october2010 AtUrbanMagazine.com
atypical
lifestyle entertainment
DIRECTOR OF SALES AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
Marla Cantrell
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Newgrass Meets Bluegrass Rollin’ in the River Valley Lauren Sweetser Boom Kinetic
people
COPY EDITOR
Catherine Frederick
Momma’s Girl Creative in the Kitchen Whispers in the Dark Porchdog House
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The Devil is a Clever Liar For the Love of Tommy At the Ready Mike Gray Living High on the Hog Crowne the King
taste
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PRESIDENT
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36 38 40 42
BHK Brings It Curried Butternut Bisque The Spooky Screwdriver Down…Set…Tailgate
destination
@INSIDE
44 46
Tulsa’s Oktoberfest Building History
Dana Clunn
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Marla Cantrell Laura Hobbs Tonya McCoy Wayne Bell Catherine Frederick Brad Hobbs J.D. Williams
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS
Jeromy Price Jihan Blue
WEB GURU
David Jamell
PUBLISHER
Read Chair Publishing, LLC
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
David Haworth
Advertising and Distribution Information
Dana Clunn at 479 / 650 / 9665 Dana@AtUrbanMagazine.com Editorial or Artwork Information
Catherine Frederick at 479 / 782 / 1500 Catherine@AtUrbanMagazine.com ©2010 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 Every fall the whole world changes - kids go back to school, the weather breaks, and the whole world changes color. It feels like a new beginning with every leaf that falls you find a new reason to start anew. Inside this issue, you may expect to find the same old stories for October: Halloween, football, fall festivals, but striving to bring you all things new, we’ve done much more than that. We’re sending you back in time, and to another country. We’re lifting the veil from the usual ghost stories and, armed with fancy gizmos and newfound friends, looked for them ourselves. We’re showing you the hauntingly beautiful backwoods of Missouri and the terror of living in the stranglehold of poverty and drugs, the girls who dress as if it were Halloween every time they put on roller skates, and introduce you to a hog that shampoos in Suave. And forget about Hollywood, we have a real exorcist – from Little Rock - explaining the spirits that move among us, looking for trouble, seeking lost souls. Sound a little atypical to you? Atypical is defined as “A deviation, differing from the norm” and I’d say we’ve got that covered. This month we discovered people with unique callings, uncommon destinations and eerie [some even believe paranormal] locations. At first glance, you may think them strange or uncommon – but dig deeper and we think you’ll find them each as exceptional as we did - each in their own way. Every face, every place, has a story- sometimes you just have to dig deeper to discover it. Some stories are typical, ordinary. Some are strange, uncommon. Some are unique, even remarkable. But there is always a story. And that’s the best part of my job – the storytelling. The opportunity to weave stories together into a diverse mosaic of personal triumphs, histories, successes, callings, and passions – all bound together so each month is like opening a treasure chest full of untold, remarkable talents – does it really get any better? So Urbanities, I’ll leave you with this. I recently had the opportunity to meet someone striving to do something amazing, remarkable – something that will define him – leave a legacy, write his story if you will and it leads me to ask – what’s your story? As for me and mine - it’s still being written.
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@LIFESTYLE
Momma’s Girl @lines Susan Wallace
My first music lesson Was my momma’s heart Tapping out its iambic-pentameter lullaby You’re safe You’re safe You’re safe And I was And still am
Every time I hear The echo of that Sacred heart singer Call out Hey girl Hey girl Hey girl. 7
@LIFESTYLE
tips, tricks to make baking simpler, and how to make time in the kitchen fun for the entire family Jennifer and Jami plan to bring in “foodies” from the area to help teach. “The developer of “My Brother’s Salsa” lives in Fayetteville,” Jami said. “She’s coming in to show the class how to make three recipes from her salsa, and we have a local Italian cook who’s coming in. None of these people are chefs, so it takes the pressure off. They’re just good cooks.” The sessions are demonstration only; those attending will not be cooking. Participants can pick from a variety of classes listed at Creative Kitchen’s website at www.creativekitchenstore.com. Most
creative in the kitchen
fall in the $40 range. At the end each class, students sample the food and receive recipes and pre-printed shopping lists to take to the market. Many include some pre-prepared products, like sauces and salsas, to make cooking even easier. “We’re not going to take a
cooking classes by Creative Kitchen
chicken and debone it,” Jami said. “Who has time for that? ..We’ll
@story Marla Cantrell
teach you how to go to the store once and make six meals from
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what you get. We’ve learned the tricks to be able to eat good food
time to plan it. And then there’s football practice, and gymnastics,
The idea for the classes came from Creative Kitchen customers.
OMG, gymnastics, and the dry cleaning. Who’s going to pick up
“For the last year and a half, almost on a weekly basis, we’ve been
the dry cleaning? It’s enough to shake the most stoic meal maker.
asked about starting something like this,” Jennifer said. “I think
hat are you having for dinner tonight? Just the question
at home and keep up with your family’s schedule.”
can send your heart racing. It’s not like you have a lot of
there’s a great need for it.”
That’s where the Creative Kitchen Cooking School steps in. Instructors Jennifer Taylor and Jami Coleman want to take the intimidation out
The two also believe the classes will have far-reaching effects.
of cooking. The two, who own Creative Kitchen at 309 Garrison
“The kitchen is where memories are made,” Jennifer said. “It’s
Avenue in Fort Smith, are busy moms. They understand how hard it
where we teach responsibility. My kids help me with the prep
is to work everything into a twenty-four-hour day.
work. We clean up together. You’ll hear things from your kids at the table that they won’t tell you anywhere else.”
The classes, which are being held at the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House at 3324 South “M” Street in Fort Smith, will
For more information, you can call Jami or Jennifer at Creative
tackle subjects like planning weekly menus, simple entertaining
Kitchen at 479.646.3233.
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whispers in the dark
river valley paranormal research & investigation @story Tonya McCoy @image David Linde – Ft. Chaffee @image Jeromy Price – Sanatorium
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e arrive at sunset on a muggy September evening, spray
large – 128 individual buildings joined together by a series of
ourselves with bug repellant then crunch through the
covered walkways and halls. These seemingly self-contained
brush leading to a dilapidated, white building. River Valley
areas complete with medical wards, lab, x-ray, surgery and jail
Paranormal Research & Investigations is here investigating the
are off limits to the public.
old Chaffee Medical Complex in Barling and @Urban has been invited along.
“This was like a 1,500 bed hospital, a huge hospital, and yeah, I’m sure there was a lot of death here, so just that alone is enough
The first soldiers arrived on this military base on December 7,
for the stereotype of a haunt,” says Adrian Scalf, RVPRI’s founder
1941, the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The U.S.
and lead investigator.
military base has served as a soldier training camp for various branches of the armed forces, a POW camp in WWII, and a refugee camp for Vietnamese and Cubans. The Complex is confusingly
Flashlights, cameras, and recorders in hand, eight of us walk carefully up the stairs and across the threshold.
@LIFESTYLE
Medical Unit Brig
says. “I just walked through the same door and I am almost a foot
We follow Adrian single file through long corridors lit only by
to be touched by a spirit- like walking through a web.
taller than you.” The team explains to Catherine how it feels like
flashlights, avoiding gaping holes in the floors and jutting rusty
Adrian tells us about investigating this area in May. “In the hallway
pipes reaching up from the ground, threatening to stab or trip.
leading to the lab, we heard very obvious footfalls. It was heeled
We trek from one building to the next, walking by dozens of
shoes, not like noise from tennis shoes. The sound was walking
doorways; an occasional tree limb reaches through broken glass
quickly away from us,” says Adrian.
window panes, grabbing at our faces.
A fat furry rat wobbles past a doorway. Tina and some of the team
Sweating through the late summer heat, we arrive at our first
members gasp. “She’s not afraid of ghosts, but rats freak her out,”
destination: the medical “brig.” The doors are different from the
Adrian says. “I’d take a ghost anytime over a rat,” she replies.
rotting, unhinged pieces of wood we passed earlier. These iron doors stand firm, with latches on the outside, and six inch rectangular
Before we get to the surgery wing, we glance down a hall and
openings that allowed guards to peer into each cell. Soldier brawlers
see shadows passing behind a doorway. We walk gingerly on
and military rule-breakers, who needed medical treatment were
spongy flooring through a set of double doors. Recovery Room
held here. “They were military, and they were sick, but they still
is scribbled in black marker over an entrance. After moments of
needed to be locked up, so they kept them here,” says Tina Scalf
tense searching, we leave.
