THE NEXT
BIG THING
IN MEDICINE IS ACTUALLY
QUITE SMALL.
approved usage for robotics and dream bi
Introducing Our New Center For Robotic & Minimally Invasive Surgery.
Center for Robotic & Minimal
We are changing the way we operate. With cutting-edge robotic and Single-Site surgery, patients have virtually no scars, better outcomes, and benefit from faster recovery time. At Jackson Hospital, we have the most experienced and most comprehensive program performing some of the most innovative procedures in the region. So even a very small thing can be a really big benefit to your health. TM
jackson.org/davinci
THE
REGIO N ’ S
L E A D E R
I N
R O BOTIC
AND
M I N I M A L LY
INVASIVE
S U R G E R Y.
HealthNEWS
September 2013
for Boomers and Beyond
Cataracts: When Focus Turns Fuzzy
illboards only
At some time in your life, you’ve probably taken a photo that--despite your best efforts-came out blurry. That’s what it’s like to have a cataract in your eye. It makes things look blurry. Just as a camera needs a good lens to take sharp photos, each of your eyes needs a good lens to give you a clear picture of what you’re seeing. A well-functioning lens does two things for your vision: It sends rays of light back to your eye’s retina, and it adjusts the eye’s focus. Your eye lens helps you read books by the light of a lamp. It helps you pass a thread through the eye of a needle. But if your lens gets cloudy, as it does with a cataract, so does your vision. People get cataracts for a variety of reasons. Sometimes a cataract is the result of an injury. But usually cataracts occur with aging. In fact, most Americans will have had at least one cataract by the time they reach age 80.
• Trouble driving at night • A halo around lights • Lamps or headlights that seem too bright
Treatment Options If you have a cataract, changing your eyeglass prescription or using magnifying lenses may help you see OK for a while. But if your eyesight becomes too compromised, you may need cataract surgery. It’s a common procedure that’s usually done on an outpatient basis. In most cases, tiny surgical tools are used to break apart the old lens. It’s replaced with a clear, new lens made of plastic, acrylic or silicone. A few hours in recovery, and you’re ready to be driven home--possibly with a patch over your eye.
What to Look Out for Cataracts often develop slowly over time and can occur in one or both eyes. Possible signs of a cataract include: • Blurred, cloudy or dull vision
lly Invasive • A Surgery brownish tint to vision • Colors that seem faded • Poor night vision
Have your eyes checked by a professional at least once every two years. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Contents
September 2013
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Volume 4 Issue 2
Carl Bard
Thought Relationships Taste Inspiration
Humor Advice Health Community
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
3 Jackson Hospital’s Health News 6 Publisher’s Letter 8 MATCH MADE Adventures in Online Dating 9 WHY EXFOLIATE? 12 BOOM! Cover Profile
page 16
15 Honor Grandparent with Scrapbook
Features 16 The Ladies of ‘Hot in Cleveland’ Hot in Hollywood too
Departments 10 This and That Have you heard...?
18 THE AGING FACE
20 Making a Splash at 72
Dr. Thomas H. Cawthon
26 Urban Legends from the 60’s
and doesn’t plan to stop!
28 River Walk Wine Festival
Beehive Hairdos?
29 Fitness Over Fifty, Keep Your Balance 36 {12} Things
Solutions for bored Boomers
38 Greg Budell
31 Art & Soul
“I WAS THAT VOICE”…
32 Women of Hope 33 Healthy Hearing Motivating...
BOOM!
COVER PROFILE page12
34 Boomer Collectibles 39 BOOM! Advertising
page 10 page 15
page 24
BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, 6398 Eastwood Glen Pl., Montgomery, AL 36117. The phone number for voice and fax is 334.523.9510. Copyright 2013 by River Region Publications. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the owners, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products and services herein.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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publisher’s letter
Rejuvenated The mission of BOOM! is to serve the folks of the River Region age 50 plus with information and ideas to inspire new experiences, better quality of life and new beginnings.
One of the most common conversations I have with folks as I visit with customers and readers is the idea of retirement. The idea of “retirement” as our parents knew it was basically the same for everyone. The only variable was how much money you had to support the retirement lifestyle, but everybody’s goal was to retire and play bingo, golf, tennis or something recreational.
Publisher/Editor Jim Watson, 334.523.9510 jim@riverregionboom.com
Associate Editor Kelly Watson kelly@riverregionboom.com
Contributing Writers Sandi Aplin Dr. Bettie Borton Greg Budell Dr. Thomas H. Cawthon Christian Clark Addy Hatch Mia Hunter Christina Ianzito Rebecca Nappi Peggy Perdue Leigh Anne Richards Sharon Wilson
Cover Photography Lola Fine Art Photography twololas@lolafineartphotography.com
www.lolafineartphotography.com 334.551.2700
Advertising Jim Watson, 334.523.9510 jim@riverregionboom.com
Design & Layout Lake House Graphics
Distribution Network Delivery
Printing Publications Press, Montgomery, AL 334.244.0436
Jim Watson, Publisher
Today the concept of retirement for our generation is more about transitioning to a different lifestyle where we continue to work but doing something we enjoy more. It means defining a purpose for our lives that gives us a sense of significance because we do make a difference in our communities by through our experiences and resources. Retirement for us is being determined to be in the best health possible, understanding the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, so we can enjoy the many new challenges we’re planning. I also believe retirement is about rediscovering the special relationships you have with your spouse, family and friends. At our age we should be getting better at nurturing these relationships, if not, we can always Google it and learn how, can’t we?
I’m putting the notion of retirement in my box of relics from my parent’s generation because it no longer has value. What I value now is becoming rejuvenated with each day; retirement will come when those days cease to exist. In this month’s Cover Profile we have a woman who loves what she does and loves the people around her. Sharon Wilson is the owner of Rose of Sharon-Textile Artistry located in the Mulberry District. She has a real passion for what she does and I mean everything she does, from her textiles to her bucket list and even her chickens! I hope you’ll take a few minutes and read her story this month; she may even inspire you to get a chicken or two.
We’ve also got some fun reads on the women who star in the show ‘Hot in Cleveland’ along with Betty White and a man who is a champion water skier at age 72. He’s been rejuvenated. If you’re into collectibles there’s a feature on some the more valuable collectibles from the 60’s along with an article about some of the Urban Legends we all experienced as kids. We have plenty more good reads from Greg Budell, Leigh Anne Richards, Dr. Betty Borton and Mia Hunter with her online dating adventures. Do you have an aging face? I do and most of you do too, so Dr. Cawthon shares his medical expertise on some solutions if your aging face is in need of one.
There’s plenty more to this month’s issue and I hope you’ll sit back grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the best reading experience in the River Region. Please share BOOM! wth your friends and your comments with me. I’d love to hear from you. Don’t forget to read BOOM! online at RiverRegionBoom. com
Finally, we have new advertisers again this month and they want to do business with you. Please consider each of them as you decide where to spend your money and tell them you’re getting to know them through BOOM! They will serve you well. Thanks for beinmg part of BOOM!
Jim
Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!
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jim@riverregionboom.com 334.324.3472 cell/text 334.523.9510 office
riverregionboom.com
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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MATCH MADE adventures in online dating with Mia Hunter
Let’s talk about looks. How important is that first impression?
exude the same level of confidence as a twenty-something swimsuit model. Love yourself and show it. Your confidence is your inner light. Let that baby shine. It is your best asset when trying to attract a date/mate.
Here is one area that finds men and women at somewhat differing mindsets. Men are visual creatures. They want the prettiest present to be theirs. The prettier the present, the more manly they feel. The more manly they feel, the happier they are. Simple.
Women want what is in the package to be as good as or better than the wrapping. We are bound by emotion, we react to words and looks and feelings that men miss. We are cerebral. And therefore, smarter. Or so we think anyway. So, when you are looking at profiles on a dating site, what do you look for? And is that first impression an accurate one? I read profiles with a magnifying glass. I am the Sherlock Holmes of profile detectives. I am bugged by certain things like careless spelling of normal words (“your gonna like me” gets a bullet to the head), novellas full of innocuous and repetitive information, abbreviations using letters (“want 2 meet u”) and bad, bad grammar. I have also figured out how to sniff out a fake – yep, there are snakes in the grass out there posing as nice men for a myriad of reasons but none good. A man who claims to live in Castleberry who looks like George Hamilton and has a name like Frederick Ardag is probably not for real, ladies. He wants something and it is probably not kosher.
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Which brings me back to the point that you only get one chance to make a first impression. I’ve looked at a lot of profiles as your Internet Dating guru and boy, some people are missing a seat on the Magic Bus because of their profile photo choices. It’s the Hall of Faux-Pas. Anybody out there think a Glamour shot is the best way to say “This Is Who I Am”? Really? And men – please. No sunglasses, no ball cap, no group shots. We would like to see your eyes AND your head. Some of us think bald is sexy, so show us your pate. We all need to look happy, like we have something great going on inside and want to share it. The group shot is risky because what if your friends look more appealing than you do – YOIKES! Ladies, I will repeat - what is inside is far more important than what is outside, but the first impression on the screen is your face. And it needs to look like the face your date will see when you meet in person. Which brings me back to NATURAL. Work it. Show confidence! Brent Shive, a creative director in NYC (and a MAN) says, “Real confidence that comes organically is sexy”. A woman of any age can
As you build your Ken doll, read not only the lines but between them. Use your SpideySense. The more you read, the better you will get at it. I find myself attracted to men who post concise, yet sweet information, like my Tin Cup man. Words make me swoon far more than looks do. A man who knows how to show just enough of himself in two paragraphs to catch my interest is the rabbit to my beagle. I have to know more. Now, this is a rare phenomenon, but it has happened recently and is blossoming into a sweet thing. I have no idea what might develop, but it is a fabulous thing to know that there are quite a few men out there who have it going on upstairs. Swooning is fun. So, remember: even if he looks like George Hamilton and writes like Fitzgerald, he still may not turn out to be a good fit. But keep looking. Shine your light. Make like Kira Salak (look her up) and go forth and explore. Use your profile to attract, not just advertise. You might just find a partner to share an adventure with. Mia Hunter is a mother, grandmother and equestrienne. Born and raised in the River Region, she stays busy writing, riding her horses and feeding her creativity. She is still looking for Mr. Right. Send all comments to Miahunter58@gmail.com
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
WHY
EXFOLIATE? Age and stress causes your skin’s regenerative cycle to slow down, creating a daily buildup of dry and dead skin cells. If not sloughed off, this gives way to flaky, dull skin, clogged pores, and uneven skin texture.
