CELEBRATE - JULY 2023

You are going to love this issue – it’s packed with so much goodness it should be a crime! In this edition of Do South® we are all about having fun this summer – indoors and out.

Y SUMMERTIME

Art on the Border, the annual art festival, takes place in Fort Smith July 21-22. Art lovers can peruse and purchase pieces from more than seventy artists. Love live music? It doesn’t get much better than legendary local band, Mr. Cabbage Head and the Screaming Radishes. Find out what they’ve been up to and where you can catch them next. How about funnel cakes, a rodeo, carnival, and mutton bustin’? Find it all at the 110th annual Sebastian County Fair & Rodeo, taking place in Greenwood, Arkansas, August 23-27.

The wait is over! The doors to the U.S. Marshals Museum will officially open this month. We caught up with Ben Johnson, president and CEO, whose singular focus since coming on board has been to complete and open this massive project.

Will Whitson, our new sports contributor, recently sat down with Voice of the Razorbacks, Chuck Barrett, to talk all things Razorbacks of course, but also to learn more about how he got his start and what he’s up to now. We’re also introducing you to some kids – the goat kind! Discover how the local ladies of Goaty Goodness are transforming goat milk into skin nourishing products.

Next, Arkansas foodie, Kat Robinson has a new book, The Great Arkansas Pie Book, filled with 248 recipes! Not only are we sharing the story of how the book came about, but also the recipe for Jan Simrell’s, owner of Ventris Trail’s End Resort, famous Peach Lattice Pie – perfect for holiday gatherings.

And finally, we know summers around here can be rough, so we’re taking a trip to the islands, and the mountains, right here in Arkansas! Find out where and how you can explore these natural attractions, filled with fun and adventure. I hope you all have a safe and happy Independence Day, let the cookouts and fireworks begin! See you in August!

JULY 2023

OWNER - PUBLISHER - EDITOR

Catherine Frederick

COPY EDITING

Charity Chambers

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Artifex 323 – Jessica Meadors

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Jade Graves

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Marla Cantrell, Catherine Frederick, Dwain Hebda, Sara Putman, Bob Robinson, Liesel Schmidt, Will Whitson

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Catherine Frederick I 479.782.1500

catherine@dosouthmagazine.com

FOLLOW US

Annual subscriptions are $36 (12 months), within the contiguous United States. Subscribe at DoSouthMagazine.com or via mail, 4300 Rogers Avenue, Ste. 20, PMB 110, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903. Single issues available upon request. Inquiries or address changes, call 479.782.1500.

Catherine Frederick, Owner/Publisher/Editor

catherine@dosouthmagazine.com

JULY EVENTS

July 1

THIRD ANNUAL MAYOR'S INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE

Spiro, Oklahoma

July 1

IRON MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL & FREEDOM CELEBRATION

Roland, Oklahoma

June 1

LEVITT AMP SERIES: DUO DIVINAS

Riverfront Park, Fort Smith

Ju ly 1 - July 29

NEW EXHIBIT: BULLS, BRONCS, BEAUTIES AND BOOTS

Fort Smith Museum of History

Ju ly 4

2023 4 TH OF JULY CELEBRATION

Harry E. Kelley River Park, Fort Smith

Ju ly 4

GREENWOOD FREEDOM FEST

Greenwood Town Square, Greenwood

Ju ly 4

CITY OF VAN BUREN FIREWORKS

Field of Dreams Sports Complex

Van Buren

Ju ly 4

45TH ANNUAL FREEDOM FEST 5K

Greenwood Chamber of Commerce

Ju ly 4

FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR

Walmart AMP, Rogers

July 7

FORT CITY SLAM OPEN MIC!

Bookish, Fort Smith

Ju ly 7

MOVIES IN THE PARK: A BUG'S LIFE (FREE)

Tilles Park, Fort Smith

Ju ly 8

"AMERICAN PIE" FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET

Chaffee Crossing, Fort Smith

Ju ly 8

AMERICANA DAYS

Old Town Van Buren

Ju ly 11

FALL OUT BOY

Walmart AMP, Rogers

Ju ly 14

FOREIGNER

Walmart AMP, Rogers

Ju ly 15

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Fort Smith Convention Center

Ju ly 17

MOVIES IN THE PARK: ARTEMIS FOWL (FREE)

Creekmore Park, Fort Smith

Ju ly 17

MOMMY & ME ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Riverfront Pavilion, Fort Smith

Ju ly 20

NICKELBACK

Walmart AMP, Rogers

Ju ly 21

RHONDA VINCENT

ArcBest Corporation Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith

Ju ly 21

UNCORKED 21ST

ANNUAL ART OF WINE

Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville

Ju ly 22

ART ON THE BORDER

ACHE Research Institute Health & Wellness Center, Fort Smith

Ju ly 22

ETTA MAY AND THE SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKS

ArcBest Corporation Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith

Ju ly 22

THE CHICKS WORLD TOUR 2023

Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock

Ju ly 23

FORT SMITH CARS & COFFEE

Sweet Bay Coffee Co, Fort Smith

Ju ly 28

LYNYRD SKYNYRD & ZZ TOP

Walmart AMP, Rogers

Ju ly 28-29

2023 PEACEMAKER FESTIVAL

Riverfront Amphitheater, Fort Smith

THE BAKERY DISTRICT – FORT SMITH

BAKERYFS.COM

Monday Night Trivia:

Every Monday, 6:30pm

Cornhole (Bags at The Bakery): Every Wednesday, 6:30pm

Movie Night: Every Thursday, 6:30pm

Fort Smith Jazz Jam:

Every 3rd Thursday, 6:30pm

Bikes at The Bakery: Every 3rd Friday

Fort Smith Blues Jam:

Every 3rd Sunday, 1pm

BOOKISH: AN INDIE SHOP FOR FOLKS WHO READ – FORT SMITH BOOKISHFS.COM

Storytime at Bookish: Every Saturday, 11am

July 3, 6pm: Foodie Book Club

July 6, 12pm: Entrepreneur's Book Club

July 11, 2pm: Summer Reading Middle Grade Book Club

July 20, 5:30pm: YA Book

July 22, 10am: Pop Up Shop w/ Annie's Garden Blooms

July 29, 6pm: Stems & Stories, Tickets $50

FORT SMITH REGIONAL ART MUSEUM

FSRAM.ORG

CAMPS $35: REGISTER AT FSRAM.ORG/RAM-ART-CAMPS

RAM Saturdays: Saturdays, 12-4pm (FREE)

July 11-14: Dinosaur Art Camp

July 18-21: Science Fiction Art Camp

July 25-28: Installation Art Camp

To July 9: Elizabeth Weber and The Museum Project

To July 30: RAM Annual Invitational Odyssey

To Oct 1: Ayree M aner (student exhibition)

To Dec 31: Liz Whitney Textile Works

July 15 – Oct 15: John Bell, Jr.: A

Painted Legacy & Patsy Lane: Cast in Bronze

Aug 5 – Nov 5: Margaret Speer Carter

COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS – FORT SMITH

REGISTER ONLINE FOR CLASSES AT CSAFORTSMITH.ORG

July 6-8: Smash Hit Theatre Camp

July 10-14: Art Camps

July 10-14: Music Camp FREE

July 12-14: Auditions for Godspell the Musical

July 17-21: Ultimate Drum Camp

ARTS ON MAIN – VAN BUREN

REGISTER

FOR CLASSES ONLINE

AT ARTSONMAINVB.COM

Mondays & Wednesdays: Wee Draw Classes

Mondays: Hand Building with a Purpose Pottery Class

July 1, 15, 29: Paint a Pot Classes

July 1 & July 22: Art-O-Rama Saturdays

July 3, 6, 17, 20: Open-Life Drawing Sessions

July 6 – August 1: Intro to Pottery Wheel Class

July 7: Paint & Sip with Petra

July 8 & 27: Open Studio Hand Building Classes

July 13: Summer Wreath Workshop

July 14: Rays of Fun with Cyanotype Art

July 15: Rays of Creativity

July 17-21: Wheel Throwing for Teens Workshop

July 17-21: Kids 5-Day Summer Culinary Excursion

July 18: Drop-In Painting

July 27: Into the Woods Jr. Auditions

July 31-August 12: The Rainbow Fish

A Heart FOR ART

words Liesel Schmidt images courtesy Art on the Border

Dave Floyd Amy Eichler Art

Rania Assadi

Mary Lou Christie

Art, in its many mediums, is an incredible means of selfexpression, communication, and unification. In its seven years branded as Art on the Border, the River Valley's annual art festival has proven that talent abounds.

Originally launched as the Western Heritage Art Show in 2014, after two years, the event broke away from the confines of showcasing strictly "Western art" and became a stage for varied art styles, techniques, and mediums. By 2016, the newly rebranded Art on the Border was experiencing progressive growth, increasing its numbers from fourteen artists to sixty in 2019. Now in its sixth active year as Art on the Border, more than seventy artists will come from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and all over Arkansas to showcase their work to more than 1,200 expected eventgoers throughout the two-day festival.

