create
january 2012 AtUrbanMagazine.com
lifestyle
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entertainment
Catherine Frederick
14 15 16
Urban Reader Flash Fiction Now Hear This
people
MANAGING EDITOR
Sister Serenade Ignite: Gone in 60 Seconds Confessions of a DIY’er
18 22 26 28 32
Every Single Day Keeping Up with Shaq Jones The Hero in Red There Are No Mondays Here Saved by the Books
taste
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PRESIDENT
7 8 10
36 38
Carrots and a Crush Tipsy Joe
destination
@INSIDE
40 45
Center of Attention Painting with Light
Marla Cantrell
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Marla Cantrell Marcus Coker Catherine Frederick Laura Hobbs Tonya McCoy Anita Paddock Buddy Pinneo Betty Pittman Whitney Ray Todd Whetstine
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Marcus Coker Catherine Frederick Glenn Gilley Laura Hobbs Todd Whetstine
DESIGNER
Jeromy Price
WEB GURU
David Jamell
PUBLISHER
Read Chair Publishing, LLC
Advertising and Distribution Information
Catherine Frederick at 479 / 782 / 1500 Catherine@AtUrbanMagazine.com Editorial or Artwork Information
Marla Cantrell at 479 / 831 / 9116 Marla@AtUrbanMagazine.com ©2012 Read Chair Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions contained in @Urban are exclusively those of the writers and do not represent those of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. as a whole or its affiliates. Any correspondence to @Urban or Read Chair Publishing, LLC., including photography becomes the property of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. @Urban reserves the right to edit content and images.
@LETTER FROM CATHERINE
W
ell, we did it! It’s 2012. The new year is unfurling before us like a field of fresh snow. We haven’t yet had a chance to leave our footprints on it or to change it in any way.
I love the chance we get each January to start over. I love that in the coldest part of the year we get to hibernate a little and consider the possibilities of the coming seasons. This year, my plan is to do a little more crafting (you can see my first attempt in “Confessions of a DIY’er). I also plan to cook a little more, stress a little less, and take time to enjoy what a wonderful world this really is. Creativity runs through this entire issue of @Urban. We’ll introduce you to a man who sees opportunity whatever his situation, and that’s garnered the attention of Vince Gill, Amy Grant, and a little company called The Pottery Barn. We’ll take you to a university where students are able to earn their degrees without the worry of student loans. How do they do it? It’s simple: they work for their education. And now they’re running a dream of a hotel and restaurant where you can see them in action. We’re also taking you inside the lives of a young couple, and a librarian who’s just retired. What’s the connection between the two? When faced with unimaginable loss, each found a way to go on, and in going on made all the difference in the world to those around them. And for those of you who are sitting on a million dollar idea, we have a contest that could make you famous one day. Read our “Gone in Sixty Seconds” story for all the details. This could be the year that changes your life! How blessed we are that you allow us to be part of it.
Be sure to check in on February 1st to see the winner of our “Can Your Dog Hunt?” Contest.
To reserve this space for your charitable non-profit organization, email: Editors@AtUrbanMagazine.com
ho e one w h t m o r r ling f nds roa , or ree e s i r k f c r o r u the s yo ou. t make love on a h m t o st for y r r f e e t t g n n n o u i c r o e c suff e the g en we hav a datin in love, , t u d i o a t y h u o e u Ar yo m ab Maybe poem) e a poe g t ? i n y r o a r w w w n a got gone you ca h. (or love ter? If h m ry 13t g e a u o a u p l n e h a v t i o J l w by an rite a e.com ’ll win es to w t n u i i o n z y a a b d g r Ma ur U e, an Urban ng for o ry issu t i a k A u s r a @ b s e e r r ito We’ our F it to ed ted in t n i i r m p b u e ill b 00! and s oem w over $1 p t a g There’s n d i . e n k u n r l i o a w v w The hed kage the npublis ize Pac u r P r u n o t age in a y c b a e x b e t @Ur r s mu you RE es, and TO SHA s know n T i u l N t 4 e A l 2 W , NOT er 18 r than WE DO ’re und e longe . t u b a o t ’ y h t n f i a y sa It c ver, 18, just t; howe r i e v m i o l e e r you’ no ag . mail. If e e ed poet h M. t h U f s i R o l O b y F u d bo ap BLIC become IN A PU d E l G u o A c R You YOU posing! m o c t r sta pen and r u o y So grab on to s es, log l u r mrule t s e e t o n p o e c m/lov ll list of ine.co For a fu
Magaz
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@LIFESTYLE
Sing, Sun, Moon’s sister. Sail across the sky toward high noon. Balance on the apex of today, longing for the slow downward glide to the dark edge of tomorrow where your pale sister croons her languid midnight melody. @lines Betty Pittman
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@story Marla Cantrell
During the course of this year, @Urban is going to bring you stories about ordinary people who have come up with extraordinary ideas, promoting positive changes in the lives of those around them. Here’s our first.
W
hat if it only took sixty seconds to change your life? Would you be willing to try? On February 27, the first
ever River Valley version of Gone in 60 Seconds will take place at Second Street Live in Fort Smith. Think of it as a cross between American Idol and Shark Tank. Contestants will have one minute to pitch their idea and sway investors from across the state, who will be judging the competition. They’ll be looking for great concepts for new or growing businesses, technological innovations, or services that have the potential to rake in millions once they’re developed. When the night is over, the three people with the best ideas will walk away with cash prizes. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000. Second place earns $300. And third place will get you $200. But the opportunities don’t stop there. All the participants have the chance to wow the investors, and could strike up a deal all their own. What happens to the top three is this. The trio will train with
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@LIFESTYLE
a team from Innovate Arkansas, who will help them hone their
The organizers of Fort Smith’s Gone in 60 Seconds are Centuria
business plan and get them ready to present a much longer,
Ventures and Innovate Arkansas. They believe the opportunities
more formal presentation. That will take place about a month
are endless. They’re also welcoming those who don’t want
and a half later.
to pitch an idea but would like to watch this energy-filled competition unfold.
At that time, the investors will have a chance to ask questions, and weigh their options for possibly funding any or all of the
Those in charge have been busy contacting universities,
three ideas that have made it to the final showdown.
potential investors and banks within a hundred-mile radius to get the word out. While they’re limiting their visits to this area,
Wondering how to get started? You begin with your great idea.
they won’t rule out someone with a good idea who lives farther
You can even be in business now and hoping to expand your
away. Right now, they say, the field is wide open.
company. Log on to centuriaventures.com and find the section entitled “elevator pitch.”
Who knows the amount of talent this contest will reveal? The creator of the next big thing might be right here among us, just
From there you’ll be led through a series of questions. Most are
waiting for a chance like Gone in 60 Seconds. So get going! This
simple ones, like describing what it is you have to offer. If you
could be your chance to change your life.
get stuck anywhere in the process, contact Brandon Cox via email at bcox@propak.com for help. The deadline to enter is January 31. Once the applications are reviewed, the fifteen selected to pitch will be notified. Fayetteville has already hosted two similar events. The last one was in October, in a barbeque joint, where 200 people crowded in to watch the 20 contestants take the mic and pitch their ideas, all in 60 seconds.
Where: Second Street Live, 101 North 2nd, Fort Smith When: February 27 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, or to enter, log on to centuriaventures.com/elevator pitch. Questions? Contact Brandon Cox at bcox@propak.com @Urban is a proud sponsor of Gone in 60 Seconds.
