Fall/Winter Edition 2022

Table of Contents PK lost a legend with the passing of Mike McNallen

Meet your Local Makers!

Page 28

Read about how his family intends to keep his legacy alive at Possum Hollow.

Page 8

Our Iconic Home Feature: The bond that brought two families together Page 14

Raised in an early PK Fishing Camp

Crazy Water Part of our area's rich history

Visitors can take a tour of the Famous Crazy Water Pavilion, the Crazy Water Bath House and spa, then finish their tour at the Crazy Water Hotel Coffee and Water Bar Page 22

Oh the stories PK's own Tom Ranft has to share!

Page 50

Say Cheese!

Page 67

Out & About With The Girls In Pearls Page 80

Cover Photo: Pictured left to right: Jim and Tracie Bittle in the Beer Garden at Possum Hollow. Inset: The late Verdene and James Michael "Mike" McNallen.

4 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

The Outdoor Life RV Living at its finest Page 48

All of this - plus much more inside!

Publisher's Note

Welcome to the fall/winter edition of PK Magazine!

Fall is in the air! As I type this, it is raining outside! Yay!

In this final issue for the year, we're bringing you lots of local stories we hope you enjoy.

We sat down with Jim and Tracie Bittle at Possum Hollow and thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories they had to share about Tracie's late father, Mike McNallen. McNallen was a legend in the Possum Kingdom Lake business community, and his business has been a fixture on the west side of the lake for decades. It was only fitting we made this our cover story, with a tribute to McNallen inside. After visiting with Jim and Tracie Bittle, I have no doubt, they will continue to keep Possum Hollow going. As Tracie puts it, "keep on keeping on."

I had no idea Possum Hollow hosted a magnificent Christmas Light display, so I'm sharing this here, if you haven't been, definitely put it on your to do list and don't miss the literally several hundred thousand lights they put all over the park and inside the restaurant. The display starts the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs until New Year's Day. We have some creative neighbors here at PK! We invited Local Makers to show us their creations and were amazed by the marvelous salsas, fudge, furniture, jewelry, honey and handcrafted items they shared with us. Check it out inside and I'm sure you'll find some local goodies for holiday gift giving.

Speaking of local, we love profiling local businesses. Smart Hardware is one of those. I always wondered what the story was as to how they got their start, now I know and you will, too! Check out their ad on page 78 and see how you can help them support the community and perhaps win a Traeger grill! I know I'm getting my raffle tickets!

In this edition, we brought in a new writer, Bob Kaspar. He's an avid outdoorsman, which is perfectly fitting for PK. Be sure to check out his stories on The CatMasters, Local Birding, Wild Hogs and RVing in the great outdoors.

Kim 6 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Publisher: Kim Nussbaum Contributing Editor: John Jarvis Digital Editor: Kim Nussbaum Contributing Writers: Bob Kaspar Steve Nussbaum Michael Pearce Contributing Photographers: Erika Carter Distribution: Mailed to Paid Subscribers 2,500 distributed through strategic rack locations Digital replica edition can be found on our website pk-magazine.com Questions about advertising, content, distribution? info@pk-magazine.com 940-573-7170 PK Magazine is produced by The UPS Store 7355 KSN Family Investment, Inc. 101 N FM 2353 Unit 101 Graford, TX 76449 940-573-7170 Story Ideas?

Send them our way! info@pk-magazine.com

We hope you all enjoy your holidays with family and friends and we look forward to bringing you four issues of PK Magazine again in 2023.

Thank you to all of our advertisers and readers for your support. Be well!

Vol. 2 | No. 4 Fall/Winter 2022

Next Issue: April 2023

Bob Kaspar

Mike McNallen: PK pioneer leaves legacy of hard work and fun

M

Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos contributed by Tracie Bittle ike McNallen, who along with his family owned and operated the Possum Hollow RV Park, cabins and restaurant for 43 years, passed away Aug. 27 in Dallas. He was 83 years old.

After graduating, he married his wife, Verdene, and the couple moved to New Mexico, where he was employed as a school district band director for more than 20 years.

McNallen, who grew up in Breckenridge, Texas, was a legend in the Possum Kingdom Lake business community, and his business has been a fixture on the west side of the lake for decades.

In 1978, McNallen and his family returned to Texas, and bought Possum Hollow, a small fishing camp at Possum Kingdom Lake.

The original camp building has been expanded in every direction, and it’s now the legendary restaurant and beer garden at Possum Hollow.

McNallen had always loved PK, and he spent lots of time as a young man going to the lake. He was an accomplished musician and was in the prestigious One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas in Denton before finishing his music education degree at Sul Ross State University in Alpine.

But PK kept calling him back.

McNallen’s plan to semi-retire in Texas and buy a small fishing camp turned into a seven-days-a-week job that lasted for 43 years until he passed away, a decade after his wife’s death.

When the McNallens started the restaurant, it consisted of Tony’s pizza and eggs to the fisherman at 5 a.m.

“It was a regular stove and kitchen, nothing commercial about it,” said Tracie Bittle, the couple’s daughter.

From those humble beginnings, the restaurant eventually grew to become the large restaurant, bar and event space that is now Possum Hollow. There were additions to the space in 1983 and 1993, and the beer garden was added in 1995.

McNallen’s wife had a green thumb, and the beer garden has proven to be a very popular spot for their guests over the years.

Originally, Tracie Bittle thought the space was too small for a beer garden, however her dad was right, again, Bittle said.

McNallen loved music and being around musicians, and Possum Hollow was one of the first businesses to offer live music at PK many years ago. For 17 years they hosted large events, featuring many red dirt bands and twice featured The Toadies. The event was well known as “the night of music and fire” featuring red dirt bands and fireworks. Live music is still offered every Saturday night.

" McNallen James Michael "Mike In loving memory of 8 | PK MAGAZINE |FALL/WINTER 2022

After marrying in 1991, Tracie Bittle and her husband, Jim, worked side by side with McNallen. Tracie Bittle said her father handled the business side of things, while she and her husband took care of many of the operational duties. Jim Bittle was the longtime operator of the famous Hell’s Gate Fireworks show before selling that business, but he still has an active role in putting it together today.

The two couples, along with Tracie and Jim’s daughter, Amanda Sivak, worked seven days a week to manage the park and the restaurant, Jim Bittle said, though he added: “It wasn’t all work. They played hard, too.”

McNallen loved to play practical jokes on his friends, neighbors and guests, and because of that he also was the recipient of many of those jokes. One of his favorite holidays was Halloween, with him walking around greeting customers with a friendly handshake that turned out to be a fake skeleton hand.

It was McNallen who started the big events at Possum Hollow, such as the Fourth of July festivities and the accompanying patriotic décor and fireworks, and the Possum Hollow Christmas, which seems to get bigger each year.

Tracie Bittle says her parents always loved the MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights on the campus of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, but their work schedule kept them from going as often as they wanted, so they decided to start their own. The first year of the event featured a few hundred lights and some cut out displays, but these days it encompasses several hundred

thousand lights all over the park and inside the restaurant, too.

Jim Bittle synchronizes all the lights to music. The presentation was always the vision of his in-laws, he said, with the Bittles making the displays. Nowadays, the huge light display starts the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs until New Year’s Day. Because McNallen loved jokes and Halloween, a haunted house display has recently been added inside the restaurant banquet room. It’s the second year for the haunted house, which features a maze of horror, with different themed areas. It helps represent what McNallen wanted Possum Hollow to be: a place where people come to have fun and get way from the daily grind.

Later in his life, McNallen sat at the end of the bar, greeting customers and watching to make sure things were going smoothly. He loved to be around the Possum Hollow customers and share his stories. In his honor, the business keeps a small tribute to McNallen at the last chair at the bar.

Story continues on page 10

Photo by Kim Nussbaum McNallen loved to sit at the bar and greet customers, watching to ensure everything was going smoothly. He loved being around all the Possum Hollow customers and enjoyed sharing stories. In his honor, the business keeps a small tribute to McNallen at the last chair at the bar. Pictured left to right: Rachael Valdez; Tebora Scheriger; and Jim and Tracie Bittle.

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |9

McNallen and his wife passed the ethic of hard work and fun to his daughter and her husband, and the Bittles said they don’t plan to change much with the business. Tracie Bittle said not having the man they called “Papa” around anymore is a little intimidating, and they will miss his wisdom the most, but she and her husband will “keep on keeping on.”

Possum Hollow is an iconic Possum Kingdom Lake business built over years of hard work, and it truly captures what makes the lake so great.

--END OF STORY

m d n o F

s e i r o m e

Pictured top right: Verdene and Mike McNallen Pictured above: Mike McNallen escorts Tracie down the isle on her wedding day.

Right Center: Mike McNallen enjoying a dance with great granddaughter, Avery on her wedding day.

Bottom two pictures on the right: Mike McNallen with daughter Tracie and granddaughter, Amanda.

10 | PK MAGAZINE |FALL/WINTER 2022

l i v l l e e d . w e f i l of

in loving memory of "Papa" and Verdene McNallen.