Held July 21 and 22, the art show and sale will again take place at the ACHE Research Institute Health & Wellness Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas. "Art on the Border is the only event in the River Valley that offers such a vast selection of artwork for sale from regional artists while supporting local nonprofit organizations," says Joan McCoy, event chair. "We keep it fun and interesting for shoppers to wander through three galleries in this newly renovated and impressive building that has become the premium event center in Fort Smith."

The event kicks off Friday evening with the “Meet the Artists Show Opening" reception from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. This offers sponsors, past buyers, charity supporters, interested newcomers, invited guests, and art collectors the opportunity to meet the artists and have first dibs of purchases while they mingle and enjoy refreshments. On Saturday morning, the doors open to the public to enjoy the art and shop from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. According to Joan, 3,200 invitations were extended for the Friday evening show opening, along with a request for a $20 donation. Saturday's event is open to the public, which is free of charge.

"We created Art on the Border to be a happy, upbeat event filled with originals and varied artwork of every media," which, according to Joan, is exactly what makes the festival

such a draw for both artists and tourists. "You'll find oils, watercolors, pastels, fiber, hand-blown glass, jewelry, sculptures, gourds, wood turning, and so much more. And the price range is just as wide, from $10 to $2,000. It's a shopper's paradise; everyone can find something to love."

After canceling the event in 2020 and 2021, last year's revival of Art on the Border was a smashing success that the event's committee hopes to duplicate or surpass. When asked if anything new is on the roster, Joan notes, "Last year was such a glowing accomplishment that we are keeping it pretty much the same." What will be new, of course, are the pieces on display and the artists whose work is displayed. "Artists love to come and be part of this event," Joan explains. "The list of artists wanting to attend continues to grow, and we love how much of a draw it has become for such incredible talent."

While the artists benefit from the exposure, the event has a very significant benefit to the community. "By purchasing the unique art at Art on the Border, buyers are supporting the charitable organizations in the River Valley," says Joan. Over the two-day event, Art on the Border raises muchneeded funds for local charities. This year's beneficiaries include Riverview Hope Campus, The CALL in Crawford and Sebastian Counties, Family Ministries Arkansas Children's Homes, and the Good Samaritan Clinic.

For more information, visit artontheborder.com or facebook.com/artontheborder.

Musical Legends

Mr. Cabbagehead and the Screaming Radishes have been rocking the Mid-South with their energized, audience-focused performances of rock 'n’ roll, rhythm and blues, and soul classics for over thirty-nine years. Their extensive experience provides a broad playlist guaranteed to send the audience on a delightful stroll down memory lane. The nine-member band includes a rock-solid rhythm, a masterful horn section (featuring trumpets, saxophone, trombones, and flute), and soulful vocals.

The Cabbageheads, as their fans affectionately refer to them, are masters of their craft, and take pride in performing songs note for note like the originals. It would be easier to lay down general renditions, but they play them in the style that made the songs a classic because that's how their audience likes to hear them. When you hear their soulful rendition of “Saturday in the Park,” you will agree Chicago could not have played it better. And when they crank up the Isley Brothers' song, “Shout,” no one remains seated.

words Bob Robinson images courtesy Bob Dyer

The band has performed in a seven-state area, opening shows for Rare Earth, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Jan & Dean. For several years, the rhythm section was recognized as country music artist Carrie Underwood's backup band.

Thirty-nine years have passed, and just as times have changed, so have The Cabbageheads. Co-founders Steve "Bubba" Carter and Richard Carter have passed, joining the big brass band in heaven. The current lineup includes Ricky Young, Alfie Barter, Harley Vinsant, Jr, Hank McMurtery, Jimmy Atchison, Josh Hice, Steve Clark, Mike Lenzini, and Dr. Gary Edwards with Gary Davis-Sound Engineer, and Paul Henry-Stage Manager. When a band member cannot attend a performance, they have a long list of talented local performers to draw from, including Tom Ware, Chris Cameron, Don Bailey, Chris Carter, Mark Albertson, and Dale Fraze – all referred to as The Cabbagehead Alumni.

Throughout their careers, The Cabbageheads have performed at numerous charities. Arkansas Children's Hospital, The Gregory Kistler Treatment Center for Children, and Arkansas Heart Association, to name a few. The Special Olympics are also near and dear to their hearts, having performed at their fundraisers for eighteen years.

The group is also a member of the Arkansas Arts Council (AAC) Art on Tour (AOT) program. In support of the AAC's mission to advance and empower the arts to benefit all Arkansans, the AOT program reimburses presenters who showcase Arkansas artists who are members of AAC.

The AOT acceptance has been an excellent help for The Cabbageheads. Ricky says, "If we were in it for the money, we would have ended the group long ago." However, expenses for transporting nine band members, a sound crew, and assorted musical instruments can add up. With the financial assistance of AAC, the band gets a paycheck, many nonprofit agencies receive much-needed funds for their cause, and AAC accomplishes its mission.

One can only imagine how often the group is asked, "So, what's with the name?" When Ricky Young shared the name of his new band with his mother, even she replied, "With a name like that, you will never play anywhere." Lucky for fans like me and others who have danced to their energetic beat, his mother missed the mark.

The truth is, The Cabbageheads had a name before there was even a band. Founding members Ric Tinder and Ricky Young were driving to Fayetteville, throwing around the idea of forming a nine-piece band with trumpets, sax, trombones, flute, strings, and drums. They already had a popular rhythm band named Badger but aspired to perform tunes by Chicago, The Temptations, Tower of Power, and others.

The pair stopped for gas, and Ricky picked up a V8 drink. As they drove along Highway 71, Rick talked about a friend with a disfigured ear, whom everyone affectionately called Cabbage Head. As the story continued Ricky also reviewed the ingredients in his V8, mistakenly saying "screaming radishes" instead of "strained radishes." With that, a legend was born. That was thirty-nine years ago. Ricky attributes the band's longevity to the fact they all grew up together and are best friends. They respect and love one another.

Fans have three opportunities to join The Cabbageheads to celebrate our country's independence. They will strike up the band in Ozark on July 3, and then perform on the square at Greenwood's Freedom Fest on July 4, and later that evening will join the Fort Smith Mayor's Independence Day Celebration – by special request of Mayor George McGill. "The Cabbagehead band locks in a funky groove that lasts long after the party is over," notes the mayor. So, pack up a lawn chair and get on your dancing shoes because any event with The Cabbageheads is guaranteed to be a rollicking good time.

The Tradition Continues

SEBASTIAN COUNTY FAIR - 110 YEARS STRONG

TThere are precious few things in life that endure undiluted and unchanged. Children grow up, friends move away, and people pass, sometimes taking a town, its history, and traditions with them as they go. What follows, if anything follows, is often a strange and unfamiliar facsimile of what always has been. It’s why your high school gymnasium feels smaller than when you were a kid and why many entertainment options feel shallow and uninspiring, easily consumed through screens, and just as quickly forgotten.

The Sebastian County Fair, however, is one of those rare exceptions in life, an event that has shrugged off all but the most pervasive challenges to reach its one hundred tenth iteration in 2023. Here, the blue ribbons are just as bright as the midway, and the funnel cakes are as sweet as the pageant contestants looking for their moment in the spotlight.

It’s a fine thing, this fair, held annually in Greenwood, Arkansas. Not only for what it preserves of the traditions and culture of a place but also for the people who work all year to make it memorable. Randy Mitchell, president of the Sebastian County Fair Association, is a man so enamored with the annual event that he’s been known to choke up just talking about it. Retired from a career in the retail business, Randy is one of the foremost authorities on the fair’s history and a living testament to its importance to the local economy.

“We did some research and went back through some of the historical society’s publications,” he says. “We do know that there were carnivals and fairs that were held in the late 1800s here in Greenwood and into the 1900s, but the first reference we can find was the election of the Sebastian County Fair Board in 1913. The fair has probably gone on longer than one hundred and ten years, but we pinpointed it down based on the election of the fair board.

WORDs Dwain Hebda images courtesy Sebastian County Fair

“Prior to 1969, which is when the tornado hit the city center, I believe, the fair was actually located near where the courthouse sits now, where the old jail museum is. In 1969 the association acquired some property where we are now. Originally it was thirty-three acres, and they sold off approximately seven acres which then paid for the fairgrounds and made them debt-free going forward.”

Randy has been involved with the event for the past four years, which means he’s shepherded the fair through one of the most challenging events in its history, the COVID pandemic. While the fair was severely curtailed that year, certain elements, such as the Junior Livestock Show, were held. Slowly and steadily, the board has worked to resurrect attendance back to pre-pandemic levels.

“In 2021, we had right around 8,500 people attend the fair,” he says. “Last year, we had 10,073. We’re hoping for an even bigger turnout this year.”

This year’s fair runs from August 23 to 27, but those who can’t wait that long can get an early jolt of fair-related excitement with the pageant and talent show competitions on July 16. This event will be held at the Greenwood Performing Arts Center, with multiple scholarships and cash awards up for grabs.

“Whoever wins in the pageants will be representing Sebastian County at the State Fair in Little Rock,” Randy says. “The same goes for our talent show winners. Two years ago, our [talent] representative to the State Fair, a young lady named Elizabeth Merritt, who played the fiddle, went on to win the State Fair competition.”