The grand prize winner was twenty-four-year-old Max Mahler, who stood on a chair and belted out his message. “After I won I had great feedback from many influential people and it has really inspired me to take my idea (a coffee business) to the next level,” Max said. “The best thing about the event is the energy in the room and getting to hear other people’s ideas.”
Scan this QR code to watch a sample elevator pitch.
@story and
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images Ca therine Fred erick
@LIFESTYLE
I
have a confession. I have an addiction. To Pinterest.
sander in hand, Hubby spied me.
Pinterest defines itself as “a virtual pinboard that lets you
I think he said something along the lines of, “What do you think
organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the
you’re doing?” You see, as much as I want to wield around sharp
web”. I lovingly define it as creative crack. I can’t stay away from
power tools, it’s just something Hubby won’t allow. It could
the beautiful images that keep calling me back, day after day,
have something to do with my habitual klutziness - I mean who
begging for me to admire them, pin them, and make them mine.
trips down a flight of stairs on her wedding night and breaks her foot? Oh right, me.
Aside from perusing beautiful images, what do I get from Pinterest? Simple: page after page of creative inspiration and a
Quickly realizing this was now a “Do It Ourselves” project, I
feeling of “I could do that too.”
handed over the power tools. Trying to remove the nails with the hammer was only destroying the boards, so Hubby began
During one of my daily (I said I had a problem) browsing
drilling the nails out to get to the boards we wanted, and
sessions, I noticed several pins from creative folks who turned
removed the boards we didn’t need.
pallets into some of the most uniquely beautiful items: coffee tables, couches, shelves, plate racks, art, wine racks, and more.
Once the boards were removed, hubby cut the pallet down to
The rustic image of the pallet-turned-wine-rack stuck with me.
the height we needed. Then, promising not to injure myself, I
So when last month’s issue of @Urban arrived on pallets, I knew
begged to use the power sander. Figuring no limbs could be
I had to try my hand at making my own.
lost, Hubby gave me the green light. Using a rough grit paper, I sanded all pieces to perfection.
The pallet I chose had taller boards on each end and smaller ones in the middle. The bottom board was too tall and would
Next, we nailed one board to the bottom and another to the
cover up much of the bottles’ labels, so my first objective was
front. The final steps were applying the stain, a few coats of
to remove the bottom board and two of the middle boards.
polyurethane (the spray can version) and picture hanging
One of the middle boards would become the bottom, or base,
hardware to the back on each end.
where eight-to-ten bottles would stand and the other would become the front.
This entire project took about an hour and a half but had the nails come out easier, it would have gone a lot faster. I love how
I grabbed a hammer and went to work. Severely underestimating
it turned out and even more, that it was something we were able
how difficult it would be to remove the nails from the wood,
to repurpose – together.
I was only able to remove three of the nine from the bottom board. I needed more muscle, power-tool muscle. Just as I was returning from our neighbors with circular saw and power
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@LIFESTYLE
Pallete-Turned-Wine-Rack Items needed: »» Pallet »» Hammer »» Drill (may be needed to remove nails) »» Saw (circular or handsaw) »» Sandpaper (a hand sander is convenient but optional) »» Stain »» Paintbrush (to apply stain) »» Old rags (to rub stain) »» Gloves »» Newspaper (eliminates overspill/spray when staining) »» Picture hanging hardware Check back next month for my next project – from Pinterest, of course!
Looking for a pallet? Best Pallets of Fort Smith has a variety of sizes and range from $5-7 each. 1105 Ballman Road 479. 782.4233 Pinterest – You too can become addicted too www.pinterest.com (request an invitation to start pinning)
@ENTERTAINMENT
When the war is almost over, American soldiers arrive and find the concentration camps. Jack, an American soldier, falls in love with Anna, marries her and brings his new family back to his Minnesota farm. Anna
Those Who Save Us By Jenna Blum 479 Pages
isn’t accepted by the townspeople, so she rarely leaves her
@review Anita Paddock
life in Germany, but she doesn’t know who her biological
new home. She keeps her past a secret from her husband and her daughter. Trudy remembers bits and pieces of her father is, nor does she understand why she and her mother are shunned. Trudy grows up to become a professor of history at the University of Minnesota. After Jack dies, she places her
J
mother in a nursing home, but she eventually has to bring her
Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation interviewing Holocaust
She doesn’t have a close relationship with her mother
survivors, and I suspect that after that experience, this was
because of all the secrets her mother keeps about her early
something she simply had to write. This novel is something
life. Trudy fears that her mother was promiscuous, and her
you simply must read.
biological father was a cruel SS officer. That belief has always
enna Blum, the author of this book first published in
mother home to live with her.
2004, is of Jewish-German descent. She once worked for
haunted Trudy. Much of the story is set in Germany during World War II. Anna, a beautiful German woman falls in love with a Jewish
Trudy begins an oral history project at the university and
doctor and has a baby named Trudy. The doctor is sent to
advertises for people of German descent to participate in
a Buchenwald concentration camp near her home, and Anna
recollections about living through the war. Trudy finds that
and her baby hide in a bakery with a woman who sells bread
these interviews are disturbing and cause her to remember
to the Gestapo and secretly delivers bread to prisoners in
her own early years in Germany.
the Buchenwald camp. The baker is eventually killed by the
14
Gestapo, and Anna is left to run the bakery. Supplies for the
The novel moves from Anna’s story in the 1940s to Trudy’s
business dwindle, and Anna is forced to become the mistress
story in present day Minnesota. Trudy finds that the truth she
of an officer of the SS (the Nazi Party’s protection squadron)
is searching for lies somewhere in between, just as the truth
in order to survive.
nearly always does in real life.
Congratulations to the winners of our first flash fiction contest! And thanks to the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Center for Lifelong Learning and the UAFS Bookstore for providing prizes.
1st Place
{ Beginnings } by Lea Anne Brooks
“Do you know…” He shifts uneasily, his shadow stirring the
weren’t really there. She smiled although she knew her face didn’t respond as it used to. Her daughter held her hand. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren kissed her. Immense
night’s silvery light around you.
love, sweet as summer sunshine. Okay, then, she’d never been
His eyes lift to yours, burning with pieces of himself he’s not
breath. Ready, set…
one to dawdle when she knew something had to be done. Big
shared before now, and in your astonishment you forget to breathe for a few moments. “Do you know how I…” he tries again, his voice fading as his eyes implore yours to understand. Then his hand slides hesitantly into yours, fingers knitting, sending sparks skittering up your arm, into your chest. His face slowly begins to shine like the sun. Your face answers like the moon.
3rd Place
{ Missing } by Randi Bomar
Her silver-haired husband was sorting music like a teenager ready to party. In the morning a thirty year marriage would end. He would move in with his girlfriend. His wife only asked that he be gone before she returned from work, and that he find their dog, missing for three days. He called and reported flatly that he had found the dog dead,
2nd Place
{ Onward } by Mary Sobhani
One hundred years. She hardly recognized her hands anymore, once hardworking, now so bony in their stillness, skin fragile as tissue paper. The time was near. She could hear it in the
that he would return to bury her later. That evening she came home, unlocked the dark house and entered her longest night. An owl cried eerily from the sycamore, and sodden walls collapsed upon her dreams.
voices around her, see it in the presence of the children who
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@ENTERTAINMENT
clarinet, glockenspiel and, gulp, trumpet. Occasional mariachi feel? Yes. But it works. The opener is Reservoir’s finest moment. “I’m A Pilot” begins with an almost tribal percussion, yet quickly gives way to something delicate, melodic and slightly wistful. Reportedly inspired by the latter days of Howard Hughes, with mildly dark poetry to match, it’s a gorgeous song set in 6/8 time that will almost have you wishing for a waltz partner.
now hear this fanfarlo — reservoir
W
@review Buddy Pinneo
“Ghosts” raises the energy slightly and confirms my theory that any song with handclaps is impossible to dislike. Next up is “Luna,” which begins post-punk enough to feel straight out of the early 1980s. Yet before the halfway mark, the percussion relents slightly and allows the track to be claimed by lush
eeks ago, a friend of mine was walking by a row of
orchestration, with Swedish-born frontman Simon Balthazar
discounted CDs and, being the impulsive type, she was
singing with his seemingly ubiquitous charisma and emotion.
snared solely by the cover of Fanfarlo’s Reservoir, which is really just a sepia tone photograph.