Sensitivity - To smooth out rough texture or flakiness without irritation, use a mild scrub with skin-sloughing microspheres, or an exfoliating serum with enzymes**. Caution: if you have rosacea, please check with your dermatologist. By Peggy Perdue
Acne - Never scrub active breakouts so you don’t risk infection or acne spreading, opt for chemical exfoliators instead. Blackheads and Whiteheads - Mild facial scrubs can be beneficial for whiteheads and blackheads to gently dislodge any impurities that are trapped in the pore opening. Oiliness - Use multiple forms of exfoliation to prevent clogging and breakouts. Try using a chemical exfoliate in a serum daily and a physical exfoliant 2 to 3 times a week.
The average cell turnover rate of a 25 year-old is 28 days, but after age 50 your cell turnover rate drops to a 42 - 82 day cycle! You can accelerate your skin cell turnover by using an exfoliator. There are a variety of exfoliating products that carefully lift away the layer of dead skin cells covering up that smooth, babyfresh skin hiding underneath.
Dryness - Choose a gentle daily exfoliant to allow for maximum absorption from your moisturizer and alleviate dryness. Imagine trying to water your lawn when it’s covered with old dead leaves; the water puddles on the leaves and doesn’t reach the grass unless you rake the leaves.
All forms of exfoliation are not equal. There are two types of exfoliators, physical and chemical. Most skin types can benefit from both. Physical (or manual) exfoliators are typically called “scrubs” and contain varying sizes of natural ingredients, like sugar or seeds, or synthetic ingredients, like microbeads. They instantly remove dry, flaky skin cells as you massage them over the skin. Chemical exfoliators slough dead skin cells away by dissolving the “mortar” between the skin cells with chemicals like alpha hydroxy acids*. Chemical exfoliators can be left on in the form of a serum or rinsed off in the form of a chemical peel.
Remember, exfoliation shouldn’t stop at the face! Your body can look as smooth as your face by using exfoliators formulated specifically for the body, which requires larger granules. Exfoliating first with a body scrub will allow self-tanners to develop evenly.
Different skin concerns require a customized approach to exfoliation.
With regular exfoliation, you will enjoy the following benefits: serums and moisturizers penetrate more effectively, pores appear smaller, foundation wears better, and lips are more kissable.
*Alpha hydroxy acids - natural substances derived from sugar cane, fruits, or milk that work to exfoliate dead skin cells by loosening the glue-like attachments in the keratin layer **Enzymes - proteins that accelerate chemical reactions; they work to exfoliate dead skin cells but also penetrate more deeply, cleaning inside each pore, and tend to be gentler on skin Peggy Perdue, Studio owner, Merle Norman, Shoppes at EastChase
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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This & tHAT
September is Blue Morpho Butterfly Month September is Blue Morpho Butterfly Month at Callaway Gardens’ Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center. Typically there are a variety of more than 1,000 tropical butterflies flying freely throughout the conservatory; however, during September 2013, it will be filled exclusively with spectacular Blue Morpho butterflies. The largest display of Blue Morphos on the planet at that moment. The Blue Morpho is a spectacular iridescent blue butterfly native to the rainforests of South and Central America. The undersides of the wings are brown with eyespots, but the contrasting upper sides could be considered the most brilliant, vivid blue that nature has to offer. As a Blue Morpho flies, its contrasting wing colors of brilliant blue and dull brown fool the eye and make the Morpho look as if it is appearing and disappearing. For more information and special package rates visit callawaygardens.com or call 1.800.225-5292.
MMFA exhibit “Material Transformations” Exhibit begins September 14th at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art The artists of Material Transformations, Angela Ellsworth, Alison Foshee, Johnston Foster, Kirsten Hassenfeld, Rune Olsen, Lucrecia Troncoso, and Paul Villinski all find symbolism in the very unconventional substances they use to construct their works of art. They find inspiration in the stuff of life, items we frequently encounter, use, and discard with rarely a second thought such as aluminum cans, cleaning sponges, construction debris, corsage pins, masking tape, office supplies, and wrapping paper. Manipulating and transforming these humble and common objects, the artists address a multitude of ideas including our culture’s preoccupation with goods, along with other cultural and social issues of the twenty-first century. For more information visit mmfa.org
Paddle Bayou La Batre Saturday, October 5th paddlers will have an up-close and personal experience of being on a true working bayou, lined with shipyards, shrimpboats, oyster skiffs, and scenic natural vistas. Experience and learn about the bayou’s history as you traverse the waters. Paddle under the vertical lift bridge, one of Bayou La Batre’s landmarks. Enjoy Bayou cuisine afterwards. The trip is approximately 6 miles with an option to take out at 2.5 miles. For More Information, Contact: Tracy Lannie at tracy@paddlebayoulabatre.org or visit paddlebayoulabatre.org
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BOOMERS, share your stuff with BOOM! We Love to Bring BOOMERS Together, send info and pics to jim@riverregionboom.com
Bayou La Batre Annual Taste of the Bayou You won’t find fresher seafood to sample than at this annual event supporting local fishermen in Alabama’s most laid back fishing communities. Head down to the bayou to sample fabulous fare prepared by both amateur and professional chefs using the freshest catches from the waters off the Alabama coast. September 28. For more information visit www.bayoulabatrechamber.com.
Wait Until Dark at Cloverdale Playhouse Opens Thursday, September 26 A hit on Broadway and a classic film starring Audrey Hepburn, this Frederick Knott directed version will keep you on the edge of your seat, or in the case of the Playhouse, your pew. Hailed as a first rate shocker by the NY Times, it may not be suitable for children. But you may want to bring a hand to hold! For more information visit www.cloverdaleplayhouse.org
New Fabric Designs by Cindy Barganier Unveiled Travis & Company, one of the foremost “trade only” showrooms in the Southeast, unveiled the Cindy E. Barganier Textiles Fabric Collection recently. At the unveiling, Founder Dotty Travis said, “I love this line. The colors are fabulous. I really am pleased with it and I want big hunks lying around. I’ve looked at it three times today!” Showroom representative Cathy Pirtle added, “We have nothing like these here.” “The fabrics have a ‘water-colored’ look and were inspired in large part by the 30A section of North Florida; and by the work I have done there. The blues, turquoise and whites of sky, surf and beach combined with the vivid colors of amazing sunsets set the palette,” says designer Cindy Barganier. If you would like more information contact Cindy Barganier at 334.356.3652 or email cindybarg@knology.net.
Free Broadway Under The Stars Pops Concert Women’s Prayer Breakfast! Agape of Central Alabama is proud to present the Women’s Prayer Breakfast, featuring keynote speaker United States Representative Martha Roby. The prayer breakfast will take place at the Wynlakes Country Club on Wednesday, September 4, at 8 a.m., with the focus on empowering women to change their world through prayer. For registration and information, visit agapeforchildren.org/women.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The Montgomery Symphony will perform a free evening of Broadway showtunes on Thursday, September 12th, when the Orchestra presents its 26th annual Broadway Under The Stars Pops Concert. Picnic baskets, coolers, blankets, and lawn chairs are all welcome at this free, family-oriented event which is sponsored by Regions Bank. The concert will be held lakeside in the Blount Cultural Park in front of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and will begin at 7:30 pm. Come early and pick a good spot to enjoy your family’s outing. The gates will open at 5:00 pm. For more information, or to order a Special VIP Dinner Package with reserved seating and parking, call 334-240-4004.
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BOOM! COVER PROFILE
Sharon Wilson, Textile Artist This month’s BOOM! profile is Sharon Wilson. Sharon is the owner of Rose of Sharon, Textile Artistry, located in the Mulberry District. She has an interesting business because she makes our living spaces better with fabrics and unique designs. Something many of us take for granted. She’s also enthusiastic about her adventures and her bucket list, like speeding down Talledega at 200 mph! Sharon is one of those sixtysomethings who has no need to slow down until she’s good and ready. And she’s not ready! We visited with Sharon recently at her business on West Second St. and got an eyeful of one of the best landscaped businesses in the Mulberry District. She also shared some of her life’s journey with us. Hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we did. BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e. where you’re from, education, what brought you to the Montgomery area, did you raise your family here, schools, married, family, etc? Sharon: I was born in Oklahoma City in 1947, the daughter of an American GI returning home from the Aleutian Islands and a Tennessee girl who had gone there for her first job out of high school. They met at the USO, were married and spent 40 years together as jewelers and business owners. Mom and Dad ended up in Florence and Sheffield, Alabama where I attended school and graduated from Florence State College. Montgomery offered the first job out of college and my husband and I raised two girls here in the Capitol City. Both of our girls have a son, Christian and Ben, and I have one sister in South Carolina. BOOM!: You’re the owner of Rose of Sharon-Textile Artistry, which is a unique
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nursery items, custom shower curtains, T-shirt quilts and prepare tapestries for hanging. Many customers bring quilt tops that need to be finished and we quilt, bind and return to them a finished product. One huge lesson I have learned in business is to be flexible. Every project we tackle has different measurements with different fabrics. We never make the same thing twice, so I have learned to let the project lead and to be innovative and flexible and to listen carefully for what the customer desires. BOOM!: As a designer and artist, can you define your style or creative philosophy?