Pictured top left, Christening of The McNallen's great grandson, Jacob.

Bottom left: The Possum Hollow Crew.

Top right: Mike and Verdene McNallen on their wedding day.

Bottom right: Mike McNallen loved his family and Christmas. Pictured here with great grandson Jacob and great granddaughter Avery.

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |11

Iconic PK Home: The Bond That Brought Two Families Together Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Erika Carter

Pictured above: The Gaines Bend Home of Michael and Garnett Holmes features a large sloping lot and an abundance of trees and natural stone. This sprawling Mediterranean estate blends in perfectly with the natural topography of the cliff and has one of the best views of Hell's Gate on the lake.

E

very issue of PK Magazine features an iconic home on Possum Kingdom Lake. PK has many beautiful homes and mansions spread across the lake, but to be iconic it must be one of

those houses people show their guests from the water and they talk about. It's not always the biggest house, but it has to have that combination of history and character that make

14 | PK MAGAZINE |FALL/WINTER 2022

PK living so great. In this issue, we feature the Gaines Bend home of Michael and Garnett Holmes.

The couple purchased their home several years ago from Michael Holmes’ parents, Bob and Beverly Holmes. Michael Holmes said his parents always loved lakes, and he can remember taking trips with the family to area lakes.

In the early 1980s, Michael Holmes’ parents began looking for lake property, mostly close to the Dallas area. Bob Holmes was familiar with PK, having grown up near Lubbock and later going to campouts with Michael at Camp Grady Spruce. His wife, however, was not sold on the idea of PK because of the longer drive from the Dallas area.

One day, though, Bob Holmes revealed to his wife that he had bought a lake house at PK. He showed her the small house built on wooden stilts, with old metal stairs down to the water, but she was skeptical.

But her husband was undaunted. He had been a farmer and was very handy, and he knew he and his wife could build their own lake oasis. He ended up designing what is now one of the most unique and spectacular properties on the lake. The home looks like it should be on a cliff in Santa Barbara, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Bob Holmes said he was drawn to the property because of

the large sloping lot, with its abundance of trees and natural stone, and the fact that it boasts one of the best views of Hell’s Gate on the lake. The family turned that old house into a sprawling Mediterranean estate, with rock and clay tile that blend in perfectly with the natural topography of the cliff.

The custom stone “Tree of Life” is one of the more interesting architectural features built into the stone wall at the front of the home, which features a huge yard with beautiful St Augustine grass. In the early 1980s, not many homes at PK had plush grass surrounding the home, let alone one the size of the Holmes’ lot. The home is built on a steep sloping lot that is surrounded by natural stone walls and other rocks, and the mixture meshes seamlessly together. The entire estate is a shaded green oasis.

The back of the home has several decks with incredible views of the lake and Hell’s Gate. The greenery growing up the side of the rock deck add a character that newer homes

Pictured above: The custom stone "Tree of Life" is one of the more interesting architectural features built into the stone wall at the front of the home, which features a huge yard with beautiful St. Augustine grass.

Story continues on page17 PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |15

Iconic Home, continued... don’t possess.

Michael Holmes was 12 years old when his parents built their PK home. As a boy, he loved the lake and was given the duty of mowing the entire yard – a chore that took him seven hours to complete because of the slope.

But it was the grass that connected the Holmes family to another PK clan, Ray and Judy Clymer, who were from Wichita Falls and owned another beautiful home with luscious St Augustine grass, located off of Park Road 36 by the entrance to the camps. The first name of the Clymers’ daughter was Garnett – and, as she noted, “it was green grass and retaining walls that originally connected the two families.”

Both youngsters grew up loving Possum Kingdom, with many shared family memories of their early years together at PK, but they went their separate ways when they went off to college.

Guests walk through the front door into the main living space, with floor to ceiling windows maximizing the view.

Years later, Garnett ran into Michael’s mom at a grocery store in Dallas, and rest of the story they say is history.

After marrying in the Clymers’ home in Wichita Falls, the couple spent their honeymoon with their newly blended family of six at Possum Kingdom Lake. Garnett Holmes described that honeymoon week at PK as “one of the most special weeks of my life.”

Nowadays, the couple helps their children create their own lake memories in a house they both know very well.

The couple shares the home with their five children, who range in age from 9 to 22 years old. The family spends as much time as they can at PK and enjoy being at the lake during the quiet weekends as much as holiday weekends.

One memorable event was a 75th birthday party for Michael Holmes’ parents. The family invited many of their parents’ friends who had spent so much time at the house in earlier years, and it was a special time for the extended family to celebrate together after all these years.

Michael Holmes describes the home as "very efficient" and noted that it's designed for entertaining.

The home itself is a six-bedroom, six-bath Mediterranean ranch. Guests can walk through the front door into the main living space, with floor-to-ceiling windows maximizing the view. Michael Holmes described the house as “very efficient” and noted that it’s designed for entertaining.

Over the years, Michael and Garnett Holmes have gradually put their stamp on the home’s interior. They preferred a more modern, clean look, and as such they have transitioned most of the rooms to reflect their style. One of those transitions is the “bunk room,” whose custom metal bunks are not only fashionable but appear to float from the ceiling.

Story continues on page 18

Over the years, Michael and Garnett Holmes have gradually put their stamp on the home's interior. One of those transitions is the "bunk room" whose custom metal bunks are not only fashionable but appear to float from the ceiling.

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |17

Iconic Home, continued...

The outdoor spaces are the star of the show, though. A balcony runs across the entire back of the house, leading to two separate patio spaces with fireplaces, and it’s on those patios that visitors can get a front-row view of the Hell’s Gate Fireworks show. Also up at the top of the property is a newly built putting green. It’s set among the beautiful trees and the park-like setting, and it’s turned into a popular spot for this sports-loving family.

On the lakeside of the property is a rock path that leads visitors down the cliff to one of the nicest boat houses on the lake. The boat house opens up for more entertainment space, and it houses two boats and Sea-Doo personal watercraft.

One of the more interesting features of the dock is the drawbridge that leads from the dock’s catwalk to the shoreline. It’s designed to keep onlookers from accessing the property by water.

Michael Holmes is a trial attorney, and he described himself as “pretty much of an extrovert at work,” but he added that when he comes to the lake, he can relax and become more of an introvert.

He and his wife said they are excited to see the expansion of businesses and restaurant at the lake. They said they love to unwind and cook at their lake house, but they also enjoy all the new restaurant and entertainment options now available, too.

Everyone has their own PK story, and for the Holmes family it includes a lifetime of enjoying the ultimate PK lifestyle, a whole bunch of green grass – and love rekindled.

Michael Holmes was 12 years old when his parents built their PK home. As a boy, he loved the lake and was given the duty of mowing the entire yard – a chore that took him seven hours to complete because of the slope.

See more photos on page 21 18 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Iconic Home, continued...

The outdoor spaces are the star of the show for this iconic home. A balcony runs across the entire back of the house, leading to two separate patio spaces with fireplaces, and it's on those patios that visitors can get a frontrow view of the Hell's Gate Fireworks show.

Also up at the top of the property is a newly built putting green.

It's set among the beautiful trees and the park-like setting and it's turned into a popular spot for this sportsloving family.

On the lakeside of the property is a rock path that leads visitors down the cliff to one of the nicest boat houses on the lake. The boat house opens up for more entertainment space, and it houses two boats and Sea-Doo personal watercraft.

--END OF STORY PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |21

...part of our area's rich history

V

Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Erika Carter isitors to Mineral Wells have probably noticed the "Home of Crazy" welcome sign that highlights the community's heritage, and the mineral water that was discovered

over a century ago is a key part of the whole health and wellness industry renaissance there.

That renaissance could spread to the beautiful Possum Kingdom Lake area, too – and the growth at PK could give Mineral Wells a boost in that revival.

The landmark Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells is set to open in 2025, but the Crazy Water Hotel has already kicked things off in the city with its reopening last fall.

Visitors should put the Crazy Water Hotel – and the many new shops and businesses springing up, too– on their to-do list when in town.

It’s a natural synergy for Mineral Wells and the Possum Kingdom Lake experience to grow with each other, but the changes haven’t come overnight. The groundwork has been laid by a few creative families and entrepreneurs, and two of those families are Scott and Carol Elder and Carol’s parents Bill and Helen Arneson. Together, the four of them bought the Crazy Water brand and Famous Mineral Water Co. pavilion in 1999.

Carol Elder grew up in Mineral Wells, while her husband grew up in Odessa. The two met at Texas A&M, married after graduation and had a brief stint in Houston, after which they decided to raise their children in a smaller Texas town. Their choice was Carol Elder’s hometown, and together with her parents they bought the old Crazy Water Co. and famous pavilion from the historical society.

22 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

At that time, Carol Elder said, the pavilion was doing about $30 a day in mineral water sales. They bought the business for heritage tourism, and to keep the site alive. The original pavilion was built in 1904 and is the only one left.

At one time there were 200 wells in Mineral Wells, but nowadays there are just three, and those three wells are where visitors can buy Crazy Water at the Famous Crazy Water Pavilion.

