has its upside and downside.

The upside – modern manufacturing and new materials have made them readily available to the masses, extremely light and dependable. The downside, with the health/ fitness industry comes an inflated price tag and a ton of contradicting (often confusing) information. Hopefully, I can help to clear up some questions that you have (and that I had) right out of the gate.

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&Hollows

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T H E B ICYCL E B RA ND Bicycle brands is a hot button topic within the serious riding community. This topic is often met with the same argument structure as the Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge truck debate. If you spend $50,000 dollars on a vehicle in 2016, I am fairly certain that the vehicle will move you from point “A” to point “B” in relative comfort regardless of the symbol on the front. For this same reason, I personally do not prefer a particular brand over another. Instead, you should be thinking about, “what brand is offered in my area” and research that brand. This universal principal is especially true with bicycles because if your bike has a problem, it will probably not be within a mile of the shop where you purchased the bike. You will most likely take the bike into the nearest shop (via search results on your smart phone) and if they do not sell that brand of bicycle or carry components for your drive train, you are out of luck. If you buy something off the wall it would be like buying a Tesla car (an all electric car manufactured in California) and pulling into your local garage saying, “I need a full service”. Needless to say you will probably not be met with satisfactory results.

T H E TYPE OF BI CYCL E I think that the particular style of bicycle that would service the most people would be a, “Gravel Grinder/Touring Bicycle”. There are many names that this particular style of bicycle goes by, but for the most part they have mid-level drive trains, a more relaxed geometry than their racing cousins (something to keep in mind for those of us who have lower back trouble) and still have drop down handlebars. I believe that a bicycle like this will give you the most bang for your buck and the most comfort when you work your way up to those longer rides on Saturday morning.

FRA M E M ATERI ALS

B ICYCL E CO MP O NENTS

A BEGINNER'S OBSERVATION

AN INTRODUCTION

I am in no way an engineer nor do I understand all of the intricate details and manufacturing processes that go into the production of a bicycle. However, after having ridden the three major types of mass produced frame materials, I do have some brief thoughts I would like to share with you.

CARBON FIBER

ALUMINUM

STEEL

The lightest of the big three materials (which makes the hardcore riders happy) – carbon fiber frames – do an excellent job of dampening the general roughness of riding (called road noise).

It is response material that is a joy to ride for hours on end. However, this is the most expensive option for the massed produced bike market. Most of the higher-end bike market is now carbon fiber and many of them cost more than my family Subaru.

Aluminum is an excellent all around material for the bicycle.

Not as strong as steel, but its light weight means more can be packed on the frame for reinforcement. This wonderful material does not rust (a big plus for rainy areas or riding near the sea).

Depending on the type of process used to create the bicycle frame, aluminum can be relatively inexpensive.

An oldie but goodie.

Several types of steel have been used in the production of bicycles since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

Cheap, dependable and strong, a good steel frame can last for years if you treat the frame well and make sure to take care of any excess moisture that can accumulate in less than ideal riding conditions.

DR IV E TRAI N OVERV IEW

With the bicycle brands, you are paying money specifically for the frame of the bicycle, It is the “body” of the bike. This includes things like the top, down and seat tubes and chainstays.

The “drivetrain” are the components that move the bike forward and are extremely important in regards to the dependability and mechanical performance (as well as overall smoothness) of your bike. While there seem to be an endless list of bike brands, typically across the mid-west, the drive train components used are Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo. While the three companies listed (as well as a hand-full of others) all do fantastic jobs, I have found that without fail, a bike shop located in the Ozarks will carry tools and parts for Shimano drive trains. This is important to keep in mind as you move forward with your purchase of a bicycle.

Again, problems do not typically arise when you are in spitting distance of the point of purchase for you and your two-wheeled friend. The ability to take your trusty steed into the first bike shop nearest you is a handy thing.

The drive train is responsible for taking the energy output from your legs and putting it to the ground.

The more expensive your drivetrain, typically the faster and smoother the bike shifts.

June • July 2016 | 39

A R E A BI CYC LE SH O PS

PEDALS

SHIFTERS/BRAKES

These pedals my look goofy but they are cheap, easy to take on and off. and this style of pedal allows me to wear regular shoes (a wonderful thing when commuting into work).

With today’s drop down handle bars, the brakes and shifters typically come in an all-in-one package. This does take some practice but it will not be long before shifting becomes second nature.

Throughout the Ozarks, we are fortunate enough to have several bike shops that are willing to go above and beyond to make sure that you have everything you need to be successful in your bike riding endeavor. Here is a list of bike shops that I have visited for one reason or another. I have found these places and the people who work in them to be extremely helpful and patient when dealing with the woefully ignorant (namely me) to get where we want to go in relative comfort. This list is not exhaustive, and focuses primarily on retail establishments.

Springfield, Mo.

CASSETTE The cassette is comprised of a range of gears, typically a wider spread will give those of us who are beginners a more comfortable ride. I promise, it will not take long before you really start to pay attention to the wonderful Ozark Mountains we have been blessed with.

FRONT DERAILLEUR / REAR DERAILLEUR This important piece can take a wonderful day in the saddle and turn it into a miserable experience. Make sure you test ride your bicycle and shift through the chainrings many times before taking the bike home.

Sunshine Bike Shop: Full disclosure, all three bicycles in our family have came from this shop. This was the first bicycle shop that had been recommended to me and I could not be happier with the service provided by these wonderful people.

1926 E Sunshine Street, Springfield, Mo. 417-883-1113 A&B Cycle: A wonderful place with friendly people, a large selection and competitive prices.

As a side note, the location of the shop is wonderfully easy to get to!

3620 S National Ave. Springfield, Mo. 417-866-2453

THE SADDLE The saddle, or seat of your bicycle, can make your efforts and time spent peddling absolutely miserable or relatively comfy. With all of our advances in modern technology (people tell me that we have allegedly put a man on the moon) you would think that someone could figure out how to design and construct a comfy bike seat! This however is not the case with any bike that I have rode to date. As the miles tick by on your bicycle (typically around 10 miles for me) the factory installed seat would ensure that at least one of my legs would be completely asleep. While I enjoy a physical challenge as much as the next chap, this was not my idea of a good time.

So, after doing some research I have landed on a third-party saddle that fits me wonderfully. The point is, do not settle for what comes on the bike. If you are in pain, something is not right and needs to be changed before physical damage ensues.

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E

Conservatory of the Ozarks presents:

“June Master Class” Cycles Unlimited: A wonderful and friendly staff that wants to get you outside and peddling.

2002 East Republic Road, Springfield, Mo. 417-887-3560

Joplin, Mo. Bicycle Specialists: A small shop with a lot of heart. The owners are typically on the showroom floor and are willing to get you what you need to move forward.

1202 S Rangeline Road Joplin, Mo. 417-781-1664

Rogers, Ar. Highroller Cyclery: One of the first bicycle repair shops in NWA, the team are knowledgable and will help you identify what type of bicycle that will work best for your riding style.

402 S Metro Pkwy Rogers, Ar. 479-254-9800 Lewis and Clark Outfitters: I think this place belongs on the short list simply because it has so much to offer for the outdoor enthusiast including bicycles and accessories. Think of this store as the Cabela’s or Bass Pro for the millennialist generation.

2530 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy.

Rogers, Ar. 479-845-1344

Each student gets a private lesson with a Master who offers each student suggestions for improvement in a group setting.

Each student benefits from his or her own "mini lesson" and the group as a whole benefits from watching the instructor with each student.

Monday, June 20 4 – 9 p.m.

The Creamery Arts Center 411 N Sherman Pkwy, Springfield, Mo. $20 registration fee for students $10 donation for spectators and guests

Call Conservatory of the Ozarks at 417-592-1756 for more information.

If you like reading about the es e a en

The Front enc e a

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a s a e n

as

s an

417-436-4444

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F IN A L T H O UGHTS In conclusion, wherever you happen to call home in the Ozarks, there is more than likely a bicycle shop within a 30 minute drive. The staff that work at these shops are more than likely very passionate individuals who do genuinely care about you choosing the right bicycle for your riding style.

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June • July 2016 | 41

Holler from theHills

Got something you want to share?