Sharon working her “Bucket List”
business focused on fabrics and designs for the home. Would you please share how you got started in the business, why you chose that name and the unique services you provide? Any lessons learned in operating your business you can share with aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women? Sharon: I worked in the legal field and then decided to start a “hobby” business. As I was getting started the name of the business came to me in a dream - Rose of Sharon. The Rose of Sharon is found in the Bible in Song of Solomon, it is a quilt square and also a rosey shrub. We have been in operation now for 22 years, sewing, quilting, upholstering and providing textile artistry for the River Region. Our specialties include custom drapes, bedding and soft furnishings for the home or business. We also make
Sharon: Here again, the situation, function and fabric choice dictates the design. The chief ingredient to successful designing is imagination, and details can make all the difference. We strive for that seamless integration of space, light and texture. Along the way our shop has provided quilting fabrics and supplies and also designer fabrics appropriate for drapes, bedding and upholstery. We carry designer fringe, cording and braid for pillows, drapes and valances. Rose of Sharon is a design center and workroom. Our clientele includes the general public, designers, architects - anyone hoping to improve or create an environment. Our talented team can produce anything from swags for an antebellum home to the most contemporary drapes and furnishings. We have been published in Southern Accents, Traditional Home, Veranda and many of the local magazines. BOOM!: Many Boomers are experiencing a renewed sense of purpose, new goals, new careers, especially if they’ve
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Sharon: Recently I worked with Anne Tidmore at the First White House of the Confederacy on a quilt that needed restoration and maintenance Sharon: At the end of my career in the work. Also, BOOM!: legal field I began to look around to see Rose of Sharon Favorite what my passion was. I looked back designed and vacation at my life and realized that there was constructed spot? Any someone who had a profound influence watercolor travel dreams on me - my Grandmother. Growing up quilts for Baptist planned for in North Alabama made it convenient Hospital South, the future? to visit my Grandmother, Elvis Prater, Aldersgate who lived in a hollow in Wayne County, Methodist Sharon: We Tennessee. I spent my summers and many Sharon Whitwater Rafting with Richard and friends in Montana Church and have traveled weekends with her. It was always such an Vaughn Forest all over the adventure to go to Clifton and follow my Baptist Church. world - the Mediterranean, Europe, Grandma while she worked through her I am also a supporter of Fountain House, North Europe,the daily chores. which is a half-way house for women, Caribbean, Alaska, We tended helping them to integrate back into the Near East chickens, society. In several instances, Rose of and recently the cows, hogs, Sharon has been a first-employer for Panama Canal. goats, ducks women in this program. One of our all-time and a herd of favorite vacations dogs and cats BOOM!: If you weren’t working with was to Glacier that lived on fabrics every day, what kind of work National Park in her farm. She would you be doing? Any dream jobs? Montana. It was taught me quite an adventure how to cook, Sharon: My dream job would be working to lodge-hop rob bees, can as a tour guide for historical sights. With through the Park fruits and my gift of gab and hospitality I would love and then into the vegetables Sharon’s daughters Susie and Sandi to introduce travelers to interesting points Canadian Rockies. and most of Southern history. Our final day importantly in Montana was spent at a spectacular - how to sew and quilt. Grandma Elvis BOOM!: What is it about living in the Black Feet Indian pow-wow, where we was frugal, ingenious and patient to teach Montgomery/River Region area that you witnessed tribal dancing and competitions me. This special time with her enabled like? between the me to pursue my second career - sewing, Braves. There quilting and mentoring. This is how Rose Sharon: Where were painted of Sharon was born. else could you find teepees and a community with Chieftains BOOM!: What are you most passionate a deep rich history in full about? and a new thriving regalia and downtown, with elaborate Sharon: I am most passionate about a baseball team headdresses. improving, revitalizing and arranging and river sports. Our future living areas to be their very best. Rose of It is diverse and plans are Sharon allows me to practice that passion alive, growing and to return to whether it involves a tablescape, garden Sharon with husband Richard “Flightseeing” in Alaska international. Home Jerusalem area or entire room. It is a God-given sweet home, Montgomery! for a narrated tour and participate in an talent and a privilege to prepare, sew, archeological dig. build and even add finishing touches to an BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your area. I have a passion to create. ambitions changed? BOOM!: As a busy entrepreneur, do you have time to be involved in community, BOOM!: How do you like to relax and civic or other activities? wind down from a hard day’s work? experienced the empty nest syndrome of their kids moving on. How would you describe this sense of renewal in your life? Any advice for the rest of us seeking renewal?
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Sharon: My husband and I have a garden. In the late afternoon we tend to our plants and spend time with our chickens.
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BOOM!: What role does your husband play in your success?
Sharon: My ambition has moved to making life better for others - not only clientele, but employees, associates, reps and women in business. My goal is to be an encourager.
Sharon: My husband is my rock. He has been my friend, companion and soulmate for 33 years. Richard handles the paper end of Rose of Sharon’s assistant Julie teaching us all how to”Pose” Sharon, that is the bookkeeping and financial affairs. He keeps me BOOM!: Give us three words that current with all of those describe you? taxes and forms that are required to be filed. Sharon: Adventurous, creative and tenderhearted. BOOM!: Technology is rooted in almost every BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or aspect of our lives. Does other activities that grab your attention? it have a major impact on how you run your Sharon: Oh, brother! Quilting, knitting, business? needlepoint, crocheting and tatting. Sharon: To date there has And I am working on my bucket list. This been a light impact by summer I marked one off my list, riding in technology. Richard keeps a race car. My two daughters and I rode our books with a pencil at Talladega Raceway with professional and a ledger! Last week we hired a racecar drivers. Would you believe 200 techie guy to help us wade through mph! learning a new Apple computer, Iphones, printer and scanner. This Boomer
is determined not to be left behind in the dust! BOOM!: You mentioned that you have chickens, why? Sharon: Itsy and Gracie are our petswho provide great entertainment. They are full of antics and faithfully yield two fresh, free-range eggs a day. We delight in sharing our eggs with friends and neighbors. If you have any questions for Sharon, you can reach her at 334.281.9775 or rosebud2@bellsouth.net. If you need some updating or uplifting from a Textile Artist check out her website at roseofsharonmontgomery.com. We want to thank Sharon and her assistant, Julie, for all of the attention they gave us for this month’s BOOM! Cover Profile. Thanks to Maria Wiggins for the idea. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to jim@riverregionboom.com
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
We Love Women Over 50!
If your Target Audience are Women with Money and Desire, then BOOM! readers are your customers; because 70% of our readers are Mature Women, 75% of US wealth is owned by Mature Women age 50+, and Mature Women spend 2.5 times what the average person spends and they spend it on Beauty, Grand Kids, Pets, Fitness, Gifts, Restaurants, Healthcare, Financial Services, Caregiving, Classes/Lessons, Home/Garden, Concerts, Entertaining, Travel & More!
r WOMEN r MONEY r DESIRE Reasonable Ad Rates, Complimentary Ad Creation, 12,500 Readers, Locally Focused Content, 300+ Locations, Complimentary Digital Editions
Let us know if we can help you find better customers, call 523.9510 or email jim@riverregionboom.com
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Honor a Grandparent There are so many different and creative ways for families to showcase their heritage and honor a grandparent or other special senior. Scrapbooks are one such way to share the life of a special person and indirectly tell the tale of your family history. Very often personal history projects are a part of elementary school curricula, so you may already have the makings of a family tree or a family diary in your home. All it takes is a little more research and some planning to design a scrapbook that can be gifted or kept for generations to enjoy. Begin by making an outline of what you would like to cover in the scrapbook. Perhaps there is a specific event in a grandparent’s life that is worth highlighting, like a military tour of duty or a brief stint in show business. Maybe you would like to present different snapshots in time during his or her life. Either way, planning out the content of the scrapbook will make it easier to gather the necessary elements. Once you’ve settled on a theme, begin your research by interviewing the eventual recipient, no need to share the reason, yet.
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During the interview, take note of key dates and try to establish the mood of the era with supporting materials. For example, you may be able to find samples of advertisements from a correlating period in history or newspaper clippings that can be used to fluff up the content of the book. In the meantime, gather photos that can be used in the scrapbook, which may take some hunting. Prints can be scanned and copied via a desktop scanner at home, or loaded onto a CD or thumb drive and brought to a pharmacy photo kiosk. Some specialty shops can even scan slides or convert stills from film into images. Make sure to make copies of all original prints and be careful not to lose or damage the originals. Scrapbooks can be made manually with materials purchased anywhere from craft and hobby stores to stationery shops. There are a variety of paper-cutting tools, adhesives, stickers, labels, and stencils that can be used to enhance the look of the scrapbook. There also are computer software programs or
online tools through photo-sharing sites that enable you to upload images and text and design photo books entirely online. Then the finished product can be printed out in a variety of finishes. This method may actually be preferable for those who plan to save the scrapbook or anticipate it being such a big hit that others will want their own copies. Create a digital file of all of your information and copies of images. This way if you ever want to add to the scrapbook or reproduce information in the future you will have all of the information at your fingertips. The scrapbook also will serve as a good source material down the line should future generations want to learn about their ancestors.
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The Ladies of ‘Hot in Cleveland’ are hot in Hollywood — and anywhere else
By Christina Ianzito
Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, popular actresses now in their 50s and 60s, have starred in some of the highest-rated comedies and movies on television over the last four decades, and thus have aged as their fans have watched. Yet the women, now working in their fourth season (along with Betty White, 91) of the TV Land series “Hot in Cleveland,” say they feel as good now as they did in their heydays on, for Malick, “Just Shoot Me!,” for Leeves, “Frasier” and for Bertinelli, “One Day at a Time.” Aging in Hollywood can be daunting, particularly when roles for women over 40 are harder to find than those for men of the same age. But the women of “Hot in Cleveland,” who play entertainment-industry types from Los Angeles who decide to move to Cleveland because in Ohio they will be seen as glamorous, are actually hot in Tinseltown, as well as anywhere else. Here’s how they do it. 1. They stay active The actresses take to heart the fact that exercise is a key to good health and good looks, and all three women have incorporated exercise into their daily routines. Malick, 62, has taken up Pilates, which she says helps her posture. That’s combined with caring for her five horses, two dogs and two miniature donkeys, she says, and she starts every day “by hiking with my dogs and riding a horse and shoveling manure _ which I find very
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life-affirming, and it sort of keeps you grounded.” Bertinelli, 53, who married second husband Tom Vitale in 2011, may not be shoveling manure, but she has been a serious fitness fanatic since she lost 40 pounds as spokesperson for the weight loss company Jenny Craig several years ago. She asks readers of her blog, “My Very Best,” to “commit to just 30 minutes of exercise a day.... Maybe you walk the dog in the morning, do some sit-ups or push-ups in the afternoon and take a family walk after dinner. The benefits are immediate and long-lasting.” Leeves, 52, a former dancer, tries to exercise at least five times a week: “I’ll do three miles on my treadmill,” she says, “usually at an incline _ just walking, because I don’t like running.”