What follows for the rest of the album is equally melodic, intricate, and meticulously executed. A close second for
Still, the photo’s credentials are impressive: shot by Czech
standout track is “If It Is Growing,” a mid-tempo ballad with
photographer Lilja Birgisdottir, suggested by Icelandic band
lyrics as impenetrable as anything on Reservoir, but kind of
Sigur Ros’s lead singer, and featuring his little sister, Sigurros,
feels like a beautiful breakup song. And we really can’t have too
from whom he took his band’s name.
many of those.
If this is setting off your “pretentious” alarm bells, take heart:
Reservoir is Fanfarlo’s first studio album, as well as being more
the music delivers. In fact, in a pop world dominated by Auto-
than two years old. But it provides a glimpse into how a good
Tune, synthetic instrumentation and high-gloss editing, Fanfarlo
band sounds right before they become great. We won’t have to
brings an authenticity to the table nearly as refreshing as 2011’s
wait long to see, as the follow-up Rooms Filled With Light is set
surprise-hit Mumford & Sons.
for release in late February.
Their instrumentation has been called “eclectic,” and rightly so. Anchoring almost every track are piano, mandolin, violin,
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I Rate It
I
t’s a Tuesday in Fayetteville, and Matt Mooney, thirty-four, sets down his Starbucks cup and leans forward as he begins
telling his story. His wife, Ginny, thirty-two, is at home packing for their trip to Ukraine. They’re leaving Saturday and won’t be back for over a month. When they return, they’ll have another child, a five-year-old girl who can’t speak and can’t walk. Her name is Lena. Lena has lived most of her life in an orphanage, in a facility for special needs children. “She’s not the first in line to be adopted,” says Matt. “We know it won’t be easy, but we’re ecstatic. We’ll take her for who she is because we believe absolutely in these kids. We see things differently. We can’t help but see things differently.” At one time, the thought of adopting a special needs child would not have occurred to Matt and Ginny. Just six years ago, they’d moved to Fayetteville, Matt was in law school, and Ginny owned a jewelry business. And Ginny was pregnant. But Eliot, their first child, changed everything. And as Matt says, “Nothing mattered before Eliot.” Ginny was thirty weeks pregnant when they found out. There’d been a test, and the doctor called to confirm the results. Their child had Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome. Trisomy 18 is caused by a chromosomal defect. Upon conception, a child receives twenty-three chromosomes from each parent. The chromosomes form pairs, giving the child a total of fortysix chromosomes in each cell. Trisomy 18 children, however, have an extra eighteenth chromosome. The syndrome occurs in one in every three thousand live births and is the second most common form of trisomy, second only to Trisomy 21, known as Down syndrome.
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@PEOPLE
“We knew what that meant,” says Matt. Trisomy 18 is usually fatal, and most of the babies die before birth. Of those that are born, the majority live only a few days. “Friends don’t know whether to throw you a shower or not. It was this weird dynamic of preparing for our first child and also being told to prepare for his death. Our prayer was that he would live long enough for us to get to know him.” Eliot Hartman Mooney was born on July 20, 2006, at 4:59 p.m. He weighed six pounds, had an underdeveloped lung, and a hole in his heart. He required an oxygen tube and spent his first thirteen days in a neonatal intensive care unit. After that, he went home with Matt and Ginny. “He was sick,” says Matt, “but his life for the most part was very normal.” Matt dropped out of law school for a semester, and he and
video. We’d taken thousands of pictures and hours and hours
Ginny worked in shifts to take care of their son. Eliot required
of video. We didn’t say it at the time, but we knew, well, this is
feeding through a tube every three hours, and each feeding
precious. It might be all we have.”
took an hour and a half. Meanwhile, friends and family showed up with food for Matt and Ginny. And every single day, Eliot had
Matt and Ginny worked with a friend to produce a six-minute
a birthday party at 4:59 p.m.
video that tells the story of their son. They posted it online, and the response was overwhelming. Matt and Ginny began to hear
Eliot lived for ninety-nine days, and passed away on October 27,
from many people they’d never met. “I think people are drawn
2006. At his memorial service, Matt, Ginny and their loved ones
to Eliot. They connect with him in a way that we can’t sit across
released ninety-nine balloons in celebration of his life. Matt
the table and talk about. Maybe they’ve lost a father, or have a
says, “By all accounts, Eliot’s life would have been a nightmare
special needs kid. Maybe they just connect with staying up to
scenario. But having lived through his life, I can say that it was
care for someone, or simply understand grief.” Eliot’s video was
wonderful and it was beautiful.”
so compelling that Matt and Ginny were invited to share their story on both The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show.
Both during and after Eliot’s life, Matt and Ginny kept a blog, which has since been archived at ninetynineballoons.com. “We
When Matt’s asked why so many have responded to Eliot’s story,
wanted people to know what was happening without having to
he pauses and smiles. Then he says, “Well, first of all, I think he
pick up the phone forty times a day. The blog led to making a
was beautiful. He taught us the absolute worth and beauty of
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@PEOPLE
every person. I think God wanted to tell a story of Himself, and
rEcess has been so successful, that Matt and Ginny have started
He chose to do it through our son. All that Eliot’s life was is
helping other churches and groups start their own respite nights.
more clearly what all of our lives are. None of us are guaranteed
Currently, there are three in Northwest Arkansas. Matt now works
another day. We knew that with Eliot, but it’s true with all of us.”
for 99 Balloons fulltime, and is increasingly focused on serving special needs kids both locally and globally. “We’ve become
In the last five years, a lot has happened for Matt and Ginny.
aware of the plight of special needs kids internationally, and it
Matt graduated from law school, and the couple had two more
has become a driving force of all we do, to make others aware
children, both of whom are healthy. And as a way of helping
of special needs kids in other countries. Unfortunately, they are
special needs kids and their families, Matt and Ginny started
often neglected, pushed aside, or thought of as cursed.”
a project. “We started 99 Balloons out of our desperation, the void. We didn’t need anything to remember Eliot, but we felt like
99 Balloons has established relationships with special needs
we had learned all this stuff and we wanted to do something to
groups in Haiti, Guatemala, China, and Ukraine, which is how
live out the things we had learned.”
Matt and Ginny learned about Lena. For the last year, they’ve worked to adopt her, and the process is almost complete. For
At first, 99 Balloons was simply a blanket organization for a
Matt, the challenges of adopting a special needs child are
program called rEcess. (The capital E is in honor of Eliot.) rEcess
worth all the effort. “Our decision-making process looked like
takes place once a month and is a night when families with
this: Is Lena supposed to be our daughter? Our answer was
special needs children can receive respite. The program usually
yes. You can worry about how you’re going to pay the doctor
takes place at a church, and families are invited to drop off
bills, but what we learned with Eliot is when it’s your child, you
their special needs children and their siblings for a few hours.
figure all that out.”