The Sebastian County Fair opens on August 23 with junior livestock events in various categories, starting with a long list of animal judging to include beef, swine, goats, sheep, hogs, rabbits, and poultry. Gates to the carnival open at 5pm and, seeing as it’s Dollar Night, it’s a fun and inexpensive evening out for the whole family. Ride tickets are just $2 each or $25 for unlimited rides.

Also open that day will be the Home Economics building, displaying all the winners of the creative and domestic art in categories ranging from painting and photography to canning and handiwork. Randy noted with pride one tradition the Sebastian County Fair has kept alive that sets it apart from similar events in the state.

“What kind of makes us unique is we still give actual blue ribbons,” he says. “Some fairs have gotten away from that and give out stickers that go on the entries, but we actually do first, second, and third place awards.

Elizabeth Merritt

“And those awards are not head-to-head competitions. The system that is used judges each entry on its own merit. So, the biggest percentage are first-place entries from which they gather up all the entries within categories and award Best of Show rosettes.”

The mornings of Thursday, August 24, and Friday, August 25, are School Days, where the fair plays host to area kids to expose them to different areas of the fair and fairgrounds. As in past years, seeing livestock up close is the most popular attraction for the more than 1,100 kids participating.

“We found that a lot of the kids that were there last year had really never been around livestock,” Randy says. “They’d only seen cows from the side of the road, and some didn’t know the difference between a sheep and a goat. We have student-led tours that take these kids around, and they explain all that to them. We also take them through our Home Economics building, which is another opportunity to show them where our food comes from, with regards to the crops that are presented.

“We have a new attraction coming this year called Cow Town, and they’ll do milking demonstrations. They also have a free petting zoo where the kids can actually interact with the animals.”

On both Thursday and Friday, the carnival opens at five o’clock. Thursday is the night of the livestock awards held at both the show barn and the rodeo arena, while on Friday evening, the rodeo kicks off with bull and bronc riding. The rodeo is free with paid admission to the fair.

Saturday offers a free Senior Day during the morning that features a brunch with a speaker and door prizes being awarded. The carnival gates open at one o’clock, and the 4-H Foundation will host Bingo from the stage at two o'clock.

That evening features the Junior Livestock Auction, a benefit where patrons “purchase” winning livestock with the money going to support the youth who care for the animals all year.

“These kids have to buy their animals and feed them all year,” Randy says. “Not everybody makes the auction, but most do, and it gives them the opportunity to recoup some of the money that they’ve invested in their animal. Our auction is what we

refer to as a premium auction, meaning people bid for the animal, but they don’t actually get the animal. They’re just helping to financially support that kid to go and show in Fort Smith at the Arkansas Youth Exposition and then on to Little Rock at the State Fair.”

Also, that evening is the second half of the rodeo competition, featuring mutton bustin’ and a ranch rodeo, the latter event expected to draw competitors from as far away as Kansas. In addition to that entertainment, the carnival will be open.

On Sunday, the fair's last day, the gate opens at one o'clock, giving patrons one last chance to take a thrilling ride before the event closes for another year.

Musical performances will also add to the fun each day the fair is open. Wednesday night will feature Jade 18; Thursday's performer is the Richard Rauch Band; Friday's act is the Silent Thunder Band; and Saturday's headliner is Nashville recording artist Gabrielle Gore. All concerts start at seven o'clock. On Sunday, Roll Cage Mary plays at two o'clock, and Jimmy Miller takes the stage at five.

Asked why such events as the Sebastian County Fair still matter, Randy collects himself before answering.

“It kind of makes me cry when I get that question,” he says. “First of all, the county fair is the culmination of 4-H and FFA kids’ hard work throughout the year. I believe both those organizations bring tremendous value to the kids and are a very positive thing for our county and for our community.

“It’s all about seeing the kids set up to succeed, and I believe that will carry on later in life. That not only goes for the livestock portion of it, but it goes for the kids that participate in the arts, in the pageant to be able to go on and compete for scholarships to further their education and for the kids in the talent show to have a showcase and get some exposure. I just want to see an old American tradition like a county fair continue to go on because I believe it impacts lives greatly.”

For a full schedule of events and ticket information, please visit sebastiancountyfair.com or find them on Facebook.

Do South ® Cares

words Barbara Dalke, Fort Smith Noon Lions Club

The Fort Smith Noon Lions Club mission is to serve and advocate for the blind and visually impaired. Do South ® reached out to Barbara Dalke to learn more.

How did the Fort Smith Noon Lions Club come to be?

The Lions Club International was formed in 1917. On March 8, 1919, several businessmen at Fort Smith came together to establish the Fort Smith Noon Lions Club. In 1925, Helen Keller asked Lions Club International to take on sight conservation as their mission. Sight conservation remains the focus of the Fort Smith Noon Lions Club.

Who do you serve and in what ways?

Our mission statement is "We Serve” and we proudly serve the Fort Smith community. Sight conservation is a proactive approach to protecting and helping individuals keep their sight. Our club has purchased a guide dog for a man with blindness, as well as transported individuals to exams and surgeries, and has also provided exams and eyeglasses for adults and children. Finally, we collect used eyeglasses to be repurposed and sent to other countries.

What impact does Fort Smith Noon Lions Club have on our community?

PO BOX 5057

Fort Smith, Arkansas 72913

Find them on Facebook fsnoonlions@gmail.com lionsclub.org

Many citizens in Fort Smith have had their vision corrected and improved because of the Fort Smith Noon Lions Club. Because of our club, there are children who can now see clearly across the classroom. A man regained his freedom with a guide dog at his side. Others have had cataracts removed and can now drive and see clearly. Individuals’ lives are improved when clear and focused sight is a part of everyday life. We also provide monetary donations to other local nonprofit organizations and volunteer to assist Special Olympics each year.

Are there any upcoming events our readers should know about?

Next month, we’ll showcase another worthy nonprofit in our area free of charge. Requests for this free page accepted beginning October, 2023. Send inquiries to catherine@dosouthmagazine.com, or call 479.782.1500.

We have many events to raise funds and awareness throughout the year. One of our events is White Cane Day, when we ask the public to contribute to our mission. In the spring, we have a rib sale where we sell delicious smoked and cooked racks of ribs. During the Lawn and Garden Open House, we serve free hot dogs to patrons of Sutherlands. In August 2023, we are hosting a pickleball tournament! We hope to see everyone come and support this fun event and play some pickleball.

What else should our readers know about the Fort Smith Noon Lions Club?

It’s important to know that one hundred percent of monies raised stays in the Fort Smith community! Payment for our dues and any bills comes out of an administrative account which is funded from our local members. We meet at noon, every Tuesday at Golden Corral in Fort Smith and encourage anyone interested in learning more about our mission to join us!

Finally Seen

by Kelly Yang

This middle grade novel was a treat to read. The main character is a young girl who finally gets to join the rest of her family in America after years of being apart. She navigates the not-sotrue stories her family was writing to her in Beijing, the racism that confronts her throughout the book, trying to fit in with her sister, and the guilt of leaving behind a grandmother she loves. From mispronouncing English, to confronting a book ban, Lina is a character you can’t help but root for.

My Murder

by Katie Williams

This is a speculative fiction twist on a crime novel, and it is wild. Lou is a young mother who was murdered by serial killer Ed Early, but the government brings her and the other women he murdered back to life. The writing is sharp and clever and her insight into the commercialism of how we treat victims makes this more than your typical beach read. Grab a glass of wine as you trek through a world we may be heading into, one Chat GPT question at a time.

Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently owned bookstore located in The Bakery District.

Friends Like These

by Meg Rosoff

This young adult novel is perfect for fans of Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters. Eighteenyear-old Beth moves to New York City in the summer of 1983 for an internship with a newspaper. She realizes quickly that everything is wrong: her hair, her clothes, and the cockroach-filled apartment she shares. She meets Edie and her life changes, but through it all, she’s able to find and love her true self. This is a fun mother/daughter read full of life lessons, complicated relationships, and tons of nostalgia.

Happy Place

by Emily Henry

The queen of summer is back with a fantastic beach read that is set in a gorgeous Maine mansion. You’ll swoon over Harriet and Winn’s origin story and cheer them on all summer long, but not everything that looks meant-to-be is what it seems. Come for the love story, stay for the immersive storytelling and delightful characters. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you might stay up all night long just to see exactly how Harriet and Winn will end their summer of “love.”

July Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish

Ahdees is the oldest in this sibling group and is a big fan of outdoor activities and video games. Pizza and chicken are at the top of the menu every night if you ask Ahdees! Taichionna is the middle sibling, and she loves gardening, crafts, and playing with her Barbies. She enjoys eating all sorts of fruits –which aligns with her love of gardening, and she's right at home at your local farmers market. Rashad is the youngest, loves playing basketball, and is wild about cars. Want Rashad to clean his plate? Fill it with chicken nuggets and pour him a tall glass of chocolate milk to wash it all down.