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2. They eat lean, light and fresh Each actress has figured out what works for her, diet-wise. Malick, a former model who played model Nina Van Horn on the NBC series “Just Shoot Me!,” considers herself a “pescatarian,” which she describes as eating “lots of vegetables and fruit and fish. I avoid the bread basket, pasta and things like that.” Leeves and her family are also all about the fresh. “We don’t buy packaged foods in our house,” she says. She has to juggle the dietary needs of her vegetarian daughter and a son who only wants to eat meat, she says. But she likes to cook: “I make a lot of quinoa dishes, and I’m lucky my kids eat vegetables.” 3. They know which styles work Leeves, who has been an outspoken critic of plastic surgery, has long, flowing hair, which she finds easier than short The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
hair, which is “so much work.” She says she often puts it up in a ponytail, since “I think it’s very elegant as an older woman to wear your hair up.” And, as a fashion lover, she tries to stay on-trend, but only to a point: “On the show I wear things I’d never wear in my life, like shorts and high heels. It’s not something I’d walk around in because I think that’s not appropriate.” Malick says she’s been changing things a bit as she has gotten older, but she keeps it classy and comfortable. She says, “I wear things a little longer than I used to, and lower heels than I used to because it just feels so much better.” Long straight hair doesn’t work for her, she says, so she goes with “a little bit of a fringe, a little shag that can help faces feel a little lifted naturally.” 4. They have the right attitude In the year she turned 50, Bertinelli told AARP, “I’ve never been a big age person. I’ve got the lines. I’m aging. But so what? Now is the best time of my life.” But it can be challenging to keep the right perspective, says Leeves, because the actresses work in an image-obsessed business. “There is a certain amount of pressure to look good. But I think you can put that on yourself, you know? I’m quite happy to be 52, I feel great.” Malick says, with much more confidence than her old “Just Shoot Me!” character would have, “When you get to a certain point you just don’t worry about the little junk as much as you used to. There is something kind of freeing about getting to the stage when you become, for lack of a better word, a crone.... You can be sort of an example to the women who come behind you, and really try to demonstrate by your behavior that you’re a citizen of the world and not completely self-absorbed.” Christina Ianzito writes about health, lifestyle and entertainment topics for AARP Media.
(c) 2013, AARP.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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THE AGING FACE Presented by River Region Facial Plastics
Let’s face it; all of our faces are aging. At this time, there is no “fountain of youth.” No one has a way to prevent aging despite many claims to the contrary from many sources; however, there are products and procedures available to rejuvenate the facial appearance. Also, there are ways to help one diminish the rapidity of aging. Aging of the face occurs by way of volume loss in the tissues beneath the skin. There are compartments of fat in the temples, over the cheeks, around the eyes, and in the jaws that are full in our youth. When we progress with time, the youthful face (through diminution of that fatty tissue) allows for a slow loss of facial volume. Hormonal changes that occur through aging also promote the loss of fat. Our facial skeleton shrinks through aging, which allows the overlying skin and tissues to droop and wrinkle. Our skin loses elasticity from weakened collagen and this induces wrinkles and loss of skin thickness or strength. With all of the above negatively affecting our youthful facial appearance, what does one do? We all know someone who is said to have mirrored the youthful appearance of his or her parents. There is no substitute for great genetics. Fair complexions have a tendency to age more rapidly than darker complexions. Those of African American descent don’t usually age as quickly. The same is true for faces of Asian descent. Keeping a healthy face commands a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, vitamins, and proper nutrition are helpful, while smoking and sun exposure will increase wrinkling of the facial skin. Unfortunately, smoking cessation doesn’t allow the reversal of the skin damage that has already been done, nor does protection of the skin with sunscreen or clothing reverse solar skin damage. If one does stops smoking, it will help to keep the aging pace minimized and the same is true of good sun protection. Today is a great time to help you cope with aging. There are a vast number of products and procedures available. Our culture seeks good looks and youthfulness. So, I will enlighten you as to how we, at River Region Facial Plastics, approach your facial aging. An investment in good skin care is essential. SkinMedica® products promote great looking skin in many ways. A fabulous sunscreen is available, as well as a product that exfoliates surface skin cells through a combination of
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three retinoid ingredients, and then another product that utilizes a growth factor and antioxidants grown from human cells in a laboratory to give glow and strength to the skin. Our staff can help you to decide the products that are best for you and provide a customized skin care routine. There is still confusion about fillers versus neuromodulators. Fillers have names familiar to some, i.e. Restylane®, Juvederm®, Perlane®, and they are designed to fill in depressions in the lower face where volume loss has occurred. A new product, Belotero Balance®, has also recently become available. The fillers are actually approved by the FDA for use in creases called nasolabial folds (the lines from the nose to the corners of the mouth); however, they are successfully used “off label” for filling tear troughs (the hollow beneath the eyes), volumizing lips, and volumizing the lateral upper eyelids. The term “off label” simply means that a drug is being prescribed and used for a particular indication even though it has not yet received approval from the FDA for that particular condition. The injection of these products causes very little discomfort or bruising and gives instant gratification to appearance. There are few side effects or negatives when administered by the hands of physicians who are trained in the application. These products are metabolized by our bodies and will last 6-12 months with excellent results. Neuromodulators, i.e. Botox Cosmetic ®, Dysport® and Xeomin® are also available at River Region Facial Plastics. They are delivered to select areas of facial muscles to diminish the lines of facial expression. Our goal is to temporarily, for 4-6 months after delivery, stop a select muscular function and thus soften or eliminate lines of facial expression. The application takes effect within 4-6 days. Discomfort from injections is minimal with few side effects. River Region Facial Plastics is pleased to offer Sculptra Aesthetic® and Ultherapy® for our patients. Sculptra® is an l-polylactic acid, which is injected into facial depressions to stimulate the face to increase production of collagen beneath the skin. Lactic acid is a natural body product and makes our muscles sore when we exercise; Sculptra® is a derivative product of lactic acid. By a series of injections, Sculptra® causes our collagen to volumize selectively at the site of the injection. The FDA has confirmed Sculptra’s ability to last for two years.
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Ultherapy® is a procedure that allows the delivery of ultrasonic energy to the depths of our facial and neck skin. Ultrasonic devices include those used in medicine to study thyroids, blood vessels, and many other body areas. The sonogram for evaluation of the fetus of an expectant mother is another use of ultrasonic energy. Ultherapy® converts sound wave energy to thermal or heat energy and penetrates the surface skin to concentrate beneath the skin to the dermis. The effect of this heat stimulus to the dermis is an immediate tightening of the overlying skin. There is also further skin tightening that happens three months later. This one time application of Ultherapy® takes between 1-2 hours to administer and is done with mild analgesics. Ultherapy® is a consideration for patients who have health issues and may not be good candidates for surgeries. It can be performed on all skin types and colors, smokers, or simply those who are not quite ready or in need of face or neck surgery. The results are gratifying, and the FDA verifies the results will last for one year or longer. River Region Facial Plastics also offers a procedure called the QuickLift®. The QuickLift® is a modification of a facelift and, in most patients, there is little discomfort, bruising or swelling yet it delivers quality, long lasting results. The QuickLift® can be performed without general anesthesia and in conjunction with other procedures such as facial liposculpting and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). The consultation for consideration of a surgery is private and personalized. We educate our patients on realistic expectations of surgery and decide what would be optimal for best results. No one product or procedure fits the needs of all patients, that’s why we offer many options to provide beautiful, natural facial rejuvenation. Let us help you decide what works best for you. No longer must you look at yourself in the mirror and lament that nothing is available to help your appearance. The magic wand of aging elimination is forever unavailable, but as I have enumerated, several things are ready for you and your needs. DO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL TODAY! Yours in Good Health, Dr. Thomas H. Cawthon tomcawthon43@gmail.com
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Making a Splash at 72 By Christian Clark
If you didn’t know better, you might make the mistake of calling Glenn Sperry old. His thick glasses sit evenly below his gray head of hair. Even Sperry’s faded green swimming trunks seem to be a relic, abruptly ending closer to his waist than knees. But ask his friends or neighbors, and Sperry is anything but old. That’s because they’ve seen the 72-yearold glide across Lake Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, on water skis like a man who is 27. In fact, skiing on an actual pair of water skis is simply Sperry’s warm-up act. For more of a challenge, he might surf across Lake Worth on a wooden saucer 3 feet in diameter. Or he might float perched atop 6-foot stilts, as if he were a circus performer moving not on land but on water. “If it’s got a flat surface, I’ve skied on it,” Sperry said. On this particular day, Sperry’s trick involved the wooden saucer and a folding chair. While balancing on the saucer behind the boat, Sperry carefully unfolded the metal chair previously tucked under his left arm. Then, like an Olympic gymnast, he pushed himself into a handstand on the chair, his toes pointed toward the blue summer sky. He held the
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acrobatic pose for 10 seconds before returning to his feet.
earned there to fund his college education.
“A bad day on the water for Glenn is the best day for any of us,” said Chuck Reagan, Sperry’s friend and so-called “partner in crime.”
“That one’s me on the 10-foot stilts,” Sperry said, pointing to a dusty blackand-white photograph. “I’m the only person in the world to do that.”
The narrow brick hallway leading from Sperry’s front door to his living room is a miniature museum of Sperry’s water-skiing career. Blackand-white photos of a younger Sperry performing tricks line the wall, eventually giving way to color photos.
On the opposite side of the hallway are some of Sperry’s 400 trophies, neatly arranged across four shelves. Lost among the army of miniature gold men are Sperry’s two National Championship awards. One’s from 1957, the other 2007. Sperry is the only man to win the competition 50 years apart, and the margin isn’t close.
Most of Sperry’s career is chronicled here, including his time as a member of the Tommy Bartlett Show, a waterskiing act customers still flock to see in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. The show, in its 61st season, features daredevil water-skiers performing acrobatic feats. Sperry used the money he
For as long as he can remember, water skiing has been a part of Sperry’s life. He took his first lesson as a 6-year-old in Baltimore. Richard, the Sperry family patriarch, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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between three and four times per week. Weather is rarely a deterrent. “He goes out there in the winter with his wet suit on,” Sperry’s wife, Cynthia, said. “It has to be real cold for him not to be out there.”
taught all four of his children and was an accomplished water-skier himself. In the spring of 1952, the family moved to Fort Worth. The Sperrys brought with them their love of water skiing. Countless summer days were spent on Lake Worth, skiing until the sun set. A decade later, Sperry bought a house of his own overlooking Lake Worth, where he raised his four children with his wife, Judy. Though he didn’t know it at the time, Sperry would never leave. He got a job teaching woodshop at Castleberry High School, and spent his summers skiing in shows all around the world. In 2006, just months after Sperry retired from teaching, Judy died. During that difficult time, Sperry turned to two of the things he loved most: water skiing and teaching.
Quickly, Sperry realized the reward of teaching others what he had spent a lifetime doing. “My greatest joy is seeing someone else stand up and water ski for the first time,” Sperry said. “There’s nothing like it.” These days, Sperry is happily remarried.