Send letters and photos to Ozarkhhart@gmail.com, or mail them to: Ozark Hills and Hollows, P.O. Box 214, Exeter, Mo 65647

Marley Jackson, and her cat Toby.

Avery Scott is holding her chicken.

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OZARK OZARK Hills

Roland Wardlaw loves feeding the chicks by hand.

Stepping into the Past A VISIT TO OUR OZARK HERITAGE

M Tom and Kathy Whitman, owners of Heritage Ranch

STORY BY KAYLA BRANSTETTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF HERITAGE RANCH

y visit to this restored ranch in the hills began with a warm welcoming from the owner, Kathy Whitman.

As Kathy greeted us inside her home, my husband and I felt as if we strolled back in time, and when we entered our room for the night, “Dreamcatcher”, the Native American and Southwestern motif added to our feeling of nostalgia for the nineteenth century. As I reflected over the decor, I imagined stepping back in time.

We were like a newlywed couple, spending time on our honeymoon at the an old luxury hotel. I pictured us dressed in our Sunday best attire, just like the couples on the old westerns my husband enjoys watching. I roamed our room, and glanced out of our window onto an expansive white deck below and a view of the beautiful Ozark Hills. The sight of this vista lured me in, as I found myself drawn to the charming landscape of this picturesque ranch property.

History, romance, location and chance attracted Kathy and Tom to the

Heritage Ranch. These Texans connected while boating on a lake that straddles the Oklahoma and Texas border. Afterwards, Kathy, who was originally from Wichita, Kansas, introduced Tom to the beauty of Table Rock Lake. The mountains and rugged terrain of the Ozarks mesmerized Tom, and soon he decided to move to here, away from the hustle and bustle of Dallas, Texas.

Tom and Kathy searched for two years to buy a resort, but struggled to find the perfect combination of location and property to satisfy them. Their luck changed over Labor Day in 2005 when they read an ad in the paper for a bed and breakfast. Much to their surprise, the bed and breakfast happened also to be a farm. Both Tom and Kathy lacked experience in farming, but chose to take a risk, and purchased the sprawling estate in November of 2005.

After finalizing the details, they embarked on an incredible journey of learning how to farm, operating a new business, and remodeling the buildings June • July 2016 | 43

Outside of providing uniquely decorated rooms, furnished with king-size beds and luxurious linens, Tom and Kathy grow organic and farm fresh food for their guests every morning. In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture awarded the bed and breakfast with several grants to grow fresh produce in their greenhouse.

They harvest enough vegetables, herbs, and other plants for a farmers market on Highway 86. As an integral part of their health conscious lifestyle, they only employ organic farming – which means they do not use pesticides, insecticides or herbicides on their garden or anywhere on their ranch.

An important aspect of the property’s charm stems from the location. The ranch is only a half hour’s drive to Branson or Eureka Springs, but if anyone wishes to escape their fast paced, busy lives, their ranch provides plenty of activities and amenities to de-stress and help them appreciate the joys and attractions of the Ozarks. Both Tom and Kathy share a passion for food and cooking with the freshest organic ingredients, and if their guests chose to, they have access to an outdoor kitchen, complete with an infrared grill, cook top, sink, and refrigerator. If the weather happens to

themselves. Every weekend until 2011, they commuted from Dallas to Lampe to remodel what would become their bed and breakfast resort. In 2011, Tom retired and moved to Lampe to start up operations in their finished project. Meanwhile, Kathy, handled the advertisement, which she operated mostly through social media channels such as Facebook. This proved fruitful, soon the bookings started flowing in. In 2012, the Heritage Bed and Breakfast officially opened for business and they have been operating at full capacity ever since.

be not conducive to outdoor cooking, the Whitman’s ranch even provides a community cooking area inside, equipped with most cooking essentials.

I was drawn to the natural beauty, hospitality, and simplicity of Heritage Ranch. The landscape harkened me to its sense of a full and active life, and of the timeless charm of the ranch and the Ozarks themselves. Once again I found myself drifting into times past, sitting on a bench in the gazebo, holding my oneyear-old daughter next to my husband, listening to the trickling of water from the waterfalls, observing the sun making its grand exit, with shades of pink, purple and orange hugging the Ozark Hills before the summer moon greeted us.

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Gigabit Internet COMING SOON! goBEC Fiber Network is close to completion in the Cassville area.

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M

ost Ozarkians express an interest in preserving their local heritage and culture. Heritage Ranch, located on Highway 86 in Lampe, Missouri, mirrors this passion. When owners, Tom and Kathy, purchased their new ranch in November of 2005, they inherited a “Dogtrot Cabin”. For those of you not familiar with the term, this arrangement historically consisted of two log cabins connected by a breezeway or "dogtrot", all under a common roof. Typically one cabin was used for cooking and dining while the other was used as a private living space, such as a bedroom. The Pioneers from the 1850s-1860s built this popular architecture with oak logs to provide insulation to the two compartment structure. Upon inspection of the façade, one may notice the visible axe marks on each log, rough hewn traces of the past. As my husband and I studied the structure, I found myself transported, and imagined a young family living their daily lives in the hills of the Ozarks. As I continued to study the structures, I slowly watched this imaginary family fading into the history of these hills, with their cabins being the only evidence left of their culture. This year, the owners hope to receive notice from the State of Missouri, designating this nineteenth century treasure as an official Missouri Historical Marker.

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June • July 2016 | 45

THE WAY TO BEAVER ARKANSAS a picturesque adventure STORY AND PHOTOS BY TOM KOOB

Sometimes it is the journey and not the destination. In the case of Beaver, Arkansas, it is both.

The journey to Beaver Town will take you past glimpses of historical significance and startling natural beauty. And the destination is a rewarding confluence of man blending with nature.

Traveling south off of Highway 86, Missouri P quickly enters Arkansas and becomes Route 23. The highway travels up Basin Mountain through stands of pine and passes the Holiday Island business center. Back down the mountain, just before Gaskin’s historic 1846 cabin, a sharp turn at Gaskin’s Switch takes you onto County Road 187, following Leatherwood Creek.

This is the route of the old North Arkansas Railroad, which ran from Seligman, Missouri to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

The railway was constructed in the early 1880s, primarily to carry passengers to the burgeoning Eureka Springs. A train ride during the early days of the rail-line 46 |

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was exciting and dangerous. The roadbeds did not use ballast and ties were handcut creating a rocky ride. The rail cars were made of wood, heat was provided by a wood stove and lighting was by kerosene or oil lamps. Derailments frequently resulted in treacherous fires.

This route along Leatherwood Creek has been used for centuries.

Native Americans surely followed the waterway seeking game and fish.

Early settlers followed the trails in their quest for water and fertile bottomland. During the Civil War, troops from the Confederate and Union armies passed through this area, particularly during the Battle of Pea Ridge. Bushwackers and vigilantes skirmished here as well.

Crossing a one-lane bridge, the road comes to Elk Ranch. Around 1903, General George W. Russ established a ranch for raising elk on his property along the creek.

The settlement was a stop for passengers and a mail stop for the railroad. Elk Ranch post office was established in 1909.

A mile ahead, the road to Holiday Island follows Leatherwood Creek to the White River. Along this road was once the little town of Brooklyn. Established around the Eureka Stone Quarry, which opened in 1882, Brooklyn was the home to hundreds of men toiling at the stone

works. Limestone blocks from the quarry were used to construct the Crescent and Basin Park Hotels in Eureka Springs and many other buildings and projects throughout the Midwest. The Brooklyn School supported the town’s families for many years.

To the west of Leatherwood Creek lies Holiday Island. Actually a peninsula, the triangular-shaped land mass is surrounded by the White River (now Table Rock Lake) on two sides and Leatherwood Creek on the third. But for a narrow strip of land at Cedar Bluff, the “island”

would be completely isolated by water.

The peninsula has had many owners and names over the years. The Bandys homesteaded the land in the 1850s and called it “The Bottom Place” and later “Bandy’s Bend”. In 1868, the Burnetts named it “The Homestead Place”. In 1938, Richard Shields purchased the property and built “Palisades Farm”, a ranch for thoroughbred horses. Henry Banach bought the ranch in 1954 and promoted it as a “fisherman’s paradise” resort. The McCullough Corporation purchased the “island” and considerable surrounding June • July 2016 | 47

acreage in 1970 and developed the present Holiday Island Community.