The siblings have their struggles, but nothing out of the ordinary for kids their ages in their circumstances. Ahdees strives to be less impulsive and respect boundaries. Taichionna is working hard on using better judgment and making better decisions. And Rashad is making strides in communicating what he wants and needs more clearly. They are each progressing steadily and looking forward to sharing their successes with you! They'll need a two-parent home with structure and consistent routines. If you can provide that, along with a steady diet of love and support – and chicken nuggets, fresh fruit, and pizza, of course – these siblings will continue to thrive!

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.

AHDEES, AGE 11 TAICHIONNA, AGE 10 RASHAD, AGE 8

IMAGE courtesy Ashley Carson Photography

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imageS Jade Graves Photography and courtesy vendors

A Star Attraction

JJust beyond the stunning, low-slung metal and glass wonder that is the $50 million United States Marshals Museum, a striking, life-size statue of a mounted marshal draws the visitor’s attention. The lawman scans the horizon as if seeking signs of his quarry while the spirited steed chomps at the bit to give chase. It’s a beautifully powerful piece that’s so lifelike you almost taste the dust churned under the stallion’s hooves.

The marshal’s gaze squints outward, an apt metaphor for the museum itself. It’s been sixteen years since Fort Smith was announced as the site of the national museum. Since then, officials and residents have looked to its opening as a dot on the horizon separated by a million details and tens of millions in funding. But with doors opening to the public July 1, the U.S. Marshals Museum, like the men and women who make up this storied corps, has finally brought ‘em in.

“[Arkansas is] a state of three million people, yet we’ve got some enormously powerful cultural entities that anchor this place,” says Ben Johnson, president and CEO. “When they were building Crystal Bridges [Museum of Modern Art in Bentonville], the art scene across the country was aghast that this would happen in Arkansas, and I think it’s a similar thing for the U.S. Marshals Museum.

WORDs Dwain Hebda images Jade Graves Photography

"But once folks walk in and see the quality of the experience and the building and the setting, they are going to be blown away. I get the skepticism and the, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’, mentality after fifteen or sixteen years. But when they come in, my hope and my goal is the first time they walk in and come around that first corner is that they go ‘Ooohhh OK, I get it.’”

Ben is one of the newer faces around here, having only been on board since last summer. But from the beginning, he's also been riding the hardest, singularly focused on completing and opening the massive project. It hasn’t been easy; the grumbling over the project started to build to a roar in 2019 when a ballot initiative seeking a local sales tax to help fund the museum fell by a margin of two to one. Money problems, followed by COVID, meant that between 2019 and 2022, there sat a yawning hole in the center of the building where interactive multimedia displays should have been.

Even Ben’s arrival didn’t get the warm reception it might have, occurring as it did in the wake of his predecessor Patrick Weeks’ resignation in March after being charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. The public relations fallout, combined with the five million dollars still needing to be raised, brought the project dangerously close to being written off altogether as fool’s gold in the minds of many.

“The most common comment I got was ‘You guys gotta open,’” Ben says. “That was the thing. There’s nothing we could do to reenergize, to re-excite, to urge donors, to make people believe more than to just open. That’s why we made the commitment last fall to say, ‘OK, we don’t have all the money just yet, but we gotta do everything we can to open.’ “It’s about time. It’s not about parades and brass bands and all that stuff; it’s about opening the doors and making sure people come in and see what all the fuss has been about for sixteen years.”

Ben details all this as he leads a guest through the exhibit space, where workers move feverishly to complete the project. The amount of work that’s been done in a short time is incredible to anyone following this project’s ups and downs, and upon officially opening, it will be absolutely spectacular. More than a repository of antique firearms and a few wanted posters, the museum is chock full of animatronics, touchscreens, and monitors that tell the story of the service from a variety of angles.

Even the analog features – such as informative placards, a specially equipped Humvee, and a timeline along the exhibit hall walls – tell the compelling story. It's a festival for the senses, yet it doesn't feel overwhelming or claustrophobic.

“Most people, all they know about the U.S. Marshals is something they saw in a movie, you know, Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive or one of those guys,” Ben says. “But if you ask what the marshals do now, they’ll say, ‘I didn’t even know they still existed.’

“What we’re doing, we’re doing in a way that makes people want to come here and engage as we tell a story of people living their lives, doing their jobs, and making decisions in the moment.” Those moments stretch more than two hundred and thirty-four years to the original thirteen marshals commissioned by President George Washington on September 26, 1789. One of those, Robert Forsyth, U.S. Marshal for the District of Georgia, would be shot on January 11, 1794, becoming the first of more than two hundred killed in the line of duty. A somber wall of copper plates commemorates their ultimate sacrifice in the Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor, while a nearby interactive kiosk tells their stories.

While such tribute is altogether appropriate, the museum’s most impressive elements can be found in the willingness to shine a light on the murkier and more complicated elements of the marshals’ history. In the exhibit “A Changing Nation,” the controversial themes of civil rights, indigenous people, domestic terrorism, race, and political issues are told unflinchingly.

“It has been a priority for this staff, even before I got here, and the Marshals Service itself, to tell the story, the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Ben says. “This is not a story where the government or the Marshals Service always comes in to save the day. On the same wall, within a few feet of each other on that intro timeline, you have the marshals enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, while at the same time, Fredrick Douglass becomes a U.S. Marshal. It shows that history isn’t static.

“You are never going to walk through some of the stories we tell and be comfortable one hundred percent of the time. We will have people who walk through and get angry about some things, and that’s just the way that it is. Short of not telling a story, there’s really no good way around some of that, and

to the Marshal Services’ credit, they’ve done a good job of saying, ‘We want to tell all parts of the story even where it makes us look bad.’”

Once open, the museum expects to welcome more than one hundred and twenty thousand visitors a year, generating $1.8 million in annual revenue from admissions, facility rental, and other sources of income. Even more valuable, Ben says, will be the look on people’s faces when they finally get to see that for which they’d waited so long, like the ninety-two-year-old retired U.S. Marshal he encountered at a conference shortly after taking the job with the museum.

“He was just talking, telling stories of guarding (Ole Miss’s first Black student) James Meredith’s room in his early career,” Ben says. “Then he looked at me and said, ‘Am I ever going to see this museum before I die?’ To look into his eyes and see how all he wants is to see this happen, that was when I came back, and I was like, ‘We gotta do this now. We owe it to them.’

"To any of the folks who are still on the fence or off the fence and say we should never have done it, I'll say this: good things involve risk and effort. I sincerely hope that folks walk in and see the care, attention to detail, and hard work and see the stories, listen to the people, and really feel how this is an American history story told through the lens of the U.S. Marshals Service."

Stroke: Know the Warning Signs

DDewayne Wilson, fifty-two, of Fort Smith, says he’s never had a “real vacation.” The construction worker and father of two likes to stay busy. But in March 2022, an unexpected medical emergency stopped him in his tracks.

“I got a routine before work: I get up at 4am go and take my shower, fix my coffee,” Dewayne said. “I was getting ready for a shower, and I was fixing to shave. I was sitting there watching myself in the mirror and started getting dizzy.”

His left side was weak. He couldn’t call out to his wife for help. Struggling to keep his balance Dewayne tried to sit down, but instead fell to the bathroom floor.

“During all that time they heard everything, all the commotion, and that’s when my wife came in and found me on the floor,” Dewayne said. “She took one look at me and knew what was going on.”

Dewayne was experiencing a stroke.

SIGNS OF STROKE

Signs of a stroke can vary, but common symptoms include:

Loss of balance

Blurred vision

Facial drooping

Arm weakness

Slurred speech

Numbness or tingling in the parts of the body

Dewayne’s wife called 911. When first responders arrived, they quickly assessed Dewayne and notified Baptist Health-Fort Smith of his condition.

CODE STROKE

“Once they recognize there are stroke symptoms, they activate a ‘Code Stroke’ for our hospital,” said Dr. Mohammad Owais, a neurologist. “’Code Stroke’ means the alert will go to our emergency department, our CT department and the neurologist about a potential stroke coming to the ER. So, everybody can be prepared.”

WORDS courtesy Baptist Health Image SewCreamStudio/Shutterstock

An ischemic stroke happens when a blockage cuts off the blood supply to part of the brain. It’s important to quickly restore blood flow because in this situation “Time is Brain.” Millions of neurons are lost with every minute of stroke, according to the National Institutes of Health. Neurons are nerve cells that send messages all over your body to allow you to do everything from breathing to talking, eating, walking, and thinking. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of disability and death in the United States. For every fifteen minutes that treatment is delayed, the patient’s mortality increases by five percent.

Dr. Owais was a member of Dewayne’s care team that day. It was determined that Dewayne needed a tissue plasminogen activator, or more commonly called tPA, a “clot buster” medication. “Mr. Wilson’s ability to recognize symptoms and act as fast as he could, gave us all the opportunities to help him,” said Dr. Owais. “We were able to give him the clot buster medicine. We were able to give him a thrombectomy and our facility was capable of doing both procedures in a timely manner.”

Dr. Clint Wood, an interventional neuro-radiologist at Baptist Health-Fort Smith, performed the thrombectomy, which is a type of surgery to remove a blood clot formed inside an artery or vein. A thrombectomy greatly reduces the risk of death or permanent disability if performed promptly.