The site is the center of mineral water education, and also where visitors can purchase Crazy water directly from the wells. During business hours, a steady stream of locals and out-of-towners can be seen coming to the pavilion to purchase the mineral water and fill up jugs to take home with them. On one such day, a couple from Kansas was passing through and mentioned they always take back several 10-gallon jugs to the wife’s father in Kansas, who suffers from sore joints and feels the mineral water helps with his movement. Another couple from Bridgeport, Texas, drives down every few months to pick up several cases of Crazy Water because it seems to help with the wife’s leg cramps at night.

The benefits of mineral water have been known for decades, and bottled water has never been so popular. Mineral water restores lost minerals in our bodies and helps keep our blood chemistry at a healthy pH level. All these things contribute to good health.

“Many of the bottled waters on the shelves these days are just tap water run through a reverse-osmosis

system,” Carol Elder said. “They don’t really provide any health benefits.”

Mineral water has been shown to help maintain overall health and helps with a multitude of issues, including digestion, blood pressure and cholesterol.

The Famous Crazy Water is the only Texas-based mineral water on the market.

The Famous Crazy water brand is two brands that were combined. At one time there was a “Crazy” brand and “Famous” brand, but the business has grown exponentially since the Elders and Arnesons bought it.

The company employs 60 people, with three daily shifts bottling the mineral water. The business sells four types of mineral water, with each type based on the depth at which the water is produced. The level of minerals increase as the depth does. Because it is a natural product, the taste can also change from season to season, and Mother Nature helps with that.

The company also offers a fizzy Crazy water, which is a sparkling mineral water., and has partnered with Texas-based H-E-B Grocery Co. to provide H-E-B with a proprietary sparkling mineral water called “1877.” It’s a tribute to the area’s rich heritage.

Carol Elder said the 1877 product has been hugely successful, even though H-E-B has only opened a couple of stores to the Dallas-Fort Worth market. More stores are planned, and the sales should continue to grow as the popularity of sparking water increases.

The Elders and Arnesons also own the Crazy Bathhouse and Spa, located next to the Famous Crazy water pavilion. It is very similar to what visitors would have experienced in Mineral Wells back in its heyday, when the town was considered one of the premier spa resort locations in the South. While at the spa, visitors can purchase standard spa treatments and also enjoy a mineral bath in a private tub, where trillions of microscopic bubbles are injected into the mineral bath. This increases the ions and improves the benefits of the mineral bath.

Just a short stroll down the street is the famous Crazy Water Hotel, with the Crazy Water Coffee and Water bar. This coffee and specialty-drink bar uses Crazy water, but there’s also an emphasis on natural products that promote healthier alternatives to sugary and caffeine-filled drinks. Visitors can take a tour of the Famous Crazy water pavilion, the Crazy Water Bath House and spa, then finish their tour at the Crazy Water Hotel Coffee and Water Bar as they relax and Crazy Water Coffee and Water Bar located inside the famous Crazy Water Hotel. This coffee and specialty-drink bar uses Crazy water, but there's also an emphasis on natural products that promote healthier alternatives to sugary and caffeine-filled drinks.

Visitors can take a tour of the Famous Crazy Water Pavilion, the Crazy Water Bath House and spa, then finish their tour at the Crazy Water Hotel Coffee and Water Bar as they relax and enjoy some of the unique shops in the hotel.

Story continues on page 25

Crazy Water, continued... enjoy some of the unique shops in the hotel.

If that wasn’t enough, the Crazy Water has become the organizer of the Crazy Water Festival that attracts almost 10,000 people to Mineral Wells each October. The nonprofit Crazy Water festival committee organizes the festival and let other nonprofits man the revenue centers of the festival. These nonprofits get to keep 90 percent of the profits, while the remainder is used to help fund the festival. It’s a win-win for the whole community to celebrate the area’s history and future.

Crazy Water can be purchased locally at The Trading Post on the peninsula, and United Grocery in Graham and Breckenridge. Crazy Water has been brought back to life by local entrepreneurs who took a chance on our area’s history, and it’s paying off. The tour is educational, fascinating and fun.

Famous Mineral Water Co. 209 NW 6th Street Mineral Wells, TX 76067 (940) 325-8870

Crazy Bathhouse and Spa 609 NW 1st Ave. Mineral Wells, TX 76067 (940) 325-8870

Pictured top left: Scott and Carol Elder.

Scott and Carol, along with Carol's parents Bill and Helen Arneson bought the Crazy Water brand and Famous Mineral Water Co. pavilion in 1999.

The company employees 60 people, with three daily shifts bottling the mineral water. The business sells four types of mineral water, with each type based on the depth at which the water is produced.

The Elders and Arnesons also own the Crazy Bathouse and Spa, located next to the Famous Crazy water pavilion.

--END OF STORY PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 | 25

Meet your Local Makers. . .

Juan's Salsa

Description: Refrigerated fresh salsa (Med Hot), Green Dip Price: $5.99 for the salsa and $6.99 for the dip How to order: The product is a fresh salsa and has a shelf life of about 40 days. It can be purchased locally at The Trading Post, Rock Creek Camp and Best Side Mercantile on the west side of PK. Always fresh and never spends months on a shelf.

Jon Walker

How They started: Started making 4oz bottles as Christmas gifts 25 years ago, progressed to a commercial business about 10 years ago. All vegetables are grilled for about an hour and each batch takes about 1 ½ hours to make. Each batch is taste tested for flavor and heat before being packaged. A perfect condiment for sandwiches, crackers, and chips.

Skeet's Sweet Treets

Description: Fudge “that Rocks” in thirteen flavors: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Butterscotch, Pistachio, Rocky Road, Banana Pudding, Lemon, Oreo, White Chocolate with Cranberries and Walnuts, Maple Bacon, Raspberry, Butter Pecan, and Sea Salt Carmel Price: $20 a pound How to order: Call or Text 940-337-2465 How she started: Skeeter and her nephew Zack Shirley started making fudge together at the holidays. It was a huge hit, and everyone loved it. She eventually started her own business selling the fudge and loves adding new creative flavors.

Skeeter is always open to new flavor suggestions. Order early for the holidays.

Skeeter McMinn

28 | PK MAGAZINE |FALL/WINTER 2022

Cedar Pine Woodworks Description: Custom hand-crafted wood specialty Items

Featured Item: Solid pecan rocking chair with custom upholstery.

Price: Call for an estimate How to order: www.cedarpinewoodworks.com How he started: Began as a hobby and led to a business in 2011. He specializes in beautiful, handmade items. Lance will work with each client’s vision to create the perfect piece. Because of the unique craftsmanship of each item, they can take up to six weeks to make.

Lance Martin

Laurel's Crafts Description: Custom laser cut clocks, cutting boards and tumblers Price: Tumblers start at $30, cutting boards start at $50, clocks start at $80 How to order: 940-328-2570, laurelmckraken@yahoo.com How she started: Laurel started making her custom items after the encouragement of her parents and wanting to try something different.

The unique pieces are a great décor piece in any lake home. Each piece is a work of art, custom made and captures that PK pride!

Laurel McCracken

See more Local Makers on page 46 PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |29

Smart Hardware helps build PK

Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Erika Carter

In 2009, John and Malinda Smart were living in Southlake and looking for a lake house at Possum Kingdom when they found a fixer-upper on the peninsula and began making the necessary improvements.

John Smart was a contractor, so the idea of major projects didn’t deter him, but while fixing up the house he had a hard time finding the necessary supplies they needed at the lake.

In early 2010, the Smarts drove by the local hardware store and noticed it was for sale. John Smart had seen the need for a hardware store at the lake and thought he and his wife could improve on the existing business. He then thought of his son-in-law and daughter, James and Jennifer Milton, because “the only way we would consider buying the store was if James and Jennifer would partner with us,” he said. James Milton had been working in management for Tractor Supply, and John Smart knew his son-in-law was familiar with the merchandising and pricing strategies needed to make the store a success.

It turned out that convincing the younger couple to relocate from Terrell, Texas, wasn’t difficult. The Miltons had two small children at the time, and both couples ended up buying the old hardware business together on a hope and a prayer. None of them had any real connections to the area or community, but to all of them it felt like the right decision.

The Miltons relocated and rented a house near Graham so their children, Marilyn and Mason, could attend school in that community, and the couple eventually built a house on their own land near the Wildcatter Ranch in between PK and Graham. Jennifer Milton found work in Graham as a hospice nurse, while her husband and father began the task of building the hardware business.

For the Miltons, small-town life has been a blessing for their family. They love that living in Graham allowed their children to be involved in so many sports, and that the couple has been able to take active roles in both the PK and Graham

Pictured left to right, James and Jennifer Milton; John and Malinda Smart.

Story continues on page 36

Smart Hardware, continued from page 34 communities. Marilyn, now 19, worked this past summer in the store, and her 16-year-old brother attends Graham High School.