Back on County 187, the road tops out at Cedar Bluff, descends into the White River valley, makes a sharp right turn, and there, straight ahead, is the approach to Beaver, the single-lane, wooden-decked, suspension bridge known as the “Little Golden Gate Bridge”.

Wilson Beaver established a ferry at this site on the White River in the 1850s.

Squire Beaver built a house, a grist mill and a stagecoach inn on the west bank of the White. One can imagine the harrowing ride in a wagon or stagecoach along the rough trail leading to the river, pulling onto the wooden ferry, and being carried across the water by the river’s current.

The ferry provided the only vehicular access to Beaver from the east for many years. In 1926, Carroll County constructed a wooden trestle automobile bridge at Beaver. This bridge led people to the town until it was destroyed by a flood in 1943. To alleviate the isolation brought about by the loss of the bridge, the county solicited bids for a new suspension bridge in 1944. The span was built by the Pioneer Construction Company between 1947 and 1949. During construction, the span was raised 40 feet and lengthened to accommodate the Corps of Engineers plans for Table Rock Lake. This impressive structure, providing an interesting and exciting approach to Beaver Town, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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After ensuring that no one is entering the bridge from the other side, the span can be crossed offering a spectacular view of Table Rock Lake. At the end of the bridge, Beaver Spring still flows from the stone springhouse. To the north, the road leads right up to the Beaver Store, built of local limestone by Mark Swope in 1901.

Next door, the Riverside Inn once provided accommodations and chicken dinners to guests. The Inn is gone now, but the solid

general store still stands as a testament to the ruggedness of the building material and the people who built it.

From the store, portions of the old North Arkansas Railroad bridge still stand, spanning the lake. The concrete piers and steel superstructure were erected in 1907 to replace the original railroad bridge at this location. To achieve an effective rail route, the roadbed was extended by cutting a large V-shaped notch in the “Narrows” of Cedar Bluff. The railroad bridge at Beaver was used until the rail-line discontinued service in 1961. For a time in the 1970s – ‘80s, the tracks were reopened and used as an excursion line from Eureka Springs. The rails were last removed from this section around 1987.

Beaver was incorporated as part of a township in 1949, but had no acting government until a re-incorporation as a city in 1981, the same year the Corps of Engineers planned to close the Beaver Recreational Park. The town made arrangements to lease the property and now operates the campground and boat launch at Beaver Park.

There is a fee to use the park which is open from April 1 through October 31.

The way to Beaver, Arkansas traverses multiple historic sites and passes through several interesting natural features.

Not always easy to find, but always picturesque, traveling to Beaver creates unexpected surprises all along the way.

Q&A:

It’s a tough question, but what is your favorite flower?

Sue: That is hard...my favorite perennial – Delphinium Blue, and my favorite annual – I like them all...but I do love the Tuberous Begonias.

What flowers are popular this year?

Steve: For the ponds, it’s Water Lillies.

Sue: The False Baptisia, (or False Indigo) has been a popular native.

Is there a plant that you try to talk people out of?

Sue: The Trumpet Vine – they take over and come up from suckers, they come up from seeds...

You have such a large assortment of statuary, what is your most unusual?

Steve: Well, our best-selling are the large gargoyles, but the bigfoots are probably the most unusual.

On the Front Porch With Steve and Sue Davisson

Owners of Perennials, ETC., Garfield, Arkansas

T

hough Steve is quick to say that Sue is the one with the green thumb, Steve admits that he grew up gardening – and started at the early age of 6. Skilled as a trim carpenter, Steve, along with wife, Sue, moved to northwest Arkansas in 1972 and most of the years since then they have spent their time growing – growing a business, their family, and all of the beautiful perennials, trees, shrubs, flowers, aquatic gardens...and everything else you can imagine for your yard and garden.

What are the difference between goldfish and Koi? Steve: Their mouths are different, Koi have a horizontal mouth...and they have barbels (whiskers) – they are really a glorified carp. They can get up to three-feet long, but goldfish only get up to 10-12 inches long.

If you could choose to do something else, what would it be?

Sue: If I was blessed with the ability, I would be a writer or a painter. I would like to write about my ancestors – it is very interesting. If I painted, I would do landscapes.

Steve: I’m a scrounger, I like to find things and make things out of old stuff.

What has drawn you to be growers?

Sue: For me, it’s the gardening. Raising the plants and designing a garden – it’s like a painters palette. You can design your garden and you get to watch it grow – you get to see this changing scene through the season.

Through the years, what makes their business most enjoyable?

Sue: Our customers, these people are great.

Steve: We have the best customers.

Sues final thought,

“people who love gardening are just the nicest people”

June • July 2016 | 49

GOO

D FO R YO U. . .

CoConut Oil

I S T H E R E A N Y T H I N G T H I S FAT I S N ’ T G O O D F O R ?

BY MARY LOWRY

C

oconut oil has traditionally been a mainstay of the diet for over a third of the world’s population.

More recently in non-tropical areas it’s popularity has skyrocketed – and for very good reasons. It may be the most healthy and most versatile fat.

Coconut oil has many benefits due to its structure. All fats and oils are made up of fatty acids. These fatty acids belong to one of three groups – saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. This is based on whether the fatty acids are fully loaded with hydrogen atoms (saturated) or not. They can also vary in the length of the fatty acid chain. This includes short-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain fatty acids.

Coconut oil is about 62 percent mediumchain fatty acids, and is over 90 percent naturally occurring saturated fat.

Disclaimer: The purpose of “Good for You” is to inform and entertain the reader on various health topics. It does not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher, Exeter Press. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before trying a new health care regimen.

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Good satuRated Fats

There is a difference between naturally occurring saturated fats, and unsaturated fats that have been made saturated artificially in order to extend the shelf-life of baked goods, or the fry-life of a cooking oil. These are called hydrogenated or transfats, and they are so bad for our health that some cities have banned them, and the FDA would like to make them obsolete within two years.

Unfortunately, this has brought a lot of confusion regarding the healthy, natural saturated fats as found in coconut oil, butter and other natural fats. These natural saturated fats raise the healthy HDL cholesterol, do not cause inflammation, boost our immune system, improve our health, and yes, can even raise the metabolism and help with weight loss. This is just the opposite for trans-fats.

coConut Oil beneFits One of the most beneficial aspects of coconut oil, is it is nature’s highest source for medium-chain fatty acids, also called medium-chain triglycerides (or MCT). Because MCTs are smaller than long-chains (which are found in soy, corn, canola oils and most vegetable oils) their smaller size means they are more rapidly absorbed by the cells and do not require enzymes to break them down first.

Unlike long-chain triglycerides, they are minimally stored as fat, and not converted to glucose, rather they go directly to the liver where they are converted to ketones for quick energy. Ketones do not require insulin to be used for energy, so they do not raise insulin levels, and they help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Ketones can be very beneficial.

Recently it’s been discovered that the brain makes it’s own insulin to be able to utilize the glucose for brain fuel. With Alzheimers this is impaired. Research has shown that the brain can use ketones as a source of energy, rather than glucose, and this allows the brain to function even without insulin. A study published in the journal of Neurobiology of Aging found that the MCT in coconut oil significantly improved the memory of all the patients tested. And while the ketones are used by brain cells for fuel, tumor cells cannot use ketones and can only use glucose. For this reason, coconut oil along with a ketogenic diet (one that is high in fat, adequate in protein, and limits carbohydrates) may help fight cancer, by starving the cancer cells.

In addition to these benefits, most of

the medium-chain fatty acids that make up the MCT oil in coconut oil, contains the highly beneficial lauric acid. Coconut oil is over 40 percent lauric acid, and this is the richest natural food source. Lauric acid is so helpful to the immune system – it is a key benefit in human breast milk. The body converts it to monolaurin which increases our immunity and that of an infant. It is antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. It can destroy the lipid coated viruses such as herpes, HIV, measles, influenza. It has even been effective on gram-negative bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and are especially troublesome, including pneumonia. The lauric acid and caprylic acid in coconut oil also work on fungus including toenail fungus, and candida (a fungus common to the gut).

Coconut oil is wonderful for digestive problems. It helps the body absorb fatsoluble vitamins, calcium and magnesium.