RECOVERY

Dewayne spent eight days in the intensive care unit. A team of nurses, physicians and therapists who are specially trained in stroke recovery took care of him. He was able to get up, walk and recall pieces of what happened that morning before the ambulance arrived. Dewayne spent another three months at home recovering with the help of his family and home health nurses.

During that time, Dewayne used a walker and focused on regaining his mobility and independence. He even picked up a new hobby: building with LEGO®s. Dewayne believes the detailed manual and small pieces improved both his focus and dexterity. His favorite creation was a Jurassic Park-themed set, complete with a pterodactyl.

Now, a year later, Dewayne is back to his routine of working hard and spending time with his wife and two teenage children. But he says now he strives to eat healthy, well balanced meals of lean meats and vegetables, as well as get plenty of exercise.

Both he and his wife can’t stress enough the importance of educating yourself about the risk factors of stroke. “Especially when you start getting up to like my age, talk to your doctor about the warning signs,” Dewayne said. “Get educated, because I never thought about it.”

PRIMARY STROKE CENTER

Baptist Health-Fort Smith is a Joint Commission-certified primary stroke center and able to meet the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients. In collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, the facility continues to make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for patients.

“We want to help people. We want to see people go back to their work and take care of their children. We want to see them happy with their children and family,” said Dr. Owais. “That’s what makes us spend all the time that we spend and come as soon as we can and take care of them, even sometimes at the expense of our family, just to make sure that we did everything possible to make our patients’, our community’s lives better.”

Baptist Health-Fort Smith has also demonstrated sustained achievement for more than a decade by earning numerous awards, including the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus, Target Stroke Honor Roll. Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

Dewayne said he is very thankful for the great care and compassion he received at Baptist Health. “Dr. Owais said when I walked in, I said, ‘You’re the man that saved my life,’” Dewayne said. “He goes, ‘No, I was just the tool that saved your life.’ It made me think, you know, you’re right. You know, good Lord saved my life and through you. And he did.”

To learn more about award-winning stroke care options at Baptist Health, visit BaptistHealthStroke.com or call 1-888-BAPTIST.

WORDs Dwain Hebda

PROFILE IN DENTISTRY: River City Dental RIVER CITY DENTAL

When it comes to dentistry, smiles are the name of the game. Qualified, experienced dentists help you look and feel your best by creating a great smile you can feel confident with. But the best dental practices also put their own smiles on display through a helpful, caring staff who make appointments and treatments a breeze.

Nowhere do these elements come together more seamlessly than at River City Dental. Combining world class experience, unparalleled expertise and compassionate, small-town friendliness, River City Dental offers the best in dental services for its patients.

“At River City Dental, we do everything we can to help our patients have positive experiences in our office,” says Dr. Emily Steininger who practices with Dr. Amin Nasehi. “From our comfortable waiting area to our top-notch services and treatment plans, we work to make patients feel welcome from the moment they enter our office to the moment they leave.”

The duo brings a variety of experiences to River City Dental. A Fort Smith native, Emily’s interest in dentistry began in college when a family friend and mentor hired her as a dental assistant and encouraged her to pursue dentistry. She graduated from the University of Arkansas for undergrad and

graduated dental school in 2011 from the UT-Health Science Center in Memphis.

Amin earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Buffalo in New York. While there, he also served as a clinical assistant in fixed prosthodontics and implantology before completing three years of specialty training in prosthodontics at Stony Brook University in New York. He comes to River City Dental after having practiced in New York, the Himalayas and volunteer assignments in Senegal and the Dominican Republic.

Among the top-notch services provided at River City Dental are a full range of preventative services including routine cleaning and exams, dental sealants and fluoride treatments. Also available are restorative services including cosmetic dentistry, root canal therapy, implants, crowns and bridges, emergency dental work and oral surgery. The staff delivers these services, with the help of the latest technology, including:

DIAGNODENT ® CAVITY DETECTION which uses laser fluorescence to identify tooth decay quickly and effectively.

THE INDENTIFI ® SYSTEM to detect signs of oral cancer which, when caught early, is highly curable.

DIGITAL X-RAYS which are faster and emit up to ninety percent less radiation than traditional X-rays and are available for examination within seconds.

PANORAMIC X-RAYS which provide a comprehensive view of the patient’s teeth, jaw and how they are working together.

INTRAORAL CAMERAS, offering an up-close, live view of teeth and gums, reviewable on a computer screen.

THE K7 EVALUATION SYSTEM which aids in the diagnosis of TMJ, helps the dental team create a custom treatment plan for each individual patient.

TENS TMJ TREATMENT, harnessing nerve stimulation therapy to relax jaw muscles and treat TMJ in a minimally invasive way.

TAKE-HOME SLEEP STUDIES, helping patients complete a sleep apnea diagnosis from the comfort of their homes.

NITROUS OXIDE SEDATION, relaxing patients by helping relieve them from anxious thoughts during dental visits.

For all the technology that’s at work here, the most important resource at the dentists’ disposal is River City Dental’s friendly and experienced staff, each of whom is dedicated to the patient’s total satisfaction. Together, the team helps ensure proper dental care and treatment, helping ensure patients’ smiles for a lifetime.

“Taking care of your teeth and gums is important not only for maintaining positive oral health, but for overall health,” Amin says. “Our practice offers a myriad of preventive, restorative and cosmetic dental services designed to keep your smile looking and feeling great.”

River City Dental is located at 5008 South U Street, Ste. 101 A, in Fort Smith. Call 479.279.7984 to schedule your appointment or visit rivercitydentalar.com to learn more!

The Voice of Arkansas

words Will Whitson images courtesy Chuck Barrett

Chuck Barrett and Coach Pittman

HHunter, well shy of the first down, he's gonna lateral it back. Ball’s on the ground, IT'S PICKED UP BY COLLINS! ALEX HAS GOT ROOM, AT THE THIRTY, TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY, COLLINS AT THE FIFTEEN, CUTS BACK AT THE TEN. THIS GAME’S STILL ALIVE, AND THE HOGS HAVE A FIRST DOWN!

Many of us can recall where we were, and who we were with, when the miraculous "Henry Heave" took place. For Arkansas broadcaster Chuck Barrett, it is a call he'll never forget. "I was proud of that one; I'm not gonna lie. It was a tough call; that's why I'm so proud of it. I don't know if I can ever top that one," he said. "Had I not been the Razorback announcer, I would've probably thought the play was over."

Growing up in Clarksville, Arkansas, Chuck dreamed of becoming the Voice of the Razorbacks. Chuck became a sports fan early in life, bonding with his family over games. At age eight, his parents bought him a radio, and Chuck was fascinated as he listened to the legendary broadcaster, Jack Buck, call St. Louis Cardinal baseball games.

When Chuck was sixteen, he got his first chance to call a live game when the announcer for a little league football game called in sick. Chuck volunteered to get behind the microphone, and he loved every second. Chuck was hooked. After that night, he knew he wanted to take broadcasting seriously. Later that summer, he got a job at a local radio station in Clarksville, where Chuck's career in broadcasting began to take shape.

Chuck continued to work at the radio station throughout high school and would later briefly attend the University of Arkansas before leaving to focus on his radio career – essentially betting on himself. Although before he left for Fayetteville, he received a piece of advice from the general manager of the radio station that stuck with Chuck throughout his career.

He had just finished reading a newscast and felt he'd nailed it. As the general manager walked by, young Chuck expected praise, but instead, the general manager looked Chuck in the eyes and said, "You're pretty good, but you need to start talking to the audience, not at the audience." That advice, though tough to hear, made quite the impression.

After leaving the University, Chuck accepted a job at a local news station, covering mainly court hearings. While he preferred basketball or baseball, he knew only a few stations that focused on sports. Chuck stayed the course.

In 1992, while working at a local radio station in Fort Smith, he got word that the Razorback baseball play-by-play announcer job was open. Chuck got the job and transitioned from covering the courts to covering the field.

Chuck Barrett

As a lifelong Arkansas fan, the authenticity of Chuck's calls came with ease. Two years later, he began hosting Scoreboard Show with Razorback head coaches. Then, just twelve months later, he added hosting pregame and postgame football coverage to his résumé.

That same year, Chuck also hosted a radio call-in show during rush hour, SportsRap with Chuck Barrett . He would host the show for twelve years, building a nationwide audience, before stepping away in 2007.

This would prove to be a pivotal year in Chuck's career. In 2007, after a tragic accident, Arkansas radio legend Paul Eells passed away at the age of seventy. As the state mourned, Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles scrambled to find someone to step in as the play-by-play announcer for Arkansas football. Frank knew that Chuck, a friend who had worked alongside Paul, had the experience and enthusiasm needed for the job.

Chuck knew no one could ever fill Paul's shoes, and he understood how important the broadcasts were to the fans, so it was with the utmost respect that he took on the role with a passion. In 2010, Chuck added men's basketball to his repertoire while continuing to call baseball and football. He called game after game, season after season.

Eventually, Chuck knew he was spreading himself too thin, and in 2014, after twenty-three seasons of calling Razorback baseball, he passed the torch to Phil Elson, the women's basketball broadcaster.