At 72, Sperry has hardly slowed down. After all, 72 in the Sperry family is young. Sperry’s mother, Lucille, water skied until she was 100. “I’ll be 73 years old this year,” Sperry said with a smile. “I don’t do some of the stuff I used to, but I can still do a lot.” The way Sperry sees it, some of his best years are still ahead. (c)2013 Fort Worth Star-Telegram Distributed by MCT Information Services
During the summer months, he skis
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The Zipper & The Bus Stop
In a crowded New York City at a busy bus stop, a woman who was waiting for a bus was wearing a tight leather skirt. As the bus stopped and it was her turn to get on, she became aware that her skirt was too tight to allow her leg to come up to to the height of the first step of the bus. Slightly embarrassed and with a quick smile to the bus driver, she reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little, thinking that this would give her enough slack to raise her leg. Again, she tried to make the step only to discover she still couldn’t. So, a little more embarrassed, she once again reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little more. For the second time, she attempted the step, and, once again, much to her chagrin, she could not raise her leg. With a little smile to the driver, she again reached behind to unzip a little more and again was unable to make the step. About this time, a large Texan who was standing behind her picked her up easily by the waist and placed her gently on the step of the bus. She went ballistic and turned to the would-be Samaritan and screeched, “How dare you touch my body! I don’t even know who you are!’ The Texan smiled and drawled, “Well, ma’am, normally I would agree with you, but after you unzipped my fly three times, I kinda figured we was friends.”
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For Better or for Worse...
Have you wondered if the good times in your marriage are behind you? All couples yearn to experience the joy of loving and supportive marriages. Healthy marriages are gratifying but also can be the very challenging to develop and maintain. In our culture, marriages and families take a lot of hits. Some couples have years of conflict, poor communication, unsatisfactory relationships or stay together for the children. Stressful, joyless marriages are detrimental to our body, soul, spirit and do not provide a healthy model for children. Would you like to develop the tools to create happy and healthy marriage? You are not alone. What you can do: • Think about when you fell in love with your spouse. What were you doing then that you are not doing now? • What has been your part in creating the marriage you have now? What attitudes and behaviors are your responsibility? • Focus on the behaviors and attitudes that you can change in yourself. • Blaming your spouse does not solve problems and makes you feel powerless. • List possible solutions and share them with your spouse in an encouraging and compassionate manner avoiding criticism. • Be dedicated to making the changes to improve your marriage. • Stay in the present. Harboring past hurts and resentments will keep you stuck in the past rather than moving on to a more positive future. • Practice forgiveness on a daily basis. • Practice thankfulness and gratitude for your spouse each and every day. Attitude makes a difference in how we approach change. Reflect on the “good times” you have shared. Adapted from The National Institute of Mental Health This information has been provided by the The Samaritan Counseling Center to help you find the way back to a healthier and more satisfying marriage. The Samaritan Counseling Center is a faith, marriage and family friendly counseling center and can support you in your journey to wholeness. 334.262.7787
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Berlin Airlift Veterans Association Re-Union & The “Spirit of Freedom”
the city for a re-union. September 25 thru 29th.
One of the aircraft that flew in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 49 will be at the Montgomery Regional Airport, Dannelly Field while the Berlin Airlift Veterans Association are in
This C-54 cargo aircraft, called the “Spirit of Freedom” was converted to a flying museum to the Berlin Airlift and contains artifacts, photos and displays about this the worlds largest humanitarian effort. It will be open for public viewing, photography and discussion, including access to the cockpit on Thursday thru Sunday at 5pm. This four engine propeller aircraft was the largest aircraft in World War two and over 300 were used to save the city of Berlin when it was land blockaded by the Soviets. The members of the Berlin Airlift Veterans Association (BAVA) who flew the missions saving over 2.3 million Berliners from communist enslavement will be in Montgomery during the same days and many will be visiting the aircraft. The public is welcomed and there will be no charge because of sponsorships by Montgomery business’s. Sponsors will have displays set up in the lobby of Montgomery Aviation and there will be free parking and access to the “Spirit of Freedom.” For more information visit spiritoffreedom. org
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Dr. Bettie B. Borton, new President of the American Academy of Audiology Dr. Bettie B. Borton, Director of Doctors Hearing Clinic, a HearingLife company assumed the office of President of the American Academy of Audiology in July . The American Academy of Audiology is the world’s largest professional organization of, by, and for audiologists. The active membership of more than 11,000 in the United States, as well as 13 foreign countries, is dedicated to providing quality hearing health services through professional development, education, research, and increased public awareness of hearing and balance disorders. A licensed audiolgist in Alabama, Dr. Borton was the first audiologist in Montgomery to hold Board Certification by the American Board of Audiology. Dr. Borton holds a BS degree with CED Certification in Education of the Deaf from the University of Texas at Austin, a Masters degree in audiology from the Louisiana State University Medical Center (New Orleans), and a Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Florida in Gainsville. She was a clinicial audiologist in the Department of Surgery at UAB between 1990 and 1995, and provided patient care services in The Kirklin Clinic, where she was nominated for Employee of the Year and awarded the Circle of Excellence. She has served as a Visiting Professor, teaching associate and Supervising Clinical Audiologist at Auburn Montgomery. Dr. Borton was a founding member of the Alabama Academy of Audiology (ALAA), and served as the first President of this organization. She has also served on the National Board of Governors for the American Board of Audiology (ABA), and is the former National Chair of the ABA. Doctors Hearing Clinic is the largest and most comprehensive private practice in Audiology in Central Alabama. With offices in Montgomery and Auburn/Opelika, DHC provides diagnostic hearing evaluations, rehabilitation, hearing aid dispensing, cochlear implant care for children and adults, as well as noise protection, industrial hearing testing, and forensic audiology services. Additional information is available about Dr. Borton and Doctors Hearing Clinic at www. doctorshearingclinic.com.
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Urban Legends from the 60’s By Rebecca Nappi
The term urban legend was coined in late 60’s, but didn’t become mainstream until it was introduced by an English Professor in the early 80’s. These tall tales have actually existed throughout history. One of the greatest unsolved mysteries now considered legendary is that of the Bermuda Triangle, an area of ocean located off the Florida coast. For over a century, numerous planes and ships have lost their way in this small patch of ocean, disappearing without a trace. Scientists have speculated on the possible cause of the disappearances, but no explanation has ever been found. Our inability to find answers about the Bermuda Triangle helps sustain the urban legend that surrounds it; unlike the urban legend about pop rocks and soda, which has more or less “fizzed” away.
Nostalgia hit like a summer rainstorm the other day, prompting some bittersweet longing for all the lazy time we had in our 1960s childhoods, sharing stories, scary, creepy and spine-tingling. Turns out, nostalgia can be good for you. Writing in the New York Times, John Tierney explained that “nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders.” So here’s some nostalgia about those urban legends we shared as gospel at slumber parties and around campfires. Urban legends are modern folklore. They are stories meant to scare you or make you laugh. For example, when I was a kid my older brother told me that if I ate Pop Rocks while drinking soda pop, I would explode. After several nightmares about my own demise, my sister convinced me that my brother’s story was merely a rumor made popular by the media in an effort to explain the sudden disappearance of the Life cereal star, Mikey. The truth is that “Mikey”, also known as John Gilchrist, simply got too old to continue making commercials. He was in fact, alive and well and enjoying the spoils of his career in a mansion somewhere in L.A. The rumor became so widespread however, that it became an urban legend.
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As humans we are born storytellers; our greatest tales emanating from events we cannot understand or explain. While we all take comfort in the idea that the truth is out there, until we find it, urban legends help make meaning of a world still filled with mystery. BLACK WIDOWS IN BEEHIVES The beehive, the big ratted hairdo that indeed looked like a real beehive, combed its way into mass popularity in the early 1960s. The story: A teen ratted her hair in a beehive, sprayed it into stiffness and neglected to wash it for weeks, due to the hassle of ratting and spraying. Unbeknownst to her, a black widow spider crawled in, built a nest, laid eggs and when dozens of the eggs hatched, they bit the teen’s skull, killing her. True or false? False, according to snopes.com, a website that researches urban legends. The urban legend disappeared in the 1970s when straight, long hair rendered beehives old-fashioned. However, the urban legend washed back into popular culture in the 1990s. With some modifications. The victim was a man. The hairdo, dreadlocks. The spiders, unidentified. ASPIRIN IN COCA-COLA MAKES YOU HIGH At slumber parties in the late 1960s, two
aspirins dissolved into a bottle of Coke was a secret practice we did after the parents were asleep upstairs. It didn’t make you high, some of us learned from personal experience. The myth may have started in the 1930s, according to snopes.com, when an Illinois doctor wrote the Journal of American Medical Association “to warn that teenagers were dissolving aspirin in Coca-Cola to create an intoxicating beverage” that was as serious a threat to teenagers as “narcotic habituation.” Coke in aspirin turned out to be harmless for society’s young people. It later was discovered that both products can be worrisome for kids, but not because either makes you high...too much soda has been linked to obesity. Aspirin taken during the flu can result in Reye’s syndrome, a sometimes fatal reaction. THE BABYSITTER AND THE HIDING MAN The story: A babysitter answers the phone. A creepy man asks her if she’s checked on the children. He keeps calling back. She calls the police who finally trace the call and tell her to leave the house immediately because the man is calling her from within the house. The children are later discovered murdered by the man who had been hiding either upstairs or in the basement, depending on which version was circulating in your 1960s circle. This story had many holes, even in the low-tech, highly gullible 1960s. For instance, when you called your own number, you got a busy signal. The police didn’t trace calls, even in the 1960s. The phone company could do traces, but it was an elaborate process that took awhile. What would have happened if this situation had been real in the 1960s? The babysitter would call her parents who would
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rush over. Or she would call the police who would show up to investigate. Despite its implausibility, the plotline has been incorporated into several movies, including “When a Stranger Calls,” which was made in 1979 and remade in 2006. This urban legend would be more plausible in modern time, because the dangerous man could be hiding in the house making menacing calls from his cellphone to the house phone. THE HOOK HAND ON THE CAR DOOR The story: A couple is making out in lovers lane. A man has escaped from an insane asylum. The escaped man (for unknown reasons) has a hook for a hand. The girl is nervous about the reports that a lunatic is on the loose, and she’s not in the mood to kiss or do anything else.
Fulton traced the origin of the practice to YMCAs in the 1890s where suits were banned because “men wore wooly suits, which shed fibers, clogging the then sensitive water filters.” By the 1960s, though, the filters were much better. They couldn’t easily filter hair but those wooly suits were history. The practice continued, however, and Fulton has theories why. Boys weren’t expected to be modest, because their teachers, coaches and youth leaders, who swam nude in their childhood pools, served in World War II when men lived communally with no expectation of privacy. Still, pretty creepy, whatever the real reasons. By the early 1970s, the nude swimming requirement disappeared from society because boomer boys, and their parents, rebelled, Fulton said.