It may even double the absorption of omega-3 fatty acids when taken together. Coconut oil is easily digested and absorbed, so it can take a load off the gall bladder, pancreas and liver. Its antibacterial action works on destroying H. Pylori bacteria which has been known to cause peptic ulcers. It reduces the inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD).

Coconut oil is especially helpful to athletes. The MCT in coconut oil is used in

COCONUT OIL AND ITS

HEALTH BENEFITS GLOWING SKIN GOOD FATS BOOSTS METABOLISM AIDS IN DIGESTION ANTIBACTERIAL SUPER ALKALINE BRAIN FOOD

many health products to build muscle. It also increases energy levels and endurance.

It is used by many triathletes as their main source of fuel for long distance races and events. Dr. Josh Axe suggest making a homemade energy fuel by mixing 1 Tbsp. each of coconut oil, raw honey and chia seeds together and consuming 30 minutes prior to exercising.

What about the skin? Coconut oil is a

Buy it Right Are there any differences in coconut oil quality? There are very few labeling standards for coconut oil. True virgin coconut oil has not undergone chemical refining, bleaching or deodorizing, and is made from fresh coconuts rather than the dried coconut meat called “copra”. True virgin coconut oil tends to be higher in antioxidants and has retained it’s coconut smell and taste. My favorite brands of organic virgin coconut oil are Barleans. Garden of Life and Tropical Traditions. They may be a bit higher in cost, but the flavor makes the difference between tolerating coconut oil and loving it!

wonderful cleanser and moisturizer. I use it daily as a moisturizer on my skin. It’s also helpful for fungal infections, burns, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.

Cooking

Coconut oil has a high smoke point so it performs well in frying and stir-frying. I use it for nearly all my cooking and baking needs, and save extra virgin olive oil for salads. My favorite use is a tablespoon of coconut oil added to 8-12 ounces of coffee and blended at high speed. Yumm! It is like having coffee with creamer (my husband doesn’t agree). I love a website called www.wellnessmama.com for many wonderful ideas and recipes using coconut oil. I don’t think you can beat their article “101 Uses for Coconut Oil”.

Is there anything coconut oil is not good for? Oh maybe waxing the bottom of a sled. Come to think of it, that might be the 102nd use for coconut oil.

June • July 2016 | 51

M The Thrill of the Hunt

OZARK STORYTELLING GOES TO THE BIG SCREEN STORY BY KATRINA HINE PHOTOS COURTESY OF HUNT PRODUCTION STUDIOS

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ost would agree that the Ozark region is fertile with treasure hidden in plain sight.

Those familiar with the region would also agree that natives of the Ozarks have a particular character trait, storytelling.

Many a tale has been spun, whether fact, fiction or merely a fib, a peculiarity seemingly lost in the more urban areas and buried in the fast pace of social media but the art still thrives in the hamlets dotting the Ozark countryside. It can be found during the morning coffee tribunal at the local cafe, the old barbershop on Main Street or on a creaky porch swing anywhere neighbors gather to chat.

What may not be known is that one young man born and raised in McDonald County has taken storytelling to a whole other level and is making a name for himself in the process. That young man is Sean Hunt of rural Noel, Mo. and his passion is telling stories of purpose.

His unusual focus began in grade school, where he would spend hours at home pouring over the TV Guide, drafting his own programming, or transcribing episodes of Star Trek. A quiet child, he would often write plays and invite friends over to act the play out for fun. “I remember in third grade writing a stage version of Star Wars, but we didn’t get to finish the project,” Sean adds. “I didn’t start out to be a director but I was going through the actions without realizing it.”

He admits that he spent most of his time thinking up programs or writing scripts while other kids were out playing. His first real production was for the DARE community service project in Sixth Grade, a production called ‘Quade-Boy and the Evil Drug Monster’. In all, beginning with this first film, Sean has now produced 26 films.

Just as Sean was about to enter high school, a new media program was beginning and Sean’s natural talent earned him a spot in the program geared for older students. Throughout his tenure, McDonald County High School had a vigorous media program and it was normal for the students to win top honors in media competitions in the region.

One production was a G-rated spoof of ‘Anchorman’ called, ‘Johny Longgrass’, which would become a fundraiser for a local student suffering from cancer.

That classmate, Natalie Jones, was diagnosed with leukemia in her teens. Sean recalls she was never bitter about her circumstances and always displayed her faith in a positive light.

Her testimony would later become the framework for one of Sean’s biggest productions, ‘The Swing Set’, a film

that he hoped would honor her life and introduce her faith to others.

Natalie passed away in 2006 and Sean felt convicted that he was to tell her story but it was a personal story and he wanted her parents blessing, which they wholeheartedly gave. Sean began to compile conversations he imagined that Natalie would continue to have if she was still alive, simple words of faith that were reminiscent of her life, his way of honoring her life’s testimony and passing that on to people who would never meet her. “I wanted to do something big and Christian themed,” he recalls.

After Sean graduated from McDonald County High School in 2006, he worked the summer as a cameraman for the Joplin TV station KSN. That fall he went on to Webster University, a Liberal Arts school located in St. Louis. It was at that major life transition that Sean began to question his dream to direct films.

“When I got to college I actually considered changing over to double majors in news casting and film production – thinking it would be easier to secure a job after graduation. But, a professor gave me this advice, ‘You could do two things mediocre or one thing right and make it golden.’” It was about that point that a friend invited him to see a new Christian themed movie about football. “I wasn’t interested in either because I wasn’t into sports and there rarely were good Christian movies,” Sean said.

Nevertheless, he went. The film, ‘Facing the Giants’, provided the fuel he needed to ignite his passion for Christian film production. Sean grew up in church and that early foundation gave him a certain steadfastness that would serve him later through life’s challenges, but Natalie’s influence pointed Sean in a purposeful direction.

As the story of his friend’s faith mulled around in his mind, college assignments enabled him to develop other purposeful films. The movie Platinum, which premiered in 2008, revealed a young man’s struggle to do what was expected of him versus what his heart told him was his true purpose. The idea for the film came while Sean was flipping burgers at McDonalds. “I got letters and messages from people who had watched the film, telling me how it encouraged them to follow their dream and true purpose in life,” Sean remarks.

One of the few original movie theaters still open, The Flick, is always eager to run

Airport. The movie tag line became ‘faith untested the premiers of Sean’s could not be trusted’ and rightfully so. work. Community support Sean is quick to point out that each venture reflects for Sean’s endeavors has his personal faith journey through life, something he been almost limitless. does not take for granted.

In a McDonald County Much like his other films that challenge the Press article highlighting audience, his newest production, ‘The White Rider”, the premier of Platinum, mirrors a place he found himself while creating the he states, “The community storyline. One line from the movie, ‘Why do you not made me feel as though believe?’ seemed to confront Sean when his vision for Anderson Main Street was the movie hit a wall. my sound stage for the “I had a pre-conceived idea about what I wanted summer.” it to be, but God began moving people in different For McDonald County places and in different directions,” he recalls. residents it seems normal Admittedly, he never envisioned the level God to star in his productions, would take this newest movie to or whether he or allow their business as a would like that direction. It became a lesson in backdrop in various scenes or setting back and letting God provide. “There is even provide resources for his nothing in this movie that God doesn’t want to be movies. Even local emergency in it,” he adds. personnel have worked mock When he is not directing and producing accidents; a businessman movies, he creates commercials for area provided his boom truck for businesses, produces shorts or captures overhead shots, the local Elk important life events, such as weddings. He River Golf Course in Noel was notes that with the advent of social media, the site of filming for Johny people do not take the time that print requires Longgrass with local news anchor when seeking products or services. The shift Jim Jackson providing narration. requires businesses to realize this type of Community support has media will have more staying power in a been critical to the cinematic technological age of internet searches. ventures that flow from his busy Along with wife, Kylie, whom he met at a imagination. “I have been so movie fundraiser and later married in 2014, blessed to have the support of all Sean focuses on providing good clean films the local communities, residents without compromising quality or fun while and businesses,” Sean said. reflecting Christian values. His films are When it came time to do his not preachy but reflect life experiences in senior project film, he brought a manner that challenges the audience to out his notes and ideas about reflect on their own path. “I want to inspire encouraging faith in the face of trials. people to think differently,” Sean states. “I While drafting his final thoughts want people to know that I value them and for ‘The Swing Set’, he faced three their money enough to give them a movie obstacles that would normally cause that moves and touches them.” others to quit. The first struggle was So if you find yourself traveling through locating a hospital to film in. Next, southwest Missouri and happen upon little securing a helicopter for the accident McDonald County, chances are you may scene and finally, filming at the St. possibly be able to get the autograph of Louis – Lambert Airport. All pretty tall several local actors and if you are really lucky, orders for the young director; however, you might just get one from the burgeoning he knew exactly what to do. “You can’t storyteller himself, Sean Hunt. fall down when you’re on your knees More information about Sean’s because the Lord will provide,” he replies. productions can be found on his Each production challenge lifted up website: www.seanhuntpresents.com, was answered as he was notified that not on his Sean Hunt YouTube channel only would Freeman allow one of their or Facebook page, Hunt Production medical helicopters and crew to take part Studios. The premier for The White in the accident scene, but that Gravette Rider will be December 20 – 22, Hospital would allow them to use an upper 2016, 7:15 p.m. in Anderson at The floor for filming. The final hurdle was Flick, and in Grove at Cinema 6 on cleared when he was given permission to Christmas Day. film the final scenes at St. Louis – Lambert June • July 2016 | 53