That was almost ten years ago. Chuck, now sixty, remains the familiar and much-loved man behind the microphone calling Razorback football and men's basketball games. As he enters his seventeenth season as the director of broadcasting at the University of Arkansas, he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

He even returned recently to talk radio with a part-time stint on ESPN Arkansas as co-host of The Morning Rush every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft, as well as a weekly appearance on Halftime with Phil Elson and Ruscin & Zach

In addition to Chuck's many accolades over the years, he has been selected as Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year multiple times.

Although he won't admit to his iconic status, his thirty-year run as a stellar broadcaster has cemented Chuck as not only the Voice of the Razorbacks but the Voice of Arkansas.

"I knew the impact I'd have on people around the state because I once was the one who was listening. Razorback sports bond families together in our state, some of the most cherished times revolve around games. You may not remember the outcome of the game, but you remember who you were with," notes Chuck.

GoatyGoodness

words Liesel Schmidt images courtesy Goaty Goodness

As a mom who homeschools her four children, Rachel Kissinger had her hands – and schedule – full for many years. She was extremely passionate about it, and it was fulfilling. But when the last of her kids graduated from high school, she decided to concentrate on kids of a different kind.

The goat kind.

While not a kid, the goat she and her family owned had been the milk source for years, and Rachel used some of that milk to make soap. When she began making soaps, it was strictly a hobby –something she created for herself and to give to friends and family.

It continued as a hobby for eleven years until Mother's Day following her youngest's graduation in 2022. That is when Rachel, her daughter Hannah Eden Humphries and her niece, Brittany Oden, decided to launch a business making and selling goat milk soaps. "Goaty Goodness has been full steam ahead, and we've been making soap and other natural beauty products since that day," she notes.

Her inspiration is as simple and pure as the ingredients in the soaps: "There is great reward in seeing someone struggling with a skin ailment find relief through something we've made," Rachel says. "It also gives me a great reason for keeping the goats I enjoy and love so much."

Rachel's process for making soaps and beauty products requires, above all, patience. "A great deal of time goes into formulating every product we create," she says. "We start by focusing on the end goal of helping ease skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, aging skin, or keratosis pilaris; then we work to formulate the most appropriate combination of oils, butters, herbs, and essential oils to help with that condition."

As involved as it may be, Rachel and her team believe strongly in the importance and beauty of their process. "When it comes to choosing between handmade and mass-produced soap, it is important to note that mass-produced soaps generally combine detergents, lathering agents, and synthetic ingredients that, by definition, cannot be called 'soap,'" she says. "Handmade soaps are milder and have the potential to keep skin healthier due to their nourishing ingredients."

What makes goat milk soap so beneficial to the skin is that goat milk is rich in both saturated and unsaturated fats, making it ideal for use in soaps. "The saturated fats increase a soap's lather, while unsaturated fats provide moisturizing and nourishing properties," Rachel says. "Goat milk is one of nature's best moisturizers and contains alpha-hydroxy acids and vitamins A & D, which brighten the skin. Because of its unique short protein strand structure, the abundance of natural minerals and vitamins in our goat's milk is easily absorbed into your skin, helping to moisturize, protect and heal. Additionally, we use plant-based organic olive and organic coconut oil to further increase the content of healthy, nourishing fats," she goes on.

"Olive oil has hydrophilic antioxidants that help to form a protective barrier, trapping moisture on your skin and allowing for longer hydration. Coconut oil contains cleansing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, which may help treat various skin conditions. We use only coldpressed certified organic oils to ensure the best for your skin. We also provide 'clean' fragrance oils for those who want a healthier option for fragrance."

In addition to their goat milk soaps, the Goaty Goodness line of products includes natural hand sprays, body butters, lip balms, soap scrubs, and deodorants. In a market saturated with "all-natural" products, Rachel differentiates the brand through their ingredients. "We are creating toxin-free products that help the customer," she says. "We achieve this by starting with the highest quality USDA Organic certified ingredients whenever possible. The key ingredient in all our soaps is our goat milk. Our farm is a grass-fed operation, and we utilize rotational grazing with cows, goats, sheep, and chickens, which helps break parasite cycles and build soil microbiomes. The goats are fed only organic alfalfa at milking time, and the animals always have access to fresh water and twenty free-choice minerals. We also hand milk our goats daily to bring the freshest, highest

quality milk possible to our soaps. We believe these farming practices help encourage healthier soil, which makes healthier animals, which, in turn, makes healthier people."

Environment, as a whole, is essential to Rachel, and Goaty Goodness's packaging methods reflect that. "We use glass, metal, and paper whenever possible to keep our carbon footprint low," she says. "We use a technology called Biolefin for shrink wrapping our soaps, which completely breaks down eighteen months from when it hits the landfill. For orders from our online store, we use US-made biodegradable packing peanuts that dissolve in water, made from corn and potato starch. When you support us, you are helping us make a difference for our planet and future generations."

Every product within the brand has a great deal of intention, and while all three women are first-time business owners, they have proven that passion and drive equal success. The trio each work to their strengths, with the full support of their family. Rachel handles all the organizational facets, Brittany is a gifted artisan who brings creativity to every aspect of the business, and Hannah consults in social media plans and photography. "Together, we make all the products and handle all of the day-to-day operations, but nothing would be possible without the endless encouragement and helping hands of the entire family," Rachel says. "We have four generations working together to make this business's dream a reality. It doesn't matter if it is extra hands needed for a big event, helping label products, bringing us food so we can continue to put in endless hours, or an encouraging word when we're tired, our family has made all the difference in the success of this business!"

Over the past year, all three women have found and leaned into their respective strengths, learned the lessons of owning and running a business, felt the ups and downs of keeping that business going, and discovered the unique pleasures of their work. "There is an incredible joy in working with the people, animals, and ingredients we love," Rachel says. "Currently, our favorite part is doing live events where we meet the amazing people we are making the products for."

Based in Pocola, Oklahoma, on a multigenerational farm that's been in the family for over sixty years, Goaty Goodness is like a love letter to the region. "I find so much beauty in our area," says Rachel. "This has helped to inspire some of the designs and some of the names for our products, such as our Southern Woods and Cedarwood Canyon fragrances."

The "goodness" part of their name isn't just branding—it's an ethos, as the company's products have philanthropic and skin benefits. "Currently, a portion of the proceeds go to support the 6:33 Recovery Center in Howe, Oklahoma," Rachel explains. "We also have plans to spotlight a different product and local nonprofit each month. In doing this, we hope to raise finances and awareness of the many amazing organizations that make a difference in our area."

The team is excited to branch out into additional bath and beautyrelated products for both men and women, with many products in development. All of which ensure a steadily expanding product line for their loyal clientele for years to come.

For more information, visit goatygoodness.com.

Did Someone Say Pie?

OOn May 4, 2022, writer, cook, and food historian Kat Robinson learned that her mother’s house was on fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but when Kat arrived, she found what was lost.

“Most of the dishes we cooked in were gone (an errant Blue Cornflower CorningWare pie plate was at my house), furniture my great-grandfather made, artwork from my school days, all ashes,” Kat says in the introduction to her newest book, The Great Arkansas Pie Book.

Also gone were family photographs, treasured books, all things Kat held dear. It was a blow to her family, and Kat knew her mother would need help in the aftermath. Kat stepped in, meeting with insurance adjustors and inspectors, trying to execute a methodical plan to put things back in order.

It was during this time that the prolific writer (she now has twelve books to her name) decided it was time to put down her pen for a while and concentrate on her family.

words Marla Cantrell images courtesy Kat Robinson

Kat Robinson

Not that she didn’t have a project quietly simmering. On March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, many eateries temporarily closed or were only offering take-out. That lured most of us into our own kitchens, cooking more than we had in years.

Kat was no different. But being Kat, who’d spent sixteen years writing about the food of Arkansas, the shutdown didn’t stop her. She started baking pies, using family recipes, learning the magic of making crusts, filling them with so much goodness.

Later, Kat would contact professional Arkansas bakers, asking a bold question: Would they be willing to share their prized recipes with her?

Who knows why so many said yes. It could be that Kat had earned their trust with her love of Arkansas food and the careful way she wrote about it. It could be they understood what a joy it would be for everyday cooks to enjoy the desserts they had previously only been able to buy.

So, after Kat had tended to her mother’s house, she returned to her project. She acquired recipes from the Kettle Smokehouse in Van Buren, the Wooden Spoon in Gentry, and the Oark General Store. She secured recipes from much-loved eateries that had gone out of business, like the popular Millionaire Pie from Furr’s Cafeteria in Fort Smith.

When The Great Arkansas Pie Book was published in May of this year, Kat had amassed a whopping 248 recipes, the biggest collection of the state’s pie recipes ever assembled. Besides pies featured at eateries across the state, Kat has recipes from family and friends, decades-old community cookbooks that churches and civic organizations put out, and recipes dating back to the eighteenth century. Her research started at home, with her collection of 500 cookbooks.