ETCETERA In a Facebook posting, we asked boomer friends to share some other myths and urban legends they remember from their 1960s childhoods. A sampling of their responses, snark included: Banana peels will make you high. One of the M&Ms, perhaps green, is an aphrodisiac. Paul is dead. Work hard and you’ll succeed. Justice prevails. Social Security and pensions will support you in retirement. Distributed by MCT Information Services
The boyfriend, angry at her resistance and unfounded fear, speeds off. When he gets home, the boyfriend discovers a hook in the car door, ripped away from the hook man as he was about to open the car door. What’s fun about this one? Its deeper meanings in the context of the 1960s. The urban legend spoke to societal fears that women were getting “looser” just like the loose boys who couldn’t be expected to control themselves, theorized Neal Litherland, a blogger and writer from Indiana who describes himself as a “genre-hopping tale teller who isn’t shy about taking his readers to some of the stranger corners of the human heart.” MANDATORY NUDE SWIMMING In the 1960s, we girls were required to wear swim caps in public and private pools. The caps were made of rubberized material and decorated with hideous flower petals. We were told swim caps were required because our hair would clog pool filters. We disliked the swim cap rule, but we knew that boys had it worse. We heard a rumor that in some schools, clubs and men’s organizations boys had to swim nude. Turns out, this one’s true. Jeff Fulton, a freelance journalist, started investigating the urban legend after a friend told him he remembered being required to swim naked at a university function in 1968. In an article published at yahoo.com in 2011, Fulton wrote: “It was indeed not a legend, but very true, especially in high schools.”
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Fitness over Fifty
By Leigh Anne Richards
It’s All About Balance Each year, more than one third of people age 65 or older fall. Falls and fall-related injuries can have a serious impact on an older person’s life. Falling can limit Leigh Anne Richards one’s abilities and also may prevent them from living independently. Balance declines with age, but there’s good news: practicing balance exercises, along with strength exercises, can help prevent falls by improving your ability to control and maintain your body’s position, while moving or standing still.
of information about our environment. Our internal spatial orientation tells us where our arms and legs are positioned in space. The inner ear also contains a fluid filled semicircular canal which gives us important information on the position of our head and its movement in space in relation to gravity.
Why does our balance get worse as we age? The following are some things that may be involved with balance problems:
Balance Exercises to Try
• Your vision may decrease, which can lead to falls due to not seeing clearly
2. Walking heel to toe- like walking a tight rope
• Your hips and legs can become weaker making it harder to walk
3. Balance walk- arms out to the side, walk in a straight line and lift back leg and pause one second.
• Poor posture and spinal degeneration makes it harder to stand erect • Our ability to lift our feet decreases and we stumble • It takes longer to react when something is in our way, causing us to fall • Many drugs interact and cause dizziness or decrease balance • Low blood pressure Make sure you always check with your doctor to rule out any other more serious problems such as vertigo, inner ear infection, etc.. Our balance system is really amazing. When we rise from a chair, climb stairs and walk outside on uneven terrain there is cooperation between the brain, nervous system, muscles and bones, which keep us from falling. Visual cues come from our eyes and tell us all kinds The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
How do you keep or regain your balance? It is as with anything—use it or lose it. Balance must be trained or practiced. Sitting in a recliner does not do it! The beauty of balance exercises is that they can be done anytime, anywhere, with very little equipment. In the beginning, a chair or wall support will be needed to help you balance safely. Get up out of the recliner and let’s go!
1. Standing on one foot
4. Back legs raises- strengthens buttocks and back of the legs
4. Painters tape- place a line of it down your kitchen or hallway and practice walking the straight line 5. Sheet of paper or notepad to add as a challenge. Try to walk while gazing at the paper As you progress you can begin to do things to make it more challenging by balancing on unstable surfaces such as a bosu ball or gliding disc. Balance exercises are challenging! Start slowly and progress. It may be frustrating at times. It is not a race to the finish. As anything, practice is the key. A new saying is… practice makes permanent! Balance exercises are now included in the American College of Sports Medicine Recommendations in the Components of Physical Fitness. Balance training can be a fun activity, but will only show benefits if it is done regularly with correct focus. Practice Makes Permanent! Currently, I am helping as post rehab for knee replacement patients and also people that just want to improve their balance. If you have any questions at all on how to improve your balance please contact me at LAMetrofit@aol.com Remember- It’s all about balance!!
5. Side leg raises- strengthens hips, thighs and buttocks. Be sure to have a sturdy chair or a person to hold onto if you feel insecure. Talk with your doctor or a personal trainer if you are unsure about doing a particular exercise. At home balance training you will need: 1. An armless chair like a kitchen or dining room chair 2. Smooth bottom shoes- one with a leather bottom. You want a catch free step 3. Soft items to practice stepping over such as small stuffed animals, or slippers. They need to be less than 6 inches high.
Information adapted from eldergym.com and NIH Senior Health
Leigh Anne Richards, MEd, Certified Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, General Manager- MetroFitness. For any questions or comments, contact Leigh Anne at LAMetrofit@aol.com r i ve r reg i o n b o o m . co m
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Fe at u re d A r t i st This Month, Ken Lever
Ken Lever
Ken Lever joined Gallery One Fine Art in February of 2010. We encourage our members to join the Montgomery Art Guild and to enter the competitions listed in their newsletter. As an emerging artist, Ken followed the advice of his fellow member artists and won Honorable Mention at his very first competition in September 2011 at the Regions Bank 45th Annual Exhibition with a wood carving entitled Eruption. His second competition proved to be even more rewarding in terms of confidence and prize remuneration. In February 2012, he entered a piece entitled Final to the Elmore County Art Guild’s 2012 competition and Final won 1st place in its category. In this same show, he also entered a second piece entitled Leonardo. This piece was given its name by one of his daughters. She says it looks like a frog with braces. In June, he entered the Selma Art Guild competition and an Untitled piece won 1st Place and Sylacauga Flame won 2nd. Also in June 2012, he entered Columbus Art Guild Exhibition and his entry Final won the award of Excellence. Final was on exhibition for the month of
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July at the Rankin Gallery at Columbus State University. Lever entered two wood sculptures into the 46th Annual MAG, Regions Bank competition and Leonardo won 1st Place, the Untitled wood piece won Honorable Mention. Thornton Clark, Past President of the Montgomery Art Guild, looked at Lever’s work during the Jurors critique and sent me an e-mail that said, “Having begun woodturning in the great old class at Cloverdale way back in 1949, I know how incredible Ken Lever’s work is. It is hard enough turning beautiful pieces. When you add in his skill at geometrical carving of the piece he has first turned on his lathe, it adds a lot to the complexity and beauty of the work.” This spring
Eruption
in The Montgomery Museum of Fine Art MAG competition he won in his catagory, in the Columbus Artists’ Guild, Lever’s turned bowl titled “Lace” earned Best Of Show and in June the Selma Art Guild he entered and earned Best of Show. He was their featured artist for the month of July in a show titled Wooden Treasures. There were 20+ pieces included in this show. Lever says, “I have always loved making things. I can remember when I was young, having a pocket knife
and whittling different things out of wood. In shop class at school, I learned to use various power tools to make different class projects. I love the smell of sawdust. Skateboard ramps were my next project, to include designing and building huge ramps. Next I built my own furniture and I still use the bedroom furniture I made. When it comes to wood, I am a total scavenger. If there is an interesting piece of wood on the side of the road, I have to stop and take a look to see if I think it has potential. It is as if the wood can speak to me to tell me what it wants to be. I will start working on a piece of wood and I don’t always see it immediately. I got lucky because the guy that bought the property behind my house is an arborist, so I get all kinds of interesting wood.” “A hobby once used as a great stress reliever, has turned into the creative joy of transforming a piece of wood into a beautiful and unique piece of art. I attend the Annual Magic of Marble Festival in Sylacauga, Alabama. Now I’m off on another artistic adventure.” Lever says with a smile. Kelly Finley and I married in 1995, built a house and have two daughters, Kira 15 and Kinsey is 11 years old. We live in Tallassee, Alabama.
Leonardo Visit Gallery One Fine Art 423 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery, AL Gallery Director Sandi Aplin sandiaplin@aol.com 334.269.1114 www.galleryonefineart.com
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Art & Soul
By Sandi Aplin
47th Annual Montgomery Art Guild Regions Bank Exhibition
This exhibition offers a variety of categories in the competition, including oil and watercolor Paintings, Sculpture, Photography, Computer Imagery, Pastels, Pencil, Pen & Ink, Mixed Media among others. Over 212 pieces of art work have been entered into the art show this year from artists across Alabama. Serving as the show’s juror this year is Marilyn Laufer, Director of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University. Ms. Laufer states that “being asked to jury a show is a big responsibility…not only to the people sponsoring the show but to the artists who submit their work for consideration and to the public who will come to view it. My criteria for those pieces that will be included in the exhibit involves things like technique – how well was the piece executed, how successful was the artist in expressing their ideas, and does the piece reflect a new and unique approach? I am looking forward to this very exciting and challenging opportunity.” The Montgomery Art Guild Regions Bank Exhibition, Sunday, September 15th, is one of the longest continually running collaborations between the arts and the business community in Alabama. “We are proud of our continued affiliations with the Art Guild over these 47 years,” says Sean Johnson, Central Alabama Area President for Regions Bank. “We’re excited about this year’s show and pleased to continue to sponsor the kick off reception and
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venue. At Regions we feel strongly about supporting the Arts and the community and this is one more way for us to continue to provide that support.” This opening celebration of Montgomery Arts also includes ArTREK. ArTREK is organized by the River Region Art Gallery Association (RRAGA). Participating galleries will be open from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Septemebr 15th. Beginning at 2 p.m., the Montgomery trolley will begin taking people from the RSA Tower to all of the participating galleries and will make a loop throughout the afternoon. RRAGA encourages everyone to come out and take the ArTREK to experience a wide variety of artwork from paintings, to photography and printmaking, to folk arts and fine crafts, and learn more about the artists and art galleries in the River Region. On Wednesday, September 18th at 6 p.m. artists, art lovers and students
are encouraged to attend The Juror’s Critique and Reception at Regions Bank in the RSA Tower. The Juror’s Critique and Reception offers an excellent opportunity to hear the Juror discuss the works chosen for the exhibit and her decisionmaking process. It also provides the opportunity to meet and talk with the artists about their inspirations, techniques and artistic careers. Ms. Laufer’s background as a museum educator and art historian will make her critique a great source of information for the artist as well as art lovers and students. Following the critique will be a reception hosted by The Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery, located at the Alabama State Council on the Arts office on the first floor of the RSA Tower. The reception, sponsored by Jackson Hospital, will provide an opportunity for the public to meet local artists.