BACK HOME in the HILLS

BY LARRY DABLEMONT

n an

M

e enefi s

y teachers didn’t really approve of me working after school at Dad and Grandpa’s pool hall. One of the older lady teachers said I was spending too much of my time in that pool hall with a bunch of aging prevaricators. I told Ol’ Bill what she said and he and Ol’ Jim both really got upset by that. I was surprised they took it so hard. Doc Dykes, the chiropractor, told them it meant they were a bunch of old liars, and that was something of a relief to Ol’ Bill. ‘Prevaricator’ sounded bad, like maybe he was some kind of weirdo. He’d own up to an occasional lie, or at least an exaggeration.

But all the Front Bench Regulars there in the pool hall would have preferred not to be called liars. It is not exactly a lie if you say you remember catching a 50-pound catfish years back if it only weighed 42 pounds. That, claimed Ol’ Jim, was simply a product of not remembering clearly, and as acceptable as saying you had five dollars even if you actually only had four and a pocket full of change. Because who ever knows how much change you have in your pocket? He said if you actually said you had caught a 50-pound catfish and it was only 10 or 20 pounds, that was an outright lie and you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Virgil Halstead came right out and admitted he lied almost every day…to his wife! But then, amongst the married men, who didn’t? My dad, the most honest and upright man I ever met, told my Mom he had borrowed a trolling motor to run our johnboat when he had actually paid 30 dollars for it. Dad said the Bible stated ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ so he maintained that he had to lie about that trolling motor to maintain the peace. If Mom found out he paid that much for it 54 |

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ee

there would have been no peace in our home for months!

The trolling motor was a necessity for Big Piney duck hunters like us.

Remember now that I was only 11 or 12 years old back then. I could paddle really good but lacked the strength it took for long trips in the old johnboat. Once, an hour or so after we got started down the river, we came across a big flock of mallards in the shoal between the Bell Rock eddy and the Cow Ford eddy, and Dad paddled us right up into the middle of them. I eased my Iver-Johnson shotgun barrel up over the blind, took careful aim at a wad of green heads and pulled the trigger. Then as the flock came up off the water, Dad shot three times with his Model 97 Winchester pump-gun and there were dead ducks laying everywhere. Right there and then, we had our limit! Dad was happier than I had seen him since he won the snooker tournament over at Mt. Grove.

But we had to unload our guns and paddle the rest of the day, all the way to Boiling Springs, hours away. If we had owned a trolling motor and a good battery, we could have done it so much easier and faster, so Dad made arrangements to make three monthly payments of ten dollars for that Silvertrol motor and we were in business. It says something about my dad that he could be trusted to make those payments and use the motor at the same time. There wasn’t a man anywhere who didn’t hold my dad in high esteem. But shucks, he lied to Mom and that always bothered me, until I got a little older and started lying to her myself.

Sometimes if you say things that are downright absolutely the truth, NO ONE will believe you. For example, I saw a flying saucer when I was 13 years old!

Now think about that. It sounds like a

baldfaced lie, because you are thinking of a spacecraft filled with little green men.

But what actually happened was, Mom had cooked a couple of squirrels with dumplings for supper and both were really tough. I reckon she had been busy and hadn’t pressure-cooked them first, as you often have to do to tenderize old squirrels.

Dad had had a hard day at the shoe factory and he complained that those squirrels were tougher than a rubber boot and the dumplings weren’t much better.

Then he said he wished he had a spare quarter cause if he did he’d go down to June’s Drive-In and buy himself a hamburger.

And that’s when my mom, who was standing over by the sink, threw a saucer at him. It sailed across the room and narrowly missed him when he ducked, tearing a chunk out of the wall paper.

I think I have written about all of this before, and I have given a great deal of thought about whether or not we will all be hanging our heads in front of St. Peter someday recalling some of the lies we told in our lives. But Preacher Lampkin put it all in perspective for me one summer evening in the pool hall when it was just the two of us and all the Front Bench Regulars had gone home.

He said the commandment in the Bible stated “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” He said what that meant was no man should be a witness against another in a false manner. For instance, if you really didn’t like some kid in school and you told the teacher you saw him stick his chewed gum under the desktop when he actually didn’t do anything of the sort, that was ‘bearing false witness’.

Years later it dawned upon me that in court when you have to hold up your hand and ‘swear to tell the truth so help

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Only the good people who actually believe in those ten commandments are bound by such an oath. What a disadvantage that gives honest people.

If the judge is a no-account himself, as more and more of them are getting to be, a truthful man seeking fairness is really up the creek. Knowing that, it is understandable why so often good people are run over and bullied by the bad.

When I was young, I had a girlfriend like that. She lied about everything and I made a strong effort to tell the truth, except when she would ask me if I liked her hair or her dress or her perfume, or if I thought some other girl was pretty. Then sometimes I might lie a little bit. Point is, she always came out way ahead of me cause she lied like the dickens and I was awful gullible. And another thing I have observed is that a woman who lies a lot does a lot better than a man who does the same thing.

I think maybe God treasures women above men for several reasons and truthfulness must be amongst them. In general I think the female of the species is a little more inclined to be truthful, especially when they get older. In the Bible it says that a good woman’s value is far above rubies. There is not one statement anywhere about a good man having any value at all!

I wish I knew where to go with all this. Sometimes when I start writing I have a point to make and then in short order I forget what it is. And that’s the honest-to- goodness truth.

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Black School at Barry County Museum

The Schools That Time Forgot Lessons Learned in a One Room School STORY AND PHOTOS BY BECKIE PETERSON

In the mid-1880s, with more people coming into Missouri as

homesteaders, there was a great need for education. There were no buses, and parents did not have the time to drive their children to school. A law was enacted to create a rural school system, stating that every child between the ages of 6 and 20 had the right to a free education. With this law, the one room school houses became wide spread. These schools dotted the state, because it was decided that no child should have to walk more than two miles to get to school. By the mid-1900s there were 112 one-room schools in Barry County alone. With names like Osh Kosh, Stony Point, Leann, Hazel Dell, and Paisly, these schools provided the education of several early generations, from first through eighth grade, Osh Kosh students, 1951 and were all taught in one room, by a single teacher.

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There was a county school board, usually made up of three to five members, that oversaw the schools in that county.

They were in charge of finding and hiring teachers, and making sure that the schools were supplied and teaching what was needed. The school years ran an average of eight months, and classes were held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., which gave children time for morning chores and to walk to school. The teachers were responsible for getting to the school usually by eight, if not earlier, in order to open the school, start a fire in the stove to warm the room during the cold months,

and prepare for the day. When the school day was over, the teacher stayed to clean the school, shut down the stove and make any preparations needed for the next day.

In the early years, during the late 1800s teachers were paid $25-35 per month. By the 1920s this amount was raised to $50 or more, and by the time most of the schools had consolidated in the 1950s, most were averaging $125 per month. If the teachers did not live nearby, they would room with a local family, and go home on the weekends. The schools were funded by property taxes, same as they are today. Special needs were taken care of with fundraisers.