Not only are the recipes enticing, but they’re also entertaining. Like Kat’s brother’s recipe for Zack Diemer’s Cherry Cream Cheese Pie that he makes in an old, round thirteen-inch Tupperware container that’s older than he is. The instructions include this direction: Beat the tar out of the cream cheese until it’s sorta fluffy. There’s Dog Tick Pie that sounds excessively unappealing. But not to worry. The “ticks” are really raisins that swell during the cooking process. There’s Vinegar Pie that pre-dates the Civil War and was popular in the Great Depression of the 1930s when food was scarce.

Kat tested 100 of the recipes, an accomplishment for a home cook. She traveled twice to the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow House in Eureka

Buttermilk Pecan Pie

Banana Pudding Pie

Ozark Grape Pie

Springs, where she wrote and baked. In total, she spent a month there, making sure her book would be a success.

There are pies made of nuts, fruit, cream, and custard. There are chocolate, meringue, fried pies, and savory pies. There’s a whole chapter devoted to pie crusts. Not interested in making a crust from scratch? There’s even a chapter on pies that make their own crust.

much use in a busy kitchen. From the Buttermilk Pie recipe that makes “one thick pie and one thin pie” to a Chess Pie that calls for oleo (an antiquated word for margarine) to a crustless custard pie recipe that was found tucked inside a cookbook owned by Mrs. M. W. Koehler, dated 1967.

It wouldn’t be an authentic Arkansas cookbook without a photo of Elvis Presley! He shows up on page ninetysix. Elvis was visiting Roy Fisher’s Steak House in North Little Rock when he tried the Cherry Nut Pie with a graham cracker crust. Of course, someone snapped a photo of him being hand fed a bite. He does look happy!

If you’re wondering what the state’s favorite pie is, look no further than the Arkansas Possum Pie at Tusk and Trotter Brasserie in Bentonville. People magazine named it the best pie in the state. Want to make your own? The recipe for this chocolaty winner is on page 170.

You could also try Myrtie Mae’s version of Possum Pie on page 189, named for one particularly industrious Arkansas woman. In the 1930s, Myrtie Mae opened her home to hungry travelers who often asked for fried chicken. She’d pluck a bird from her backyard and have a chicken dinner ready in an hour. And of course, pie.

The Great Arkansas Pie Book is a delight. Before you roll out your first crust, though, read Kat’s note on page 283. The writer asks one simple thing of us: Jot down your family recipes and digitize them. I can’t help but wonder if this direction comes from her own experience of losing so much when her mother’s house burned. Recipes written on paper would not survive a blaze, and all those handwritten memories of days gone by and of cooks no longer with us would disappear in a puff of smoke.

Some of the best things about this cookbook are the photographs of old handwritten recipe cards, many stained from

Such sound advice. Kat understands there is more to a recipe than ingredients and measurements. When we serve food we’ve so carefully made, we’re dishing out love. What a shame to lose even one bite of that.

Kat Robinson

Our Favorite Restaurants, Bakeries and Home Cooks

recipes covering sweet to savory and everything between two crusts. found on restaurant. It who make Now, The encapsulates so many brand-new, and food hissubject of her diners what the most bestudied Arkansas the people who collected recipes for quick recipe sometimes an old away, knowshare this bounty. Arkansas church collection I've dug cross-reference the many Natural State.

A Delicious shared the stories of book, AnothGuide to the Best Restaurants, Bakeries, Truck Stops and Food

The Natural State, shared the locations of 475 places where you and delicious pies all over Arkansas. What my readers have been more recipes. I hope with this new book, I have properly obliged."

The Great Arkansas Pie Book is a massive, 288 page assortment covering every type of pie - fruit, nut, cream, custard, chocolate, meringue, fried, and savory. It shares unusual and unique pies, and even those that make their own crust in their baking. The 248 recipes within cover pie crusts made from butter, shortening and lard; from restaurants of the past and eateries currently offering some of Arkansas's best slices, from

Inside The Great Arkansas Pie Book, you’ll find some of the most beloved and singular pies ever brought to the table, including:

• Peach Lattice Pie from Mrs. Jan Simrell at Ventris Trail’s End Resort (recipe follows this story)

• Mile High Chocolate and Lemon Meringue Pies from the venerable Ed and Alma's restaurant in Benton

• Lemon Chess Pie, the very recipe from the Arkansas Governor's Mansion reportedly favored by President Bill Clinton

• Arkansas Possum Pie from Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville, named the top pie in Arkansas by People magazine

• Company's Comin' Pie from the Cliff House Inn, the official pie of the Arkansas Sesquicentennial

• Ozark Wild Huckleberry Pie from Burns Gables and Rabbit Pie from Booger Hollow, mid-century Arkansas tourist attractions

• An 18th Century Meat Pie, developed from recipes from English settlers in the Boston Mountain section of the Ozarks

• Cathie's Buttermilk Pie from The Oark General Store

• Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie from Trio's Restaurant in Little Rock

• Caramel Pecan Cream Cheese Pie from The Wooden Spoon in Gentry

• Five different recipes for the famed Egg Custard Pie from Franke's Cafeteria

...plus historical pies such as Black Bottom Pie, Brown Bag Apple Pie, Cushaw Pie, Goody Pie, Gooseberry Pie, Lemon Rice Pie, Pinto Bean Pie, Mincemeat Pie, and Shoo Fly Pie. You'll also find standards like apple, cherry, grape, coconut meringue, pecan, lemon icebox, caramel, strawberry, and fried pies between the covers of this cookbook.

The Great Arkansas Pie Book: Recipes for The Natural State’s Famous Dish from Our Favorite Restaurants, Bakeries, and Home Cooks by Kat Robinson

$39.99 (paperback available September 12, 2023, $29.99), available at Chapters on Main in Van Buren, or online at major retailers, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Signed copies are available direct from the author at store.tontipress.com.

PEACH LATTICE PIE

JJan Simrell has been making pies for decades and is one of the most proficient piemakers I have ever met. She and her husband Ronald moved to Arkansas from Frankfort, Illinois (about 20 miles from Chicago) after her father-in-law, Aaron Simrell, contacted them. He had discovered the Beaver Lake area, and he told her, “Tell your husband to load up the four boys and get them down here - I have found a little bit of heaven.”

So, the couple packed up their four sons - Ronald Junior, Larry, Kurt, and Jody - and moved down to this peninsula on the north shore of the lake.

Jan says “We didn’t know what we were getting into. The lake was just four or five years old, and it was so clear and beautiful when it was calm, you could see all the way to the bottom. It’s still such a pretty lake with its crystal waters.”

Today, Jody manages the property and makes the pizzas at the restaurant, and Jan bakes. The resort has gained fame over the years for the ever-growing fireworks show the family puts on each year. It grows by leaps and bounds, and has become the region’s most noted fireworks show,

Excerpt from The Great Arkansas Pie Book by Kat Robinson

Jan Simrell

even being cited by Reader’s Digest in 2022 as the best place to view fireworks in the state of Arkansas.

It’s the pies, though, that captured my attention when I went in 2013 to see those fireworks. Grav Weldon and I arrived midafternoon, and after touring the munitions that would soon light up the sky with Jody, we sat down for a break with iced tea and slices of Jan’s homemade pie. Let me tell you whatthe fireworks for me started with the first bite of the succulent peach pie - fresh, pliant peaches with that bit of crunch and the pinkish turn where the pit had been pulled, with just the right amount of spice and splendor to it. The flavor struck me as being one of the best peach pies in Arkansas, and I have been determined to get back ever since to try it again.

That’s how in January 2023, while researching this very book, I ended up in Jan and Jody’s kitchen on an off-season Monday. While the resort is year-round, the restaurant is only open Thursday through Sunday, Memorial Day to Labor Day, serving burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and salads to guests and visitors. The vintage jukebox plays decades of great pop and country hits. Jody’s pizzas get acclaim these days, but during these winter months, the kitchen is often silent, only opened for special occasions.

Jan has her measurements down pat, rolls her dough with ease, and effortlessly lays each pastry into the pan. She can perfectly flute a pie, knowing well how the press of her finger against the dough makes the perfect semi-circle inch over inch, coming out to a perfect edge every single time. Her crusts are even. She can expertly cut a lattice strip an inch wide or less without a guide, and her hands work so smoothly as she weaves on the lattice over the filling.

Jan and Ron were married for sixty years before he passed in 2016. Their family operation is still strong after all these years, not only because of the fame fireworks have brought to the place, but because of customers who come back as guests again and again. Jody will often grace visitors with his magnificent talent at piano playing, popping out classics from gospel to country to rock, playing the grand piano or a new electronic piano in the meeting room at the other end of the lodge. New developments are always happening - a new pavilion one year, perhaps a smokehouse the next. And Jan’s pies continue to bring hungry travelers down windy roads for an afternoon’s respite.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups fresh sliced peaches

· 1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

· ¾ cup water

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 unbaked 10-inch pastry pie crusts

METHOD

Mix peaches, sugar, butter, and vanilla and 1/2 cup water together and bring to a boil. Simmer until peaches are soft and tender. Do not overcook. Remove from heat.

Add 2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with almond extract and remaining water and vanilla. Gently stir into hot peaches. Return to heat. Stir occasionally to thicken. Be careful not to crush peach slices. When thickened, remove from heat.