(Adrian’s wife), cofounder of RVPRI and also lead investigator.
Wing 3620
Facing the cells, one of the team members spots something. What appears to be a dark shadow moves back and forth across
We wander the halls for some time trying to find a seemingly
the doorway at the end of the hall.
misplaced hospital wing, when we finally arrive at Hall 3620. We “You’re welcome to come stand with us,” Tina says to the shadow.
click off our flashlights and wait.
Waiting for responses between each query she asks. “Did you know Tina tells us about the EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon)
it was 2010? How long have you been here?” We hear a knock.
recorded here in May: “I said I’m going to push the call button, and then they [other team members] said they wondered if it
Lab and O.R.
actually rings… and right around that time on our recorders you can hear someone say ‘help me.’”
We continue down dusty passageways that smell of rotting wood. Catherine, @Urban Editor, enters a doorway directly
After Tina’s story, strange things begin to happen.
behind Adrian and attempts to brush away a spider web from her face and arm. Adrian turns back to assist, shinning his light in her
“It was big, it was tall and skinny and then it just stepped back to
direction. There was no web, no spider. “How could there be?” he
the left…it had a skinny head, skinny neck,” says an RVPRI team
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member. Moments later, Catherine feels a freezing cold that starts at her waist and reaches all the way down to her feet. The feeling is followed by a series of intense chills. An RVPRI member confirms the temperature drop by waving her hand through the area Catherine describes. A faint noise is heard. “It sounded like wood dragging across the floor,” says Tina. “I don’t know if I just felt you, but it’s okay to touch any one of us. We come back to this building because we know you’re here. We want to know more about you,” says Adrian, now speaking to the shadows. “Did you just tap me on the back?” asks Beverly Glynn, lead researcher. “No, I got my hands in front of me,” replies Robbin Howe, monitor technician. We hear knocks and whispers in the dark.
Update Adrian says there are sounds he is investigating, but will listen to the audio recordings before he presents any evidence. RVPRI also used night vision cameras and an EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) device to investigate. Visit www.rvpri.com to view investigation results. RVPRI obtains permission for investigations and does not condone trespassing on any property. In October, the team hosts their 4th Annual “Ghost Hunt on Haunted Hill” at an old Arkansas hospital. Adrian tells us this location tops his list of the most paranormally active locations they have visited. The event is October 9, 16, 23. Money raised will go to developmentally disabled adults in the area. For more information, call 479.926.9704 or check out www.rvpri.com.
porchdog house
of south Mississippi were dead, and an anguish, as brutal and fierce as the storm itself, surged on TV screens across the country.
the architecture of compassion
At the same time, Marlon Blackwell, chair of the architecture
@story Marla Cantrell @image Timothy Hursley
department and professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, was watching the coverage from Fayetteville. A month later he visited New Orleans. “I was moved by it, it was devastating, but I call these ‘Darwinian moments.’ What are you going to propose that’s going to adapt to these conditions - environmentally, culturally, socially and architecturally.” The answer came a year later.
His firm, Marlon Blackwell
Architect, was approached by Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit that focuses on providing architecture in disaster areas. “They teamed up with the Angel Network, and brought in fifteen architects with two proposals each. We worked on a prototypical site in Biloxi. It was the only city at the time that had rejected New Urbanism.” Biloxi found the standards a bit too confining. “The Congress [for the New Urbanism] swooped in, all well intended,” Marlon said. “Everything pretty much looked like Seaside [Florida]. I think Biloxi came to the conclusion that not everybody wants to live in grandma’s house. And then FEMA came in and said any new structures, especially housing, had to be built above ground at a level to withstand a Category 4 storm surge.”
A
Marlon’s models had to answer a fundamental question. “How do
t about noon on August 29, 2005, a church slammed into
you provide proposals that by their very nature are probably anti-
Richard Tyler’s small brick house in Biloxi. Prior to that
urban?” he wondered. “The street culture is really compromised
day the house of worship sat across the street, but this was no
when you elevate everything. They were putting everything up
ordinary day. This was the day Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi
on wood piles every eight feet like it was a beach resort, but it
with swells reaching twenty-eight feet. When the storm ended,
was in the city, so it made the groundscape residual.”
Richard was one of the multitudes left homeless, 168 residents
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@LIFESTYLE
And then there was the matter of the porch. “The whole idea of
less to help us contribute. We raised money on the side, just to
Southern culture is that it’s built around it. It’s a very informal
help do this thing right.”
social structure.”
None of it was enough to cover the final cost. “We insisted we
So Marlon acquiesced to the porch. “The Porchdog scheme kept
wanted steel for where the structure hit the ground, which would
the porch on the ground, rather than put a shotgun on stilts. We
make it more open. We felt it was important. It raised the cost
cut it in half and stacked it, so the footprint would be exactly
by $25,000. I didn’t know what we were going to do. I asked for
what it needed to be to handle two cars, a porch and a storage
help from friends. And then the University of Arkansas stepped
room, which would act as ballasts to anchor the building.”
in. They provided the money because of the research, and the house’s potential to become a prototype. By then it had already
He had a good feeling about the odd little house. In Biloxi, he
won an international housing award for Architectural Review,
and fourteen other architects sat inside a disaster tent while
and it’s currently on display in the Design Museum in London.”
the public, including the seven families selected to receive one of the houses, marched through. “It felt like an architectural
Today, Richard lives in a masterpiece of a house, so sleek and
flea market. We didn’t know who the families were at that
modern it’s made the modest man a local celebrity. “We have
time. After, we were bused around town and taken to the sites
sliding shutters on the front. He’s never moved them. That’s his
of these homes. We met the families. They gave testimonies
filter to the world. He’s a relatively shy guy. He loves the light.
on site as to why they were staying in Biloxi, why they needed
He has a distant view of the ocean. Parts of his neighborhood
this home, and it cut across the whole social and racial strata.
are tough – there are crack houses – it looks odd there. But new
There were Vietnamese shrimper families, elderly white empty-
houses that have to be built up are going to look odd. He feels
nesters, young black families.”
safe in that house. Richard said, ‘I know when a storm comes my house will still be there.’”
But it was Richard Tyler, a single father, house painter, and FEMA trailer dweller who picked the Porchdog House. “I think his
It means a lot to Marlon, who grew to love the Deep South
fourteen-year-old son liked it better than he did. He was very
while selling Bibles during summers to pay for his education
passive. We’re used to working collaboratively with clients. We
at Auburn. The awards for Porchdog House are flattering, but
asked him about it and he said, ‘Whatever you give me is better
it’s what the house has done for Richard’s family that shows the
than what I have, because right now I have nothing.’”
power of architecture. The young Marlon wanted to illustrate comics. “I read somewhere that a high percentage of people
And boy did they give. Marlon’s team in Fayetteville forfeited
who draw comics end up to be alcoholics, so I turned my
its small fee, they found money to buy an adjacent lot, and
attention to architecture.”
when they needed materials, they looked to those in their own
Richard and Biloxi are thankful he did.
backyard. “We got things here at cost, like the metal shutters, the overhead door. Businesses like Fayetteville Overhead Door, L and L Metal, Mike Watson Welding, these guys did it for way
15
McCourys will play tribute to their father, who was the Father of Bluegrass, Del McCoury. Also 2009 AMA (Americana Music Association) Lifetime Achievement winner Sam Bush will treat bluegrass lovers to the rich tones of his famous mandolin. However, if you think this show is mainly a tribute to traditional harmonies, you are sorely mistaken. Genre bending bands will blast unique sounds and edgy lyrics that are not quite your Grandpa’s back porch pickin.’ The bands are: Americana, Calypso, Zydeco, Hillbilly Mountain Music, Neo Hillbilly, Slam Grass, Blues Revivalism, and Transcendental Folk. Some of these bands are so different, the only thing they do have in common is that they are string bands.