“It might have been distracting,” said Floyd, when asked about having all eight grades in one room, “but it was all we knew. We didn’t have all the subjects the kids learn nowadays. We had reading, writing, math and maybe a little bit of history. Not science and gym, art or music.

We just learned the basics.”

The school day was broken up by lunch and recess. Lunch was whatever you brought in your lunch pail, as there were no meals served at the school, and recess consisted of playing baseball, or basketball.

After receiving his eight years of schooling at Osh Kosh school, Floyd went on the high school at Wheaton; but he had many fond memories of “We didn’t have all the subjects the small school. “There three schools in the the kids learn nowadays. We had were area that worked together: reading, writing, math and maybe Osh Kosh, Oak Grove and the Brown school. a little bit of history.”

One winter there was not enough money to keep Osh These schools served a purpose, Kosh open, so they closed it and we walked to provide the kids the basic education to Oak Grove and went to school there that needed to function. Students were taught winter.” Closing the school temporarily to read, write and do basic math. All eight meant that Floyd, who had walked half a grades were taught in one room, by one mile to school, now had to walk two and a teacher. The kids were divided up into half miles to the other school. grades based on their age, and the teacher would teach each grade individually.

Black School at Barry County Museum Floyd Hughes of Wheaton, Missouri, was a student of Osh Kosh school in rural Newton County. Located on A Highway between Wheaton and Stella, Osh Kosh averaged 20-30 children per year. Floyd attended the Osh Kosh school from 1928 until 1936. He walked half a mile from his home to the school.

“We all walked to school,” Floyd stated.

“Some walked almost two miles to school.

No one drove their kids to school, they just didn’t have time. They just dressed their kids and sent them on their way.”

During the school day each grade would be brought forward for their lesson, and then sent back to their seat to do their assignment while the next grade came forward. When the final grade had come forward for their lesson, the teacher would start over again with the next subject and the kids were called forward again. At the end of the day, they were sometimes called forward again to review what they had learned. In many schools there was a long bench at the front of the room the kids would sit on while waiting their turn to recite their learnings.

Floyd Hughes

Melvin Haynes of Wheaton also attended Osh Kosh school in 1946. He started his education in the Rocky Comfort school, but a move when he was in 3rd grade put him and his brothers in Osh Kosh. By this time there was a small Carry-All bus that picked the kids up and took them to school. There were 28 kids when Melvin attended school there, and one teacher.

“There wasn’t a lot of time given to the individual students,” Melvin remembered.

“Older students helped the younger ones.

The teacher gave the assignments and we worked on it. There was no homework, we did our lessons at school.” School years were eight months long, beginning after Labor Day and ending the first of May. By 1949 hot lunches were added to the school.

There was a small kitchen set up in the hallway of the school building. The kids went through a line and got their food and took it back in to the classroom to eat. The school was heated with a coal stove, and there was an outhouse and a well with a pump for water.

Melvin recalled that recess was his favorite thing. “At recess we played games, Ante Over and Dare Base. We had no playground equipment, just a baseball and bat, and a basketball.”

June • July 2016 | 57

If you e, One Man’s History please senjoid nusMaa phl’s otcruo ofsadyou r sign and schoolhouse!

Preserving Crusade

M

al Hudson of Cassville, Missouri has lived his life in Barry County. As a barber for many years, he has shared his life with many neighbors and friends that are gone, and some that are still here. He see’s that, through the passage of years, memories and times past are fading away.

This generation of one-room schoolhouse students are connected by cherished shared memories, even if they grew up in a completely different area.

Mal hates to see this lost. To keep the memory alive, though the generation is aging, he has an idea he would like to share.

If you have a piece of property that either has a schoolhouse, or used to be the site of a schoolhouse, place a marker. “Just put a sign up,” urged Mal. Mal said, “A lot of the schoolhouses have moved. Some people have made houses out of them, some of been turned into churches.” Besides that, some have either been destroyed or deteriorated through the years – there may only be a foundation left.

If you suspect there could possibly be, or have been, a schoolhouse on your property, how can you find out? “Run your abstracts, they will be in the records at your county courthouse,” advises Mal. During the early 1900s, until school consolidation and transportation began, there were schoolhouses popping up about every three miles or so...anywhere population of school-age children deemed it necessary. Mal explained that sometimes a schoolhouse was built on the corner of someones property. Years later, if the schoolhouse was moved, or shut down, the property would automatically go back to the owner. This will be noted in the property abstracts. The name of the schoolhouse will probably also be noted.

Sometimes, information can be found out at area historical society’s and museums. The Barry County Museum located in Cassville has a whole shelf dedicated to the old schoolhouses of the county. They even have a map that pinpoints the location of the 112 schoolhouses that once dotted the communities.

Mal fabricated his sign from red plexiglass and had it printed with the name of his schoolhouse, Clio. Even though he doesn’t own the property in which the schoolhouse once sat, he has gotten permission from the property owners to attach the sign to a post on the property. Mal suggest that any kind of sign would work, “It doesn’t have to cost much – I just hope it catches on!”

Sports was also important in the small schools, and if there were enough players there were basketball teams created, and the one room schools would play against others, and against the larger consolidated schools.

In 1951, the last year that Osh Kosh was in operation, Melvin, two of his brothers, and five other boys from the small school won the county basketball championship.

Success

In the corner of McDonald County, sat a small school known as Success. Oneand-a-half miles south of Longview on Highway 76, the Success school building was built near what is known as Bowers Corner. Kay Lombard of Wheaton, was a student at Success in 1945. Her teacher was Lela May Edmonds (Cook).

Miss Lela May taught at the Success school beginning at the age of 19, and taught there for four years. Kay has fond memories of the small school.

“My favorite memory was taking my little reading book and getting to go up and sit on a little wooden bench, and we House school, rural Exeter, had would get to recite out of the book,” Kay enrollment of 42 remembered. She added that there were kids in 1922. about 20 students in the school. Kay lived ¼ mile from the school and even at six years old, she walked to school without her parents.

“Everybody walked,” Kay said. “A family at the edge of the district that had several kids would start walking, and as they would pass each home those kids would join the group.” This method was followed in the other areas around the school, so that no child walked to school alone, and the older children kept an Kay Lombard, former Success student with eye on the younger ones in the Lela May Cook, former Success teacher group. At the end of the school

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OZARK Hills Hills OZARK

day, they walked home in the same groups, dropping children off at each home, until the final family completed the walk to their home.

Recess was one of the highlights of the day, and while the older kids would play ball, many of the younger girls would walk up the lane to the woods behind the school and play house. “We would gather

poke berries and smash them to ‘cook’ dinner.” Imagination was the greatest toy the children possessed, and the ability to make do with what they had.

Kay added that the kids in school were generally well behaved, and there was not a lot of discipline handed out, other than a few whippings for the older boys.

Ridgley Maxine Crider of Exeter attended school at Ridgely beginning in 1926. There were at times so many kids attending the one room school that they had to hang a tarp down the middle of the room, and divide the younger kids from the older ones. During these times they had two teachers, and Grades 1-4 were taught by one, and 5-8 were taught by the other teacher. School records showed that attendance fluctuated over the years from 20 up to nearly 60 students. There was no well at the school, so the older boys would walk down to the spring behind the school and haul water back up in a bucket. After several years, there was a well drilled. The school was heated by a big wood stove.

School records would show that the school district would pay a contract of $12 per year for firewood for the school.

“Roy Packwood was my teacher,” said Maxine. “He was a good teacher. If you got a certain number of 100s on your spelling tests, you could earn tablets and pencils. If you didn’t earn them, then you had to buy them.”

Ante-over and Dare Base:

Recess was the most anticipated part of the day, and the students would play baseball, or Ante Over, or other tag-type games. “We had a puddle after it rained, and we would use the mud as makeup,” Maxine recalled. “Roy Packwood always made us wash it off.”

Most of the teachers were strict, and kept the classes in order so there was not a great lot of discipline needed. When a student finished their eight years in the school, they could go and take a county test, and receive a one year teachers certificate, enabling them to begin teaching school. With the numbers of schools popping up all over the state, there was always a need for teachers. In the beginning most teachers were men, but as time progressed more women became teachers. Many young women would teach until they married, and then resign to raise their families. After their children were grown, some women would return to teaching once again.