James Milton said the hardware store is constantly adding different merchandise based on the needs of its customers, with all the basic hardware supplies necessary, but it has added other revenue sources to the mix, too. The store does a lot of special orders for customers and prides itself on listening to their needs.

In 2014, Smart Hardware added a gun room, with a wide variety of guns, rifles and handguns, and this last year saw the addition of an extensive selection of Traeger grills. The store has been carrying Benjamin Moore paints almost since the beginning, too, with a full selection of paints and supplies.

In 2014, Smart Hardware added a gun room, with a wide variety of guns, rifles and handguns. Pictured left to right: John and Malinda Smart; Jennifer and James Milton.

Smart Hardware also emphasizes heating supplies in the winter and garden supplies in the spring, and the store recently added propane to its assortment. This allows customers to refill their own custom propane tanks, and that has been a big hit.

In 2016, Smart Hardware added Smart Graphics to its inventory. Smart Graphics focuses on custom-printed T-shirts, signage and other printed items.

In 2019, Smart Graphics moved to Graham, and in 2021 Jennifer Milton left her nursing job to work full time in the family business. She now runs Smart Graphics in Graham, and that adjustment has allowed the business to focus on its customers in the entire PK area.

Last year saw the addition of an extensive selection of Traeger Grills. The store is widely stocked with all your hardware and building supply needs.

Smart Hardware prides itself on servicing its customers, and James Milton admitted he couldn’t do it without the help of staff members such as Kirsti Adamson, the store’s sales manager.

“Kirsti was very green about the hardware business, but jumped right in to learn,” he said, and she now has been with the business for nine years.

Other longtime employees are Gary Burney, who has been around for 12 years, and Mark Fulkerson and Paul Williams, who each have worked in the store for two years.

Today, Smart Hardware is ever-changing, and the Smarts continue to give guidance from the customer perspective, while Jennifer Milton continues to expand the graphics business in Graham. It’s a crazy, busy life for the entire family, but they have no regrets – and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pictured bottom right, meet the Smart Hardware team. Pictured front row, left to right: Jennifer Milton; Malinda Smart; and Kristi Adamson. Back row: Paul Williams; James Milton; John Smart; and Mark Fulkerson. Not pictured: Gary Burney 36 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Upcoming events....

3RD ANNUAL BRAZOS CLEAN UP PROJECT Saturday, November 12 12pm - 4pm Possum Kingdom Bridge Hwy. 16 9TH ANNUAL CRAFT AND VENDOR FAIR Saturday, November 12 10am - 4pm Possum Kingdom Chamber of Commerce PKCC ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING Saturday, November 26 BLUFF CREEK MARINA ANNUAL LIGHTED BOAT PARADE Saturday, December 10

Custom PK Cups!

We're your custom printing headquarters!

101 N FM 2353, Unit 101 (940) 573-7170 38 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |39

Monsters of the Deep

Four friends come together to form CatMasters Competitions Story by Bob Kaspar | Photos contributed by James Milton

In February 2016, friends Bryan St. Ama, James Milton, Jeremy Busby and Ty Nall decided to stage a catfishing tournament on Lake Possum Kingdom – and, just like that, the CatMasters competition was born.

Through large payouts, innovation and a welcoming atmosphere, CatMasters has grown into the premier catfishing tournament in the country, and it’s designed to elevate the sport of trophy catfishing and bring tourism dollars to local lakeside communities such as Graford during a typically slow off-season.

St. Ama, a tournament regular, said he had seen a gap in the market for catfishing tournaments.

“I’d fished other tournaments and wasn’t all that impressed,” he said. “I knew catfishing tournaments could be much more professional.”

Sixty teams participated in that inaugural CatMaster tournament, and the first-place payout was $2,000. That tournament was so successful that a second one took place eight months later, this time attracting 100 teams and awarding $15,000 to the first-place finishers.

“This was the first time in catfishing tournament history that the payouts got big enough to gain attention,” St. Ama said.

Unlike many other tournaments, the entry fees at CatMasters go entirely to the payouts, which equals big money for catfish anglers. At the time the competition started, the winnings at most of the other tournaments could barely cover an angler’s expenses.

“One year, we had a tournament winner that was able to use their prize money to put a down payment on a house,” St. Ama said.

With big prize money at stake, word spread quickly – and the CatMaster team was eager to expand. Their next stop was Lake Texoma, home of the state record blue catfish. In addition to the catfishing tournament, CatMasters also conducted a successful boat show at the nearby Choctaw Casino, with $695,000 spent in the host city of Durant, Oklahoma.

“Before, industry sponsors wouldn’t return our calls,” St. Ama said. “Now we had sponsors and mayors of possible destinations calling us.”

A third CatMasters event was set for Lake Tawakoni, another famed catfishing lake, and Milton still has fond memories of that tournament.

“We weighed 10,000 pounds of fish in two days!” he exclaimed.

The CatMasters were on a roll, and the tournament eventually spread to seven different stops before other tournaments began to emulate the CatMasters model. The tournament essentially had created its own competition, and anglers across the country were beginning to see what was possible in the world of tournament catfishing.

40 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Part of what makes CatMasters and the other similar tournaments so successful is the buy-in from industry leaders and local sponsors alike. CatMaster tournaments usually take place in the fall and winter months, when the biggest fish typically are caught because it’s when the fish are feeding in preparation for the spawn in the spring and summer. Lake communities usually don’t have much economic activity during the cooler months, but the CatMaster tournaments bring an influx of tourism spending during the winter lull.

As St. Ama jokingly said: “I’ve had people ask me if they’re required to fish out of a SeaArk in the tournament.”

B’n’M Poles, another sponsor of the tournament, noted a 20 percent increase in sales after it began marketing catfishing rods.

With a steady stream of sponsorship money, CatMasters has been able to grow substantially while still offering the big

“We’ve had local businesses here at PK tell us they can feel the uptick when the tournament is going on,” Milton said. “In fact, an economic impact study showed that on average each team spends $2,500 to the local economy during the week of CatMasters.”

Since CatMasters is a two-day tournament, out-of-town anglers spend some of their money on lodging, as well as in local restaurants and gas stations.

National angling industry sponsors also took notice of the tournament’s success and were eager to penetrate the underutilized catfishing market. SeaArk Boats, a renowned watercraft manufacturer, is a perennial sponsor of CatMasters and now produces boats specifically geared toward the trophy catfish angler.

Tournament founders pictured left to right: Bryan St. Ama; Jeremy Busby; Ty Nall; and James Milton.

Story continues on Page 42

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 41

payouts that initially put it on the map. Prizes are awarded for the biggest fish caught each day (often worth $1,000), as well as for a variety of categories, such as the best female, youth and veteran teams.

Big payouts aren’t the only thing that make CatMasters stand out in the fishing tournament landscape, though. The tournament also is making tremendous strides in fish conservation. It was the first catfishing tournament to regulate the size of the live wells in its events, and the first tournament in the fishing industry to mandate oxygenated live wells.

CatMasters also has developed procedures to reduce the amount of handling of a fish during weigh-in. These steps are critical in ensuring that tournament fish are released back into the lakes in the best possible condition, and other tournaments are following suit.

CatMasters also live-streams each event on Facebook, with the hope of growing the sport of trophy catfishing, which already is the fastest-growing fishing sport in the world.

So why do the CatMasters spend the countless hours preparing, filming, speaking with sponsors and weighing fish?

For some of them, it’s the drive to grow a sport they’re so passionate about. For others, it’s about enjoying a sort of “working vacation” with their closest friends.

42 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Quipped Nall: “I just want to be famous!”

When speaking to the CatMasters, though, one word kept coming up: camaraderie. Trophy catfishermen are a close, tight-knit group, and even though tournament payouts have increased drastically, these anglers aren’t driven by money. It’s the pursuit of genuine fishing experiences and the formation of lifelong friendships that keep them going. In fact, St. Ama recently realized a childhood dream by getting the opportunity to fish with legendary fisherman Bill Dance.

Maybe someday the original CatMasters will each become household names among anglers, too. Until then, they’re perfectly content putting on the premier catfishing tournament in the country – and, when time affords, wetting a line with friends on Lake 2023 TOURNAMENT DATES: Possum Kingdom Texas January 20 - 21, 2023 Decatur, Alabama February 10 - 11, 2023 Toledo Bend, Louisiana March 17 - 18, 2023 To Register: WWW.THECATMASTERS.COM

More Local Makers. . .

TNT Signs

continued from page 29

Description: Handmade and hand painted custom signs Featured Item: An assortment of rustic signs hand painted, never vinyl, home décor signs. Try to use reclaimed wood to give new life to discarded items.

Price: $20-40 How to Order: Call or Text 940-859-1062, Facebook or Instagram @tntsigns

Tia and Adam Rowan

How they got started: Started nine years ago as a creative outlet after becoming a stay-at-home Mom. I made a few to give to friends and family, and it quickly grew into a small business that Tia and Adam now do together. Tia will deliver locally to Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto, and Graford at no charge. Orders can be shipped anywhere in the US. The lead time for custom orders is usually 2-3 weeks. They do keep some seasonal items on hand.