newgrass meets bluegrass
Jeff Eaton of Split Lip Rayfield plays a string instrument that is literally true heavy ‘metal.’ Banjo player/singer Eric Mardis describes this unique ‘guitar’ that gives some very original
harvest music festival
sounding base licks: “The center of the band is a gas tank base,
@story Tonya McCoy @images Harvest Music Festival
whacker line.” Other original instrumentation will be performed by
made from a ‘70s Ford, and it’s got one string on it, which is a weed John Johnson, of Hillstomp, who plays a set of homemade pickle-
F
rom frantic fiddlers, and dizzying banjo pickers, to a
bucket drums, “and just about anything else he can get a hold of,”
musician who can play a mean…gas tank, unique music will
according to Brett Mosiman, festival director. Brett adds, “There
soon be sounding through the hollers of Mulberry Mountain.
really is some unique instrumentation going on at this festival, and
Fifty bands will take over the quiet community near Ozark
with fifty bands, there should be something for everyone.”
this autumn at the fifth annual Yonder Mountain String Bands’
Leftover Salmon is another band that has played a little
Harvest Music Festival. The musicians will perform on four
something for everyone in its twenty-year career. This high
stages to entertain grassy fields full of thousands of music fans from all over the United States on October 14-16.
energy band of partying crooners and pickers put the N’Orleans
There will be bluegrass, newgrass, and many surprises in
Slamgrass, and basically it’s a lot of folk styles thrown into a
between. This party will be heard all over the mountain as
melting pot of all kinds of everything. The best way to describe
performers ‘pick and grin,’ and even rock out for three days.
it is if you took a bluegrass band and plugged it in, “says Drew
For bluegrass purists, the Grand Ole Opry favorites the Travelin’
who plays an electric mandolin, Van Halen style.
style into the Mountain Fest. “We like to call it Polyethnic Cajun
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@ENTERTAINMENT
The headliners, Yonder Mountain String Band, plan to rock it
Sportsmen and nature lovers can participate in disc golf, fishing,
out as well. The band crafts traditional bluegrass instrumental
and lots of other activities on and around Mulberry Mountain.
sounds with modern indie lyrics and arrangements influenced
Brett says, “There’s a lot to do in the neighborhood. There are
by rock producer Tom Rothrock who has worked with infamous
magnificent hikes off of the mountains, there are waterfalls and
rock bands like Beck and Foo Fighters. The band was the
streams. Then just a couple of miles away you can go to the
opening act for President Barack Obama, at the Democratic
Mulberry River and do a float trip, or kayak and canoe. We’re
National Convention in August, 2008.
all looking forward to the magnificent display of nature in the
Brett explains that this festival is more laid back and family oriented than the infamous Wakarusa, which he also directs in the summer at this same location. Brett hopes that people will bring family and friends and have a great time. He says that
national forest [Ozark National Forest]. We’re anticipating warm days and cool evenings and spectacular foliage, what could be more exciting than getting to the mountain, and listening to music, and having a great weekend?”
while music is the main attraction there will also be a nomadic
While advertised as a family event, parental discretion may be
village set up at the site for folks to enjoy open mic events,
advised for some bands. For more information on bands, ticket
drum construction, glass blowing, yoga, meditation, poi, and
prices, camping, amenities and directions to the venue visit
even cartoons for the kids.
www.younderharvestfestival.com.
rollin’ in the river valley
in high school. But that’s when she’s competing. Just minutes before she was discussing eye liner with a team member, who was giving her own advice on how to straighten super curly hair. Most of these girls are dressed to stun: a flash of thigh beneath
river valley roller girls
sequined shorts, skirts short enough to cause scandal in the
@story Marla Cantrell @image River Valley Roller Girls
light of day, bandanas holding back hair, some of which is the color of cherry Kool-Aid.
S
he wears an ammo belt low and loose on her hips, like a
Organizer Desiree Williamson wears longer pants, her hair in
gun slinger caught off guard. As she rounds the skating
pigtails, and glasses. She said most people believe derby girls
rink, her ruffled skirt catches the wind and it rises to reveal a
are partiers. “It’s just not true,” she said. “For the most part, we’re
tattoo high on her thigh. The ink is red and black and green, but
wives and mothers. This is a lifestyle. When I started the league in
the image blurs beneath the spider-web tights she’s wearing.
2006, the closest club was in Fayetteville. The pat answer is that
She is just one of the members of the River Valley Rollergirls.
the derby empowers women. But I think it’s about camaraderie,
She looks tough, like the girls your mother warned you about
and exercise. Some girls come on board, and they haven’t done
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@ENTERTAINMENT
anything since school. They’ll drop thirty pounds in just a few
They round the rink, always looking for the girls behind them,
months. And age isn’t really an issue. We’ve got one girl who’s
elbows at the ready, rumbling across the scarred wood floor. At
nineteen, and we’ve had one member who was fifty-two.”
one point, there are eight skaters so close together there is no
Desiree is a graphic artist, another skater is majoring in English, a third is the mother of a four-year-old. They’ve taken names
light between them. A girl with a skull glued to the back of her helmet races by, taking Knockout Nelson with her.
like Hateful Hannah, Smack Yo Mouth, Kandy Kaos, and Svetlana
The crowd yells, “Push it, push it hard.” The girls respond,
Sockabich. The names come at a price; only the girls who’ve
skating faster, the score climbing, the scarred wood floor
mastered the craft and passed the skills test are allowed the
flashing beneath them. The black team moves ahead by one
privilege of an alter ego.
point, and the whistle blows, ending the match.
And if you like puzzles, try to figure out Svetlana’s given name.
The crowd cheers, the toddlers asleep through the last half of the
“Onyx is my regular name, although that’s not my real name.
bout are jostled awake, and the skaters huddle in tight groups, taking
About ten years ago I thought I needed a new one. I was working
off padding and asking after the ones who’ve taken the worst falls.
in a Michigan restaurant, and this waitress, Margie, she said, ‘Well, how ‘bout Onyx, girl?’ For those who believe in the metaphysical properties of stones, it’s supposed to help you become the master of your reality. I like that, and I thought it fit me.” While Svetlana adjusts the knee pads that are as big as a child’s bike helmet, Jaims Cole laces her skates. She’s only been back two weeks. “I was taking my minimum skills test,” Jaims said. “I’d been skating for two months and I fell, and I just caught myself wrong. I broke my ankle. It messes with me, big time. I’m learning how to skate again, pretty much.” Once the mouth gear is in place and the helmets strapped tight, the announcer gets the girls ready to rumble. The group is divided into reds and blacks, and the referees, including one who wears a cape, gather at the center of the rink.
Pepe le Sewer rotates her shoulder. “Yeah,” she says, “I’m fine. That fall looked worse than it was. You know when I first started, in 2008, I think, I felt like I had concrete blocks on my feet. I wasn’t a skater. I’m clumsy. I love challenges. I just wanted to be the best I could be.” Axl Rhodes pats her on the back. “We ran three miles this morning, so I was a little shaky out there. I wanted to join after seeing that movie, “Whip It,” and I love it. It’s rough, though. I think my mom prays for me a lot.” The lights start going out, one by one, the disco balls in the middle of the rink twinkle in the twilight, and then the parking lot starts to empty. The minivans file out along with the sports cars. Tomorrow is coming fast, and the real lives of the River Valley Rollergirls loom large. But in a week they’ll be back,
“On this court,” the announcer bellows from some unseen place,
dressed up in flippy skirts and sequined shorts, talking trash
“legs break, faces break, and yes, my friends, hearts break.” The
with the best of them, all revved up and ready to roll.
bout is on. Girls tumble, one into the padding stacked waist high, another somersaults and is out for most of the night.
More information on the River Valley Rollergirls is available at www.rivervalleyrollergirls.com
Fayetteville native Lauren Sweetser plays Gail, a dirt-poor teen mom, living with a controlling husband, looking down the barrel of a future as bleak as any of the dogs tethered to chains in her frigid front yard. But as hard as Gail’s life is it pales in comparison to that of the main character Ree Dolly, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Ree is a seventeen-year-old carrying the weight of a mentally ill mother, an AWOL crank-cooking daddy who’s put the family’s homestead up as bond, and a little brother and sister not yet old enough to survive in the hills alone. The journey to save Ree’s family takes her into a world where everyone has something to hide, where women know their place, and where the underbelly of the drug world is revealed in scenes so blindingly fierce it’s unclear whether Ree will survive it. Lauren, who was still attending Missouri State while the film was being made in Taney and Christian Counties in Missouri, fell in love with the character three full years before landing the
lauren sweetser
role. “I was part of the Creative Actors Workshop in Springfield,” Lauren said. “I’d done a Branson commercial - you know the
big break in winter’s bone
kind, come play golf, let’s go shopping. And then my acting
@story Marla Cantrell @images Frontline Management
coach, who also worked as my agent, got me cast as Gail at the table reading. I beat out 200 girls for the part.”
B
luegrass music plays, deer carcasses hang from leaf-bare
A table reading is just what it sounds like. Actors sit around
trees, and wood smoke billows from pot belly stoves. The
reading the screenplay to make sure it sounds as good out loud
Ozarks unfold on the screen, heartbreakingly beautiful, dotted
as it does in print. “Winter’s Bone” is based on the book by the
with houses built piecemeal by hill people intent on a life away
same name, written by Daniel Woodrell, who lives in the Ozarks.
from the city, far from the nearest sheriff, and a half-day’s ride
But the director, Debra Granik, had no first-hand experience
from a town of any size.
with the area. “Coming from New York, people were like, ‘How’s
This is the backdrop for “Winter’s Bone”, the indie film that won
this woman from New York going to make a movie about the
the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. The movie
Ozarks?’ But she did her homework and did her research and
will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 26. In it,
she was ready for it.”
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@ENTERTAINMENT
When auditions for the movie opened, Lauren was approached
boots and traded them to locals who turned over their worn
about the role of Megan, a minor character in the film. She
clothes that were then used in the film. Houses were shown
overnighted her audition DVD, but it never made it to the
exactly as the film crew found them. The crew didn’t remove a
casting office. But the director remembered her from the table
refrigerator magnet, or change one picture on the wall.
reading and pulled her back into the running. In the end, she won the role of Gail. “I thank my lucky stars every day for Debra Granik,” Lauren said.
Director Debra Granik was mesmerized by the houses added on a piece at a time. She saw a beauty in it that we shake our heads at. She was not raised with these people, the ones we
Lauren spent that February and March dressed down, bundled up,
sat beside in classrooms, their clothes rich with the scent of
and working with icons like Dale Dickey, who played Merab, and
wood smoke, their boots scuffed and worn thin. They are the
John Hawke, who played Teardrop. “They’re so humble and they
ones who disappeared every deer season, and left early when
don’t seem to know that half the people across the country love
spring harvests called their name. Even today we pass them
them. John was in “The Perfect Storm.” They’re hard workers and
at the market, at county fairs, on back roads so rutted only
they’re so kind. I laughed because they were both so terrifying
pickup trucks can finish the route. Most are salt of the earth,
in this film. But that’s how good they are at what they do. ..John
God fearing, and tied to the land. A few do break under abject
came to the set with his own ideas for his tattoos, and he was
poverty, taking up guns and turning sheds into meth houses,
adamant that Teardrop had to take an ax and bust a windshield.
but they are not the norm. Still, “Winter’s Bone” transcends,
Debra didn’t have a lot of money in the budget so she told him he
breaking the aesthetic distance, pulling you into a world both
had one shot at it. She couldn’t be paying for extra windshields.”
bleak and beautiful, and haunting your thoughts long after you
Lauren also became fast friends with Jennifer Lawrence, who
leave the theater.
is now filming “X-Men: First Class” in Ontario. “Girls our age, in
Lauren is grateful she was a part of it. Now in L.A., she’s looking
such a competitive business, have a hard time being friends.
ahead. She just played a guest role on the opening episode of
You wouldn’t think for a second we could make this work. But
“Law and Order Los Angeles.” And she’s only getting started.
our business life is our business life, and our friendship is our
She hits the ground every day looking for new roles to play. “I
friendship. We don’t think about it. We’re kindred spirits.”
never had a Plan B,” Lauren said. “If you work hard, you don’t
Part of the success of the film can be traced to the residents of Taney and Christian Counties. Ree’s little sister, played by Ashlee Thompson, lives in the house where much of the film takes place. She was so captivating the story line changed to include her. “She wasn’t acting, she was living her life,” Lauren said. “We teased her that she was a better actor than we were.” The crew bought new Carhartt jackets, bib overalls, and work
need one. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I never veered off course. I never doubted. Not even once.”
@ENTERTAINMENT
boom kinetic
says. And now the retro fever has spread past private parties, into mainstream nightlife in Arkansas.
living in the moment retro style
With two front men, Wiley and Zach Gump, and a stage full of
@story Tonya McCoy @image Boom Kinetic
talented musicians, Boom Kinetic rocks a high-energy show. The performance is not only amped up by their always dancing front men, they are literally amped by three electric guitarists: front man Zach, Greg Guillot, and Robin Vargas. Add in the beat from Miguel Gamboa on drums, and essential eighties keyboard music from Aaron Schauer, then turn down the lights, turn up the lasers and fog, and you’re ready to rock out technopop style. While the eighties retro crave put this band in business, they want to focus more attention on the music they collaboratively write and compose. They hope to play more original music, which varies between technopop and indie ballads. “We started learning some Duran Duran and Toto, and originals followed and sounded pretty similar,” says Zach.
Wiley Seeger runs one hand through his foe-hawk, while the
Original music has listeners asking, “Who is this?” according to
other hand presses his microphone close to his face. He stares
Adam Putman, the bands producer of their CD called, “Part Gray/
at the crowd through aviator glasses, and when the music
Part Bright Light.” Adam always plays Boom Kinetic’s music when
begins, his whole body is a turning, whirling storm of energy.
setting up sound for touring acts in Fayetteville. He says 2010 Oscar winner Ryan Bingham, (Best Original Song “The Weary
Wiley and the band Boom Kinetic belt out their original crowd
Kind,” from the movie “Crazy Heart”) and his band were impressed
pleaser “Love and Reason.” Wiley sings, “We are living, living for
by Boom Kinetic’s sound. Ryan and his band overheard the music
the moment…” and some of the girls in the crowd sway in their
in May and were, “humming the tune, and finally someone asked,
purple satin, and cotton white summer dresses. By the time the
‘Hey who is this?’” Adam adds, “It’s just infectious.”
band plays “Ninety Nine Red Balloons” (1984 song by Nena) everyone is dancing. The crowd ripples in a wave of movement
Boom Kinetic is hosting CD release parties for “Part Gray/Part
that builds momentum from the front of the stage, and rolls all the
Bright Light” in October in Fayetteville. Find performance dates
way back to the entrance of Grub’s Bar and Grille in Fayetteville.
at www.boomkinetic.com. You can buy the CD at their shows,
“We wanted to make money being musicians and doing eighties
or on iTunes. Preview their music for free at jango.com by
covers for private parties and weddings only made sense,” Wiley
searching “Boom Kinetic.”
22
S
omewhere near your happy street, or maybe in the hills outside your tight clutch of houses, there are places where covens
meet, where Satan is honored, where demons find joy. Monsignor James Mancini has seen these places, touched the brow of the possessed, and fought off evil spirits. “I’m not afraid,” Mancini said. “Why should I get frightened? The spirit I’ve got is bigger than the spirit they’ve got. I always take the Blessed Sacrament with me. The demons are helpless in the presence of Christ the Lord.” Mancini, the official exorcist for the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, has performed a dozen exorcisms and delivered hundreds oppressed by evil spirits. “Ninety percent of what we deal with is not a formal possession. Mostly, it’s oppression, diabolical interference, like hearing voices, having nightmares, being tempted over and over again.” The process to rule out other causes is meticulous. “I work with psychiatrists and psychologists to make sure we know what we’re working with. A lot of people have addictions, some have psychological problems. Some would like to have a demon as the cause of their problems. When you have demonic possession, the difference is that they get into something that is really morally evil.” If someone is truly possessed, Mancini must go to the Bishop. “In the Catholic church, only he has the power and authority that Christ gave the church in spiritual warfare, and somebody
the devil is a clever liar
has to receive that authority from the Bishop to be able to do an actual exorcism.” These spirits look for cracks in our armor. They ride in on ill will, promise to fulfill desires, slide in on the back of a grudge. “The
the exorcist monsignor mancini
Devil,” Monsignor said, “is a clever liar.”
@story Marla Cantrell
A Corning woman wanted only for her brother and mother to be
@PEOPLE
well. “She got tired of praying about that, so she finally said the
part where we were casting it out in the name of Jesus Christ
“Our Father” but to the Devil. He picked up on it and made her
and the door opened. A claw came out and started at the top
life miserable.”
of my head, clawed off my glasses, and tore my collar out of my shirt. I have a long scar on my cheek now,” Mancini said.
In Fayetteville, a young man did nothing more than end a
“The door slammed again and I said, ‘We’re not finished yet.’
troubled romance. “He called us because strange things were happening in his home. You could feel the evil there. We went
“We got through it, finally, and she was freed. We had a family
through the blessing of the house, and used exorcised Holy
ready to take her. She couldn’t go back to her apartment because
Water. There was a noticible difference. We found out his
that’s where they had done some of the rituals. I encouraged
girlfriend invoked a curse when he broke up with her.”
her to join a Christian church.
In DeQueen, a songwriter longed for success in a business
“Just at that time she looked out the window and said, ‘There’s
fraught with failure. “A demon asked if he would take his help,
the high priest.’ He was walking up the sidewalk toward us. He
and this fellow agreed. He started making a lot of money, but
got within about fifteen feet and stopped. It looked like he’d
he couldn’t sleep at night anymore. So he came to our church
run into a wall. He couldn’t come any closer. I told her she
and we prayed for him. We told him he had to renounce the
had to make a decision. She was heartened by seeing the high
demon and it occurred to him he might lose his power as a
priest, and she was confused.”
country music writer. I said, ‘Do you want to sleep anymore?’ We went ahead. This fellow didn’t lose his talent.”
In the end, the girl left the safe haven, took the arm of the high priest, and walked back into her dark life.
Mancini has heard demons speak. Some say their names, others their cause. “On my first exorcism the demon said, ‘I seek lost
“I told the priest who was up there – he was part of that team –
souls.’” The monsignor travels the state, taking teams with him,
not to receive her again.”
working against the evil that dwells in hidden places. “The family Mancini stopped, just for a second and then said. “I never heard
cults, particularly, like isolated areas, so they’ll be left alone.”
from her again.” But it was a demon found in Jonesboro that left his mark on Mancini. “A young woman was involved in a cult, and the cult had
Mancini, now in his late sixties, has seen the worst in the world.
a high priest. She was being used as a medium. She agreed to
But he’s also seen the best. “You learn quite a bit with the
be prayed for. We took her to a place away from the church, but
associations with spirits. With evil spirits, you also become
I had the Blessed Sacrament with me. We were in the Praise of
conscious of beneficent spirits.”
God, and she left the room and locked herself in the bathroom.
The monsignor smiled and the clouds seemed to part. “I also
She didn’t show hysteria. But she wouldn’t come out. I began
get to introduce people to their guardian angel. That,” he said,
praying the exorcism through the door and we did not get a
“is a much more pleasant experience. “
response when we asked the name of the demon. We got to the
25
for the love of tommy
Tommy’s story is fraught with mystery. No one seems to know much about him before the day he walked onto the job site
tommy stacey
where Central Mall now stands and asked one of the most influential men in town for a job.
@story Marla Cantrell @images Catherine Frederick
What we do know is that Tommy, now fifty-eight, can’t read.
T
He can write his name, work like a farm hand during harvest ommy Stacey walks down Dock ‘A’ in an area restricted
season, and smile so hard it melts your heart. When he speaks
to customers at Central Mall. Tan suspenders make long
he often closes his eyes, and his voice rumbles along, stopping
stripes down his crisp pink shirt. His feet, clad in white shoes
short in the middle of sentences, veering off on a new course,
with Velcro closures, shuffle along the concrete expanse. He
like a stream breaking around a boulder. If he were born later,
carries a pipe, a wallet with a chain attached to his belt loop,
he would likely have been assisted by a special education
and change that jingles in his pockets. He has the kind of
program, but he was not, so he had to find his own way.
hands you see on working men - strong, broad, and callused.
His lucky break came in the 1970s.
“I been here since Mr.
For thirty-seven years he has been mowing grass, picking
Ed Warmack [then-owner of Central Mall] let me haul bricks
up broken glass off the parking lot, and sweeping the docks.
and stuff. It wasn’t even built yet. I was working in a factory
26
@PEOPLE
and they was breathing down my neck all the time. I got no grievance,” Tommy says, and shakes his head so you know it’s true, “but I didn’t like it.” Tommy continues, his hands two tight fists in his lap. “Some kids, when I was in school, were kind of mean to me once in while, too,” Tommy says, opening a small window into this past. “So, I asked Mr. Warmack for a job and right there he give it to me.” Liz Polta, the head of housekeeping at Central Mall, said Mr. Warmack, who has since passed away, loved Tommy, taking him under his wing, setting him up with a secure job, making sure he had a place to live. “There wasn’t much Tommy needed after he met Ed.”
Tommy’s words trip over Liz’s as
he remembers holidays with the Warmacks.
“I been to his
house for Thanksgiving and stuff. He was always good,” he says. “Always good.” Tommy hooked Liz the first time he met her. “It was about 5:15 in the morning. Tommy doesn’t clock in until 6:00. I looked up and saw his penguin walk, and he had his pipe – he always
the rest of us, so we watch out for him. He goes over there to
does - and I said, ‘My God, what is he doing here this early?’
Great American Cookies and they give him all he wants. And I
He’d come to these glass doors and then he’d walk away again.
don’t think he ever pays for anything at the food court.”
He’s always early, always ready to work.”
Liz takes a Kleenex from her desk and dabs her eyes. “You
In all these years, he’s never called in sick. “My mom and dad
ask me what Central Mall is and I’ll tell you Tommy is Central
are dead and gone. I’ve only took off to visit their graves,”
Mall. I dread that first day after he’s gone. He’s one of God’s
Tommy takes of his glasses, closes his eyes, pinches the bridge
special people, and here’s why: He can love unconditionally,”
of his nose, and says. “I got people in Blue Eye [Missouri].”
Liz says,” and, honestly, we just can’t.”
Tommy, now bone tired, is ready to retire. He’s found an assisted
Tommy hugs Liz.
living facility in Fayetteville with a room ready for him. “I’m not
He blushes, the color high across his
cheekbones. “I don’t like tooting my own whistle,” he says.
cleaning anymore,” he says. “I’m going to learn hobbies.”
“But you’re awesome,” Liz replies. And Tommy puts his hands
“He’s had gout,” Liz says. “His feet hurt. He hates the rain. It’s
in his pocket and looks down at the Velcro shoes, “Yeah,” he
time. We all try to take care of him; he gets sick faster than
says, “I guess I am.”
27
at the ready tyler wilson
@story J.D. Williams @image University of Arkansas
If you follow high school football in Arkansas, you likely remember Tyler Wilson wearing Number 11 as the Greenwood Bulldog’s record setting quarterback. As a senior in 2008, Tyler led Greenwood to the state championship in the 5A Class and drew the attention of college recruiters across the country. Today, the 6’3” college sophomore wears Number 8 for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.
@PEOPLE
@Urban wanted to know what it’s like for Tyler to play backup
TYLER It’s a lot of work. A lot goes into being ready for a college
quarterback to Heisman Trophy contender Ryan Mallet, so we
football game every week. There are team meetings, weight
sent J.D. Williams out to learn more about the twenty-one-year-
training and video sessions besides normal practice, and then
old Razorback standout.
there is being a student. Even if there is always a lot to do, I love it anyway.
@URBAN Do you remember the moment you knew your dream of playing for the Razorbacks was going to happen?
@URBAN You’ve been blessed with a lot of athletic talent. Aside from physical ability, what skill have you had to work hardest to
TYLER When Coach [Bobby] Petrino was hired. He made it a
develop as you’ve stepped up to Division 1 college ball?
point to see me. I knew then.
TYLER I have definitely learned that I have to remain positive
@URBAN How did it feel the first time you ran onto the field
and have a strong outlook on things, especially when it is tough.
at the Reynolds Razorback Stadium wearing an Arkansas jersey surrounded by all those Hog fans? Did it even seem real?
@URBAN People sometimes think of college quarterbacks as superhero types who can do anything. Tell us about something
TYLER Running through the ‘A’ and taking the field as a Razorback
that you just can’t do - no matter how hard you try. What’s
is an awesome moment, every time. It’s a great feeling.
your kryptonite?
@URBAN Being the backup quarterback must present some
TYLER I couldn’t sing, even if I had to.
unique challenges. How do you mentally prepare for a game knowing you need to be ready to take the field at any moment
@URBAN When the game’s over, who do you text first?
but if everything goes as planned you probably won’t?
TYLER Most definitely my mom.
TYLER Right now I’m learning behind a great teammate and
@URBAN Good answer. One last question: What can you tell
quarterback in Ryan [Mallett]. I practice just as if I am going to
us about life as a Razorback football player we might not know?
play every snap in the game. I know that’s the attitude we all must have to make the team stronger. And my role on the team
TYLER We are just like any other student when not playing or
right now is to play quarterback. I practice and prepare like I’ll
practicing. I work hard on the field but I really do work just as
play. It makes the team, as a whole, better in the long run.
hard, if not harder, in the classroom. Just like other people, I like hanging with my friends and having fun in my spare time.
@URBAN That’s great advice for anyone who plays team sports and it sounds like you knew what to expect from the start. But I’m wondering – what’s been the most surprising thing about playing football for a program as strong as the Hogs?
29
I
n a dojang in Fort Smith, Mike Gray grabs the forearm of an eighteenyear-old student, lifts the teen off the ground and drops him on the
cushioned floor with a thud. The teen jumps to his feet in one swift move, then stands with his hands folded in front of him. “Just like that,” Mike says. “Remember your stance.” The young man, who is a good four inches taller than Mike, bows from the waist, brushes a shock of rustcolored hair from his eyes and thanks his instructor. The two are practicing Kuk Sool Won, a Korean martial art form that was developed more than 5,000 years ago. “I love the Korean culture,” Mike says. “The people are so respectful, so proud of their families. A lot of those values go into what I teach here at Kuk Sool Won of the River Valley. Those who practiced martial arts in Korea often risked everything to keep it alive. The country was occupied by China and again by Japan. During
mike gray kickin’ it old school
@story Marla Cantrell @images Steven Jones
those times, the people would practice in private, or sometimes do it in public, but they would visualize their hands as swords, so when the occupying soldiers came by they would tell them they were just dancing.” Mike tells the story sitting ramrod straight, the black silk of his Korean Royal Court uniform shining in the fluorescent light. “I opened the school in 2005. I know how important this lifestyle can be. I was a troubled kid. I started Tae Kwon Do at six. At twelve I was getting into some real trouble. My dad yanked me out, put me to work on the farm.” At sixteen, his parents allowed him to take classes in Kuk Sool Won. “I probably wouldn’t have lived through high school without it. I had a rebellious temperament and I loved to fight. Kuk Sool Won kept me on the right track, when I could have veered off. It kept me away from
www.kswoftherivervalley.com
the wrong people.” At forty-one, he looks at the world and sees a minefield for children without direction.
Ninety-nine percent of the time he can help.
“Sometimes I fail, but I tell myself even the best fisherman draws in an empty net once in a while. But I have a lot of victories. I had one young man who was nine and was very challenging. I told mom I would work
30
@PEOPLE
him hard. I did exactly that. His principal actually called his
Mike tugs on a bandage that runs from his right wrist to the
mom last year and said he couldn’t believe the change in him.
crook of his arm. “I tore a muscle back in February. When I was
He’s respectful, polite, and he’s physically strong as a result of
twenty I wouldn’t have gone to the doctor, but now I do. That’s
the hard work.”
part of getting older, knowing your limits.”
He starts these life lessons young.
When asked how long he waited for medical help, he grins
His Power Cubs come in at
and looks at the floor. “Six months, I guess, give or take. But I
four. “They learn respect
went,” he adds. “I went.”
for mom and dad, for officers, teachers, and for themselves.
I’ll ask
them if they want something good to happen and their little hands just shoot up. So I’ll say, ‘Then you
He sees the injury as a metaphor. “I’m very lucky. I’ve learned that obstacles are just that, obstacles. They’re put there to overcome. I get to be around people every day who feel the same way as I do. I still train with a guy I started out with in 1986. He’s a sniper for the Tulsa SWAT team. I’d never have gotten to know him without Kuk Sool Won.”
have to put good out
He is passionate about the program that pulled him through his
there. It’s a circle.’”
teenage years. “The philosophy bleeds over into every part of
His oldest student is sixtythree.
“He loves it,” Mike says.
“We train with the motto: Sweating, Smiling and Learning. We use it with all of our 160 students in each of our twenty-six weekly classes.” The rank progression in Kuk Sool Won is slow compared to other martial arts. It takes about four to six years to earn a black belt.
your life,” Mike says. “Adults come in and drop thirty pounds. Some quit smoking. Kids find their path. They learn integrity. But you have to really care because nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. Here, we care. I think that’s one of the things that sets us apart. For more information on Kuk Sool Won of the River Valley Family Martial Arts call 479.649.3542 or log on to www.kswoftherivervalley.com.
And the business is tough. “The average lifespan of a martial arts studio is just nine months,” Mike says. “I waited twenty years to open a school because I understood what it took. And I’m still a student. I’ll get my fifth-degree black belt this month. When I was testing for it our Grandmaster asked how many techniques we knew and we poked our chest out and said 400 or so. And he said, ‘You know nothing. There are 3,608 techniques in Kuk Sool.’ He has a way of humbling us.”
31
living high on the hog
the Stokes labor of love @story Tonya McCoy @image The Stokes Family
A
t the foot of Mount Nebo, near the small town of Dardanelle, lives one of Arkansas’ biggest personalities. On
the Stokes’ family farm if you step inside the doors to the barn, a 500 pound, bristle-haired beast will run straight toward you. However, Tusk III, the new Razorback mascot, isn’t interested in attacking anyone, he’s just checking to see if someone has a treat. Tusk, who is a Russian Boar, may be intimidating because of his size, and of course, his tusks, but the family says he is more like a puppy than anything else. “Tusk III loves people, but he’s a lot more laid back [than his predecessor Tusk II]. Nothing really bothers him. As long as
@PEOPLE
you’re rubbing him he’s happy. He takes affection over food
Of course the family is not too stern with the troublemaker. In
sometimes. He’s just a big baby; he’s a 500 pound lap dog,”
fact, Julie treats Tusk like an overgrown pooch. “When you start
says Julie Stokes.
rubbing him he rolls over and throws all four hooves in the air, and I scratch his belly,” says Julie.
Keith Stokes works as a consultant for Bibler Brothers Lumber Inc. Julie is a secretary at Dardanelle Middle School, and their
The family loves the Tusk brothers, so when Tusk II passed away
sixteen-year-old daughter Abbey is a junior in high school. Their
this past January, the loss was hard. “He was a huge part of our
twenty-two-year-old son Chip, works locally with the forestry
family, we were very, very attached. You know how people get
service so he’s near the farm. All of the Stokes take time out of
attached to their dogs and their cats, well we have hogs,” says Julie.
their busy schedules to care for Tusk III and Tusk IV. One day
Tusk III is eight years old and the family wants to retire him to
Chip and his wife Lori plan to take over for their parents to
the pampered life at his barn, so Tusk IV will replace him as the
ensure keeping the Tusk brothers in the family.
mascot in January of next year. Tusk IV was born last February
For now, Tusk III reigns as boss hog over his home, an 8,000
and for the first six months he lived in the garage of the Stokes’
square foot indoor facility, which is heated in the winter and
home. “We’d get up in the morning and bring some food out
cooled in the summer. Razorback red and white color his home,
there and wake him up and play with him a little bit, so we’ve
and huge block letters spell out his name on the wall. Tusk’s
really got attached to him,” says Keith.
stereo system plays Razorback band music around the clock, as
Baby Tusk is already 100 pounds and growing. Hefty Tusk III
well as Hank William, Jr.s’ “Hog Wild.”
maintains his 500 pound figure by eating five pounds of a corn
He spends his days in this huge barn when it’s too hot to play in
and grain mixture every day. Both Tusks’ food, barn, trailer, and
the mud outside in his 10,000 square foot yard. When tusk gets
traveling costs can be expensive; however, Keith says that the
a little too muddy, he gets a bubble bath, with what Keith calls
fans’ support is what keeps this mascot program alive. Tusk shows
“fruity smelling Suave shampoo.” Tusk likes to run and play, and
his support by showing up to every home game, and greeting
he’s a bit of a family prankster. “You can be working and you
thousands of hog fans. The family depends on donations through
can lay a hammer or a part down and he’ll mosey over there and
the Razorback Foundation for Tusk III and IV. If you’re interested
grab it and take off with it,” says Keith. He says Tusk recently had
in making a donation you can contact the foundation at
some fun at Julie’s expense, when she brought some harnesses
RazorbackFoundation.com, or you can simply check the “Tusk”
to try out for game day: “He just kind of crept a little closer and
box on your ticket purchase for season ticket holders.
closer to her, and all of a sudden he picked those two harnesses
Keith says to fans, “It’s all about Tusk, and that’s the way we
up and started running, and she started screaming at him and
want it. My goal has always been for people to say ‘You know
started chasing him. ..He took them all the way down to the far
what, I don’t know who takes care of him, but they sure do a
end of the barn and dropped them and then ran back to me,
good job,’ and that’s our ultimate goal, to make sure he has the
because he knew he was in trouble, I think.”
best care possible.”
33
crowne the king brian crowne
@story Marla Cantrell @image Kat Hardin
@PEOPLE
B
rian Crowne, owner/operator of George’s Majestic Lounge
of “Southern Living,” has been written up in the “New York Times,”
in Fayetteville, talks a lot about respect. He respects the
and was named one of the top 100 college bars by “Playboy.”
musicians who play at the club, the underage college students
And then there’s the nod from the country music industry. “We
who try to pass off fake ID’s, and the older folks who wander in off
were actually nominated for an Academy for County Music award
Dickson Street to tell stories about the glory of the grand old place.
as the top nightclub in the country, even though we’re not truly a country bar.” Brian said.
“There are thousands of stories of thousands of nights,” Brian said. “George Pappas opened it in 1927. One time an older
The club’s success is the result of hard work and good management,
gentleman came in to see the place. He went to school [at the
but it also depends on an elusive element Brian finds hard to
University of Arkansas] here in the ‘40s. But he was called into
describe. “Every musician who comes through here, - whether
battle in World War II. He carried his George’s tab all through the
they’re local or a Grammy-winning artist - they like the vibe; they
war. When he came back to pay up, George had cleared all the
like the energy. Ryan Bingham just won an Oscar and a Golden
tabs for all the soldiers,” Brian said, stopping for few seconds, his
Globe for “Crazy Heart” for best original score. He was here before
voice breaking. “Every time I tell that story,” he said, shaking his
and after. He said it was one of his favorite places to play.”
head, “I tear up.”
Brian, who’s played saxophone for the local band, Oreo Blue, has
The club’s next owner was a mild-mannered woman who
a special affection for touring musicians. “I did that for years. I
believed good behavior shouldn’t stop just because a customer
can tell you this, there’s something that happens during a live
had thrown back a few too many.
performance that you can’t get from listening to music at home. There’s a moment when it’s just about magic, when you’re in a
“Mary Hinton, and her husband, bought it in 1947 and ran it
crowd and the band connects to the crowd. It’s transcendent.”
for forty years,” Brian said. “She was a little, short, soft-spoken Catholic lady, and nobody messed up in front of her. If somebody
Looking back, he sees his progression, from his early days in
was cussing, she’d come up to them and say, ‘We don’t use that
Fort Smith, to his success as a performer, to his life now as a club
kind of language in George’s.’”
owner and music promoter. He cherishes it all, this man whose last name is Crowne, now reigning over the club dubbed the
In 2004, Brian and his business partner bought the club from
‘King of Dickson Street.’ “I don’t have a college degree, but I have
Dr. Bill and Betty Harrison. He sees his ownership as a kind of
a master’s in life,” he said, stopping for a split-second before
miracle. “You don’t get a lot of opportunities in life. I don’t come
offering a sage piece of advice. “Respect your relationships,
from money. I moved to Fayetteville and the first three or four
create a good network, stay driven. Do that, and your life should
months I was sleeping on a friend’s couch, or in my car. But at
turn out fine.”
some point you make a leap of faith.”
For more information on upcoming performances at George’s
The accolades garnered by George’s gather like a college crowd
Majestic Lounge log onto www.georgesmajesticlounge.com.
on game day. The historic club was featured in the August issue
35
@TASTE
BHK brings it
real food. local people. world view. @story Wayne Bell @images David Lewis
C
oming in late October, Brick House Kitchen, located at
desserts and cheeses will be available at BHK Kafe - and fear
1079 South School Avenue in Fayetteville, will open its
not - the original Brick House Kitchen location remains open for dinners and caterings.
new BHK Kafe inside Nightbird Books at 205 West Dickson Street. BHK Kafe will specialize in what proprietor David Lewis
Desserts, a signature at Brick House Kitchen, will have their place at
refers to as the four ‘C’s’: cake (sweet and savory), coffee, cheese,
the BHK Kafe and are not to be missed. Choose from lemon mouse
and conversation (made possible by the popular bookstore and
with ginger cookies, a deeply rich, flourless chocolate custard
a fantastic wine selection).
cake, or my personal favorite - Arkansas peach pudding. Imagine
The new location is a departure for David, whose original Brick
the richest banana cream dessert you’ve ever had. Replace the
House Kitchen is one of the best surprises in Fayetteville. It
bananas with sautéed Arkansas peaches and bring in almond
operates out of a stately old home, surrounded by gardens,
cookies to replace the vanilla wafers. You now have a dessert that
in one of the new ‘It’ places in the city. Diners return for the
fits Lewis’ point of view: take comfort food and turn it upside down
gourmet meals, ambience, and food so good David is nearing
with fine ingredients and a French country approach.
celebrity status.
With the two locations, David has you covered.
Head to
At the new BHK Kafe, patrons will enjoy David’s delectable
Brick House Kitchen on South School for a delectable dining
pastries, gourmet coffee drinks, wine, and cheese. It is the
experience, or soon trek over to BHK Kafe for one of the coolest
perfect stop for those taking in a show at Walton Arts Center, for
places to have breakfast, lunch, a late night snack, or to linger
shoppers on the square, or better yet, for book lovers who’ve
over a tray of artisan cheeses made even better by the right wine.
been browsing the shelves for the perfect read. Breakfast, lunch
What could be better than that?
(consisting of soups, sandwiches, and salads), and evening
36
curried butternut bisque a taste of down-home goodness @story Laura Hobbs @images Laura Hobbs
T
he leaves are beginning to turn, our shirtsleeves are getting
while adding a subtly sweet undertone to the soup’s otherwise
longer and we’ve turned off the energy-sucking A/C and
spicy flavor. Be sure to buy the unsweetened kind, though!
started using the attic fan instead – fall is upon us! And with fall temperatures comes fall cooking, to keep us cozy and comfy on those chillier autumn nights.
The starring spice in the soup is Madras curry powder. Madras curry has origins in the southern part of India, and is heavy on the chili powder, which is a staple spice of the region. Madras curry
Around our house, soup is a go-to dinner idea, during any season.
also contains hints of coriander, cumin, cloves and fenugreek, just
Often served alongside a hearty salad and crusty bread, soup is
to name a few. The flavor is heady and complex, and a little goes
a great choice for a cozy autumn meal – and one that keeps on
a long way. The fresh grated nutmeg also adds a spiced-but-not-
giving! A big pot of soup can last two people a couple of days,
spicy flavor. For those who want their sinuses cleared or just want
over several lunches and dinners, and the flavor just gets better
a little more kick, feel free to add a few liberal dashes of cayenne!
day after day.
Once the soup’s ingredients had enough time to meet, mingle
To expand upon the fall theme, I chose a hearty soup ingredient
and marry, I blended the whole pot together with my handy
that is tasty in flavor and striking in color: butternut squash.
immersion blender. If you don’t have one of these useful little
While the rind of the butternut is an unassuming beige, the flesh
gadgets, try blending the soup in batches in a food processor. Be
is a rich, vibrant orange, reminiscent of the vivid colors in the
careful not to overfill the canister, though, or you’ll have a very
changing trees. Butternut squash is delicious roasted or sautéed;
avant-garde splatter pattern all over your kitchen walls.
but here, it’s simply boiled along with the soup’s other ingredients to create a creamy, flavorful meal.
The soup’s flavors are deep and complex, with exotic curry and coconut milk, pungent ginger and spicy garlic, while the texture is
Another – and more unexpected – ingredient in this soup is
silky and light. Serve this soup with a crusty French baguette and
applesauce. Applesauce?! you’re probably wondering. Trust me
a generous Caesar salad, and take your family and your dinner
here, folks. Applesauce provides a wonderfully thick texture,
guests on an international culinary adventure. Enjoy!
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ingredients
1 Tbs. butter 1 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for garnish 1 medium onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1 (2") piece ginger, peeled and minced 1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped Âź tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 Tbs. Madras curry powder 2 c. chicken broth 2 c. water 1 Âź c. unsweetened applesauce 1 (12 oz.) can coconut milk salt & pepper to taste
instructions
fresh cilantro and raisins for garnish
In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, nutmeg, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and cook the spices until toasted, about a minute. Add the chopped butternut squash, chicken broth and water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the applesauce and coconut milk. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the butternut squash is soft and beginning to break down. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, until smooth. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro, raisins and a drizzle of olive oil. Step by step photos available on AtUrbanMagazine.com.
@TASTE
Ingredients • 1 1/2 oz. Blavod (black vodka) • Orange Juice
Directions • Fill high ball with ice • Fill glass to half with orange juice • Pour Blavod black vodka into a mixing tin with ice and shake • Slowly strain off into glass for the layered effect • Garnish with an orange slice
40
recipe by bartender
Jeff Price provided by
479.434.5434
@TASTE
down… set… tailgate football fare
Razorback Roasted Red Pepper & Onion Pinwheels INGREDIENTS 2 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
@provided by Creative Kitchen www.creativekitchenstore.com
1 jar Roasted Red Pepper and Onion Dip 2 green onions, chopped
F
all is finally here and that means fun, food and
5 12 in flour tortillas
football! Creative Kitchen put together a quick &
3/4 c. black olives, chopped
easy tailgate recipe so you can be the “fan favorite!” Whether you’re cheering on your favorite high school or college team, this recipes will score some major
DIRECTIONS Beat cream cheese in mixer until smooth and creamy
points. Too busy to try this recipe yourself? Call “The Kitchen” and let them take care of your game day fare.
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
Mix in roasted red pepper and onion dip, onions and olives
www.AtUrbanMagazine.com
Spread evenly over each tortilla
Bonus Recipe Online:
Roll jelly-roll style and wrap in plastic wrap Chill 2 hours, then cut into one-inch slices Makes about 4 dozen
42
@DESTINATION
I
’ll be honest with you, I’ve never really been a festival type guy. But there is one exception - Tulsa’s Oktoberfest. The festival is loosely based on the sixteen-day fair in Germany, which is one of the largest fairs in the world. Oktoberfest takes place in west Tulsa, just off the Arkansas River, and within the view of downtown. The festival runs from Thursday, October 21, to Sunday, October 24. Scattered around the grounds are various music tents, most selling specific beers (to those older than 21, of course). Beers are best when bought by the pitcher, which you can choose to share with friends. Each tent offers a different style of music and most have plenty of seating. The food runs from typical fair food to items with more of a German influence. I’d recommend bratwurst, turkey legs, or a Reuben. Of course, there are milder treats, for those needing a taste closer to home. And it is gloriously greasy, which is just what you want from a fair based on beer. For those who aren’t the “standing on tables” type, fear not. Outside the music tents there are various booths featuring local arts and crafts. Also, no festival would be complete without rides. Depending on the fortitude of your stomach and your sense of danger, there is sure to be plenty to keep you entertained. Parking is a bit hectic around the festival, but there are various locations around Tulsa where charter services are available. The cost is a few dollars per person, and shuttles run until after closing each night.
tulsa’s oktoberfest
Another tip for those who have never attended is to bring cash. Before entering, you’ll have to purchase festival tickets. Those with cold hard cash just have one fewer line to wait in. The ticket booth doesn’t take cards, but there is an ATM on the grounds.
@story Brad Hobbs @image Tulsa Oktoberfest
For specific shuttle locations, maps, and admission information, go to www.tulsaoktoberfest.org.
tulsa’s celebration of German culture
44
I
magine life in the High Middle Ages, when the Crusades raged across Europe, when Henry III reigned over England, when
castles rose on the French countryside. Still can’t see it? Then maybe you need to go to Lead Hill, Arkansas, a tiny town just thirty-five miles from Branson. There, on some of the most pristine land in the Ozarks, is a thirteenthcentury French castle under construction. The Ozark Medieval Fortress is being built by local craftsmen using tools common to the era, with limestone cut from the mountainside.
building history
The project, which began last year, is expected to take twenty years to complete. Over the Labor Day weekend, 200 people came through each day. The laborers inside the fifty-acre village
ozark medieval fortress
will stop and talk to visitors, describing what they’re doing, and
@story Marla Cantrell @images Marla Cantrell @images Ozark Medieval Fortress
offering an impromptu history lesson. So, why a French castle in Arkansas? It’s because Marc and Solange Mirat left France to retire on eight-hundred sprawling acres in Lead Hill. On a visit home, they connected with Michel Guyot, who had restored his own castle in Burgundy, France. The plan for the Ozark Medieval Fortress soon evolved. Thirty-four-year-old Billy Williams is from Deer. He’s the site manager and head mason. “I’m a third-generation mason,” he said. “My grandpa did a little masonry for the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] camps during the Depression. There are nine in my family who still do the work.” He was one of twenty masons who first applied. Only four were chosen. “You had to be able to expand your mind, to go back and see how things were done and then adapt.” Today, Billy has adapted. He dresses in a flax-colored work shirt with short pieces of twine where buttons should go. He wears a
46
@DESTINATION
straw hat, uses a tool basket made by the village basket weaver,
a rock that weighs a few hundred pounds. Billy removes the
and lays limestone instead of brick.
brake, steps inside the wheel and takes long strides across the
A wide path meanders through the site. An herb garden sits next to a pen holding four sheep. The “good witch” Catherine
wooden planks. The contraption spins, the rope winds, and the rock moves toward a Martha Stewart blue sky.
Koehler, who has an MFA in fiber from the Memphis College
The site is being used for tourism, but also for training. The
of Art, stands beneath the wool cottage in a blue ankle-length
crew learns something every day, schoolchildren are bused
dress and mixes potions that will be used to dye the wool she’s
in for history lessons no book could teach, and their teachers
shorn from the sheep. “I applied to work here three times the
can receive in-service training on site. Interns also learn trades
first day I found the job online. I couldn’t believe there was a
obsolete in most places.
place like this.”
While some have scratched their heads at why a French castle
Further on, the foundation of the castle appears, and rising
is going up in Arkansas, Billy believes it’s the perfect place. “We
higher are the towers, one of which will stand seventy feet
were part of the Louisiana Purchase.” he says matter-of-factly.
high. Masons work atop the white limestone, their weathered skin brown from the Arkansas sun. Honey, a Belgian draft horse, pulls a wagon to the spot where stone is being laid. Waiting in the wings is Honey’s partner, Honey Deux.
The Ozark Medieval Fortress could become the new “Country French” in these Ozark Mountains. It is in a beautiful setting, filled with workers happy to be part of something so enduring. “A modern mason may leave behind a church that could be
Wayne Henson is from Omaha, just a few miles down the road.
gone in fifty years,” Billy said. “This castle will be here for
He’s marked an oak log with a grid, so that the eight-by-eight
thousands. I’ll be a part of history. Like anybody, I don’t want to
cross beam will be as uniform as possible when he’s finished his
be forgotten.”
work. “I love being outdoors. I love seeing the day’s work right here in front of me,” Wayne says, and then smiles. “And I think I have a job for twenty years.” Almost everything that’s needed comes from the land. A potter makes bricks in a kiln he built himself, the blacksmith pumps the antique bellows and the air catches the flames, sending white heat across the coals. The stone carvers lift chunks of limestone and chisel the rocks into uniform pieces. There is a spring inside the castle walls, the water green in the afternoon light. Nearby the mammoth crane stands like a giant hamster wheel, its wooden cage suspended by a rope, holding
For more information, log on to www.ozarkmedievalfortress. com or call the visitors center at 870.436.7625. The Ozark Medieval Fortress is located at 1671 Highway 14 West, Lead Hill, AR. The autumn schedule is 10-6 Wednesday through Sunday. The season ends on November 21. Admission is $12 for adults; $8 for those six to sixteen, and those under five get in free. One travel tip: Make plans to eat somewhere along the way. The small towns near the castle do have a few places to eat but they can fill up fast. Branson is just thirty minutes away.
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