ANTE-OVER (also known as Ante-overthe-shanty) was a game that consisted of two teams, one on each side of the school building. A member of one team would throw a ball over the top of the building.

If it was caught by a member of the other team, that person would sneak around the school and try to tag the other teams members before they could reach the safe base. If they were tagged they would Chapman School, Jolly Mill Park become part of the tagging team. If the catcher dropped the ball, he became part of the other team. The game continued until one team captured all of the other. DARE BASE was a game where there were two teams. A person would “dare” to go and touch the base of the other team. If they were caught before they got to their own safe base, they were put in another area called a stink base. To get out of stink base, their own team members had to tag them to set them free and they would have to run back to their own safe base.

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June • July 2016 | 59

Leann Down toward Jenkins in Barry County was a small school called Leann. Jo Coffer attended this school beginning in 1946. It was a smaller school, and was heated by a coal stove. Behind the school was a shed where the coal was piled and the older boys would carry coal in to the school in a bucket.

Jo recalled the teacher going from class to class giving lessons. There was not

a lot of one on one help for the kids, so in many cases the older kids would help the younger kids with their studies.

“We learned the basics,” Jo recalled.

“Math, English, Writing and History. The only supplies we needed was a tablet and pencil.” Hot lunches were not served, and lunch was whatever you carried to school in your lunch pail.

Recess was a social time, and not being a fan of baseball, Jo recalled many of the games she played with her friends.

“We played Ante Over, and Dare Base. We played Drop the Hanky, Ring Around the Rosy, Mother May I? and Truth or Dare.

We did have a swing set, it was made of logs and had 4-6 swings on it.”

Weather was not a factor in going to school. School was not cancelled for snow, and as the children walked to school, and there was not a way to contact many of the families, they did not want the kids to walk to school and find no one there. During times of harvest or planting, the older kids would miss school to help their families on the farm.

Attendance was not strictly followed, and as long as they could pass their end of the year exams, they could pass on to Students of Corsicana School the next grade.

A Dying Era In the late 1940s many of the school districts wanted to consolidate the schools into larger schools. There were many who felt the one-room schools were inadequate, because many did not have a steady water source, and they did not offer hot lunches.

In effort to save their schools, many of them drilled wells, and transformed a corner of the building into a makeshift kitchen, hiring local women to cook meals for the kids. But after a few more years the vote was made for school consolidations and the districts went about dividing the area up and sending the kids to the larger schools in the area. By this time school buses were able to travel the area picking up the students and taking them to schools located further away.

Many people mourned the loss of the local schools as they were not just for the education of the kids in these areas; they were basically the hubs of these small communities. They were used to hold pie suppers, ice cream socials, plays and singings. Many did double-duty as churches.

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were closed, many were sold and moved to become storage buildings and barns. Some were transformed into churches and homes, and some were just boarded up and left for time to have its way with them. Over the years since, many have disappeared, or been burned down by vandals. All that remains of many of the schools, are cement foundations, fading photos, and fond memories of the children who received their education in these one room schools.

When you talk to the older generations, and mention these schools, most of them will smile, and begin to tell about their long walks to school,

about the games, and the teachers that made a difference in their lives. While the consolidation of the schools into larger buildings made things more simple for the districts, with school buses, and more teachers, hot lunches and better facilities, most of them agree, that the best memories they have, are when 8 grades were taught in one room, by a single teacher.

As Maxine Crider concluded sharing her memories, she sighed and stated, “Those were the good old days.”

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FH

ROM the

OLLOW

BY WES FRANKLIN

Photo by Travis Franklin, taken in Beeman Hollow in McDonald County, MO.

“When God looked up th’ work of his hands an’ called hit good, he war sure a lookin’ at this here Ozark country.”

The Shepherd of the Hills

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Ain’t that the truth? Words published in 1907 – 99 years ago – ring true in my heart today. The only thing about the Ozarks is we do have to deal with a mite of bad weather, since we skirt the edge of tornado alley and all. Don’t ever call a tornado a tornado, though, if you think one might be possible.

Say something else instead, like “bad weather is coming.” It’s bad luck to call a tornado by its name. That’s a genuine old Ozark country superstition, recorded for posterity a long time ago by my favorite Ozark folklorist of all ages, Vance Randolph (1892-1980).

Mr. Randolph spent his life in the Ozarks – mostly the Missouri Ozarks – and early on started recording sayings, superstitions, stories, and other folklore from the region.

Some of the people he talked to were born well back in the 1800s, and he would write down things he heard and witnessed, either in the course of daily life or by direct interview,

and file it away. Later, he took what he had compiled (and never ceased compiling) and published a number of books and articles on old Ozark ways and folklore.

Living in the Ozarks, Randolph was well acquainted with severe weather, and the beliefs associated with such. And, like he did with everything else he heard – Randolph wrote it down in order to share with the world.

Because of Vance Randolph, we know that when you see a hog looking up at the sky for no apparent reason, it means a tornado is probably coming. We also know that if you see a hog carrying a piece of wood in its mouth, bad weather is on its way. So what if a hog is looking up at the sky WHILE carrying a piece of wood in its mouth? Does that signify an F-5? Or does it just doubly verify that SOMETHING bad is coming?

When a tornado is in fact headed toward you, by the way, you can save your

house and property by sticking a knife into the ground, with the sharp edge facing the direction the tornado is coming from. The funnel cloud is supposed to split around the knife and go around your house. Or so Mr. Randolph was told by some folks who probably believed it.

I love crows. Don’t ask me why – well, I guess it’s all right. The reason I like crows is because they remind me of the Ozarks.

Dark and mysterious, yet beautiful in their way. One old Ozark superstition has it that when you see crows fly erratically a wind storm is on its way. That is probably due to the fact that crows are much higher off the ground, and thus more sensitive to changes in the wind than we flightless humans, but let’s call it a superstition.

You can watch cats too. They will point with their tails in the direction a nasty storm is about to come from.

Of course, most storms don’t bring tornadoes. Most just bring rain. I do love a rainshower. I like lightning too – so long as it doesn’t hit me. If you see lightning in the southern sky, it supposedly means it won’t actually rain that day or night. Maybe that means if the lightning is due south. You can protect your house against lightning by burying the guts of a black hen under your fireplace hearth, if you have one, on what is known as “Old Christmas”, which is 12 days after December 25, or January 6.

Don’t ever burn the wood from a tree that has been struck by lightning, by the way, or risk bringing down lightning on your home. Walnut trees are the most susceptible to lightning too, so stay clear of them during a storm. If you see where lightning strikes the ground, you can actually find the lightning bolt, which is a three-foot long pierce of iron, forked at the end, buried in the ground. Or, um, so says the Ozark superstition, recorded by Vance Randolph.

Lightning will cause the milk to sour in the refrigerator too, unless you put a rusty nail in the jug first as a precaution.

Back when this was actually believed, there weren’t refrigerators, of course, but who’s to say that electrostatic force can’t still penetrate?

I’ll leave you with this: If a storm is coming, drive the dogs away from your house. A dog’s tail can attract lightning.

I know most of these sound silly, but many folks in the Ozarks really did believe this stuff once. It’s all part of the cultural background of the place we call home.

Photo by Jori Jepps

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An Ozark Murder Mystery

BY STAN FINE

T

he seeds that were planted each spring in the fields grew into stalks of corn, babies were born and the elderly passed into memories. The routine of life itself continued on relatively unchanged. But, for five long years questions had gone unanswered. The dark suspicions that tormented many living in the small southwest Missouri Ozark town of Pineville were finally going to be affirmed. The soft spoken Main Street conversations could now be voiced openly, and some felt relieved as it appeared that justice would finally be served.

What did conversations on the streets of Klamath Falls, Oregon and Pineville, Missouri have in common? The people in both towns who were separated by almost two-thousand miles were talking about the murder of Mary Sullivan Bougher and those that were accused of that most heinous crime, murder.

The truths to the long unanswered questions regarding the events that took place on February 3, 1933, which led to the death of Mary Sullivan Bougher were thought to be found not in Pineville, but rather in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

In the early morning hours of Friday, February 3, in the year 1933, Jack Dyer telephoned Lee Carnell, the owner and operator of the only ambulance service in the Pineville area, and said “Come on out, Olie’s mother’s hurt.” Although Lee also owned the only hearse in the area, he prepared to use the ambulance as Jack stated Mary was hurt, not killed. Lee called a local physician, Doctor Horton, and the two drove to Mary Sullivan’s farm located just a short drive east of Pineville.

Mary, a 60-year-old widow, lived on the property with Jack Dyer and his wife, Olie, who was the forty-year-old daughter of Mary. Carnell and Dr. Horton made the short trip to the Sullivan farm where Jack pointed to a barn located a short distance from the house and stated, “She’s in there.”

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Mary’s lifeless body was found leaning against the wall of a stall in the barn. Jack surmised that she must have fallen from a hole in the loft and struck her head on the manger wall. He also said that, without knowing exactly why, he lifted Mary’s body from the floor of the stall and propped the body against the stall’s wall.

Sheriff Bob Vansandt was called to the farm and conducted what could best be called a cursory investigation into the death. Although facets of the possible cause resulting from an accidental fall seemed inconsistent with the actual scene, there were no witnesses to the event. Years later Vansandt was heard to say that he believed Mary was murdered and Jack would eventually become a witness.

The funeral services for Mary were well attended and while regret over the death was shown whispers were spoken and fingers were covertly pointed at Olie and Jack. Following the service Mary’s brother Al openly accused Olie of murdering his sister.

Olie and Jack continued to live on the farm until February 6, 1935 when the farm was sold to Charles W. Grimes of Tulsa, Oklahoma for the cash sum of $9000. The land had been deeded to Olie and her brother Earl when Olie’s father died in 1919. When the former county judge passed away he willed the property to the two siblings, but that will contained a condition commonly referred to as a “widow’s dowry.” That condition stated that the land could not be sold prior to Mary’s death. Olie was able to complete the sale because she previously paid her brother $700 for his interest in the property and Mary had conveniently, at least for Olie, passed away two years earlier.

Olie and Jack gathered up their belongings and, along with their recently acquired $9000, moved to a place far from the farm, Pineville and the people there.

They moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon; a

place where they, and the story of Mary’s death and the suspicions that surrounded it, were not known to those living there. The couple lived a quiet life in Oregon until one December day when everything changed.

The couple’s fragile relationship had for some time begun to unravel and on a December morning in 1938 Olie announced to Jack that she was filing for divorce. Jack became furious and announced that he would contest any effort to dissolve the marriage and hurled threats at Olie. His threats prompted Olie to call the Klamath Falls Police who later that day arrested Jack and whisked him away while bound in handcuffs.

Olie was no stranger to divorce. She had been married three times prior to exchanging nuptials with Jack. She first exchanged her given name Sullivan for that of Heckles. That marriage ended when her husband was killed in 1918 on the battlefields of France during World War I. Jack was enraged over Olie’s intent to file for divorce and her accusations that led to his arrest so he decided to extract his

revenge. He told the Klamath Falls police that he had a story to tell, and it was a story about a murder in Pineville.

Jack told the police that in 1933 while he and Olie lived with Olie’s mother, Mary, Olie became impatient waiting for her mother to die, so she could sell the family farm, and she took matters into her own hands. Jack said that Olie killed Mary by beating her to death with a singletree, striking her numerous times in her head.

When Olie was certain her mother was dead she coerced Jack into helping her move the body to another place in the barn and under a hole in the loft. Olie and Jack cleaned the blood from the actual site of the murder and brushed away the ground to hide any evidence. Olie tutored Jack on the story he would tell the authorities in which he would speculate that an accidental fall was the probable cause of death.

Jack admitted that he did as Olie requested and was an accomplice in concealing Mary’s murder, but insisted he was not the killer and had no part in planning that gruesome act. Jack followed his verbal accusations by writing a lengthy statement.

The Klamath Falls Police contacted the Pineville Police and told the story of Jack’s description of the murder and Olie’s involvement. The Pineville police asked that Olie be arrested and both she and Jack be held as fugitives in the matter of Mary’s murder.

When confronted with Jack’s scathing accusations, Olie struck back at her husband stating that his statements were nothing more than vindictive slanders prompted by her recent filing for divorce. Olie went further in her defense by claiming that Jack murdered her mother and involved her in the subsequent cover-up.

Jack waived extradition and McDonald County Sheriff Floyd Bone and Coroner Lee Carnell, both of whom were childhood playmates of Olie, traveled to Oregon and returned him to Pineville.

Olie fought her extradition and it wasn’t until the middle part of January in 1939 that she was escorted back to Missouri.

A preliminary hearing designed to determine if enough evidence existed to hold Olie and Jack for trial began on March 7, 1939.

Olie was represented by attorney’s Kelley and Tatum, while Jack’s counsel was Earl Blansett.

The State’s case was presented by Prosecuting Attorney W. G. Tracy, and court reporter Dorothy Noel documented the testimony. The hearing took place in the courtroom of Justice of the Peace S. B. Shannon.

The list of witnesses scheduled to testify contained the names of Lee Carnell, Ina Martin, Dr. Buck, Frank Chandler, Al Maness, J. N. Brown and L. R. Smith. In testimony it was stated that Mary died as a result of blows to the head and neck inflicted with a blunt object. The blows were so numerous and given with such force as to crush her skull.

Frank chandler testified that he was at the farm the day the body was discovered.

Jack claimed that Mary had a basket and was gathering eggs prior to her death but neither basket nor eggs were found at the scene. Chandler also stated that no blood was found near the site of the deceased.

Justice Shannon also heard testimony regarding the statements given to the Klamath Falls Police by both Olie and Jack.

The hearing continued and after its conclusion, and after time for consideration passed, Justice of the Peace Shannon ordered that Jack be held for trial but he stated that there was insufficient evidence to hold Olie and he grudgingly ordered that she be released.

Olie traveled back to Oregon on April 18, 1939 where she lived out the remainder of her years. On April 20, 1939, Prosecuting Attorney Tracy asked that the charges against Jack be dismissed for lack of evidence. Judge Emory Smith granted the motion and Jack was released.

Jack returned to Klamath Falls where he remained until his death in 1956.

Not much is known about Oile after her divorce from Jack but it is believed she remained in Klamath Falls, remarried and died some years after Jack.

You’ll have to draw your own conclusions as to Olie and Jack’s culpability regarding the murder of Mary Sullivan Bougher but several things cannot be disputed. Whomsoever struck and beat Mary with that singletree is a cold-hearted murderer, but the other of the two clearly assisted in fabricating a scene with the intent to make the death appear to be an accident. That person, whether it was Olie or Jack, also kept secret the actual cause of Mary’s death for many years.

Greed and the treachery that often follows their births can consume the mind and heart. The awful sickness which leads to cruel murder inhabits the minds and hearts of some, but those among us who are morally just and of good conscience cannot abide the wicked.

Eighty-three years have passed since Mary Sullivan Bougher was murdered and no one has ever stood trial for that villainous act.

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The Last Word PHOTO BY CHRISTINA LEACH This barn was built in the '40s by Bill Madison for the Beeson Family in Cassville Missouri. Though the farm is now owned by Cary and Lisa Cheek, the Beeson Family still visits the old homeplace when they are in the area for family reunions. In 2008, a storm blew the barn off of it's foundation. The Cheeks repaired the barn, preserving as much of the original structure as possible, including all of the original beams and floors.

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I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.

George Washington

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With a cup of coffee...

We invite you to sit for a spell and visit.

One workday a month, we are traveling to a coffee shop near you. You'll find us with our laptops open, a stack of magazines and notebooks, and a steaming cup of local brew while we work on our next issue of Ozark Hills and Hollows. If you are in the area, we would love for Tuesday, June 21 you grab a mug yourself, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. pull up a chair and visit.

KEENBEAN COFFEE ROASTERS We love talking to our 1031 S. Market in Mt. Vernon, Mo. readers and gathering story ideas, and hearing Tuesday, July 12 about what's going on in 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. your neck of the woods.

ONE14 COFFEE BAR Please stop and see us.

114 N. Wood Street in Neosho, Mo.

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