Sandi Aplin, Director of Gallery One Fine Art A free lance writer living in Montgomery, Alabama www.galleryonefineart.com
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Healthy Hearing
By Dr. Bettie Borton Au.D.
Motivating Loved Ones to Seek Hearing Health Care Do you have a family member who often asks you to repeat what you are saying? If so, you may not be doing them a favor by repeating what you just said. Hearing loss is a widespread problem in our noisy world...and serving as a “human hearing aid” may be prolonging denial and putting your loved one at risk. Dr. Bettie Borton Au. D.
Helping someone who isn’t eager to help himself is one of the most challenging situations a family can encounter. When a loved one is assisting the family member with hearing loss, they can face similar challenges. Unfortunately, when someone will not accept that they have a hearing loss or hearing problem, this can create a barrier to treatment and improved quality of life. To deal with hearing impairment, a person who is in denial may simply ask others around them to repeat what they said “and just speak louder” – using their loved ones as their “ears.” Sadly, this can do more harm than good. “Being the ears of your loved one is not an act of love,” writes Dr. Sergei Kochkin, former executive director of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), on his blog. “Acting as ears for loved ones in denial doesn’t help them. Rather, it encourages unconstructive codependent relationships. By compensating for their hearing loss in this manner, you’re actually enabling the hearing loss to have a negative impact on many aspects of your loved one’s quality of life, including job performance.”
Studies associate hearing loss with feelings of irritability, negativity, fatigue, stress, depression, social isolation, reduced alertness, poor job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall health, according to the BHI. New research also indicates a strong correlation between unaddressed hearing loss and cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s Disease. “Clearly, the more loving course to take with your family member with hearing loss in The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
• Obtain information on financial assistance for hearing loss treatment. Financial concerns may discourage a loved one from getting needed help.
denial is to help him or her come to terms with his hearing loss and get treatment to help him hear better,” Kochkin says.
Dr. Richard Carmen, an advisor with the BHI, offers useful advice on how individuals can help their loved ones end their dependent behavior and seek treatment for their hearing loss.
• Set an example by having your hearing tested regularly. • Gain knowledge about hearing solutions. Many people with untreated hearing loss report a lack of knowledge about existing solutions.
First, understand that although it may seem like you are just being helpful, acting as ears for someone you love can actually be counter-productive. With you to act as their ears, your loved one wouldn’t be motivated to seek help for their hearing loss.
• Practice good communication techniques. Remember communication is a two-way street, and it’s important to do your part.
Instead of repeating yourself and/or raising your voice, involve your entire family in your efforts to help your loved one hear without your assistance. A joint effort can help your loved one finally acknowledge he has a hearing problem.
Carmen suggests family members explain to their loved one with hearing loss without condemnation –that they no longer repeat themselves or raise their voices. Instead, when the person with hearing loss asks for information to be repeated at greater volume, gently call attention to the fact that the family member with hearing loss must rely on someone else to act as his ears. By doing this, you help the hearing impaired individual become more aware of how often he has to ask for assistance. Hopefully, the inescapable realization will move him to seek treatment for his hearing loss. Once he or she is ready to seek help, do the following:
• Don’t use guilt to persuade your loved one to seek treatment. Confrontation can lead to feelings of defensiveness and resentment, and can be a barrier to seeking treatment.
• Don’t purchase hearing aids on the Internet and/or without seeing a hearing professional. Offers that promise schemes that seem too good to be true usually are. A negative experience with an unregulated device can lead to a rejection of trying a customized, individual solution that would have worked.
• Don’t withdraw from social situations due to your loved one’s hearing loss or you’ll end up feeling resentful. Encourage your loved one to seek treatment so that you both can enjoy social activities together again.
• Attend appointments and visits to a trusted audiologist with your loved one. You can provide valuable information to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of the hearing loss, as well as invaluable emotional support. • Speak honestly to your loved one about how the hearing loss affects you and your family. Speak compassionately, not when irritated or frustrated, and you’ll get a better response.
• Ask your children, close friends and family doctor can help you encourage him or her to seek treatment.
• Don’t lose hope. Research shows that “family recommendation or pressure” is a major influence in the decision to purchase hearing aids. With support, patience and information, you can motivate your loved one to seek treatment. For more information please contact Doctors Hearing Clinic at (334) 396–1635. Content adapted from the Healthy Hearing and Better Hearing Institute websites.
Dr. Bettie B. Borton is a licensed audiologist in Alabama, was the first board certified audiologist in Montgomery, served as National Chair of the American Board of Audiology, and has recently assumed her position as President of the American Academy of Audiology. Co-authored by Dr. Brittany Spahr and Casey Gonzalez, Doctoral Extern, LSUHSC.
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BOOMER Collectibles Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and Albert King played a series of concerts at San Francisco’s storied Fillmore and Winterland music venues in February 1968; the poster advertising the shows featured a bloodshot eyeball flying through a ring of fire. “It was totally cool and badass and yourmother-would-shriek-if-she-saw-it kind of thing,” said Ben Marks, a collector of vintage rock posters. If you were lucky enough to be there, you have the memories. If you nabbed a poster, you may have much more. A first printing of the poster in mint condition might sell for $10,000, said Marks, senior editor at Collectors Weekly, a San Francisco-based website that’s part auction, part social media and part news site. It’s just one example, albeit an extreme one, of the market for boomer collectibles. Toys, music, furniture, sporting goods, politics, many of the things that the baby boom generation cherished as children and young adults now have monetary value. Recently, for example, these items sold on eBay, according to Collectors Weekly: - 1969 Hot Wheels Redline gold custom T-Bird, $502 - 1966 Color Magic Barbie doll in box, with accessories, $710 - 1959 Sony transistor radio, in box, $256 - 1958/60 “Youth for Kennedy” campaign button, $265 - April 1954 Silver Screen magazine with Marilyn Monroe cover in mint condition, $660. The common thread among these items is condition, they’re in original boxes or are in like-new or lightly used shape. That’s usually the linchpin of any collectible, dealers say. Take that Jimi Hendrix poster. Marks said: “I definitely remember that
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By Addy Hatch
poster on people’s walls... (but) they were putting it on their walls with tape or thumb tacks and that kind of thing completely devalues those pieces.” He said any collectibles market usually will resemble a pyramid: a handful of items at the very top are worth a boatload of money, then there’s everything else. Still, even items with lots of wear can sell. A Color Magic Barbie with almost no hair sold on eBay for $211. A third printing of the Hendrix “flying eyeball” poster with condition issues sold for $99. It’s all supply and demand, said Penny Simonson, a longtime Spokane, Wash.based dealer. Generally, items from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s are hot now, she said. “The buyer’s market is the younger generation, and that’s what they find kitschy and fun, that’s what they remember in their grandmother’s house,” she said. High-end antiques are out of favor among younger collectors, Simonson said. Something she called “fascinating junk” is in. Dianna Chelf, of Two Women Vintage Goods, said colored Pyrex mixing bowls are an example. Nested sets of these bowls, which typically came in primary colors, can sell for $50 or even $100. “Whoever would have thought as we were putting them in the dishwasher, ruining them, that someday they’d be worth something?” she said. Another hot trend is what Chelf called the “vintage trailer look.” Besides the trailers themselves, anything that might be used in or around them is very collectible, like metal ice chests and metal lawn chairs. An old Igloo cooler might fetch $45 to $65 in her shop, Chelf said. A bonus, “it’s still quite usable.” Joshua Scott specializes in vintage toys at Spokane’s Time Bomb store. He said
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toys based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons sell well, such as “The Flintstones,” “Yogi Bear” and “The Jetsons.” Toys based on 1960s TV series, “The Addams Family” and “The Munsters” are so popular, “that stuff is getting harder and harder to find,” he said. Will that be the case in 10 years? Probably not, dealers say. Simonson, who’s been in the business with her husband since 1994, said the market for collectibles is ever-changing. As an example, she said she recently came across a calendar featuring the Dionne Quintuplets that she would have pounced on 15 years ago. “Nobody wants them now,” she said. “The time has passed.” Marks, at Collectors Weekly, said his fellow music poster collectors wonder whether that market will hold up as baby boomers age. “There’s a lot of this stuff in peoples’ garages, closets and attics, and it’s only a matter of time before all this stuff starts getting released,” he said. But maybe it doesn’t matter, he said. “That’s the thing that’s cool about stuff,” Marks said. “It’d be nice to get the extra $50 because you find something in your garage, but to me what’s really interesting is what these things tell us about what we are and where we came from.” Distributed by MCT Information Services
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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September 2013
{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond
CULLMAN, ALABAMA Sweet Tater Festival Smith Lake Park, Cullman September 1-2, 10am
Come up to Cullman for a day of music, art, culinary
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
Mumford & Sons in concert Oak Mountain Amphitheater, Pelham Monday, September 9th, 7pm
What a treat to have this Grammy winning English
delights and family activities at beautiful Smmith
folk rock band
Lake Park. Yes, there will be sweet taters cooked a
make a stop
multitude of different ways for you to sample, plus
in Alabama!!
other yummy treats. Monday features a Street Rod
Critics hail the
Car Show. Admission is $3.sweettaterfestival.com
band’s abil-
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
Live From Ireland, “We Banjo Three” Moonlight On The Mountain, 555 Shades Creek Road Thursday, September 5th, 7:30pm An evening of music with one of Irelands hottest groups. Critics say, “Count yourself among the fortunate - you are
ity to be“the group of Brits who can ride to the top of the charts and win an American Grammy without batting an eye”. The talent in their vocals and instruments is incredible. Don’t miss this one. For ticket informa-
Jersey Boys BJCC, 2100 Richard Arrington Blvd. Thursday-Saturday, September 10-14
Musical Award on Broad-
top traditional bands in Ireland with great Irish
way. This blockbuster
traditional music and vocals - fresh and unique
phenomenon takes you
with unexpected improvisational turns. For ticket
up the charts, across the
information call 205-879-4868 or visit webanjo3.