Jan Johanson Jewelry Description: Jewelry “Inspired by nature and handmade made with love” Featured Item: The ball cross came to Jan in a dream.

The heart is white buffalo Turquoise. The others are Boulder Opals from Australia Price: Starting at $250 How to Order: Call or Text Jan 940-745-1411 How she started: Jan’s Grandfather was an amazing artist, who worked with wood and Jan learned from him.

She always wanted to work with precious metals and develop her craft. Each piece takes about 5-6 hours to finish. so get your orders in early. Jan is a full-time real estate agent first and always has a wait list. Get your orders in early.

46 | PK MAGAZINE |FALL/WINTER 2022

Jan Johanson

PK Pure Honey

Description: Locally harvested bee products made right here at PK. Including liquid Honey, whipped honey, lip balm, chapstick, lotion bars, soaps, bath bombs and newly added candles.

Price: Honey is priced at $1.25oz, other products range from $3.00 on up.

How to order: PK Pure Honey can be purchased locally at The Trading Post, Facebook and Instagram @pkpurebee How they started: What started as a hive being discovered when they were building their home at PK led to a curiosity.

That curiosity turned to a growing ag business. Locally produced honey is good for allergies, it's also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial. The honey is harvested once a year between August and October depending on weather.

Once it’s gone, it’s gone until next year. Locally produced honey makes a great Gift for those that love PK.

Erika Carter (not pictured, Chris Carter)

Wolf Patrick

Description: Mostly Native American style artwork, but also produce paintings, wood carvings, and figurines using lake stones, poured molds, and epoxy. None of my masks and shields are exactly alike, and often the best pieces are those that tell a personal story for the customer.

Price: Most items are custom, usually range from $75 to $500.

How to order: Email wolfrun1118@gmail.com with subject line "Art"

Wolf Patrick

How she started: I started painting when I was a teenager, mostly wildlife.

My real talent though has always been with Native American styled art.

I manage to not only produce pieces that are appealing but create custom pieces that include parts of people's lives. My inspiration comes from a therapeutic need to create things, but also simply from nature. Like having seen a snake wrap itself around a tree limb, I started thinking about how I would go about recreating that. I don't have a lot of automatic tools for projects like that, so most everything I do is literally by hand, it makes the work more difficult, but more fulfilling.

Wolf Patrick

PK MAGAZINE | LATE SUMMER 2022 |47

The Outdoor life

Michael and Susan Hasting, along with their dog, Rocky recently located to Possum Kingdom Lake from Arizona. They are enjoying life in their 43' Monaco Diplomat Diesel Pusher while they build their new home in The Ranch.

Story by Bob Kaspar | Photo by Kim Nussbaum

P

ossum Kingdom Lake, one of the premier outdoor destinations in all of Texas, is reaping the benefits of a recent boom in outdoor tourism.

Phrases such as “the great outdoors” and “the freedom of the open road” help illustrate America’s shared love of nature, wide-open spaces and endless horizons, and thanks to technological innovations, increases in home prices and shifting work patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the outdoor tourism industry has experienced a big jump in popularity.

From weekend warriors to young professionals and modern-day nomads, Americans are taking to the country’s wild places in record numbers, and PK Lake’s picturesque steep cliffs, famed crystal-clear water and abundance of local campgrounds have plenty to offer those adventurous souls.

According to Kampgrounds of America (KOA), camping accounted for 40 percent of all leisure trips in 2021. There were 9 million first-time campers last year, and a third of them said the pandemic

motivated their decision to try camping.

The proliferation of “glamping” (camping in a tent or cabin, with luxurious amenities such as hot tubs and pools, and even private chefs) has also driven growth in the outdoor tourism industry by making camping more accessible. Though it may not appeal to tent-camping purists, the global glamping market generated $2.68 billion in 2021, and by 2030 that segment of the industry is expected to more than double, to more than $5.9 billion.

Recreational vehicles, or RVs, also are enjoying a surge in popularity. According to the RV Industry Association, RV sales are up 30 percent from prepandemic levels. In previous generations, RV camping was seen to as a luxury typically reserved for older people, whose pensions allowed them to spend their retirement traveling across the country.

All of that changed in 2020. In the aftermath of the global pandemic, many families began to choose outdoor destinations for their vacations over theme parks and big cities, and RV owners are also getting

younger, with some young professionals seeing the rise of telecommuting as an opportunity to live a nomadic lifestyle and travel across the country. Currently, 34 percent of RV owners are between the ages of 18 and 55.

These market trends and shifting demographics have prompted RV companies to innovate. Manufacturers now offer floor plans with office spaces, complete with eco-friendly swivel chairs, solar-powered espresso machines and multiple USB ports to upload their customers’ latest nomadic-existence experiences to the internet.

According to the latest research, more than 9 million Americans households now own an RV, with 1 million of them calling an RV their home.

Michael and Susan Hasting are currently calling their RV their home while they build their permanent home in The Ranch. The Hastings moved here from Arizona, not knowing anything about Possum Kingdom Lake. They never had Texas on their radar, but when their kids relocated to Texas, they were quick to realize they needed to “chase the grandkids.”

While they were contemplating a move, The Hastings

were making their way from Florida back to Arizona and stopped to check out Possum Kingdom Lake. They stayed in a VRBO and met up with local Real Estate agent, Ronda Gibson who helped them find land to build on. During the build, they are perfectly content in their 43’ Monaco Diplomat Diesel Pusher that contains three pull out slides, with the curb side being a full length slide out.

Susan Hasting’s favorite feature is the full-size washer and dryer. The RV boasts a comfortable living area, large TV, fireplace, office, full kitchen, 1.5 baths and a king size master bedroom. The couple is fully content in their RV, which they expect to be in for a year and a half while they build. “There is only one drawback,” Michael Hasting said. “The bed is way too high, other than that, everything is perfect.”

For Graford native Rose Jordan, moving into an RV full time was a matter of practicality. She and her husband, Brandon, have been living in an RV at Lake Mineral Wells State Park for the past year and a half.

“We sold our house in September of 2020,” Rose Jordan said. “We looked for a house for nine months,

Story continues on page 60

PK MAGAZINE | LATE SUMMER 2022 |49

Raised in an early PK Fishing Camp

Oh the stories PK's own Tom Ranft has to share...

Story by Michael Pearce | Photos contributed by Diane Ranft

Tom Ranft is throwing in the towel. He said he’s had enough.

“I’m just sick and tired of cleaning catfish,” Ranft said. “I’ve burned myself out. I guess maybe I’m getting soft.”

Or it may be because he’s been cleaning them on a regular basis for the past 75 years, often by the wheelbarrow full.

The 85-year-old is quick to add he doesn’t feel that way about all other aspects about fishing, though.

“It’s my goal to go fishing every day,” Ranft said. “If I can’t go fishing, I’m going to spend a lot of time thinking about it. I still enjoy a good batch of crappie to eat. I’ll gladly keep cleaning them.”

It’s possible that Ranft may have caught and cleaned more fish from Possum Kingdom Lake than any other living angler.

That includes years of casting miles of fishing line and guiding others to do the same. He’s set trotlines with up to 50 hooks each for decades, and in his younger days he helped his father haul tons of certain fish from PK by special permit using long, fish-snaring gill and trammel nets.

Raised in an early PK fish camp Fishing has been a huge part Ranft’s life, ever since his family moved to the same tract of land he now owns along the lake.

“I’ve been here since Sept. 25, 1945,” he said. “I was 8 years old when we moved here. The summer before, we were down here catching fish, and my dad and my uncle decided they might as well open a fishing camp on the lake. It was only the third fishing camp on the east side of the lake at the time.

There may have been one on the other side, but I was 40 years old before I ever went over there.”

The accommodations back then were more like primitive camping compared to the luxury resorts, hotels and houses that surround PK Lake these days. The family’s first area home was small, and it lacked electricity or running water. Ranft

said they subsisted on rainwater from the rooftop that was diverted into a storage cistern.

“That’s the water we survived on,” Ranft said. “Luckily, it seemed to rain more back then than it does now. But we still had to haul in drinking water.”

The property was called “Pat and Uncle Herman’s Fish Camp,” named after this father and uncle. Nothing was fancy. The first cabin at the camp was a converted two-car garage, and the next four or five were 16-by-16-foot government surplus wooded sheds. Boats and motors were small and rudimentary by modern standards, but they still were expensive.

Ranft said the cabins initially rented for $3.50 to $5 a night.

Boats were $2, but a motor to go with the boat cost another $5.

“The boats we could usually find,” Ranft said. “First they were made of cypress, and then eventually aluminum. Finding a motor – any motor – was an entirely different matter. There weren’t many around back in the ’40s.”

But there were enough fish in the lake to keep the young Ranft busy.

“People came in from the city on Friday afternoons and left on Sunday afternoons,” he said. “One of my jobs was to be waiting when they came in from fishing all day to see if I could clean their fish. I learned not to charge a set amount, because that’s all I’d get. If I’d leave it to them and say something like, ‘Oh, whatever you think it’s worth,’ it was usually more than what I’d set as a standard amount.”