The kids can rest, play games, and make crafts. rEcess not only gives families a night off, but it also provides a starting point for
As Matt finishes his cup of coffee, he talks about how he and his
special needs families to build a community of support.
wife have been changed. “I think we’ve learned to see beauty in the last places that people would look for it.” And then he says
“We have great volunteers, and I love pairing them with kids. A
something we could all be reminded of every single day. “I’ve
lot of times high school and college students are kind of about
learned you don’t have to live up to some false standard to be
themselves or what they’re wearing, and this is a perspective-
loved, because love has no requirements.”
changing deal, guaranteed. Because these kids don’t get to care about what other people think of them. Their vulnerability is out in front of them, and everybody knows it. They live with
For more information, including a video about Eliot,
that reality, and that’s pretty beautiful, but most of us hide our
visit 99balloons.org.
vulnerability at all costs.”
20
@story Whitney Ray @images Glenn Gilley
I
f you haven’t heard of Fort Smith’s Shaquille Jones yet, you will. And if we’re all lucky, Shaq, as he’s known on the
gridiron, will be a Razorback next year. The 6’2”, 180 pound Northside receiver has dominated defenses all year long. What words can’t capture about this football phenom, numbers do.
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@PEOPLE
Shaq shattered Arkansas’ all-time high school receiving record
feet and sticky hands. Shaq was featured in a November 2011
in Northside’s eighth game of the year against the Bentonville
issue of the national publication’s “Faces in the Crowd” section.
Tigers. He ended his high school career with 295 catches,
He’ll never forget the morning when he awoke to a voicemail
3,571 yards and 26 touchdowns. Along the way, he broke every
from the SI reporter. “I never thought Sports Illustrated would
receiving record in Northside’s football history. But Shaq wasn’t
write an article about me. I ran around my house like five times. I
satisfied with best at his school, nor did he stop pulling pigskins
was just so stoked. I really didn’t know what to do. I told my mom,
out of the air once he landed the top spot in the state.
‘I don’t even know if I should call them back.’ I was shocked.”
With every pass he pulled down and pinned to his chest,
Of course he called, the reporter wrote, the magazine made the
Shaq not only brought the Grizzlies closer to the end zone,
rounds through smelly locker rooms and smoky bars. College
he brought himself closer to the all-time national receiving
football coaches from all over the country heard about the
record. He started the season just outside the Top Ten all-
Fort Smith kid with the magic hands. Shaq is getting letters of
time receivers in the county, and slowly began to climb. On
interest from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, Clemson, Illinois,
the same night he shattered Arkansas’ receiving record he
Kansas, Old Miss, Texas A&M, Tulsa, and a deluge of other NCAA
climbed to eighth in the nation. He tried not to think about the
Division I coaches. But he wants to be a Hog. And why not? The
record. He focused on running his routes and catching passes.
Razorback playbook was written for athletic receivers.
He jumped to seventh place and soon held the sixth position. His quarterback kept throwing passes, and like clockwork Shaq
Under the leadership of Coach Bobby Petrino, the Razorbacks
kept ripping them out of the air.
have developed one of the most high-octane, quick-strike offensives in college football. This year, Coach Petrino proved
He came closer than any Arkansas football player ever had, but
pigs can fly. Quarterback (and Greenwood’s own) Tyler Wilson
the number one position in the country proved just beyond his
threw for 3,433 yards, 22 touchdown passes and completed 63
reach. Like a Hail Mary pass that lands in the end zone with no
percent of his throws. He has a locker room full of talented
time left on the clock, Shaq had run out of time. It was about
receivers and a 10-2 record to prove the offense works. Adding
the only record he didn’t get his hands on during the three years
a target like Shaq could help. Shaq soars above his competition,
he spent playing football for the Grizzlies. In a game against
jumping high enough to dunk a basketball in full pads and
Springdale Har-Ber, Shaq caught seventeen passes, setting
helmet. He seems to hang in the air. While defying gravity he
yet another state record. When he hung up his grass-stained
finds ways to make the impossible look easy, pulling down balls
helmet and sweat-soaked jersey after a heartbreaking playoff
few receivers would even dare to attempt to catch.
loss to the Southside Rebels, Shaq was fifth in the nation for all-time receiving.
He treats cornerbacks and free safeties the way his namesake treats double teams on the hardwood. Born around the time
Sports Illustrated caught wind of the Arkansas kid with the quick
basketball legend Shaquille O’Neil entered the NBA, the famous
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@PEOPLE
On the court and out of his bulky football gear, Shaq really soars. His specialty is the breakaway dunk. When Shaq gets a steal or a long rebound, no one can catch him. A few dribbles past half court and the football star takes flight. Every muscle in his body tightens as he leaves the ground. He soars above the rim, almost looks down through the hoop, before hammering the basketball through the goal. He’s not the star of the team, but his hardwood heroics aren’t to be taken lightly. While he’s having fun on the court now, Shaq knows his future is on the gridiron. He continues to lift weights and train. Shaq says being mentioned Sports Illustrated is the highlight of his career. He grew up watching Razorback football and is name gave him a lot to live up to. While NBA Shaq was breaking
excited about the Hog’s amazing season and number six BCS
backboards, Shaq Jones was trying out different sports. He
ranking. Becoming a Razorback has been a lifelong dream. But
enjoyed basketball, but decided it wasn’t physical enough to
if Shaq gets to play at the next level, he hopes to take his talents
allow him to use all his talents. He quit hoops his sophomore
all the way to the National Football League. “I’ve always wanted
year and hit the weight room. He put on more than ten pounds
to be a Razorback,” Shaq said. And then he added, “I can’t really
of muscle, improved his vertical leap and his forty time.
say right now. I’m weighing my options.”
His dedication paid off and his tenacity justified the comparisons
He’s proven he has the work ethic to play in college. He’s tall
to the NBA’s 7’center. He’s even stolen NBA Shaq’s nickname,
enough, strong enough and athletic enough to compete right
Superman. “My friends just started calling me Superman.
now and has proven he can make plays. Diehard fans wait on
They said, ‘They call Shaquille O’Neil Superman because he’s
pins and needles to find out his decision. Worry not, they won’t
unstoppable on the court. So we’re just going to call you
be waiting long.
Superman because you are unstoppable on the football field,’ Shaq said, remembering the day his teammates gave him the nickname. “I just took it and ran with it.” Midway through his junior season it became clear Superman had the talent to play at the next level. He decided to give basketball another shot. The competitor in him needed to be fed.
24
M
ichael Spencer, twenty-nine, doesn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, and you won’t see him wearing a
cape on national news. You might, however, see him wearing an American Red Cross jacket, which is essentially the same thing. Michael grew up in Van Buren, and first encountered the Red Cross in April of 1996 after a deadly tornado hit the area. After the twister hit Fort Smith, it crossed over into Van Buren and leveled more than 450 homes. Michael wanted to help his friends who were affected, so he volunteered with a local church. “The Red Cross would come by and feed everyone, and I saw how appreciative people were for the simplest of things,” says Michael. “I knew then that it was something I wanted to be a part of.” When he was sixteen, Michael took a Red Cross lifeguarding class, then later started teaching it. A large part of what the Red Cross does is responding to more than 70,000 disasters a year, and Michael began volunteering after families lost their homes to fires, and at other local emergencies. “A lot of people are still in shock,” says Michael. “Just listening, just being there, is important. It’s amazing what a toothbrush or warm meal means to someone. I think it’s the little things that have a big impact down the road.” In 2000, Michael was selected to participate in training for national disasters. He specialized as part of Red Cross’s advanced public affairs team, and has since been interviewed by Good Morning America, The Today Show, and by Anderson
26
the hero in red
Cooper. “Talking to the media is a big part of my job. We want
@story Marcus Coker @images Courtesy Michael Spencer
volunteer, donate blood, or give financially, and we want people
victims to know where they can go for help and what we’re doing to get them back on their feet. Many people also want to
@PEOPLE
to have the best information possible to make that decision.”
The EF5 tornado, which is the highest ranking given to twisters, killed 160 people and injured almost 1,000 more. Even the
On September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers were hit,
hospital was hit. “The memory I can’t get out of my head is
Michael was a freshman at the University of Arkansas. “For a
hearing all the heart monitors going off at St. John’s Hospital. It
few days, I did interviews for the Red Cross from my dorm room.
was evacuated, but I kept thinking about what happened to all
When air travel opened up, I flew to the Pentagon, then New
those people who were in those rooms.”
York. There were bomb threats coming in, and people would ask, ‘Why would you want to go somewhere everyone else is
Michael worked through the night. “The thing that keeps me
running away from?’ Well, if I were in their shoes, I would hope
going is the disaster victims. I’m afraid I might miss someone.
someone would help me.”
It’s about seeing people through their darkest hour. If you ever wrap a blanket around someone who is cold and just lost their
Michael pauses and says he can still see the images. “There
home, you’ll never have another feeling like it.”
were posters with names and faces of missing loved ones on every available space. We let people cry on our shoulders, but
After Joplin, Michael independently helped start a project
we wanted to cry too. That’s the challenge with any disaster. It
called Joplin Rescued Photos. “Our vision is to help storm
starts to become personal after a while.”
victims reconnect with lost photos and memories. People bring us photos they’ve found, and we number them and scan them.
Since 2005, Michael has worked for the Red Cross fulltime. He
So far we’ve uploaded over 30,000 photos to our website and
spent two years working in public relations in Washington, DC,
Facebook. People can search online and claim pictures that
and has since worked in information technologies (IT) from his
belong to them or their neighbors.” So far, the project has
home in Fayetteville. “Of course I want to be on the ground,
returned almost 4,000 photos.
rolling up my sleeves, but I’ve learned that all the work behind the scenes is what allows the work in the field to be done.”
Michael’s dedication to the Red Cross and Joplin Rescued Photos seems remarkable, but Michael is quick to point out that he’s
In addition to his fulltime job in IT, Michael continues to
nothing extraordinary. He doesn’t consider himself a hero. But as
volunteer as a national spokesperson for the Red Cross. Each
he talks about what keeps him volunteering, he says, “If I didn’t
year, he spends two months on call and responds to an average
give up my time, that person wouldn’t have a place to sleep
of two disasters. Michael was on call last year in May when a
tonight,” which sounds like something a hero would say.
tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, and he arrived the same night. “I’ve been to over a hundred disasters, but nothing quite like Joplin. It was like a war-torn country. There were fires erupting and
For more information, visit redcross.org
water shooting up in the air from broken pipes.”
or joplinrescuedphotos.org.
27
C
had Little is leaning against one of the worktables his father built at his shop, Ethos Custom Brands, in Sallisaw. It’s early December, and he’s talking about
the recent call he took from a Manhattan jeweler who needed a leather cuff for a design he’d been working on for celebrity chef Guy Fieri. Rachel Ray, yes that Rachel Ray, wanted to surprise Guy with the bracelet for Christmas.
there are no mondays here @story Marla Cantrell @images Marcus Coker Evan Baines Tim Parker
“The jeweler had that thick New York accent,” Chad says. “At first he wouldn’t tell me who the cuff was for, but I asked some questions and figured it out. I sent him a few samples and he picked one and it became the base of his jewelry design.” The call came just months after a buyer for Pottery Barn contacted him about selling his guitar straps in their holiday gift guide that reached more than five million people. “She’d been looking on the website Etsy, where we have a few of our leather products. She saw my designs and liked the guitar straps, and then we started the process to become a Pottery Barn vendor.” Chad holds his hands a good two feet apart. “The manual was about this thick,” he says.
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@PEOPLE
What’s most remarkable about this conversation is that we’re
Days before a show, I’d take her to a hall and we’d sit on stage,
standing in what I thought was a custom BOOT shop, talking
and I’d make her sing to people who weren’t there. She had no
about leather cuffs and guitar straps. Although, none of this
stage presence. She could sing perfect. She could sing the phone
seems remarkable to Chad, who’s now mixing in stories about
book,” Chad says, and shakes his head. “But she didn’t own the
his MUSIC career.
stage. And I was just the opposite; I had the stage presence but I wasn’t a lead singer, so I was great at drawing her out.”
The conversation gravitates toward country star Carrie Underwood, and the subject of boots finally comes up. Chad
Carrie eventually landed on American Idol, and Chad ended up
made her a pair. They’re gold, high-heeled, over-the-knee
in Sallisaw, where he bought a shoe repair shop. Not long after,
cowboy boots. He’s not a huge fan of the boots, but he adores
a “boot artist” from Poteau showed up on his doorstep, offering
Carrie Underwood, and starts to tell the story of their meeting.
to teach him how to make custom cowboy boots.
“I’d moved back home from Nashville in ’97,” Chad says. “I
Chad, who’d worked in shoe repair since his high school days,
went there as a singer/songwriter/guitar player, thinking I was
knew a good deal when he heard it. Soon, he’d moved to a new
somebody. But in the first few weeks I found out I was just like
building, and the orders were flying in.
everybody else trying to make it in the music business, from the cab drivers to the waiters. When I came back to Fort Smith,
Then the Twin Towers fell, business dropped off, and his boot-
because of the experience I’d picked up, I was a whale in a
making teacher left town.
pond. Over there I was a piece of algae in an ocean.” In 2002, he shut the doors for good. Chad had been contacted by Carrie’s promoters, who were looking for someone who had an insider’s view of the music industry.
Which sent him back to Nashville, where he played Christian contemporary music, eventually as part of the band CO3. This
“They stuck in this tape, and the voice of this little girl started
time he stayed five years. “We had two Top Twenty singles,”
roaring on that thing. I said, ‘This girl’s got pipes. I’d love to
Chad says. “Then the music industry left us. CDs were going
meet her.’
away. I saw the handwriting on the wall.”
“I coached her a little bit. She amazed me how good she was. It
What’s different about Chad is that this isn’t a sad story for him.
was ridiculous how fast she could learn. She had perfect pitch,
“You know what’s so fun about that?” he asks. “In my off time,
and was so sweet, just a little Christian farm girl.
I’d been making boots to wear on stage, and I was embellishing my jeans with leather designs.
“We put a band together and started doing gigs: chili cook-offs, charity events. My best memories are of just me and her on stage.
“I saw a brand potential. I met a guy at my last showcase.
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@PEOPLE
He gave me his card. He said he’d
But when he starts talking about the year ahead, his biggest
been behind the brands of Faith Hill
idea has nothing to do with boots. It’s hard to keep up; he has
and Tim McGraw. ..He and I went into
so many ideas. And as he’s talking, he’s pointing out other
business together. He’s an absolute
visionaries who’ve taken ideas and flown with them. “I’ll tell you
marketing guru.”
this,” he says, “there are no Mondays here. We’re loving what we’re doing.”
Since that day, Chad’s designs have shown up on celebrities like Vince
Inside his office, where he has enough equipment to record
Gill and Amy Grant. He’s made boots
another CD if he wants to – and yes he does want to – he shows off
for Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, and for
three little pairs of boots he made for his daughters. “You want to
actor Moses J. Brings Plenty, who will
learn about life,” he says, “have a family. That puts everything in
wear his turquoise-lined boots in his
perspective. Plus,” he says, and then smiles, “I married a woman
role as Wilma Mankiller’s husband in
who keeps me grounded.” He laughs. “And her father owns Wild
the upcoming film, The Cherokee Word
Horse Barbeque. I’d say I got a heck of a deal.”
for Water. He looks happy, like a kid about to open a present. Ask the None of it seems extraordinary to Chad. He thinks his need to
thirty-eight-year-old where he’ll be in five years and he doesn’t
create, and his “good eye for positive and negative” space, have
miss a beat. “I’ll be a multi-millionaire,” he says, as he surveys
helped him succeed. Plus, he works incredibly hard.
the 1,800 square foot shop where the tapping of his fellow bootmakers’ hammers punctuate his words. “I plan to live a long
He asks one of his employees to take off her cowboy boot, and
life, to give back, and to leave a legacy for my three daughters.
she hands it over. He points to the inside, where the smooth leather has laser engraved quotes from two of her idols, former
And then the conversation turns to his profound faith. He has
Dallas Cowboys’ coach Tom Landry and Johnny Cash.
a “Little is much when God is in it” philosophy. “I’m not an ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ kind of person. I just keep creating, whether
Sometimes Chad will even burn portraits to the inside, so that
it’s music or boots. And I’ve seen some of what God has in store for
the boots, which run about $1,000 a pair, could someday be
me, and there’s a lot of hope in that.”
passed down as a family heirloom. Last year, he and his four employees made forty pairs of boots.
For more information on Ethos Custom Brands,
Each pair takes about forty to sixty hours from the initial fitting
call 918.790.2956 or log on to ethoscustombrands.com
to the finished product.
30
@story Marla Cantrell @images Marcus Coker
I
’m a writer because of Anita Paddock. I took her writing
I was too green to know what a vignette was, and I was too naïve
class when she was teaching at Westark Community
to realize that “isn’t that lovely” was most likely a question and
College. The first thing I wrote was a travesty. I’ve forgotten
not a testament to any talent I might posses.
the worst of it, but I do remember there was an elderly woman in it who stood through the entire piece, in high heels, at the
But she guided me through the remainder of the classes, and
foot of her sister’s grave and gave a soliloquy on life, love and
I ended up with a story that I wouldn’t be ashamed to show
the deficiencies of men.
you today.
When I finished reading it aloud, Anita tapped her chin with
My story is not unlike hundreds of others in this area. Over
her index finger and said, “Well, isn’t that lovely.” She stalled.
the years Anita has taught new writers to be good writers, and
“It’s not truly a story.” She paused again. “It could do with a
some good writers to be great ones. She’s also that person who
bit of dialogue.” She smiled at me. “I’d say you’ve written a
causes a traffic jam if you happen to stand beside her at a party.
nice little vignette.”
“I’d like you to meet someone,” she’ll say, and before she can put your hand in theirs, seven more people line up to talk to her.
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@PEOPLE
It’s easy to believe that Anita, who’s just retired as branch
friend, who was also an attorney. He named a funeral director
manager for the Miller Library in Fort Smith, is one of those
who needed to be notified. He made sure she stayed away from
charmed people, eternally sunny, skipping through the rough
the warehouse, writing and then underling this sentence. You
patches of life with little effort.
stay away from there.
It just isn’t so.
In the midst of the darkest morning of her life, Ben had mapped out a plan that would lead her through the first part of her life
To do the story justice you have to go back to October of 1995.
without him.
Anita was living in a stately old house, teaching writing, and working part time in a Vivian’s Bookstore in Fort Smith. Her
“I never dreamed anything like this would happen,” Anita said.
husband Ben was a talented attorney.
“I always thought things would turn around.”
If you ever wanted to step into someone’s life, Anita’s looked
There is a busy-ness that accompanies death: planning the
like a good bet. But Ben was struggling that year. He’d lost his
funeral, writing fistfuls of thank you cards. But that can only last
biggest corporate client when the company was sold. The loss
so long. One day you wake up with a finished to-do list and
caused money problems, something Ben, who was part of one
you’re left to wear the weight of sorrow like a shroud.
of the city’s prominent families, hadn’t faced before. “I had a friend named Becky who came to my house. Her When Anita talks about what happened next, she tells the story
husband had committed suicide. And I asked her how long it
with the precision of a writer. The two had a ritual. When Ben
had been. She told me fourteen years. I told her I couldn’t live
came home from work, he whistled to announce his arrival.
fourteen years like this. And she said, ‘Yes you can.’”
When Anita came downstairs in the morning, he whistled again. She’d usually find him in the kitchen, sitting at the table with
What saved Anita was a tiny ad in the local paper, way back
the newspaper.
in the Help Wanted section, that appeared two months after Ben’s death. The Fort Smith Public Library had an opening for
But on that Sunday morning, after waking from a fitful sleep,
someone to manage a little store-front branch. The pay was
Anita descended the stairs. She didn’t hear Ben whistle.
$14,500 a year. Anita decided to apply. “I think about it now,” Anita said, “and I think how in the world did I do that? But I
The newspaper had been brought inside. In the kitchen she
did. I remember being proud of how I’d handled myself in the
found a letter from Ben. He’d gone to a warehouse they owned.
interview, and that was a little something I could hold on to.”
He’d taken his gun. Before the end of the day the phone rang. Anita had gotten There were ten pages of instructions. She was to call a close
the job. “That first day of work I called my friend Becky and I
33
@PEOPLE
said, once again, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’ And she said, ‘Yes
Anita has been the manager of the Miller Library since the day it
you can.’”
opened. “It became my baby. I brought in local artists and had them show their work. I read review after review, so I’d know
Anita remembers following her co-workers around with a
the best books to order. These guys would come and get these
notepad and asking “about a million questions.” For at least
little Westerns, and I’d say, ‘Let’s try something else.’ I started
eight hours a day she had the relief of focusing on something
putting my selections on a cart near the front of the library, so
other than sadness. At the same time, voters were weighing
it was easy to see some really good books. I think it worked.”
the question of whether Fort Smith needed to fund major improvements to the library system.
“It’s been a job I just loved. When someone here does something good, I’ll look over and say, ‘Wow, what a librarian.’ I’ve been
The library’s director believed Anita was just the person to sway
accused of Tom Sawyer-ing folks. Maybe I do, but it sure is nice
the public. “When they asked me to do PR, I knew I could. The
to get a little praise.
first thing I did was make sure my little library was not a place where you had to be quiet. I brought in some houseplants
“The truly wonderful thing about the library is that it’s the most
I’d gotten when Ben died, and some of my own furniture. I
democratic place on earth. It doesn’t matter how much money
patterned it after the bookstore where I’d worked. I loved it
you have, you have the same standing here. If you have a library
there, the customers loved it. People came in to chit-chat, to
card you can find out anything.”
visit, and to talk about books. So that was my entire plan.” Anita believes in books the way other people believe in religion. Well, not her entire plan. The other part was a covert mission,
The books, and the library that houses them, rescued her when
prompted by something she learned years before. “My daddy
her world was crumbling.
owned his own store. He taught me to have a firm handshake. He encouraged me to learn the customers’ names and the names
January first is her first official day of retirement. She plans to
of their children. He was always giving away pocketknives to
stay in her pajamas and read. After that, who knows? Those of
little boys and my mom would say, ‘Jim, why are you doing
us who took our first steps as writers under her watchful eye
that?’ And Daddy would say, ‘If I give him a pocketknife now,
are hoping she’ll teach now and then. Some of us, I happen to
he’ll buy a refrigerator from me when he’s a big boy.’ And I saw
know, have a few vignettes that could use a little work.
it happen all the time.