country and behind the
com
music of Frankie Valli and
a different live act each
the Four Seasons. Named Number 1 Show in Las
Docent-led tours of the Museum and all its collections and exhibits. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with all that the Museum has to offer, and it’s free! For more information, call the Museum at 334.240.4333 or visit the MMFA web site at
Zoobilation 2013 Montgomery Zoo, 230 Coliseum Pkwy Thursday, September 19th, 6-10pm This is the Zoo’s only adult-only event and cocktail party under the stars. Come dance to live music, sample culinary delights prepared by local chefs, and bif on all kinds of fabulous things at the silent auction. This is a one of a kind Zoo benefit and will be a night to remember. Tickets sales will support the growth of the zoo. Ticket info at 240-4900. montgomeryzoo.com
For ticket information visit bjcc.org. For more visit
LAGRANGE, GEORGIA
jerseyboysinfo.com
MONTGOMERY
Memories Mosaic Mirror Workshop Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Sat, Sept. 14th, 1-4:30, Sun, Sept 15, 2-4 Adults will enjoy taking this
cruise departs at 6 and you will have smooth sailing
workshop together, learning to
for two hours with a cash bar and concessions
design and create a memories
available. A great way to wind down your weekend!
mosaic to frame a mirror for
For tickets call 334-625-2100 or visit the box office
the home. Taught by Enid
at 200 Coosa Street. funinmontgomery.com
Probst, this workshop includes
September 2013
Montgomery Museum of Fine arts Free Docent Tours Sundays from 1-2pm
Vegas and still breaking records. Showtimes vary.
week. The two hour
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Broadway comes to Birmingham in this production
of the banjo itself!” We Banjo Three is one of the
for a Blues Cruise with
members and $95 for non-members. mmfa.org
MONTGOMERY
which was winner of Best
each Sunday afternoon
All other supplies will be included. Cost is $65 for
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
something daring, something that befits the spirit
Board the Harriott II
such as jewelry, broken china, trinkets, charms etc.
mmfa.org.
of the fabulous smash hit
Harriott II Blues Cruise Riverfront Park Sunday, September 8th (every Sunday) 5:30
work. Bring personal items you would like to include
tion call 205-985-0703
about to hear something new, something fresh,
DOWNTOWN MONTGOMERY
instructions about the basic elements of mosaic
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Pickin’ In The Park Pyne Road Park Saturday, September 21st, gates open 5pm Get ready to step back into the rock and roll past with this event featuring the music of The Marshall Tucker Band and Wet Willie at an evening performance under the stars. This concert evening benefits the West Georgia Health Community Cancer Center. Advance tickets are $25 and gate tickets are $30. For more information visit www.pickininthepark.org
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
MONTGOMERY
Celestial Fireworks Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Thursday, September 26, 6:30pm MMFA has been in Blount Cultural PArk for almost 25 years, and it is time to celebrate! Join other appreciative adults for an evening of dinner and dancing under Cappy Thompson’s iconic window, “Stars Falling on Alabama: We Are Enraptured By The Celestial Fireworks of the Muses”. For ticket information contact Jill Barry at 334-2404344. mmfa.org
People’s Choice competition from 11-1 - all you can taste for a nominal fee. Dubbed a “less than traditional Oktoberfest”, the event even features a real Biergarten under a tent from 11AM until closing. For more information visit www.porktoberque.com
TITUS, ALABAMA
Titus Bluegrass Festival Titus Community Center Saturday, September 28, 10am-6pm Relax in the shade and enjoy live Bluegrass music and barbecue. Banjos, mandolins, guitars and bass fiddles take center stage. Music from Southern
DOTHAN, ALABAMA
Porktoberque Houston County Farm Center 1701 E. Cottonwood Rd. Fri-Sat, September 27-28 Beer, barbecue and a day of pork celebration await you in Dothan at this yearly event. Become a “taster” and judge the
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Gentlemen, East Wind, the Bluegrass Biscuits, Kelli Johnson & Friends and more. Proceeds support the continued restoration of the Titus Community Center, circa 1928.The Titus Community Center is located approximately 10 miles north of Wetumpka
Cool Beans, Montgomery’s best little coffee shop and art gallery, invites you for hors d’oeuvres and drinks on Thursday, September 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 to view new art and mingle with other art lovers. They also have some of the best coffee and dessert in town, which will be available for purchase. Come downtown and check it out – you might find a new favorite artist. 115 Montgomery Street. First Thursday of each month.
on U.S. Highway 231, then north on County Road 29. Admission is $5. For more information, email titusbluegrassfestival@gmail.com
It ’s a Great Time to Be Booming! Please submit any events/pictures to jim@riverregionboom.com
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By Greg Budell
MALE CALL
“I WAS THAT VOICE”… A newsman on 9-11 Every generation has experienced those “I’ll never forget where I was when I heard …..” moments. My grandparents spoke of the Crash of ‘29. My parents gave vivid descriptions of the day Pearl Harbor was attacked and the day FDR died suddenly. I could show you the exact spot on the Hancock Elementary school playground I was standing, when my buddy Dean came running up breathlessly with the news in Dallas on 11/22/63.
JFK’s assassination seemed improbable because we’d assumed it could never happen again. A sneak attack on America’s largest city? Impossible! September 11, 2001 began as one of the toughest news days of my career because until 8:46 AM, it was one of 2001‘s most boring days in my career.
There was nothing going on that morning. I had to re-write a five-story newscast every half hour from 6 AM to 8:30 on LITE FM in Miami, and the absolute lack of interesting material on 9/11 was frustrating. The top story that morning? Rumors that Michael Jordan was considering another unretirement from the NBA. As Chris Farley said so eloquently, “whoopte-freakin’ do!”.
In radio, we have what we call the “Who Cares?” test. Finding anything to meet that simple criterion the morning of 9/11 was a challenge.
At 8:40, host Susan Wise and I discussed her listener survey question for the day, wrapped and cut the mikes for a commercial break. I was done for the day and swiveled around in my chair to clean my newsroom debris field. At the conclusion of my 180 degree turn, I saw my TV monitor displaying the surreal image of WTC #1’s gaping, smoking wound. On this Day of Banality, the Story of the Century had begun to unfold.
Initial details were sketchy. It appeared to be a simple but catastrophic collision between an aircraft and the north tower. I
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went back on the air with Susan, referencing a precedent. I’d just finished reading “The Sky Is Falling”- a book about the crash of a B-25 bomber that wandered off course in a fog the morning of July 25, 1945, and hit the Empire State Building at the 79th floor. It was all I had but it was something. In the back of my head though, I was wondering how a plane could have wandered so far off course on a perfectly beautiful New York morning.
I did a second update with Susan at 9:02. By then it was clear a large airliner hit the building and many people had lost their lives. We wrapped, and I spun around in my chair only to see Flight 175 plunge into the south tower. For the only time in my career, we pulled a song off the air midway through. “As incredible as it sounds, America is experiencing a second day of infamy”, I said. Then came the relentless stream of horrifying detail.
From then on, it was The Fog of News. The Pentagon was hit by Flight 77. Word soon came of Flight 93’s crash in a Pennsylvania field.
Until we watched the South Tower collapse, it never occurred to any of us that those buildings would actually come down unless they had to be torn down because they were too damaged to be used in the future. It was all beyond our wildest imagination and we were watching every second of it happen right before our eyes.
This was an event of such enormous and stunning proportions- with new details emerging every minute- it exceeded the speed of the mind to digest it all. By 7 PM, Michael Jordan’s basketball future was a laughable reference to a day that no longer existed. Our team at LITE FM did a damn good job that day. As events
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unfolded, we left the news details to NBC. Our function as a radio station was to help listeners process this frightening and fundamental change in our lives. For the next several days, we became a talk station. We brought on experts to help people cope.
In the slow crawl of time following September 11th, 2001, I remember making predictions. There was much to love about the newly awakened and angered America on September 12th.
9/11 made most of us realize how much we loved our country. We were all scared. We dropped our ethnic and demographic boundaries and for a while, being a proud American was all that mattered. In a newscast later that week, I boldly said that “in 10 years, the World Trade Center will be rebuilt- that galvanized by our righteous anger, we’d show the world we might have been knocked down, but not out. We’d clear the debris, remember the victims, and rebuild something bigger and better“.
I foresaw the patriotic renaissance inspired by 9/11 as permanent. Airport travel would be made safer by an elite squad of counterterror experts whose mere presence would be both reassuring to passengers and a cold shower to anyone plotting another attack. At last on the same page, Americans would forsake selfishness for selflessness for the greater good of a free and prospering country. Ooops!
12 years later, I find myself simply trying to keep up with events that again, exceed the rate of mental digestion.
On the anniversary of 9/11, I will remember those we lost, and silently wonder what the hell happened with the rest of us. God Bless America. God help America.
Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his dog Hershey. He’s a 25 year veteran of radio who hosts the Greg & Susan morning show 6-9 am and Happy Hour 3-6 pm on NEWSTALK 93.1, Greg can be reached at gregbudell@aol.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
We Love Women Over 50! If your Target Audience are Women with Money and Desire, then BOOM! readers are your customers; because 70% of our readers are Mature Women, 75% of US wealth is owned by Mature Women age 50+, and Mature Women spend 2.5 times what the average person spends and they spend it on Beauty, Grand Kids, Pets, Fitness, Gifts, Restaurants, Healthcare, Financial Services, Caregiving, Classes/Lessons, Home/Garden, Concerts, Entertaining, Travel & More!
r WOMEN r MONEY r DESIRE Reasonable Ad Rates, Complimentary Ad Creation, 12,500 Readers*, Locally Focused Content, 300+ Locations, Complimentary Digital Editions *5,000 copies, 2.5 readers per issue
BOOM! ADVERTISING RATES
12 Issues
6 Issues
3 Issues
rates per issue
rates per issue
Premium Pages
549
649
749
Full Page
399
499
599
2/3 Page
299
399
499
1/2 Page
229
269
329
1/3 Page
159
199
249
1/4 Page
129
149
169
1/6 Page
90
119
139
Business Minis 3.6 w x 2.4 h
65
65
65
7.5 w x 10 h or 8.25 w x 10.75 h trim, + bleed 7.5 w x 10 h or 8.25 w x 10.75 h trim, + bleed 4.8 w x 10 h
7.5 w x 4.8 h or 4.8 w x 7.5 h or 3.75 w x 10 h
7.5 w x 3.3 h or 2.4 w x 10 h or 4.8 w x 4.8 h 3.6 w x 4.8 h
2.4 w x 4.8 h or 4.8 w x 2.4 h
rates per issue
Getting to Know You Advertorial (existing customers): Your Story, Full Page, 600 words, 2 pics & logo, $299
Advertising Deadline, the 20th of each month, Publish Date, the 1st of each month
Women Over 50 are Power Consumers! Call Jim Watson to learn more about BOOM! Marketing 334.523.9510 O jim@riverregionboom.com O RiverRegionBoom.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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September 2013
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine