PRICKLY - June 2021

®

PRICKLY

June 2021 DoSouthMagazine.com

02

june

Contents 04 05 12

22 48

Letter from Catherine What's New: June Advertiser Spotlight:

{PEOPLE}

14 18

Father of the Year Coffee Klatsch

40 42

Aloha Chicken Kebabs Tropical Delight

Center for Hearing Profiles: Insurance Agencies

{ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT}

Special Feature:

10

Get Bookish:

House & Home Guide

June Recommendations

28

Lights, Camera, Action

06

Nonprofit Spotlight:

Elder Victims of Crime Project Zero

{FICTION}

44

Lost and Found

OUR COVER

{COMMUNITY}

08 11

{TASTE}

{ T R AV E L & O U T D O O R S }

32 Woo Pig Soowheeeeee 36 Women in the Wild

Shop Local

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Image Credit: Scott Webb Photography

04

Letter from Catherine

I

JUNE

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” ~Maude Heart Lovelace, Author

I love those lines almost as much as I love summer. While summer can be a hectic time for many of us, I hope you'll take time to smell the roses. Start with a trip up the Pig Trail or take a note from our Women of the Wild feature and trek out on an adventure – all right here in The Natural State!

Grab some fuel for your trip at Fort Smith Coffee Co., but first, read about owners Kaity and Gabe Gould, and their journey into the world of java. If you’re still longing for adventure, you’ll find it overflowing at Fort Smith’s own International Film Festival, coming this August! Discover how it came to be and what you can expect, starting on page twenty-eight.

We’re also introducing you to Rob Kenney, whose simple idea to provide fatherly advice via social media skyrocketed him to new heights. We think you’ll agree, he’s

JUNE 2021 OWNER - PUBLISHER - EDITOR Catherine Frederick COPY EDITING Charity Chambers GRAPHIC DESIGN Artifex 323 – Jessica Meadors CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jade Graves, Dwain Hebda CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Scott Faldon, Catherine Frederick, Dwain Hebda, Sara Putman, Liesel Schmidt ADVERTISING INFORMATION Catherine Frederick I 479.782.1500 catherine@dosouthmagazine.com

a contender for Father of the Year (right after your dad, of course).

We continue our profile series as we recognize three local insurance agencies

FOLLOW US

and agents committed to ensuring our families are protected! There's also a fan favorite, our annual House and Home Guide. We’ve partnered with local experts with the experience and professionalism needed to help you get the job done right, right from the start.

All this, plus our monthly adoption spotlight, fiction, two delicious recipes made with my favorite – pineapple – and so much more. Continue to show our local shops the love and thank you for loving Do South ® – see you in July.

Catherine Frederick Owner/Publisher/Editor

catherine@dosouthmagazine.com

©2021 Read Chair Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner. Opinions contained in Do South ® 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 including photography, becomes the property of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. Do South ® reserves the right to edit content and images. Printed in the U.S.A. | ISSN 2373-1893

Annual subscriptions are $36 (12 months), within the contiguous United States.

Subscribe at DoSouthMagazine.com or mail check to 4300 Rogers Avenue, Suite 20-110, Fort Smith, AR, 72903. Single issues are available upon request. Inquiries or address changes, call 479.782.1500.

To reserve this free space for your charitable nonprofit organization, email: catherine@dosouthmagazine.com.

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what's new

FOLLOW US Send comments and suggestions and advertising inquiries to catherine@dosouthmagazine.com.

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EVENTS June 5: 9th Annual Honor & Duty 5K Race and Fun Walk

to End Veteran Homelessness Benefiting the Next Step Homeless Services June 12: Second Saturday on Main

"Vintage Days Edition" in Historic Downtown Van Buren Levitt Amp Fort Smith Music Series

June 3: Southern Avenue June 10: JD Clayton June 17: Rodney Block Collective June 24: Henna Roso July 1: Allison Grace

CONTEST (Deadline is June 17) Go to dosouthmagazine.com, click on “Contests” at the top of the page. All who enter will be subscribed to our mailing list. Once notified, winner must pick up prize from the participating business. Please see rules and policies on our Contests page!

FORT SMITH COFFEE CO. ............................................... CODE: FSCOFFEE

Did you know Fort Smith Coffee Co. roasts all their coffee on-site, employ skilled baristas and do pretty much everything from scratch - from their house made syrups, to their fresh assortment of pastries? Here, there’s space for connection, community and relationships to thrive. As they say, a lot can happen, over a good cup of coffee! Don’t wait, hurry and enter for your chance to win a $50 Gift Card from our friends at Fort Smith Coffee Co.!

Interested in hosting a contest with us? Contact Catherine at 479.782.1500 or email catherine@dosouthmagazine.com for details!

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community community

Nonprofit Spotlight

DS: How did the Elder Victims of Crime (EVOC) program come to be?

words Catherine Frederick

population of fifty years or older. Currently our service area provides support for the

The Elder Victims of Crime (EVOC) Program at Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas, Inc. (AAAWA) was established in October 2019 with a vision of providing further assistance to the elder population who recently have been or are currently being victimized. The program is the first in Arkansas to focus only on the elder residents of Crawford, Sebastian, and Franklin counties. We have been able to help more than 200 individuals and hope to reach many more in years to come.

DS: Who does the Elder Victims of Crime program serve and in what ways?

The EVOC Team provides victims and survivors full disclosure of privileged client information and will not share confidential information without their prior approval. All services are free of charge to victims. Safety and privacy are our top priorities. Assistance can be provided even if the victimization was not reported to law enforcement. Further assistance provided through our program is one-on-one counseling, home window & door lock replacement, car window replacement, legal aid services, emergency shelter, emergency transportation, emergency food and clothing, weekly virtual support

The Elder Victims of Crime’s mission

groups, and weekly education and prevention training on a variety of victimization topics. Training can be provided by one of our representatives upon request with

is to provide free, victim-centered,

meetings held virtually or in-person. The team can also aid in completing and providing

confidential assistance to individuals

information on the Crime Victims Reparation and Compensation Application.

fifty years or older that self-identify as a victim of a violent or non-violent crime without regard to race, religion, color, sex, creed, national origin, socio-

DS: Tell us how the EVOC's mission impacts our community.

Our mission is to provide free, victim-centered, confidential assistance to individuals fifty years or older that self-identify as a victim of a violent or non-violent crime without regard to race, religion, color, sex, creed, national origin, socio-economic

economic status, physical or mental

status, physical or mental impairment within our service area. Our team is waiting to

impairment within our service area. Do

assist with what is needed to get through a difficult time or situation.

South® reached out to learn more.

DS: How can our community get involved?

We would like to join other community-based assistance programs in our area Elder Victims of Crime

to aid those who may be seeking emergent shelter from an abusive situation,

Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas

emergency clothing due to having to leave their home without belongings,

524 Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith, Arkansas

provide virtual support group where survivors/victims can receive support from

479.783.4500 / 800.320.6667

others who may be going through the same situations or have in the past. We

agingwest.org

need the community’s support in helping spread the word of available victim services. There are also volunteer opportunities available to those interested in the community who meet qualifications.

Next month, we’ll showcase another worthy charity in our area free of charge. If you have a nonprofit you’d like to see recognized, email us at catherine@dosouthmagazine.com.

DS: Are there any needs or upcoming events our readers should know?

Our program is working toward providing prevention and education trainings in many different city libraries within our service area. One is scheduled at the Van Buren Public Library on June 14 at 10:30am where discussion will be held regarding our program and World Elder Abuse Awareness. Future events will be posted on the AAAWA website, www.agingwest.org, under the Elder Victims of Crime program section and on Facebook.

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community community

Look at that smile

understanding and maintaining boundaries, while

and those bright eyes. Man, he’s handsome. Our

also providing him a home where he can be an only

Darrin is all boy! He loves playing Legos and games,

child or have siblings the same age or a few years

while he also longs for attention and approval of

older. Darrin does have some developmental delays,

those around him. His favorite food is sugar, of

but he’s a hard worker and is willing to learn. Are

course! You might also find him enjoying a burger

you the dad Darrin has been waiting for to play

and ice cream as well. He loves to play football and

football with or the mom that can sneak him Tootsie

see monster trucks. He is such a sweet and playful

Rolls as a sweet treat? If you would like to inquire

young man. Darrin is waiting for a forever family

about Darrin, please visit his profile on the Heart

that can provide him structure to help him with

Gallery at theprojectzero.org.

In partnership with Project Zero and the Arkansas Heart Gallery, each month Do South® will feature a waiting child, or sibling group, in foster care in Arkansas. To inquire about these incredible children, please visit theprojectzero.org.

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community

DARRIN Age: 11 IMAGE courtesy Van Dover Photography

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community entertainment

Get BOOKISH

Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently-owned bookstore. Shop hours: Monday 11am-4pm, Tuesday - Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-4pm. Need curbside delivery?

Call 479.434.2917 or email orders@bookishfs.com.

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Pumpkin

Good Neighbors

Klara and the Sun

by Julie Murphy

by Sarah Langan

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Welcome to Clover City, Texas, the world of beauty pageants and dance contests. Waylon Russell Brewer is a plump, openly gay high school student with big plans to get out of Clover when he graduates, until his twin sister messes up his plans. On a whim, he makes an audition tape for his favorite TV show, Fiercest of Them All. The tape is leaked, and he’s nominated as prom queen. He doesn’t let this get him down and he quickly decides he’s leaving high school with a big glittery bang! This audiobook is narrated by local celebrity, Chad Burris!

On Maple Street, a pictureperfect slice of suburban Long Island, residents are bound by their children, their work, and their illusion of safety. When the Wilde family moves in, they trigger the neighbors' worst fears. Though Maple Street's Queen Bee, Rhea Schroeder, a lonely college professor repressing a dark past, welcomed Gertie and her family at first, relations went south.

As tensions mount, a sinkhole opens in a nearby park, and Rhea's daughter falls inside.

The search for Shelly brings a shocking accusation against the Wildes. This book digs up the betrayals of motherhood, friendships, social hierarchy, childhood trauma, and fear.

In his first book since he won the Nobel Prize for Literature for Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro looks at our world through the eyes of an observant narrator who works to understand what it means to love. Klara is an AF - Artificial Friend - and even though she is an older model, her ability to learn about her environment and use what she learned to understand human emotion is unmatched, even by the newer models. Haunting and hopeful, Klara’s journey will allow readers to look at their own relationships and assess how our actions relay our emotions.

JUNE Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish

by John Green Lovers of John Green need this in their collection.

This nonfiction assortment of personal essays links Green’s life to the larger world. Readers will connect to his charm and paranoia, while being intrigued by his intellect. From teddy bears to the Kauai o'o, Green gives each human interaction with the world a 5-star rating.

Through a multitude of quotes and references to poems and stories, Green is vulnerable but also secure.

His experiences aren’t too far from ours, but he’s taken the time to do a lot of self-work and feels compelled to share it with us.

DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

shop

BREAK THE CHAIN - SHOP LOCAL! words Catherine Frederick imageS Jade Graves Photography and courtesy vendors

When you shop local, you’re not only supporting our local economy, but also your friends and neighbors. Show your love for local businesses, and be sure and tell them Do South® sent you!

Persol Sunglasses

DR. STEVEN B. STILES OPTOMETRY 479.452.2020

Ole Smoky Moonshine Minis and Full Jars in Blackberry, Apple Pie, Butter Pecan, Pickles, and Cherries

IN GOOD SPIRITS 479.434.6604

Hearts On Fire Tessa Diamond Circle Pendant Starting at .25ct, Available in 18kt White, Yellow and Rose Gold

JOHN MAYS JEWELERS 479.452.2140

Founders Session Wheat Ale, Sierra Nevada Session Hazy IPA, Crafthouse Cocktails, La Adelita Tequila

Keep Your Ears High and Dry with Floating AquaNots by Westone

SODIE’S WINE & SPIRITS

479.785.3277

CENTER FOR HEARING

479.783.8013

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advertiserSPOTLIGHT

ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT

CENTER FOR HEARING

Lori Boyd, AuD, Kelley Linton, AuD, Trace Cash, AuD

with Kelley Linton, AuD Doctor of Audiology/Founder and Owner of Center for Hearing 4300 Rogers Ave, Ste. 15 Fort Smith, Arkansas centerforhearing.net 479.785.3277

When founded: Opened 1998 Number of employees: 13 Employees

ABOUT CENTER FOR HEARING Center for Hearing is a private practice audiology clinic serving both adults and children. They provide complete hearing health care, hearing aids and hearing rehabilitation for all ages and provide services to the entire River Valley region.

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advertiserSPOTLIGHT

IN A CROWDED MARKETPLACE, WHAT SETS CENTER FOR HEARING APART?

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TECHNOLOGY HAD AN IMPACT ON YOUR PRACTICE?

HOW DOES CENTER FOR HEARING INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY?

Providing the best, individualized, high quality

Technology impacts all we do in providing the

Center for Hearing is part of several organizations

patient care. We have the best Doctors of Audiology

latest advances in digital sound quality through

which give back to those with hearing needs.

and an extensive and knowledgeable staff available

hearing aids. Hearing aids are tiny computers

We provide audiology and hearing aid care to an

to help patients with all hearing needs.

with very advanced sound processing capabilities.

orphanage in Honduras. Dr. Linton has gone to

Most hearing aids have artificial intelligence (AI)

Honduras for sixteen years to provide care and

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE TO YOUR PRACTICE OVER THE YEARS?

as well as Bluetooth connectivity. These devices

services. A small portion of each hearing aid sold

must be prescribed and programmed by a skilled

is sent to the national organization “Hearing the

Our growth has been the biggest change to our

professional so that the patient experiences the

Call” which provides hearing care for those who

practice. We have expanded our clinic space,

highest quality of hearing possible. Much of the

are unable to afford it. Center for Hearing has been

including plans to build a new clinic in 2021 which

equipment we use for testing and evaluating

able to fit many residents with amplification at

will triple our current space, as well as continuing

patients is also changing as medicine improves.

no charge, through a program called “Hear Now.”

to increase our staff so that patient care does not

Center for Hearing maintains the latest and most

Unfortunately, this program was suspended due

suffer in the wake of our growth.

advanced clinical evaluation technology available

to COVID, but we are hopeful it will start back up

in the field of audiology.

soon. We also sponsor many events locally as well

WHAT ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE HAS REMAINED THE SAME OVER THE YEARS AND WHY IS THAT SUCH AN IMPORTANT FOUNDATION TO YOUR PRACTICE?

WHAT'S THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE AT CENTER FOR HEARING?

Our mission to provide the highest quality of

We are building a new clinic with more space

hearing health care to those that seek our help

and will plan to add a few more personnel. We

while staying on the cutting edge of technology

want to have the room and staffing to serve

and healthcare advances so that our doctors have

our patients’ hearing needs in a welcoming and

HOW HAVE YOU ADJUSTED TO COVID-19 PROTOCOLS TO CONTINUE TO SERVE CUSTOMERS WHILE KEEPING EMPLOYEES SAFE?

access to all that is available to improve quality

spacious environment.

From the beginning of the pandemic, Audiology

as many school functions. We only give to local

We maintain a culture of gratitude for the life we have been blessed with and for the patients that seek our help. We know our success is determined by how many people we serve and how well we serve them.

beneficial to the River Valley residents.

was considered essential. A person’s life stops

of life through better hearing.

WHAT IS THE CULTURE OF YOUR PRACTICE?

organizations and charities to keep our contributions

WHAT ADVANTAGES DOES FORT SMITH PRESENT FOR YOUR PRACTICE?

if they are unable to communicate, whether it’s

Many people from the surrounding areas choose

friends. COVID has caused isolation and hearing

Fort Smith for their medical care. As a border

difficulties should not exacerbate that feeling of

town, it allows us to help people from both

isolation. We follow CDC guidelines and continue

Arkansas and Oklahoma hear better and improve

to offer curbside care as needed.

their quality of life.

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with family, television, doctors, safety workers or

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community people

Rob Kenney

FATHER OF THE YEAR WORDS Dwain Hebda images HarperCollins Publishers

Last June, romper.com listed the favorite TV dads

other fields. Drew Brees held his toddler son in one

of every state in the country. The results ran the

hand, accepting the Super Bowl XLIV trophy in the

gamut from the predictable (Jack Pearson of This

other; Dave Groehl of Foo Fighters is a dad to three

is Us; Danny Tanner of Full House) to the classic

and credits his own late father as a singular light in

(Ben Cartwright of Bonanza; Mike Brady of The

his life. Every modern president has been a family

Brady Bunch) to the puzzling (Homer Simpson of

man though only one, George Washington, holds

The Simpsons and Walter White of Breaking Bad).

the mantle, Father of Our Country.

For the record, Arkansas marched to its own beat,

To that distinguished list add Rob Kenney

the only state to name Jed “JD” Clampett of The

who, thanks to a simple idea and social media,

Beverly Hillbillies fame as their preferred patriarch.

has become the dad some never had. Or, more precisely, the dad he never had.

“America’s Favorite Dad” has been a title debated and handed down for as long as there has been

“I was born in New Orleans, then we moved up

television, as well as bestowed to admired papas in

to Seattle where my dad worked for Boeing on

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people

the 747 program,” says Rob from his home in the Pacific

The first video was how to tie a tie and the catalog has

Northwest. “I came from a fractured home, unfortunately.

expanded exponentially from there to subjects as varied as

When we moved up to Seattle, it took a toll on my mom. She

yard work, handyman and automotive tips and simple cooking

saw us being raised in the Kansas sun where she was from,

and baking techniques. Other videos talk about ethical and

with all the cousins and her siblings. She was one of twelve;

character topics such as integrity and accountability in life.

they were big wheat farmers in Wilmington, Kansas.”

Each video, opened with Rob’s signature, “Hey, kids...” is “Anyway, we came up here and it took a toll on her mentally.

plainspoken, punctuated with dad humor and carries a warmth

And then, things started to fall apart between my mom and

that has proven irresistible to people all over the world.

my dad. My dad got custody of us, but it didn’t seem like he really wanted us. When I was thirteen, he came home and said, ‘I’m done raising kids. The older kids are going to have to take in the younger kids.’ So, I ended up living with my brother, who was nine years older than me, when I was

“I wasn’t looking to change careers,” the thirtyyear office supply salesman said. “I wasn’t looking

fourteen. I moved in with him and his wife.”

to be famous. I was just trying to help some people

Despite being given every excuse to live life as a train

and to put it all in one place, where you could learn

wreck, Rob somehow didn’t let the abandonment serve as his rudder. Instead, he became the husband and father he always wished his dad had been, a stable life partner to his wife Annelli and the rock in the lives of his two grown

how to tie a tie, get some basic car maintenance tips or learn how to mow your grass.”

children, Kristine, and Kyle.

And last year, as much as a covid-19 project as anything, he unwittingly became a positive influence to untold millions more through Dad, How Do I?, his YouTube channel.

“My wife and I raised our kids and they’re out of the house, but we still talk. We talk about adulting and they’re always asking me questions about different things,” he says. “Annelli and I started wondering, what do people do who don’t have this dad influence, as obviously, I didn’t have.”

Rob started brainstorming the many things kids learn from their dads. Then he made some notes, hit the video record button, and started talking as if he were explaining the task to his own children. Dad, How Do I? was born.

“I thought if I could put it all in one place, then that would “I thought of it two or three years ago and my daughter

be kind of a nice legacy to leave for somebody. I figured it

kept prodding me. ‘Dad, you need to do it,’” he says. “So,

would help a few people.”

last year was the perfect storm of covid and everyone being cooped up indoors and I finally did it. We thought we were

That “few” currently includes more than three million

going to help thirty or forty people. We didn’t know this

subscribers to his YouTube channel, but there’s no way of

was going to be what it is.”

calculating the actual reach of his heart-warming videos. Rob DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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community people

gets messages all the time from people worldwide telling him the positive impact of his video chats.

“I had people sobbing just watching me tie a tie. It was because of missing out on a dad,” he says. “Maybe they never had a dad, maybe their dad had passed. I’ve had subscribers in their eighties tell me they like to watch me since it reminds them of the time with their own dad that they no longer have.”

Dad, How Do I? was taken up by social media mavens, people with handles like SelenaSpookyBoo who pushed the channel to her many TikTok fans and similarly placed by influencers on Reddit and Facebook. Traditional media was also quick to catch on and Rob has been featured on CBS Evening News,

shouldn’t be looking at. Now, you can fill your head with

NBC Nightly News and The Today Show, among many others.

a bunch of garbage with just a click. Who’s protecting the

And it’s all happened with lightning speed.

kids? That terrifies me.”

“I started my channel April 1, April Fools’ Day, of all days. My

Rob also hopes to lead others to the kind of inner peace

first upload was April 2, and I was in some local media by late

he’s achieved over many years of dealing with his painful

April. Then it really went bananas by the end of May,” he

past. For this he credits his own family and his faith, as well

says. “It was terrifying. I didn’t do this to be famous. It was

as a lot of personal work and reflection on letting go.

scary to see my face everywhere. It was bonkers.”

“I share that in my book, that it took a long time for me to Despite the explosive growth in popularity, Rob hasn’t quit his

forgive my dad,” he says. “There’s a profound statement

day job and admits the demands of producing fresh content

about forgiveness I’ve shared over and over again in

and fielding new interview requests gets overwhelming at

interviews. It goes, ‘Unforgiveness is like drinking poison

times. He’s also just finished a book telling his story and

and hoping it somehow hurts the other person.’ My dad

imparting the wisdom life has given him. He not only wants

was skipping along through his life and I was the one

his advice heard by those who never had a dad, but also

drinking the poison for a long time.”

those searching how to become good dads themselves.

“It’s brutal to just continue to chew on the past when you “A big thing that I’m hoping to do is, yeah, encourage some

can’t do anything about it. I share that in my book, too. I call

dads to hang in there,” he says. “A big talking point that I’ve

it coughing up a hairball; you’ve got to cough it up and get it

tried to share is ‘Think long-term.' With men, we’re visually

out so that you can get on with your life. I coughed up many

stimulated, so we tend to run after things, ‘shiny objects’ is

hairballs, sobbing and going through all kinds of emotions to

how I put it. We need to think long-term; if you make the

finally get it up and out. But I’m thankful that I finally did.”

decision to walk out on your family, somebody is left behind, usually a single mom working her tail off to try to clean up the mess you left behind.”

“Fatherlessness terrifies me in our society, especially with the

Find Dad, How Do I? on YouTube. His book, Dad, How Do I?, is available from HarperCollins and Amazon.

dangers of the internet, the garbage that’s out there. When I was younger, you had to seek out some of the stuff you

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people

Coffee Klatsch

words Liesel Schmidt images courtesy Anne Marie’s Photo and Video and Katie Driscoll Photography

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people

G

Go to any coffee shop around the world, and you won’t just find coffee—you’ll find great conversation and a meeting of the minds. From tiny holes in the wall to full-blown meccas of all things coffee, the buzz around this caffeinated brew is more than just hype. It’s also about more than just the drink itself— it’s about the ritual, the appreciation for taking a break from the busy pace of life to sit and talk over a cup as it cools, or even just sitting and letting time pass as you get your bearings, taking in the aroma, letting the strong flavor wash over your tongue, and remind you that— in those moments—things can wait.

The Gould Family

For Kaity and Gabe Gould, coffee is what drives their day—both literally and metaphorically speaking. Roasters of coffee beans for

concept, which is why we started gradually, with the goal

the past seven years, the couple has come quite a long way

of creating a brick-and-mortar space. We focus on offering a

from the bags of beans that they sold at the local farmer’s

quality product, in a welcoming and interesting atmosphere,

market and BrickCity in the early days. From there, they

while providing an engaging customer experience. We also

worked their way toward opening their own shop; and now

want to provide stable, preferably long-term, jobs for as

the Goulds are the proud owners of two.

many people as possible.”

The story of their java journey starts off a world away, in

As with all great entrepreneurs, the Goulds are passionate

Sydney, Australia. During the year that the couple lived

about their product. “Gabe and I seem to love coffee for

there, Gabe attended a Biblical theology college, while

different reasons,” Kaity observes. “He has more of a focus on

Kaity worked as a barista. “That was my first exposure

the science behind it because it’s exciting to discover the flavor

to the craft coffee world, which gave me insight and

profiles that emerge after roasting, depending on where the

knowledge into the depths of what happens behind the

coffee was grown. He takes pride in quality control and serving

scenes of a successful coffee company,” Kaity explains.

customers the best possible coffee-based drinks. Personally, I

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, having seen both

love the social side of coffee. So many awesome things happen

of my parents being self-employed during different seasons

over a cup of coffee: first dates, business meetings, study

of my childhood. I was never sure what direction to take

sessions, religious studies, creative brainstorming sessions…

that desire in, but it was during our time in Australia that

It’s a drink that brings people together.”

the dream for Fort Smith Coffee Co. was birthed.”

Bringing

people

together

and

connecting

with

their

The concept behind the business was simple: “Our foundation

community are high priorities for the Goulds, who frequently

is freshly roasted, small-batch coffee,” explains Kaity, who

host shows for local artists, provide a venue for local

was working at Harvest Time Academy at the time she and

musicians, and give financially to community organizations

Gabe, a Fort Smith native, a US Navy Veteran and former

in need. “We do it anytime budget allows—and when it

employee of Nestle, started selling freshly roasted coffee

doesn’t, we donate lots of coffee,” Kaity says with a smile.

beans as a side hustle. “We built everything around that DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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people

them feel known and comfortable. That’s something that people notice and appreciate, as is our attention to detail.

They know that, when they come here, they’ll find delicious, freshly roasted coffee, a great customer experience, housemade syrups, and scratch-baked pastries.”

And while the menu might be largely dominated by the freshly roasted beans that they use in countless iterations of coffee drinks, there are other temping items on the list: non-coffee beverages including hot chocolate and teas, tasty pastries from their bakery, fresh quiches, breakfast burritos Gabe Gould

and sandwiches, gourmet toasts, and even local craft beers.

Clearly, they have their customers in mind, giving credence

With beans imported from all over the world, from suppliers

to the “all day” part of their tagline of “Sip. Gather.

including Anthem, Cereza, and Optco, they work solely with

Connect. Create. All day, every day.” Something else they

importers who source the beans ethically and work closely

say and really mean? “YOU are welcome here.” It’s not just

with the coffee farmers. “We have hopes to one day travel

something that sounds good—it’s a way of treating their

and source the beans ourselves,” says Kaity. Other plans for

customers and even their employees. “The most satisfying

the future include expanding their reach in the River Valley,

part of owning this business is seeing our baristas thrive

with additional dine-in locations as well as possible drive-

and our customers leave happy,” says Kaity, who has four

thru kiosks. Currently, they are expanding into the wholesale

children with Gabe and makes family and faith a priority. “As

world with the intention of being able to offer coffee beans

Christians, we try to love others well.”

in bulk as a supplier for restaurants and other coffee shops.

That faith has seen them through a great deal—not just in With both locations set in heritage buildings from the

taking the leap to start their own business, but in staying

1920’s, Fort Smith Coffee Co. is anything but the cookie-

the course during a worldwide pandemic and finding ways

cutter corporate chain on the corner. Imbued with an artistic

to meet the needs of their customers. “We launched a

feel, their coffee shops seem to have a recipe all their own:

makeshift drive-thru at the original location, offered ‘free

a base of contemporary urban atmosphere, blended with

delivery Fridays’ for bulk orders, and followed all health

the airiness of a greenhouse and a finishing note of modern

department guidelines to ensure that both our customers

farmhouse. “We worked hard to revitalize and breathe new

and our staff felt safe,” Kaity says. “We also took advantage

life into the older structures, while preserving much of the

of all grant and loan applications that were open for our

quirkiness and character of the past,” says Kaity of the

industry, which helped us keep everyone employed and even

massive structures whose original details were highlighted

allowed us to move forward with opening our Bakery District

rather than covered up: the exposed brick, the beams and

location and add more staff!”

framework, the raw ceilings.

As the owners of Fort Smith Coffee Co., the Goulds know All that quirkiness and character are two things that work

they’re serving up more than just a drink. They’re offering

well with the coffee shops, lending themselves perfectly to

an experience and helping create a community within their

the atmosphere as well as their way of doing things. “We

community. All day, every day.

offer an environment that is welcoming for everyone, and we educate our customers on our different coffees without being snobby. People should drink coffee however they like it, and we respect that,” says Kaity. “Our baristas also

1101 Rogers Avenue & 70 South 7th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.226.2437 or 479.522.3394 | fortsmithcoffeeco.com

remember regular customers’ names and orders, which helps DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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2021

INSURANCE spotlight special feature PRESENTED BY

WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity

Do South® is proud to recognize the talents and contributions of select insurance agencies and agents in our community. They set the bar for excellence and are committed to ensuring our families are protected. Join us as we salute their missions and the passion they share for their profession!

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Travis Hill Cross Pointe Insurance Advisors Any business that’s survived for more than 130 years is doing something right. Cross Pointe Insurance Advisors, founded in 1889 as The Allen Kennedy Agency, has grown to 130 employees across thirteen locations in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Travis Hill, business risk advisor and partner, says the same commitment to excellence that grew the company is on ready display today. “It’s all about relationships,” he says. “In our industry, anyone can get you a quote. What sets us apart is working closely with our clients to help them reduce their total cost of risk. We represent several companies, and they all have their strengths. We match our clients with the companies who are strongest in the areas that meet each client’s specific needs.”

The company also offers tools that boost accessibility and convenience. “ We can look up property records, take pictures and email them immediately. We can take pictures of ID cards and text them to our clients, so they have a copy with them. Plus, clients can access their documents from our Portal app, where they can retrieve auto ID cards and certificates. It is our goal to provide a range of options to our clients, so they can do business the way they want.” Most important of all, Travis says, is the uncompromising customer service that the company delivers. “From a service side, we want to be as accessible and efficient for our clients as much as we can be. We strive to always take that ‘extra step’ on their behalf,” he says. “It goes back to Sunday School and the Golden Rule: ‘ Treat others the way you would want to be treated.’ It’s that simple.”

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Aaron Windsor, Christi Mathews, Shannon Weir

Windsor Insurance Services Approaching each client as an individual, listening to their needs and matching those needs to the right insurance products are keys to the Windsor Insurance Services way of doing business. The Fort Smith company has the experience and wherewithal to provide insurance across a wide range of client considerations.

“We are independent agents, which means that we are contracted with many different companies. This allows us to provide our clients with choices for coverage,” says Christi Mathews, agent and agency manager. “We take the time to meet with clients one-on-one and we go to great lengths to make ourselves available so if a problem arises, our clients won’t ever feel alone. We are here to provide answers and help create solutions.”

Christi says given the complexity of today’s insurance marketplace – especially in Windsor’s specialty area of Medicare – connecting with clients on a personal level is key to solving their needs on a professional level.

“Medicare can be confusing, and we want to relieve the stress by explaining things clearly and helping every step of the way,” she says. “We often help our clients with billing and claims issues by calling the provider’s office, the pharmacy and in some cases, the insurance carriers.”

“Our agency strives to be the best source for Medicare information. Each agent is licensed, trained, and annually certified for every product that we offer. Therefore, we have a reputation for being informed, educated and available to help bring a resolution to virtually any issue the client may experience during the life of the policy.”

The firm enjoys many longtime client relationships, thanks to its commitment to unequaled customer service. Even in the age of technology and digital communication, says Christi, the human touch is still of paramount importance, often turning on the smallest and simplest of details.

“I would say that our success comes from building relationships with our clients and providing service that exceeds expectations,” she says. “Really good customer service is going above and beyond what is expected and paying attention to the little things. Just having a staff that is here to answer the phone and greet you in person is one of those small things that people really appreciate.”

“We love our clients; we love hearing about the jobs they are retiring from, the family they love and might have lost, their future plans, and stories of the past. We genuinely care for each person that we get to help. I often tell my clients, it’s not just about selling insurance, it’s about the relationships that I get to create and enjoy. And I hope they feel the same way.”

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Kendall Price PRICE INSURANCE SERVICES After years in the insurance business and hundreds of satisfied policyholders, you’d think there was some secret formula to Kendall Price’s success. Actually, says the owner and president of Price Insurance Services, it’s really about paying attention to the fundamentals.

“We answer the phone, and we call back,” he says. “And we let people know that we care.

People may not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.

That’s hard to do and we aren’t perfect at it, but we try very hard.”

Kendall and his employees have built a reputation for attentive service and expertise, particularly in his specialty senior market. Clients appreciate the lengths to which the agency goes to explain how its products, allowed under Medicare, can help them plan for the future.

“In my little patch of business, the products themselves are not terribly complicated. They just seem to be, because people get fire-hosed with information when they turn 65,” he says.

“So, we talk in a language the clients can understand without skipping any pertinent details, because the details are what makes the difference in choosing the right product.”

“We consider ourselves mentors. We don’t push any one particular product, but work to help clients understand their unique situation and understand how our range of Medicare solutions applies to them. We ask the right questions in order to get at the key information that helps us tailor the right solutions.”

Kendall’s résumé in his field is impressive. He is certified to sell Medicare supplements, prescription drug plans, Medicare Advantage plans, long term care, life insurance, and other supplemental products.

In addition, he was instrumental in the creation of River Valley Senior Alliance, a group of individuals and businesses in Fort Smith and the surrounding area dedicated to improving local seniors’ knowledge about resources at their disposal.

Making genuine connections with seniors, and helping meet their needs, are things Kendall finds most rewarding about his chosen line of work.

“I like helping people,” he says. “I can ease those times of life transitions, from working to retirement, from group insurance to Medicare, changes which can sometimes be unnerving.

Medicare seems complicated because there are choices we never had before and never really had to concern ourselves with before, and you need the right person to help you make sense of it. I find it enjoyable to provide that clarity. It’s rewarding to let people know they are well-covered.”

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entertainment

Lights, Camera, Clay Pruitt, Brandon Chase Goldsmith, Jennifer Burchett

ACTION words Dwain Hebda IMAGEs Jennifer Burchett

AS AN ARTIST ,

Brandon Chase

Goldsmith sees things other people don’t see.

As a documentary film maker, he finds many of those things in the places and people right under the noses of the rest of us.

Take his adopted hometown of Fort Smith, a place many Arkansans regard only for its frontier and military pedigree. Brandon appreciates this side of the community’s story as much as the next person, but he’ll see that and raise you a rich heritage in the arts, too. In fact, he says, you can’t talk about one without talking about the other.

“Fort Smith has this history of the arts in the downtown area,” he says. “During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the steam ferries and the trains brought the opera houses and the theatres to town.

“Later, when we had the Fort Chaffee military base, downtown Fort Smith was littered with movie theaters. If you see any old building with an ‘L’ on it, that’s an old movie theater. And you can see, they are everywhere downtown.

When the military base closed, it killed all of the theaters.”

Brandon talks about such things with the gravitas of a scholar and the zeal of a tent preacher.

It’s a unique gift, this ability to simultaneously educate and inspire his audience, that makes him a compelling film maker. And it’s the fife with which he has led a community band of similarly DOSOUTHMAGAZINE

entertainment

merry dreamers down the path to the Fort Smith International

One by one, the effort attracted the kind of community

Film Festival, which becomes a reality this summer.

heavyweights needed to accomplish its goal, from local press to community event organizers to officials in City Hall. Support

“I have lived in San Antonio, Phoenix and Memphis and

was so enthusiastic, in fact, the film festival might have debuted

I’ve been involved with the arts scenes in all three of those

by now had it not been for a generational pandemic played out

cities,” he says. “When I came to Fort Smith, I saw things

on the world stage last year.

like The Unexpected and The Peacemaker Festival, but one of the things we didn’t have in this area around here was a

As it was, covid-19 gave the group the time it needed to

film festival.

legally form as a nonprofit, while at the same time pushing ahead with plans for the 2021 inaugural event. Despite the

“About two years ago, I started thinking well, what would it

many uncertainties over what covid restrictions might look

take to make a film festival happen in Fort Smith? Those ideas

like, Brandon says pushing forward a year in advance wasn’t as without-a-net as it sounds.

started marinating and we started working on that goal.”

“As a fan of film festivals, myself, I had Brandon’s first step was to create the River

seen the direction that these events were

Valley Film Society, an organization that

going last year,” he says. “You had some

serves several purposes. Primarily, the society

film festivals that completely shut down and

brought together people of various skills,

closed. And then you had, throughout the

talents, and interests in film, but its role as

pandemic, organizers who were figuring out

a catalyst for a festival always resided within

solutions to showing their films online and

its DNA. Brandon used it to show community

streaming them.

movers and shakers how to get involved.

“Seeing all of that, we weren’t just jumping “The

first

step

was

setting

up

in without a safety cord. We saw that we

that

could have a contingency plan if we needed

network, so that there was a place where filmmakers and film fans could start getting together for

it; if covid continued to be bad in 2021, we could just do our

projects and having outlets where we could show films and

first year in an all-streaming format.”

discuss them,” he says. “Every month I showed works from local filmmakers and it was really fun. We started having

The same can be said for the “international” element of the

these film society showings regularly and in doing that, the

festival. Brandon, Jennifer, and the rest of the event’s board of

conversation always came around to taking this to the next

directors didn’t have a sixth sense for what travel restrictions

level and doing a film festival.”

would be like in 2021, so they reached out to the closest sovereign nation they could find.

Jennifer Burchett, a writer, and veteran of nonprofit work was one of the people who shared Brandon’s vision for a festival

“The thinking behind this being international came from one

and was among the first to sign on to help the concept take

of my documentary projects,” Brandon says. “I put together

shape and become a reality.

the story of one of the biggest gun fights in the Wild West that’s never been put on film before. And that happened in

“I knew Brandon as a business associate around town. We

the Cherokee Nation. I worked with the Cherokee Nation Film

always kind of hung out in the same group and we had a lot

Office to get my actors for that.

of similar business activities,” she says. “He told me he was turning the group into a nonprofit and I think the first words

“That got me thinking, you know what? The Supreme Court

out of my mouth were, ‘I want to be part of it.’ I knew right

ruled the U.S. treaties with tribes are still in place and that

away that it was something that I really wanted to do.”

the Cherokee still own the land that’s right on the other side

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30

entertainment

Jennifer and Board Member John McIntosh

“A lot of times, when people think about diversity, it’s really easy to think about it as far as just the other person. Ok, well, it’s someone who’s different. Well, diversity is another way of saying ‘everyone’ because we’re all different. So, it is a platform where anybody can participate.

“The theme of the festival is ‘Through Their Eyes’ by which we chose to highlight categories that are either underrepresented in the scope of filmmaking, or that we thought gave us a unique voice that would be representative of where we are right now in our society. Works by people of color and indigenous people are something we knew early on we wanted to have as a central part of our festival.”

As it turned out, the international component extended well

of the river. So, if you look at it that way, that river is an

beyond the participation of Fort Smith's indigenous neighbors

international border; you’ve got the Cherokee Nation over

to the west. In fact, one of the things organizers were not

there in Oklahoma.”

expecting was the deluge of entrants the festival attracted, films submitted from thirty-three countries in all. Organizers

Jennifer, who serves as the film festival’s artistic director,

also reached out to Fort Smith’s sister city of Cisterna, Italy, to

also notes the inclusion of the Cherokee Nation is in step

forge a global relationship bound by film.

with the ethos of the event, recognizing the work of all “I happened to find out their film festival is the month before

artists and film makers.

ours,” Brandon says. “We were able to get in contact through “Fort Smith has always been a border town, so this is a way

Mayor George McGill and former Mayor Sandy Sanders, with

for us to acknowledge an autonomous community right across

the people who originally set up the twinning of the cities of

the border,” she says. “It’s something that reflects the essence

Cisterna and Fort Smith.

of what we want to be as a festival. We want to be a platform “Jennifer, Clay Pruitt and I served as jurors for their festival

for diversity across the board.

and they’re picking a team of three to be jurors at our film festival. In the future, we hope that partnership will help us

"We’re bringing the

attract more films from abroad. We’re bringing the world to Fort Smith, but the way that I look at it is that we’re actually

world to Fort Smith,

showing Fort Smith off to the world.”

but the way that I look at it is that we’re actually showing Fort Smith off to the world.”

August 13-14, 2021 Downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas fortsmithfilm.com

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travel

WOO PIG

SOOWHEEEEEE!

A FIRST-TIMER RIDES THE PIG TRAIL Words and images Dwain Hebda

T

There are a few journeys everyone should take in their life. The

The Pig Trail is well-known to Arkansans of a certain age,

journey of self-discovery, the path of righteousness and the

because in the years preceding completion of I-40 in 1975

road less traveled are now and again good for the soul and

and the northern segment of Interstate 49 in 1999 (better

improve us as human beings. Or, if you live in Arkansas, just

known as the John Paul Hammerschmidt Highway), Arkansas

take The Pig Trail, a ride that rolls all three of those into one.

Highway 23 was an alternate route for getting between Little Rock and Fayetteville.

Like a lot of people in this state, I had heard of the legendary route, even wrote about it from time to time. But in nearly

With each modern highway that has come along since then,

twenty years living in Arkansas, time and fate had never aligned

The Pig Trail became less and less the preferred route for

sufficiently for me to experience it for myself. Until now.

football fans, college students and other non-local traffic that it once was. Yet it remains no less a coveted bucket-list highway.

I want to say up front I could have picked a better weather

USA Today once ranked it second on the list of best motorcycle

day as the morning of my departure from Little Rock dawned

rides in the U.S. and seeing the photos of it in its autumnal

gray and rainy with a low cloud ceiling. I also want to say the

Technicolor splendor, it’s not hard to see why.

irrefutable law of the deadline had come into play by this point and I was to take what Mother Nature was dishing out and like

The whole of Highway 23 runs more than one hundred twenty

it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, unless it's an editor

miles from about Ozark through Eureka Springs and on to the

waiting for their copy.

Missouri border, and while some people call the entire stretch DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

travel

The Pig Trail, technically that’s not true. Nor is it precisely

before you know it, you’re gaining altitude, ears popping, thick

accurate to call the combination route of Highway 23 and

stands of forest trees blocking out the valley vista while on the

Arkansas Highway 16 west to Fayetteville The Pig Trail, even

other side, pop-up waterfalls gurgled and splashed the day’s

though that’s the route of old for the Razorback faithful.

rainfall over the face of granite.

The Pig Trail Scenic Byway, as its formal name reads, covers

One-third of the way in, the trees stretched across the roadway

about the first twenty miles from I-40 north, terminating at

towards each other, in places forming a tunnel of lime, kelly,

Brashears. Twenty miles may not sound like a lot, but I’m here

emerald and moss green, the palette uninterrupted save for

to tell you it will give you everything you can handle and more.

the yellow diamonds of steel announcing one after the other contorted curves and turns.

The rain had picked up by the time I hit my exit and nosed the truck north. I’m not ashamed to admit I noticed my pulse

Nature is so on top of you here that the manmade actually

had quickened for what was to come, not unlike the moments

takes you by surprise. So it was that I came around a bend and

sitting in a roller coaster when the yoke comes down and you’re

into view of the famous Mulberry River Outfitters, known to

locked in. A wry grin tickled the corner of my mouth as I noticed

most as the Turner Bend Store, a combination grocery, deli and

at the exit a wrecker service, a liquor store and a truck stop

souvenir stand that’s the gateway to the cabins, canoes and

advertising clean bathrooms. I’d wager every Pig Trail neophyte

various flotilla that is its stock and trade.

identifies with one of those clienteles before their drive is done.

Inside, the menagerie includes everything; kayak paddles I reset my trip odometer just to keep tabs on where I was,

to beer, t-shirts to jerky. Faded newspaper and magazine

aimed at Mulberry Mountain and at three tenths of a mile,

write-ups line the walls and music plays in time with the rain

the first road sign bearing the telltale squiggle appeared. It

on the porch. Here and there a local pulls up to grab a bag of

was not the most extreme turn of the trip, but we were just

chips or the phone jangles with another person asking about

getting started. Checking my rearview, I saw I was alone on the

water levels. But this being a weekday, what they were doing

highway, the truck stop shrinking from view like an old duffer

most of was bracing for the weekend. Ample rain and warmer

who waves after you with a cackle. From here on out, it’s just

weather have made the nearby Mulberry River wilder than usual

man, machine, mountain, and madness.

and whitewater enthusiasts have been arriving by the score for a month. I hung around long enough to get my land legs back,

For those who know our state, the first stretch mirrors routes

then crossed the old iron bridge and drove on.

around Mountain Home and Jasper. Large pastures spread out unexpectedly around corners as herds of cattle and the

It was as if The Pig Trail took umbrage that I didn’t buy a Coke,

occasional horses graze in the meadow. Domiciles run the

look at the time and turn for home from the friendly confines

gamut from hillbilly hoarder deluxe to splendid retirement

of the Turner Bend Store parking lot. For the next chunk of

acreages perched on high ground behind iron gates and long

the way, the rain fell harder, the sky was darker, and the road

graveled drives.

got three classes hairier. What I didn’t know was Northwest Arkansas was under an open faucet causing major flooding

Here and there, an ancient barn stares down your approach,

to the north. Though not that bad, there was still plenty of

blank-faced for having seen thousands before you and destined

rain coming down on top of me, with the flow from the rocks

to see thousands more after. Fewer still were the country

streaming across the pavement in two places and plenty of

churches, brick-clad and crowned with white steeples pointing

debris across several others that told me I’d missed some real

the way home.

danger by mere minutes.

And everywhere you look, you see the mountain, anchoring

The higher you go, the slower you drive, and I was knocking on

the sky like a tent stake. At first, the hulking giant felt at arm’s

the sky. What started at fifty miles per hour at the truck stop

length as if warily keeping its distance, sizing you up. Then

would eventually bottom out at a double fishhook in the road

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34

travel

taken at but ten miles per hour. There’s no cheating on that

in front of me. For a moment I felt suspended between heaven

number, either; on the rain-soaked surface I’d drawn that day

and earth, churning clouds under my wheels. As the dark

The Pig Trail was like driving on an eel.

outlines of warlock trees took shape, the velour mist dissipated, and the road slid down the green gullet of trees.

In addition, I was starting to meet oncoming traffic, another sign that Mother Nature has a sick sense of humor. I can say,

Then, before I could process what had just happened, it was

however, that unlike other parts of the state where drivers’

as if blackout curtains had dropped and the landscape became

idiocy and distraction is on ready, text-tapping display, the

open, flat, and calm. Twenty miles on the dot. Time to go home.

locals here know The Pig Trail is nothing to mess around with.

The return trip held few surprises (although coming back

And while I can’t imagine anyone dumb enough to check their

through the fog to meet two moving vans coming the other

Instagram behind the wheel up here anyway, cellphone strength

way got me a lot closer to Jesus). You never want to get too

weeds out those who would try. Throughout my adventure, I

comfortable on The Pig Trail, of course, but there’s something

never got so much as a smoke signal.

to be said for letting the color back into your knuckles and taking more things in. Before I knew it, the truck stop rolled

Roughly three-quarters of the way to done, I pulled into the

into view and I was back on the Interstate, headed for home. I

Mulberry Mountain Lodging and Events compound. Built out

couldn’t help but notice how tame and safe and boring it felt.

of an old blueberry farm, the small general store sits inside the former barn where the harvested fruit was once processed. I

I’d just given forty miles and about five years off my life to

chatted up the man in charge, whose family owns and runs

the most iconic highway in the most breathtaking place in the

the place, and discovered that with the exception of weddings

world. I’d pulled over to see albino waterfalls, listened to what

and events, the events of last year had done little to slow the

the mountain was trying to tell me, found the joy in joyride. It

stampede of people that trek here to breathe the mountain air

was too much to know in one drive, so I promised that I’d be

and get back into balance with the natural world.

back, enriched by the adventure I’d just had and compelled by what would always be here, waiting, ready for more.

Looking out the front window at the massive hidden valley, it was clear social distancing wasn’t a problem up here. Gathering up a resuscitating iced tea, I scratched the company mascot Rascal the spaniel behind one velvety ear and moved on.

The Pig Trail had one more sucker punch up its sleeve. With but a few miles to go, I came around a corner into a pocket of clear road and sank into a suffocating fog that whited out everything

Maps and More: arkansas.com/ozark/tours-experiences/pig-trail-scenic-byway Turner Bend Store Ozark, AR | turnerbend.com | 479.667.3641 Mulberry Mountain Lodging and Events Ozark, AR | mulberrymountainlodge.com | 479.667.1919

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36

outdoors

Women IN THE

WILD

words Scott Faldon images Holly Morgan, Mallory Kleck, and Ashley Hout

Thanks to the pandemic, millions of people ventured into outdoor recreation for the first time and women led the way. The Outdoor Industry Association reported

fifty-eight

percent

of

new

outdoor

participants in 2020 were women.

But as the region returns to “normal” or the “new normal,” those new outdoor adventurers might be tempted to return to their pre-2020 habits. Local outdoorswomen are hoping that isn’t the case.

I reached out to a few locals and found that while their favorite activities are different, they each agree the best place to be in The Natural State is outside.

CAMPING Holly Morgan got into camping years ago thanks to her love for music. “I never really went camping until I was eighteen,” Morgan said. “Music festivals got me into it. I liked camping at the festivals and didn’t want to wait to go camping until the next one.” Morgan sees nights spent in a tent as one way to get away from it all.

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outdoors “It’s peaceful and allows you to get away from all your

That even carried over to college, where she got a degree in

day-to-day stress,” Morgan said. “There is nothing like the

Fisheries and Wildlife Science at Arkansas Tech University.

view of the Milky Way on a clear night when there’s nothing else on the to-do list but to sit back and bask in the beauty.

“I love water so much that I wanted to learn more about it

You don’t get to see the night sky like that when you grow

and everything in it,” Mallory said. “I think knowing more

up in the city.”

about your environment like the animals and native plant species makes you more comfortable in the outdoors.” As

Morgan wears her love for the outdoors on her right shoulder

a result, Mallory’s outdoor activities are water centric. She

with an intricate tattoo of Angels Landing at Zion National

loves kayaking and is SCUBA-certified. “I just love the water,

Park. When listing her favorite places to visit, she quickly runs

sometimes I’ll just go under and watch the fish for a bit,”

down a list of places in Colorado and Utah. But she includes

Mallory said. “It’s really interesting to me.”

a spot much closer to home as well. “Colorado has endless views, that’s my favorite place to go,” Morgan said. “But in

Big Piney Creek, north of Clarksville, was a site of several of

Arkansas, the Buffalo, of course, is at the top of the list. The

Mallory’s field studies in college. She grew to love it. For quicker

bluffs and scenery are amazing.”

daytrips, the Mulberry River is an option she recommends. A good knife, like a Benchmade, is always in her pack along

Morgan lists her JetBoil stove, Mountain House Biscuits &

with a high-quality first aid kit. Along with dry boxes and dry

Gravy meals, and a high-quality headlamp like those made by

bags, Mallory always takes a simple trash bag. “I like to pick

Petzl or Biolite as her must-have items for any camping trip.

up fishing line that’s caught in a tree along the bank or other trash,” Mallory said. “I can’t stand seeing trash in the water.”

Kayaking As a kid, Mallory Kleck grew up in the water. Whether catching

Cycling

tadpoles on camping trips or competing on the Fort Smith

Joyclen Owens took a spin on a friend’s bicycle about eleven

Tideriders swim team, the water is where Mallory was happiest.

years ago. She was instantly addicted. “Brent Williams bought

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outdoors

a new bike, and he gave me his old one, that’s how I got

stressful, but when I get to the river and hear the water rippling

started,” Joyclen said. “Unfortunately, he died a week later.

across the rocks, I get a complete calmness,” Ashley said. “All

We only got to go on one ride together.”

the stress fades away just by being in that environment – even if I don’t catch a fish.”

Now an avid rider, Joyclen is a regular on the roads at Chaffee

While fly fishing can seem to be a male-dominated realm,

Crossing. She mapped out a twenty-five-mile route from her

Ashley said the number of female anglers has been steadily

house that she rides at least three times per week. “I love the

increasing. It is a trend she hopes continues post-pandemic.

freedom and relaxation of riding, it just makes me feel good to

“Over the past five years, I’ve seen more women on the water

ride,” Joyclen said. “Really, riding a bike is the best feeling ever.”

than ever before,” Ashley said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Hiring a guide is a great way to learn as well.”

Joyclen said a good pair of glasses like Oakleys are important when riding. “I want the best stuff – period,” Joyclen said

While Ashley has fished all over the country, the White River

with a laugh.

and the Norfork are her home waters for catching rainbow and brown trout. “The White River is just an hour away in northwest

Fly Fishing

Arkansas,” she said. “The Norfork is a longer drive, but it is so

When your dad hands you a fly rod not long after you start

beautiful there and the fishing is world class.” In addition to

walking, chances are you’ll be a pretty good angler when you

trout, Ashley is beginning to learn the techniques for catching

grow up. That certainly is the case for Ashley Hout.

smallmouth bass on the fly after a trip to Crooked Creek.

“He would take me to a neighbor’s stocked pond where I’d

In addition to the usual supply of extra flies and polarized

catch bluegill,” Ashley said. “They were so pretty.” From there,

sunglasses, Ashley makes sure to take a small cooler like an

Ashley’s love of fly fishing continued to grow. Like the others,

IceMule filled with water and snacks. She stuffs extra clothes

she said relaxation is the biggest draw for her. “Everyday life is

in a Patagonia StormSurge waterproof pack.

Planning your next outdoor adventure? Visit The Woodsman Company in Fort Smith, Arkansas for all your adventure needs! 5609 Rogers Ave, Suite D, Fort Smith, Arkansas | 479.452.3559 | thewoodsmancompany.com

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40

taste

Aloha Chicken Kebabs words adapted allrecipes.com image partyforks/Shutterstock

DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

taste

Ingredients

method

(serves 4)

In a bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger,

for the marinade

and sesame oil. Add cornstarch, pepper and salt if desired.

1 ° /3 cup ketchup

° 1 teaspoon honey

Place cubed chicken in a gallon size Ziplock. Save 1/2 cup

1 ° /3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 ° /3 cup soy sauce, low-sodium

of the marinade in the fridge and pour the rest over the

1 ° /4 cup canned pineapple juice

chicken. Place sealed bag in fridge for at least one hour.

° 4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided,

Soak skewers if using wooden ones.

plus more for brushing grill

1 ° 1 /2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Preheat your grill to 400°F. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive

° 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons)

oil over red onion, peppers and pineapple and stir to

1 ° /2 teaspoon ground ginger

coat. Season veggies with salt and pepper, then thread

1 ° /2 teaspoon sesame oil

red onion, peppers (I alternate the colors), pineapple, and

° salt and pepper to taste

chicken cubes onto skewers until all the chicken is used.

° 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

(to thicken the sauce, only if desired)

Brush your grill grates with olive oil and place skewers on grill. Cook for 5 minutes, then brush the tops with about a

For the kebabs 3 ° 1 /4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed 1 ° 3 /2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed

1

/4 cup of the marinade. Flip them over and brush with the

remaining 1/4 cup of marinade.

1 ° 1 medium green pepper, cut to 1 /4-inch pieces 1 ° 1 medium red pepper, cut to 1 /4-inch pieces

Cook for 4-5 minutes longer and ensure chicken is cooked

1 ° 1 large red onion, cut to 1 /4-inch pieces

through. Serve warm – rice makes a delicious side dish!

TIPS • Soak wooden skewers in cold water for at least one hour prior to using so they do not burn while cooking.

• Metal skewers are readily available at most local retail stores.

• For best results, only use fresh pineapple! The flavor is not the same and the cubes are not large enough.

• Prepare extra marinade and serve as an appetizer with a variety of fresh veggie slices – carrots, celery, peppers, etc.

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41

42

taste

Tropical Delight Recipe adapted Epicurious image wicktory/Shutterstock

ingredients (makes 1) ° 2 ounces blanco tequila ° 1 ½ ounces fresh pineapple juice ° ¾ ounce fresh lime juice ° ¾ ounce simple syrup ° 2 dashes of orange bitters ° mint leaves, extra for garnish ° pineapple wedges, garnish

method

Combine all ingredients except pineapple wedges in a chilled cocktail shaker. Shake well, strain over ice. Garnish with pineapple wedge and mint leaf if desired.

Please drink responsibly.

Never drink and drive.

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44

fiction

Lost and Found words Liesel Schmidt image hxdyl/Shutterstock

There are ghosts that haunt you, walking the late hours of the night to remind you of lost things. And there are ghosts who walk out of the mist to lead you away from your own darkness, becoming flesh and bone to hold you and make your broken heart whole.

“Please secure your tray table and return your seat to its upright position, sir.” Grace said the words and could only wonder if she sounded as tired as she felt. She’d been on three short back-to-back flights already, and she still had one more to go until she could finally put her feet up and relax for a couple of days. As much as she loved her job, loved the travel, and the opportunity to meet interesting people, it got to her sometimes. Mostly it was the long hours, but sometimes it was feeling as though she was rootless. She lived out of a suitcase, and her apartment was like a landing pad that she only visited.

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fiction

Grace watched as the man she had just addressed folded his

past passengers who all seemed a blur. Em handed her the

tray table up and latched it and then moved to reposition

demonstration seat belt and then removed the intercom from

his seat. She hadn’t gotten a good look at his face; but he

the cradle on the wall. As Em spoke, Grace moved through

was well-built, trim and muscled, and well-dressed in chinos

the motions of the demo, holding up the seat belt on cue,

and a polo shirt. His hair was trimmed short and the color of

indicating the emergency exits, giving instruction on how to

gunmetal. Just as she began to move on, he looked up at her

use the oxygen masks. All the while, she barely heard any of

and caught her eye.

it. I’m glad to see you, Jack.

“Grace?” He said her name in almost a whisper, as though

It had been the better part of two decades—years that had

he had found something unexpected. “Grace Harrison?”

been a lifetime. The girl Jack had known back then had gone on to fall in love and been through the pain of loss,

Grace studied his face: the brown eyes, the aquiline nose,

experiencing heartache that seemed to plunge her into a

the strong jaw, and a dimple that was just barely noticeable

darkness that she couldn’t escape. And the friend Jack had

when he smiled. He was fifteen years older than the last time

been all those years ago had been gone in almost an instant,

she had seen him, but it was still him.

slipping away without a word and disappearing from her life like an apparition gone with the light.

“Jack Walker,” Grace said, feeling a smile creep over her face and into her voice. “It’s been a long time.”

******************

His smile matched hers. There was that dimple. “It has,”

“Spill, Grace,” Em said, once they were strapped into their

he agreed, tilting his head in contemplation. “What, about

jump seats.

fifteen years or so now?”

Grace looked at her innocently. “What?”

Grace nodded, still feeling mesmerized by his face. It was a face she had known well, so many years ago. She’d known

Again, the eyebrow made an appearance. Clearly, Em wasn’t

all its lines, all of its expressions. And then it had been gone.

having it. “Mister 12C? I know there’s a story there, and don’t try to tell me otherwise.”

“Grace, it’s time to do the safety instructions, hon.”

Grace dropped her gaze to her hands, folded tightly and resting She turned toward the voice that was speaking behind her,

in her lap, wondering where to start. “His name is Jack,” she

catching the arched eyebrow and inquisitive look that was

said at last, letting out the breath she had been holding.

so plain on Em’s face. At five feet, eleven inches, Emily Capshaw towered over Grace, her blonde hair and slim build

“I gathered that much, sweetie,” Em replied. “And?”

making her a striking sight to behold—especially in her flight attendant’s uniform. And she had an uncanny ability to say a

“And we knew each other. A long time ago,” Grace said.

thousand words with that eyebrow.

“We were friends, actually. Good friends. We talked about everything—it was crazy how much we could always talk.

“Yes. Sorry,” Grace stammered. She turned her gaze back to

Didn’t matter what it was, we just talked.”

Jack, giving him an apologetic smile. “You’re all set here, so I’d better go. But we can talk more on the flight. I’m glad to

“So, what happened?” Em shifted in her seat and slid her

see you, Jack.”

feet out of her heels, sighing as she did. Then she reached into her blazer pocket to retrieve the small compact mirror

I’m glad to see you, Jack. The words played over in her head

she kept there. She popped it open and inspected her lipstick

as she made her way to the front of the cabin, walking

to make sure it hadn’t migrated to her teeth.

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45

46

fiction

“I don’t really know. One day I just stopped seeing him

The phone chimed a text coming through.

around, and then years went by.” Even as she said the words, it sounded so simple. How had they lost touch so

Grace had been home for an hour, happy that her shift was

completely?

over and that she had a little time to herself. But there was something else, too. There was Jack.

She couldn’t remember details now, all these years later.

Maybe Jack would know. She shook her head and looked

After the flight had been in the air and she’d made her

back at Em to catch the other woman studying her.

rounds with the beverage cart, they began talking. And just like she’d remembered, the conversation had been easy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Grace asked, feeling

He’d moved to Atlanta years before, starting over in a new

her face flush. At thirty-seven, she still had an uncanny ability

city to build his business, and had found success in his new

to blush at the worst times.

home. He’d also lost his wife in a car accident.

“Why do you think? There’s a man sitting on this airplane who

As the flight landed and all the passengers deplaned, Grace

obviously means something to you,” Em paused thoughtfully

realized that Em had been right. Jack had meant more to her

before continuing. “Maybe you didn’t know it until now, but

than she’d realized. Gathering his carryon from the overhead

he does. So, what are you going to do about it?”

bin, he’d caught her eye and smiled, walking toward the front of the cabin and the door. As he’d approached her,

“What am I supposed to do about it, Em? He could be

he’d kept his gaze steady on her and then had reached out

married, for all I know,” Grace said, closing her eyes and

to take her hand. “I’ve missed you, Grace,” he’d said.

slumping in her seat. She could almost hear Em’s eyebrow arch.

She’d smiled back, feeling somehow like the twenty-twoyear-old she’d been when he’d known her. “I’ve missed you,

“I saw no wedding ring. Did you? And I also didn’t see a

too, Jack.”

tan line,” Em’s voice said, breaking through Grace’s selfimposed darkness.

The phone alerted her to a second text. She crossed the living room of her apartment to retrieve her phone from her purse.

Grace opened her eyes to look at her friend. “That still doesn’t mean much. He could be involved. And it’s been

She smiled when she saw who it was from, feeling a warm

fifteen years, Em. A lot has happened for me, and I’m sure

rush of excitement flood over her.

alot’s happened for him. We might not even have anything in common anymore.”

I’m glad you missed me, read the text.

Em shook her head sadly. “Grace, a lot has happened to you,

I’m glad you missed me, too, Jack.

not just for you. I know that, and I understand it. And I know why you haven’t been in a relationship for almost a whole decade. It’s understandable that you don’t feel like you can trust people, sweetie. But you’ve got to learn how,” she said

Want more fiction? Visit DoSouthMagazine.com/Fiction.

softly. “And there’s a handsome man out there who seems like a really good place to start.” *******************

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1323 Main Street, Van Buren, Arkansas 479.474.0533 ddfloorcovering.com D&D Floor Covering proudly serves the River Valley area.

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Our team is dedicated to being the flooring experts for your home or business. We are known for our excellent customer service, professional installation, and custom work. D&D can help make your vision a reality. From stylish, waterproof floors and custom tile showers to beautiful window treatments and unique area rugs, we’ve got you covered.

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Jeannie Wester, Chuck Fawcett Realty 479.459.2394 jeannie.wester@gmail.com Ebbing 82 is the newest development for MGC featuring over eighty acres! Phase-I is located along Painter Lane and Moody Road with a combined twenty-one lots ranging from one acre estate size to traditional quarter acre. Choose your own builder to customize the design plan of your dreams. Single-family homes from 1,400-plus square foot on Moody Road to 2,250-plus square foot on Painter Lane.

The neighborhood is mere minutes to the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, River Valley Nature Center and Chaffee Crossing Dog Park. Other nearby amenities include the Arkansas River, Torraine Lake, Deer Trails Golf Course, Chaffee Crossing Historic District, Parrot Island Waterpark, and Ben Geren Park, along with many dining options!

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3407 Industrial Park Road, #B Van Buren, Arkansas 479.478.8668 eliteroofingllc@aol.com

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Elite Roofing is locally-owned and operated. We were here when the last storm hit, we will be here when the next one does, and we will be here every day in between. We do residential and commercial roofing and are here to serve you with the best quality possible. We work with all insurance companies and are licensed and insured in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. At Elite Roofing we understand that your home will probably be the largest investment you will ever make. We take pride in knowing that when it comes to your roofing needs we have you covered!

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Wells Lake Road Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.651.2092 timmayshomebuilder.com/lakeside Lakeside Crossing is ideally located near Wells Lake & many family outdoor activities in Chaffee Crossing. Thirdgeneration home builder, Tim Mays, is the exclusive Lakeside Crossing builder and works with Becky Ivey and Kim Kelly of Chuck Fawcett Realty to make your buying experience seamless. Homes range from 1,650 square feet to 2,500 square feet and are beautifully appointed with efficiency & comfort in mind. Call to choose your lot, customize your plan, pick colors, and discuss all the excitement that comes

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3407 Industrial Park Road Van Buren, Arkansas 479.474.4444 lumberone.org Lumber One has been and still remains the area’s only locallyowned and operated full-service lumber yard since opening in May 2002. Lumber One is here to provide a level of service that sets us apart as the best in the marketplace against our competitors. We can supply you with the materials to tackle your projects whether you’re a professional home builder, commercial contractor or do-it-yourselfer. Lumber One is part of the Greater Fort Smith Association of Home Builders.

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Maggie Malloy Art 479.883.9482 maggiemalloy0@gmail.com I came into my own as an artist in 2005 and enjoyed a twenty-eight-year career in non-profit prior to exploring the art world. Drawing has always been part of my life.

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3011 Stateline Road, Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.783.0060 majesticmarble.net

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Family owned and operated, we pride ourselves on fabricating

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416 N. 10th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.785.4444 martinshvac.com

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The Reserve at Chaffee Crossing is ready to show off our newest addition! Our first few buildings of Townhomes are available June 1st. One and two-bedroom options. Single car garages, granite, spacious closets, and the list goes on! We will also be adding to our already impressive amenities, a dog park and walking trail around the property! Lots of exciting things happening at The Reserve. Come join us! Call 479.222.6322 today for pricing and application information. We can’t wait to have you as a neighbor!

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Annual Homeowner's Checklist Use this helpful schedule to keep track of your home’s maintenance needs!

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