With camp income only dependable a few months of the year, Ranft and his family turned to other occupations to make ends meet.

Story continues on page 74

Pie House: Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photo by Erika Carter

The Fousts do it again!

Todd and Jilene Foust have a long history of coming to Possum Kingdom Lake, and the lake life runs deep in their veins.

Todd Foust grew up in Graham and has been coming to PK his entire life, while Jilene Foust has been coming to PK since 1991.

In fact, Possum Kingdom is what brought the couple together. One weekend Jilene Foust was out at PK enjoying a drink at The Cliffs with a client in her design business, and that’s where she first met her husband, who was at the lake working with a partner to open Boondocks. The two got to know each other, and Todd asked Jilene if she would stop by Boondocks before she left town and offer up any design suggestions she might have for him. Boondocks was under construction at the time, and he wanted her opinion. Never one to be shy, she met with him the next day and gave him

52 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

her opinion of some of the things he needed to do to make the up-and-coming restaurant and bar a success.

That chance meeting started their partnership in more ways than one. After exchanging wedding vows, they owned the hugely popular Boondocks until 2016, when they sold the business to John and Jan Verdi.

Even though the Fousts live in Midland full time, they have always had a home and interest at PK, and in 2021 they decided to take on the challenge of the old Scenic Point restaurant near The Harbor.

The couple gutted the space and opened Hemmingway’s Craft House there in June 2021. The building had always had a large extra space for events or private dinners, and Hemmingway’s has been very popular with locals and weekenders since it opened – and this summer was even bigger than last year.

The idea for Pie House took shape this year over the Memorial Day weekend. The couple was in town for the busy holiday weekend and observing the operation of the restaurant. Jilene Foust went to the patio to relax for a minute and soon noticed the guests were not getting their food in a timely manner. She immediately went back to the kitchen to see what was causing the delay and discovered that 20 to-go pizza orders had backed up the service to the in-house guests. She immediately had the kitchen refocus on the in-house customers, because they needed to be the priority, then had the staff inform the to-go customers that their orders would be slightly delayed.

On that night, the concept of the Pie House was born, which led to the rarely used event space being turned into a quickservice pizzeria.

Pie House opened in early October and is located with its own separate entrance next to Hemmingway’s. The pizzeria features additional pizza ovens and its own kitchen, which will allow for faster and more efficient service in both restaurants.

Jilene Foust has kept the décor of Pie House unique and stylish, and the focal point of the restaurant is the “instagramable” wall mural, along with a large front counter.

There are eight tables, so guests have the option to eat at the Pie House or in their own homes.

Owners of Hemmingway's Craft House and the newly opened Pie House, Todd and Jilene Foust.

The Fousts noted that the Pie House has an app that customers can use to place their orders for speedier service.

The app will remember the customer’s favorite orders, which should help streamline the ordering process.

Pie House offers three pizza sizes, available in either a thin or regular crust, and it has developed a collection of artisan pizzas for those that want to try something different, although traditional toppings are always available. The menu includes a collection of salads and “cheesy bread” to accompany the pizzas, with a cauliflower crust pizza available for a healthier option, too.

Pie House is set up for delivery to customers’ boats from Hemmingway’s dock or a grab-and-go at any time. The business is open every day except on Tuesdays, with business hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

If the popularity of the Fousts’ past PK business endeavors are any indication, Pie House should be a huge success. The couple has made Hemmingway’s an immensely popular spot for a nice meal on the lake, and now Pie House will cater to customers who just need something quick and easy. Those who haven’t tried Pie House yet should download the app and give it a try.

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |53

Pigging Out at PK What can be done?

Story by Bob Kaspar

Live camera footage trapping hogs courtesy of G93 Outdoors

With few natural predators, opportunistic feeding habits and the ability to reproduce quickly, the feral hog population has exploded in the Lone Star State, according to data provided on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/nuisance/feral_hogs/.

Across the state, wild pigs are sticking their snouts where they don’t belong, rooting up crops, pastures, and residential landscapes. The Texas Parks & Wildlife website pointed to studies conducted in 2016 and 2019 that estimated the annual loss to agriculture in the state at more than $118 million.

“From 1982 to 2016, the wild pig population in the United States increased from 2.4 million to an estimated 6.9 million, with 2.6 million estimated to be residing in Texas alone,” the website noted.

In typical Texas fashion, though, landowners are fighting back, and a burgeoning industry for hunting, trapping and cooking feral hogs is beginning to emerge.

54 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Wild pigs are not native to North America. They are descendants of domesticated pigs that were first brought to the West Indies in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. In 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto introduced these pigs to the U.S. mainland as a food supply during his journey to the coast of Florida. The pigs often were left behind by these New World explorers as they traveled farther westward. Those omnivorous animals thrived on the abundant natural food supply and quickly became feral.

In the 1890s, wild Eurasian boars were released into North America as a new hunting quarry. Though originally confined to fenced hunting preserves, these crafty creatures soon escaped and also became feral.

Feral pigs are similar in appearance to domestic pigs but typically have longer tusks and a thick, bristly coat. Their coloration is highly variable, as a modern wild pig is likely a product of substantial crossbreeding. Boars, or adult male pigs, routinely tip the scales at 200 to 220 pounds, while adult females, called sows, typically weigh between 150 and 170 pounds.

Multiple sows and their offspring travel in large groups called “sounders,” and each sounder can comprise dozens of pigs.

Boars, on the other hand, typically live a solitary life but will occasionally join up with other males in a group known as a “bachelor pack.”

Population dynamics are a primary factor in the booming feral hog population. Sows can have multiple litters in one year, with an average of four to six offspring per litter. The average gestation period is about 115 days, and sows typically breed every year.

Hogs have an omnivorous diet and are opportunistic feeders.

They mainly consume a wide variety of plants, such as acorns, roots and bulbs, as well as cultivated crops. Rooting is a primary indicator that hogs are feeding in a particular area. It’s an extremely destructive behavior that destroys ground vegetation and increases erosion while reducing the nutrient load within the soil.

Hog damage is no longer just a rural issue, either. As their population expands, hogs are now moving into residential neighborhoods, rooting up lawns and landscapes.

More and more Texans are making the best of a bad situation, however, and a new industry is evolving around these invasive beasts. One would be hard-pressed to find a hunting ranch in Palo Pinto County that doesn’t offer hog hunts, and these hunts can fetch upwards of $250 per hog.

There’s also money to be made trapping hogs, and Colt Dorr, owner of G93 Outdoors, realized there was an opportunity in that segment of the market about four years ago.

Story continues on page 63

"The wild meat and wild pigs that are caught here in Palo Pinto County are then dispersed all over the world as a delicacy meat" Colt Dorr, owner of G93 Outdoors PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |55

Winter Wings Story by Bob Kaspar | Photo by Erika Carter

The song of a cold winter morning on the Brazos River begins in time with the rising sun, heralded by the raspy, echoing call of a great blue heron. Soon thereafter, the tittering of killdeer fills the air as they chase one another across the sky, while ducks quack as they cup their wings to splash down calmly onto the river’s surface.

As summer gives way to fall, cooler temperatures bring thousands of winged winter visitors passing through during their annual fall migration.

Texas has more species of birds than any other state, with more than 600 identified in the state. Much of this biodiversity is due to Texas’ geography, being centrally located on the North American continent. It’s also the southern extent of many migratory birds’ range within the Central Flyway, a 9,000-mile-long zone of intense bird migration that runs from central Canada, across the Great Plains, and through Texas and Mexico to the tip of South America.

56 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Texas has more species of birds than any other state, with more than 600 identified in the state.

Twice a year, in the fall and spring, birds use this region as a migratory route. There is very little mountainous terrain along the flyway to impede the migrating birds, and many of them spend the winter on the Texas Gulf Coast or proceed farther to Central or South America.

During the fall migration, the abundant water supply of both Possum Kingdom Lake and the Brazos River provide attractive winter homes for numerous duck species. As the days get shorter, the ducks begin to accumulate fat and prepare for their migration south, and as their northern habitats begin to freeze, the birds fly south to more hospitable environments.

Blue-winged teal are among the first species to migrate, beginning their journey in early fall. They travel an incredibly long distance, with many of them ending up in South America. By September they can be seen dabbling in shallow pools along the Brazos River, and soon thereafter they’re joined by their cousin, the green-winged teal.

As the days get shorter, northern shovelers, mallards,

widgeon, gadwall, bufflehead, wood ducks, bluebills and pintails, just to name a few, will spend some time at the lake, with more birds typically seen on colder days.

A few ducks, and especially geese, have become permanent residents of Possum Kingdom Lake, although this behavior is not fully understood.

One theory is that habitats with abundant food and water, along with a lack of natural predators, tempts these birds to stay put.

There are numerous public access points to the Brazos River across Palo Pinto County, but the Brazos River Nature Trail offers ease of access along with unrivaled natural beauty. Visitors can park at either the Highway 16 bridge or at the Brazos River Authority Nature Park No. 7 off of Red Bluff Road, and a well-groomed nature trail connects the two parking areas. Closer to the Highway 16 end is a gravel canoe and kayak launch that offers unparalleled river access. This is an ideal area for an early morning excursion to see some waterfowl.

The nature trail also borders Possum Kingdom Fish Hatchery, which has 44 outdoor fish ponds, and the hatchery is an outstanding location to see ospreys during their fall migration. These large raptors boast a wingspan just under 6 feet, and they feed almost exclusively on fish.

From the road they often can be seen hovering above the hatchery ponds before plunging feet first into the water to spear their prey with sharp talons.

Story continues on page 58

Pictured above: Local PK Residents Peter Gottschling, a retired chemist, and his wife, Lynne Aldrich, a retired hospital administrator, have been bird watchers for 40 years.

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |57

Winter Wings, continued...

Ospreys are one of the many migratory birds that Possum Kingdom resident and avid birdwatcher Peter Gottschling is always eager to see. His natural curiosity led him to birding years ago while living in Ohio.

“As a retired scientist, I just like learning about the things I don’t know,” he said.

This hunger for knowledge has taken him around the world and allowed him to see numerous rare bird species.

Birders such as Gottschling play a vital role in the study of bird populations. Biologists can’t track the movements of every bird, but Gottschling and other birders provide valuable data by cataloging their findings. That, in turn, allows biologists to make inferences about bird populations as a whole.

For anyone interested in birding, Gottschling suggested contacting a local Audubon Society.

Story concludes on page 77

58 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Swainson's Hawk photographed by local Birder Peter Gottschling.

The Outdoor Life, Continued... and we couldn’t find anything. The couple of things that we put an offer on would get outbid. Then, in May of last year, I saw that the state park posted on their FaceBook page that they were looking for park hosts.”

Park hosts are volunteers who work part time at Texas’ state parks, doing maintenance or helping with outdoor education programs. In return, the hosts get a free RV camping site and utilities.

For the Jordans, it seemed like an ideal fit. The day after Rose Jordan saw the post, she and her husband were on the phone to the park staff to find out more – and within 24 hours they decided to make their move into an RV permanent.

With the recent boom in popularity, though, finding a camper wasn’t easy.

“It was almost as hard finding a camper to do this as it had been finding a house,” she said.

For the Jordans, life now is more peaceful and less complicated – and their lakefront location is hard to beat.

“We love being right there at the water, so we can go kayaking anytime we want,” she said, adding that the reduced overhead “lets us save more, lets us travel more and it just gives us more financial freedom.”

Another major perk of RV life is the people she meets, Rose Jordan said.

“I’ve noticed that camping people are just out there to have fun,” she said. “They’re not caught up in politics and they’re not all fussing about things to be offended about. They’re laid back and relaxed. They just want to chat and tell their stories.”

Living in an RV did require some adjustments, however.

“Making the bed is not fun, and you’ll hear that from a lot of people, too,” she said. “It’s just so tight. It’s a real pain.”

Storage also is a challenge. When the Jordans made the transition to RV life, they had to get rid of as many of their possessions as they could.

Still, they have no regrets.

“Right now, we have no intention of buying a house,” she said.

“In fact, what we’re really thinking is, here within the next few months, we’re going to trade ours in and upgrade.”

The back-to-basics immersion into the natural world that camping offers has a way of awakening the senses. Suddenly, treading water in the lake is more refreshing than any spa treatment, the food from a charcoal grill deserves a Michelin star, and the jokes told around a campfire are the funniest thing anyone has ever heard. Spending the weekend in a tent or camper makes it easy to put the focus where it should be: on friendships, family and natural surroundings.

60 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Susan Hasting has all the amenities she needs in her RV while she and husband, Michael, build their permanent home in The Ranch.

Michael and Susan Hasting enjoy all the comforts of home in their 43' Monaco Diplomat Diesel Pusher. The couple are currently building a home in The Ranch and plan to live in their RV throughout the build.

"We love being right here at the water, so we can go kayaking anytime we want.

The reduced overhead lets us save more, lets us travel more and it just gives us financial freedom."

Rose Jordan PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |61

Local Camp Grounds continue to make improvements.

Recently, Rock Creek Camp completed major renovations, with the biggest addition to the park being two pools. These aren't just any pools, either; it's the centerpiece of the resort.

The main pool is divided into several "relaxation zones," with tables and built-in stools for comfort.

The "kiddy pool" section has a collection of animal characters that spray water and add fun for the little ones.

Diane Wallace, owner of Rock Creek Camp has made major renovations to the resort, with more in store.

62 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Pigging Out, continued...

“It kind of turned into a serious gig when more housing developments around the lake started getting put in,” he said.

“People with more money were buying bigger and fancier homes, and realized that their yards didn’t stand a chance.

That’s when I made some investments in large, cellular traps, where you can really put a hurting on the numbers.”

But it’s not just the money that motivates enthusiastic hog hunters such as Dorr.

“Pigs are probably, outside of a mountain lion, the hardest wild animal that an outdoorsman can pattern to hunt,” he said. “They have no pattern.”

The key to success, Dorr said, is cellular phone service. With the service, he said, his traps can be remotely activated.

Once Dorr has established a location where the pigs are foraging, he baits that area for several days and watches the hogs’ movements via a live camera.

“Once the pigs start to get comfortable with that spot that I’ve been feeding, I’ll start to put the trap up over the course of a couple of days,” Dorr said. “I’ll take my time.”

By setting it up in small increments, the trap can be constructed without arousing any suspicion from the hogs.

“So, basically, by the time those traps are fully set, the pigs are still feeding confidently and walking through the gate to get to the feed,” Dorr said. “I can then close the trap remotely via cellphone.”

Using this method, Dorr said he’s been able to trap up to 58 pigs at once.

Although many hunters aren’t interested in harvesting the meat from the pigs they shoot, Dorr has been able to find an international market for this Palo Pinto County nuisance animal.

Story concludes on page 64

"Pigs are probably, outside of a mountain lion, the hardest wild animal that an outdoorsman can pattern to hunt, they have no pattern."

--Colt Door PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |63

Pigging Out, continued...

After the pigs have been trapped, they are loaded live onto a trailer and sold to local buyers. These buyers will then feed the pigs for a month or so to put some more weight on them before eventually selling them to a processor in Fort Worth. From there, the hogs are butchered and sold into European markets, where wild hog meat is in high demand.

“The wild meat and wild pigs that are caught here in Palo Pinto County are then dispersed all over the world as a delicacy meat,” Dorr said.

Diners in America can also experience this international delicacy, and with minimal effort and some care in storage, wild hogs can yield delicious, lean pork that rivals anything from the grocery store.

Once meat from a hog has been harvested, it should be packed into a cooler full of ice, with at least a cup of rock salt sprinkled on top. The meltwater should be drained from the cooler every day before being topped off with more ice, and this routine should be carried out for a minimum of three days.

The end product will be an extremely tender and lean pork loin that’s perfect for the grill, smoker or slow cooker – or an internationally renowned restaurant menu.

--END OF STORY

64 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Live camera footage trapping hogs courtesy of G93 Outdoors

“So, basically, by the time those traps are fully set, the pigs are still feeding confidently and walking through the gate to get to the feed. I can then close the trap remotely via cellphone.”

--Colt Door

66 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

e h e s C e ! y a S

Reader submitted photos from around the lake.

Sunday afternoon cruising. Abby Brown and Chad Deen.

Photo contributed by Melanie Deen

Rey Belz enjoying a cliffside stroll at LaVilla.

Photo contributed by Jamie Belz

Larry Graham, along with Goose.

Goose enjoyed his first time at PK Photo contributed by Melanie Deen

Katie Nussbaum on early Saturday morning fishing trip with local fishing guide, TJ Ranft.

Photo contributed by Kim Nussbaum

Maggie Vinson enjoys a swim at The Clubhouse Pool in The Hills Above Possum Kingdom.

Photo contributed by Beverly Vinson

David Merrick, fishing off boat dock at The Ritchie Cabin in The Hills Above Possum Kingdom Lake.

Photo contributed by Beverly Vinson PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |67

e s e e ! h C y a S Jerid & Mackenzie Watson with members of their wedding party after the "I Do's" lakeside on the LaVilla Lawn.

Photo contributed by Jamie Belz

68 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Maggie and Molly Vinson enjoying the splash pad at The Clubhouse in The Hills Above Possum Kingdom.

Photo contributed by Beverly Vinson

e s e e ! h C y a S Thursday Happy Hour at Hemmingway's Craft House. Pictured left to right: Jo Lynn Miller; Dee Dee Jordan; and Teresa Kidwell Photo contributed by Dee Dee Jordan

70 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Newly engaged Katie Nussbaum and Alex Stauth loaded the boat with their limit with local fishing guide, TJ Ranft.

Photo contributed by Kim Nussbaum

e s e e ! h C y a S Possum Kingdom locals, Jackie and Mert Fewell went on a long fall adventure in their RV. Pictured here are the cranberry fields in Massachusetts - it's harvest time and the fields are flooded with water, causing the berries to float to the top. Pictured top right, they scored a lovely camping spot in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

72 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Mike Glasgow and Juanita Norris enjoying a boat ride to Hells Gate.

Photo contributed by Jo Lynn Miller

Trail riding in the Brazos below the PK Dam. Photo Credit: Casey Armstrong - Hooked Up Outfitters Pictured left to right: Cass Draper, Cooper Armstrong, A.J. McGinty, Trinity Armstrong and Ronnie Sellers.

Photo contributed by Jo Lynn Miller

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |73

Tom Ranft, continued...

Angling professionally and for fun For nearly 20 years, the family had a state permit to use nets to remove unpopular species of fish to make room for the more desirable ones, such as crappie, sand bass, catfish and black bass.

Ranft said he remembers helping set nets hundreds of feet long to catch and remove carp, drum, alligator gar and long-nosed gar.

They also removed tons of buffalo, a carp-like fish popular at some fish markets.

“We could sell those,” Ranft said. “I think the best we got was 18 to 22 cents a pound, but that was for a fully dressed buffalo, packed in ice and hauled to Dallas, Fort Worth or maybe Tulsa.”

The family also ate a lot of carp. Ranft said “carp croquettes” fixed in a pressure cooker are a lot like the salmon croquettes often sold in nice restaurants.

Running nets was a lot of work, he said, and the fish that weren’t cleaned to eat or sell had to be removed from the lake. That usually meant unloading pickup-truck-sized loads of dead fish on surrounding farm fields.

Tom Ranft

74 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

“Some of the farmers around didn’t mind us dumping the fish on their fields, because they made pretty good fertilizer,” Ranft said. “I have no idea how many times I’d get off the school bus, change out

of my school clothes, then head down to our fish house and get to work for several hours to help out.”

When he wasn’t working up a bunch of netted fish or cleaning scores of fish for clients, Ranft said he went fishing, and he often was alone as a little boy on the sprawling reaches of PK Lake.

“Dad told me I could go out fishing by myself when I could put one of those 2½-horsepower Johnson outboard motors on a boat by myself,” Ranft said. “I was about 10. I have no idea how many times I tried to wrestle that thing off a motor stand to take it to a boat. I finally ended up hauling that motor across the dock, the lower unit dragging every inch of the way.

From then on, when I got a chance I got the motor, put on a life jacket, grabbed a can of gas and went fishing.”

Guiding visiting anglers was one of several occupations Ranft had through the decades living along the shores of PK Lake.

He’s seen the best and worst the lake’s had to offer for anglers over the past 77 years.

The good times are now Ranft didn’t have to think long or hard to say when fishing had been at its worst. Several winters in the early 2000s brought golden algae blooms that robbed the lake of oxygen, he said, and many thousands of fish suffocated. He and others hauled

rotting fish from the lake by the boatload, and mats of dead fish often stretched along the shoreline for miles.

He said the lake has recovered nicely from the mass die-offs, and he spoke with pride about his grandson, T.J., who runs a successful guiding business bearing the family name.

“The lake has a lot of fish in it now,” Ranft said. “It’s looking pretty good. Most times when (T.J.) calls, he’s gotten his clients into a lot of fish, mostly stripers and sand bass.”

PK also produced more trophy-sized largemouth this year than any of the past 30-plus years, if ever, he said.

Catfish numbers haven’t been better in a long time, Ranft, said, noting that the state removed the minimum length needed to keep catfish, which was done to reduce the overall harvest.

“Now, if it has whiskers and you want to take it home and eat it, you can,” Ranft said.

But he admitted he probably won’t be keeping as many catfish as he once did. Compared to other kinds of fish, catfish are harder to clean, and Ranft said he’s too “old school” to rush through the process and waste any meat. That’s time he’d much rather spend in a boat.

“I just enjoy getting out there on the lake,” Ranft said. “I guess for me it’s always been a kind of therapy. I’ve always loved it.”

--END OF STORY

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |75

THE PERFECT STOCKING STUFFER! I Love PK Playing Cards!

Limited Available $10 Quantities

Now!

THE UPS STORE PK Plaza 101 N FM 2353 Unit 101 Graford, TX. (940) 573-7170

76 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Winter Wings, continued...

“When you meet other birders, you learn a lot quicker than on your own,” he said.

Gottschling also recommended that new birders get a decent bird guide and dive into online sources such as the website eBird (https://ebird.org/home), offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which provides birders with real-time migratory reports, rare bird alerts, and an endless library of photos and sounds from multiple species.

Gottschling also suggested that budding birders take a keen interest in bird conservation.

“Cornell University has detected a significant decrease in bird populations in the past 50 years,” he said. “Much of this is driven by habitat loss.”

One easy way to help birds, Gottschling said, is through the Texas Audubon Society’s “Lights Out Texas” program. Significant mortality occurs when birds run into windows during evening flights, and the initiative asks participants to turn off non-essential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during fall bird migrations (August through November). Houston and Dallas were ranked the No. 2 and No. 3 most dangerous cities in the country for light pollution during bird migration, and in 2017 an estimated 400 birds were killed during a single evening collision in Galveston. By turning off their lights at night, Texans can reduce urban light pollution and make the skies safer for the birds we love.

--END OF STORY

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |77

Never Miss An Issue

Subscribe Today!

PK Magazine will publish 4 issues in 2023.

In order to make our mailing list for 2023, go to our website: pk-magazine.com

4Complimentary issues for $14 copies also available around the lake.

100% Local Stories PK Magazine is produced by The UPS Store at PK Plaza 940-573-7170

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |79

! t s s P

Out & About with The Girls in Pearls

Impromptu taco night and friendly game of LCR at The Nussbaum's home in The Cliffs. Pictured left to right: Rustin Goodgion; Gage; Audrey Goodgion; Bric Shelton; Bridget Shelton; Ashley Oldham; Olivia and Brynleigh.

Sherry and Troy Welch from The Ranch enjoying a recent trip to Lucerne, Germany.

David, Jamie and Rey Belz can always be spotted hiking the beautiful PK Bike and Hiking Trails

Austin Aylor feeding Oreo at The Harbor

Blakelee Hutt loves the bass boat and her time at Gaines Bend.

Happy hour at Lush. Pictured left to right: Jasmine Murchison, Amy Springer, Holly Chandler, Melissa Anderson, Gelasia Bennett, Barbara Vinson, Denice Cotter and Connie Collier.

! t s s P

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |81

! t s s P Here comes trouble! Mark Anderson, Pat Murchison and Mark Vinson headed back to Gaines Bend from Happy Hour at Hemmingway's Craft House.

Friends enjoying the beautiful wedding of Cheney Hotchkiss and Kevin Crooks at Lush Resort. Pictured left to right: Connie Collier; Holly Chandler; Sherry Welch; Barbara Vinson; and Amy Springer.

Friends and family came together to celebrate the birthdays of siblings Ann Burns and Roy Davis (pictured above). Cassie and Colton Puckett and Kenzi (pictured to the right) were some of many that helped celebrate. The Huntin' & Muddin' Birthday Bash was held in Sportsman's World.

82 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

Kirk and Wendy Farquhar, along with Jan and Michael Davis attended the Protect PK Fundraiser for the volunteer fire department.

Farewell to summer. Pictured left to right: PK locals, Chris Robin; Mark Anderson; and Pat and Jasmine Murchison.

Gary Finch; Magyn and Nate Whitaker; and Terri Finch showed up to lend support for the Volunteer Firefighters.

An evening dedicated to supporting our volunteer firefighters. Pictured left to right: Ryan Thomas; Sara Thomas; Wende O’Neal; Randy Burdick; and Adam Cathey

Besties for over 25 years! Jo Lynn Miller and Lisa Brackett on a PK Boat Ride.

It's not everyday you see cows under the dock! Or in the yard on Hog Bend!

PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022 |83

! t s s P

These ladies know how to have fun! Pictured on pages 84 and 85 are a group of women that shared a recent Mind, Body, Soul Lake Retreat. The group meets quarterly with the objective to host speakers and activities intended to open minds, hearts, and soul to achieve a deeper level of well being.

They enjoyed relationship building exercises, cooking demonstrations, water activities such as paddle boarding and closed out the weekend with a devotional on the lake.

Attendees included: Teri Schmidt, Martha Samuelson, Julie Van Orden, Cathy Cole, Shileen Webster, Kimberly Munsell, Melissa Williamson and Katherine Moore.

The event was hosted by Teri Schmidt from The Cliffs

o n o !

S g n i m Co

Just in time for the holidays!

Possum Kingdom Lake Opoly!

Full size game featuring local businesses and attractions! The playing pieces are Hiking Boot, Boat, Sunglasses, Flip Flops, ATV, and Anchor. Every lake house needs one!

Available Late November $29.95 Each Reserve yours today: 940-573-7170

Possum Kingdom Lake Opoly is produced by The UPS Store located in PK Plaza. 101 N FM 2353 Unit 101. Graford, TX. 84 | PK MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2022

! t s s P