34
“So at the library, I’d tell a patron, ‘Well, you owe a quarter fine
There will be a farewell reception for Anita on
on this, but that’s okay.’ It’s just a quarter, but it’s goodwill. And
January 22 from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Miller Branch
when the vote was counted in 1997, the library won.”
Library in Fort Smith
Confession: I have a crush on The Food Revolution’s Jamie Oliver. There, I said it. I adore his messy, disheveled blonde mop, I swoon over his Cockney @recipe & images Laura Hobbs
accent, and I giggle at his cute lisp and his overuse of the words “brilliant” and “literally”. He is passionate about quality food and good eating habits, and uses his fame and his media power to share his mission worldwide. This is a crush that Hubs approves of because 1) the man is happily married with umpteen children, and 2) he’s a megawatt celebrity who lives on the other side of the planet, making him completely unattainable and inaccessible, ergo harmless. I obsessively DVR Jamie’s show, Jamie at Home on the Cooking Channel. The show takes place at Jamie’s “vegetable patch” (read: impossibly fertile and beautifully landscaped acreage, painstakingly tended to by his own private gardener), where Jamie whips up simple, rustic dishes using a variety of fruit and vegetables grown in his own soil, and offers tips about growing your own home garden. I was able to park it on the couch for an episode recently. This one was dedicated solely to carrots and beets, both of which are in season this time of year.
36
@TASTE
Among other beautiful creations, Jamie made an Indian carrot salad, which he deemed “a brilliant snack that would go perfectly with a pint”: thinly shaved carrots with herbs in a cumin and lemon dressing, piled on a bed of crispy fried ground pork, served up with pillowy naan bread. This dish is what I think of as classic Jamie Oliver style: rusticbordering-on-crude, messy, piled high, fresh and colorful. Oh, and lip-smacking delicious. I thought I’d add a little more color and flair to the salad, considering I didn’t have the multicolored carrots Jamie had. I figured radishes would add some colorful crunch, as would apples – along with a little sweetness. Thinly slicing radishes and apples can be a tedious thing, so I broke out my handy dandy mandolin to make things a cinch. If you don’t have one of these gadgets, it’s one I highly recommend, as long as you watch those fingertips with an eagle eye! The salad came together in no time, and the addition of basil and mint from the garden added more flavor and color for an extra pop. After a quick toss with my hands, I piled the colorful ribbons on top of a heap of crispy pork, and sprinkled the whole thing with crunchy little sesame seeds. With warm, soft naan alongside, this was indeed a brilliant light lunch. The garam masala and smoked paprika added an exotic, smoky flavor to the crispy pork, which went perfectly with the cumin in the crunchy carrot salad. For a little extra love, add a dab of plain yogurt or sour cream for dipping. As I always say, feel free to play with the ingredients to make it your own. Enjoy!
h Fried Pork Carrot Salad wit
pork 1 1/4 lb. ground asala 2 tsp. garam m paprika 1 tsp. smoked ts, peeled 1/2 lb. carro es, sliced thinly 1/2 lb. radish thinly 1 apple, sliced ves picked nch of basil, lea — small bu ves picked nch of mint, lea — small bu seeds 1 Tbs. sesame pepper to taste — salt and side d, to serve along — Naan brea g: For the Dressin in m cu . 1/4 tsp d rlic clove, mince ga all 1 sm d ice ju and 1 lemon, zested ed ginger at gr ly sh 1 tsp. fre in olive oil — extra virg pepper to taste — salt and
For the salad dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and shake vigorously. Set aside. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the ground pork until all the fat is rendered, draining off any extra liquid as necessary. Cook until the pork is deeply browned and crispy. Add the garam masala, smoked paprika and a generous pinch of salt, and cook for about a minute more. Turn off the heat and set aside. Shave the carrots into long strips using a vegetable peeler. Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, slice the radishes and apple thinly. Combine the carrots, radishes and apple in a large mixing bowl, and add the basil and mint. Pour the dressing over the salad and use your hands to gently toss everything together. Using the fried pork as a bed for your salad, place a good handful of the salad over top. Top with sesame seeds, and serve with warmed naan bread.
37
@TASTE
1 oz. Cuervo Especial Gold 1 oz. Godiva Mocha Liqueur 2 oz. hot coffee Whipped cream for garnish Combine Cuervo Especial Gold and Godiva Mocha Liqueur into a glass Fill cup with hot coffee Garnish with whipped cream
38
@image Catherine Frederick
center of attention @story Tonya McCoy @image Courtesy The Keeter Center
40
@DESTINATION
P
eople from the Ozark hills were born into hard work.
to keep the school running. A couple of years after the school
Settlers came to the wilderness and chipped out a living
was built, it was destroyed by fire. The school administration
by the sweat of their brows. They worked farms, milked cows,
discovered the physicians’ hunting lodge and made the owners
built log cabins. In the small town of Hollister, Missouri, one
an offer with their insurance money from the fire. The doctors
school honors this tradition today. Students at the College of
hadn’t used it as much as they had hoped, so they were happy
the Ozarks cultivate greenhouses, operate milking machines in
to sell it. And from there the school got its new start in Hollister.
their dairy, and they’ve even built a hotel/log lodge called The
In the 1950s the high school changed to a college, keeping its
Keeter Center, that’s drawn visitors from all over the country.
belief in Christianity and its labor for education policy.
Former president George W. Bush, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and General Colin Powell, are just a few to
“What really makes it neat is the fact that students actually
visit the nationally renowned school and center.
built the building [The Keeter Center]. I think that’s where the connection for visitors is as they enter this facility. It’s
As you drive into Hollister, a three-story wooden lodge appears
magnificent. But when you start to realize that the students, or
on the hilltop. The Keeter Center, which houses a hotel,
the alumni at this point, pieced together this lodge, that’s where
restaurant, and conference center, is eye-catching with large
it makes it so much more than just a log building,” says Tom
round ponderosa pine walls and fountains that shower onto
Healey, The Keeter Center’s general manager.
pools of gray rock. You step inside and the roof of the first floor juts down to give the illusion of another cabin within the lodge.
The center opened in 2004, and because Hollister is so close
This floor houses Dobyns Dining Hall, and a gift shop that sells
to Branson, many tourists choose to stay at The Keeter Center’s
stained glass, jellies, pottery, fruitcakes, handwoven baskets,
hotel, Mabee Lodge. The suites are made for pampering, with
and milled grain products, all made by C of O students. The
private fireplaces, individual balconies, kitchen and living
giant lobby opens to reveal two higher stories of hotel suites
areas, king size beds, robes and whirlpool tubs. Guests enjoy
connected by a glass elevator that glides up beside a goliath
turn-down service with homemade cookies and milk from the
fireplace with a three-story stone chimney.
college’s dairy, and also a room service breakfast of choice. And talk about breathing room, the suites range from six hundred to
Elegance meets rustic history in this giant lodge that boasts
twelve hundred square feet in size. In the Presidential suites,
nearly 100,000 square feet. The design comes from a much
there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, which is perfect
smaller old Maine lodge that was on exhibit at the 1904 World’s
for a family stay.
Fair in St. Louis. A group of physicians dismantled it and rebuilt it here in Hollister to be used as a hunting lodge. Just a few miles
Here, at the college’s most exquisite example of craftsmanship,
away, a Presbyterian missionary named James Forsythe had built
240 students work their way through school. No student pays
a high school called the School of the Ozarks, where students
tuition. Instead they work on campus at places like the Mabee
received a Christian high school education in trade for labor
Lodge or Dobyns Dining Hall. In the restaurant, students wishing
41
@DESTINATION
to learn about natural foods and preparing high quality cuisine
Liz is from Flippin Arkansas, and her mother and father assemble
are taught by on site culinary staff.
eyeglasses for Success Vision. She has two brothers and four sisters. Her parents have already paid for two sisters to go to
“All is made from scratch. We don’t buy or have any premade
other colleges. Liz didn’t want her parents to have to pay for
items. We employ pastry chefs along with the students to
her school so she applied to C of O and is working her way to
produce all of our fresh baked goods… You can buy really nice
her degree in Early Childhood Education. “Every day I count my
products out there, but they’re not from scratch and that’s what
blessings for me being able to go to school here, because I don’t
we pride ourselves in,” says Tom.
think my family could afford me to go somewhere else.”
Carrying a plate full of hot biscuits and homemade apple
Along with a bachelor’s degree, Liz will take with her some
butter, a waitress nicknamed Liz Arkansas (Elizabeth Wiley)
pretty amazing memories from the college. She received a
walks through Dobyns Dining Hall. She glides the plate down
kiss on the cheek and was able to briefly speak with former
onto the white linen table cloth. She’s smiling and making light
president George W. Bush while waiting his table earlier this
conversation despite her heavily bandaged arm. “I got pushed
year. She remembers when she and a group of fellow waitresses
down and now I have a fractured wrist. So my Black Friday
asked Sarah Palin if she used a bump-it to get her perfect hair
experience will never happen again.”
in 2009. “She doesn’t. It’s all natural!” laughs Liz. But her most memorable college experience is when she was able to
But her will to earn her degree and fulfill her responsibilities
accompany WWII veterans on a trip to Hawaii, paid for by the
to the college is stronger than her injury and she doesn’t miss
college. “It was the best thing ever. Not [the trip to] Hawaii, but
a step as she works from table to table. Another student walks
those men. They’re awesome. That’s something that a normal
to a piano by the fireplace, flips through a few pages of music
college student would not get to experience anywhere else.”
and begins to play. And College of the Ozarks is anything but normal. Students get
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“It’s getting to the point where families can’t afford to send their
an education that was named number six out of one hundred
kids to school, and this is an opportunity for them. Every year
of America’s Top College Buys by Forbes Magazine in 2011. As
more and more kids try to get into school here, because every
for you, well you can get a luxurious stay at an elegant hotel at
year, school is getting more expensive for families,” says Liz.
a bargain of a price.
Some students have travelled from as far as New Guinea, San
Suites at Mabee Lodge range from $189 to $299. Dining
Andreas Island, and Indonesia. Most international students hear
at Dobyns Hall ranges from only about $10 to $20. For
about the C of O from American Christian missionaries. For the
reservations or more information on The Keeter Center
most part though, students are from nearby, mainly from the
log onto keetercenter.edu. For more information about
Ozarks plateau area.
College of the Ozarks log on to cofo.edu.
@DESTINATION
A
rkansas nature photographers are spoiled rotten. We have stunning landscapes and
a vast variety of wild game. But even with these gifts, we still need tons of patience, preparation and a little luck. Often, getting the right photo means getting up extremely early. And if you happen to be in the blind when a magical moment arises, the battle is just beginning. Your pulse quickens, your hands shake, and your knees knock. You have to learn to get that raging adrenaline under control. It’s crucial because you have to steady the camera for the sharpest shot.
@story Todd Whetstine @images Wild Woods Photography
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Before we get to the technical aspect of nature photography, one myth needs be dispelled. You don’t need the most expensive equipment. Behind every beautiful nature photo is a photographer driven by the need to create something extraordinary and eternal. If you struggle with preserving life’s most precious moments though the lenses of your camera, I think I can help. The first thing you need to do is understand a few basic camera controls. ISO, aperture and shutter speed. No more automatic settings. It’s time to put the creativity of photography, which means to paint with light, right in your own fingertips. We’ll start with ISO. This is what controls the digital sensors sensitivity to light. Most of my nature photography is done on the lowest ISO setting on my camera (mine happens to be 100). Lower ISO settings reduce the graininess of the photograph. Higher ISO settings will increase the grain, but you will soon learn that there are times when higher ISOs are necessary to achieve higher shutter speeds for things like wildlife or sports photography. Shutter speed is what determines the length of time the shutter remains open. The darker it is outside, the more time will be needed. The lighter it is, the less time will be needed. Shutter speed is also used to freeze action or show action. Slower shutter speeds can accentuate action by adding blur. Aperture is simply size opening in the lenses. The higher the aperture the smaller the opening will be. F22 is a very small opening as compared to F4. Aperture determines the depth of field. The higher the aperture, the greater the depth of field. F22 will have most all elements in the photo fairly sharp
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@DESTINATION
at various focal lengths. F4 will have a very narrow depth of field. Portraits are usually done with lower apertures, sharp eyes and a blurred background will help direct the viewer to the subject. Now let’s learn to tie these controls together. This is not as hard as it might sound. Determine what’s important in your shot. Are you freezing action? Shooting a waterfall? Or is a blurry buck in low light giving you fits? Practice, practice, practice! Many wildlife photographers struggle mightily due to wildlife activities being more common in low-light situations. To help in this case, a bigger aperture such as F2.8-F4 will provide more light and increase shutter speed, since the bigger opening lets in more light. Raising the ISO will be the next step. Raise the ISO until you achieve the desired shutter speed. After a little practice you’ll figure out the shutter speed needed for all shots. The faster the action the faster the shutter speed needed. Shooting waterfalls is something I like to do in low-light situations. By getting out early, before the sun comes up, allows me to slow the shutter a bit and add a milky look to the water. TIMING IS EVERYTHING! Nature photographers can’t sleep in. The best light of the day will happen early in the morning as the sun starts to rise and late in the evening when the sun starts to set. Cloudy days are great as well. The even light and lack of shadows on cloudy days will help add detail to the photograph. Now, after setting the camera in the manual mode, learn to use the light meter in the view finder. This is a very important
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@DESTINATION
tool for setting the right exposure. Consult the owner’s manual and figure out this meter. It’s very simple. Either by rotating the SS or aperture dial until the meter lines up under the 0 in the viewfinder will set the proper exposure. Just stick with it. Remember, photographers paint with light. Learning to use the light is the biggest key to your success. Getting the right light and tying all the controls together to achieve the desired effect on the newest masterpiece is a proud moment in life. So go for it! No bugs! No snakes! No excuses! Get out there! Arkansans have endless photographic opportunities all around. Hitting the trails now, while the leaves are off the trees will help you see farther in the woods, while you scout your next creek, waterfall, or mountaintop. Scouting trips now will pay off in the spring as the waterfalls start flowing again and the brilliant blooms speckle the valleys. I hope this helps light a fire. Learning nature photography is an exhilarating experience. Persistence and patience will eventually pay off. I know it has for me. The only thing better is getting to share it with you.
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