Prepare the crust. Roll out one crust and put into 10-inch pie plate, leaving about an inch around the edges. Pour hot filling into crust. Roll out second pastry crust and cut into strips for lattice top. Flute around edges with fingers. Lay on the lattice, and then press a fork around the edges to seal the lattice.

Bake at 375° in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce to 350° and bake another 30 minutes, until filling is bubbling, and crust browned.

Red, White, and Berries

Recipe hotrodsrecipes image Anna Shepulova/Shutterstock

ingredients

(makes 3, 8” layers)

for the red velvet cake

° ½ cup hot coffee

° ¼ cup cocoa powder, unsweet

° 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

° ½ teaspoon baking powder

° 1 teaspoon baking soda

° 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

° 2 cups granulated sugar

° ½ cup vegetable oil

° 1 stick butter, unsalted, melted

° 2 large eggs, room temperature

° 1 large egg yolk, room temperature

° 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

° 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

° 3 teaspoons red gel food coloring

(more if needed)

° 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

for the frosting

° 16 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature

° 2 sticks butter, unsalted, room temperature

° 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

° 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

for the garnish

° strawberries

° blueberries

° mint sprigs, fresh

METHOD for the red velvet cake

Prepare your oven to 325°F. Place a parchment round into the bottom of each 8” pan, then spray sides with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, combine hot coffee and cocoa powder, cover and let stand. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, and melted butter. To the sugar mixture, add eggs and yolk, then stir until well combined. Add buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring, stir to combine. Next, add vinegar and the coffee mixture, stir gently to combine. Gradually sift the flour mixture into batter stirring after each addition until well combined.

Pour batter evenly into each pan. Tap the pan a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and place pans on a cooling rack. Once pans have cooled slightly, run a knife around the edge of each pan to loosen the cake from the sides. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack or parchment paper. Allow to cool completely.

for the frosting

Cream together cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy and well combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add in sugar, on low speed, and mix for 2-3 minutes, until creamy. If too thick, add a bit of milk. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.

to assemble

Place frosting in a piping bag with a round piping tip. Place a single layer of cake on a stand or plate. Pipe a ring of dollops along the outside edge of the cake. Continue piping dollops in another ring inside the ring you just piped, then another until the whole layer is covered. Place another layer of cake on top and pipe another layer of dollops. Always start with the outer ring. Repeat the process of adding dollops and cake layers until you reach the desired height. On the top layer of cake, pipe dollops on the outer edge, leaving the center for the fruit. Gently arrange strawberries, blueberries, and mint sprigs.

Patriotic Prosecco

INGREDIENTS

° 1 b ottle Prosecco, chilled

° 1 b ottle dry white wine, chilled

° ½ cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau

° 1 p ound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

° 2 cup s fresh blueberries

° 1 cup fr esh raspberries

° 3 Granny Smith apples

METHOD

Wash and prepare fruit. Use a small star-shaped cookie cutter for the apples if desired. Do not cut apples until you are ready to serve. Combine wine, Grand Marnier, and fruit in a large pitcher. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 2-4 hours – it will darken in color the longer it chills. When ready to serve, add Prosecco and apples. Serve over ice, enjoy!

ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY. NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Recipe adapted mightymrs image zarzamora/Shutterstock

ISLAND TIME S

Summer in Arkansas can be rough! It's too hot and muggy to hike or backpack and the streams are too dry to float. What's an outdoors person to do for fun during the summer months? Head for the islands! Lake Ouachita Islands, where you can paddle your kayak and camp under the stars even in the summer because relief from the blistering heat and humidity is just a short distance away with a refreshing plunge in the lake's cooling waters.

Several years ago, during a sweltering and dry July, I longed to get outdoors. Even if nothing more than just spending a night in my tent. In desperation, I was looking at the map to see if I could plot a backpack route that would include reliable drinking water sources when I received a message from a friend inviting me to join her for a camping trip on the islands of Lake Ouachita. I felt like someone had thrown me a lifeline in a sea of summer doldrums.

WORDS Bob Robinson images Bob Robinson and courtesy Arkansas Tourism

At the time, I wasn't aware you could camp on the lake's islands. Lake Ouachita is the only Corps of Engineers Lake in Arkansas where it is allowed. Free dispersed camping is permitted since the islands reside within the Ouachita National Forest.

Lake Ouachita is the largest lake in Arkansas, offering over 40,000 acres of surface area and almost 700 miles of undeveloped shoreline. It was an entirely new wilderness area for me to explore. Rather than trekking about on foot, I explored this pristine natural environment in a kayak.

There are a variety of locations along the shores to launch a boat. We chose to access the water from the lake's north shore. Most commercial boat docks are on the south shore, and with us using non-motorized kayaks and canoes, we preferred to avoid the wakes of the motorized boats. Buckville Recreation Area is a favorite launch site. It includes a boat ramp as well as primitive camping.

We put seven kayaks and one canoe into the clear waters of the small inlet. Our flotilla of brightly colored vessels silently began inching toward the mouth of the bay and the open waters of Lake Ouachita. Immediately upon dipping my paddle into the glistening waters, a gentle calm settled over me.

Our first goal was to locate an island to set up camp for the weekend, but no one was in a hurry. Everyone was content to be in the moment, simply enjoying their surroundings. One of the kayaks spooked a great blue heron. I had a front-row seat as the lanky bird leaped into the air, tucked its long legs into its chest, and spread its wings, gliding gracefully across the bow of my kayak.

We arrived at one of the campsite locations and discovered a pontoon boat anchored just offshore. Kids jumped off the upper boat deck, and adults lounged on the beach. They had created an incredible lakeside retreat for a weekend getaway.

The search for our home away from home continued. With over 200 islands in the lake, we were not worried about finding another location to camp. We approached another island and climbed out of our boats to explore. There was a thick stand of trees for shade, a clearing for the fire ring, and a lovely swimming beach. Before exiting my kayak, I picked out a shady spot along the shoreline for my tent site. We unanimously decided this was the perfect location.

After setting up our tents and hammocks, we gathered on the island's north beach. Balancing on a floatie and cold adult beverage in hand, we lazily drifted about as we worked out the next day's agenda. We all agreed that island exploration was at the top of our list of activities.

There was one place I had been interested in visiting on Lake Ouachita called Bird Island. The island is Arkansas' largest known purple martin roost, hosting 8,000 to 50,000 birds during late July and early August. The National Audubon Society has designated the island an "Important Bird Area" because of its strategic location on the bird's annual migration en route to South America. The view of thousands of these birds approaching or leaving their roost on Bird Island would be a beautiful site to experience. We ended the evening with a potluck dinner. I crawled into my tent for the best night's sleep since I last camped out.

ISLAND EXPLORATION

Over thirty years of camping experience paid off when I opened my eyes the following morning, peering out of my tent to view the first light of day peeking over the distant Ouachita Mountain tops. I set up my camp stove, heated a pot of water, then leisurely lay on my sleeping pad. Sipping a cup of hot chai tea, I witnessed the delicate blue morning sky giving way to the bright morning sun.

Following breakfast, everyone was eager to get their boats in the water and explore the neighboring islands. The closest island was small, only trim shrubbery covered its surface, so we scoped it out from the seat of our boats. We decided to paddle onward to a more intriguing destination.

After passing on several other islands, we found one that piqued our interest. Pulling our boats ashore, we began hiking about the island, exploring and comparing its features to where we had set up camp. This one was smaller and didn't feature the tall trees we had on our island. However, fewer trees offered an encompassing 360-degree view, which was nice. Plus, prior visitors had built a makeshift stone table, which would be helpful in meal preparations. We made a mental note of the island for future reference.

There was another island just across the cove with a unique rocky shoreline. Being only a short distance away and with temperatures rising, we decided to secure our boats and swim across the bay.

The rock ledges were the result of a quartz uplift. After the Army Corps of Engineers created the lake, water washed away the topsoil exposing blunt rock slabs and several layers of colorful orange, yellow, and brown quartz. The formation continued into the water providing shelter for small fish.

With Lake Ouachita consistently being ranked as one of the cleanest lakes in the nation, it was a great place to snorkel and observe life underwater. As the sun descended in the west, we decided to save Bird Island for a future adventure. We paddled back to home base in time to prepare a cool beverage and settle in on our island's shore to witness Mother Nature's end-of-day celebration. Yes, it's true – life is good in the Natural State.

Arkansas' largest lake, Lake Ouachita, offers 40,000 acres of clear, clean water surrounded by the scenic Ouachita National Forest, where you can enjoy swimming, skiing, scuba diving, boating, kayaking, and fishing. Choose from a wide variety of day-use areas and overnight accommodations. The park has 93 campsites, some right on the water. There are eight fully equipped cabins with kitchens and the comforts of home, most of them overlooking the lake. Four camper cabins are an affordable option right in the campground. A bathhouse is nearby. Bring your linens, coolers, and cooking supplies. They are also dog-friendly!

The state park is near Hot Springs and Hot Springs Village. Lake Ouachita State Park offers rentals and tours for those needing a kayak or canoe. Call 501.767.9366 for details and reservations.

NATURAL ATTRACTIONS

Discovering the Beauty of Arkansas

Arkansas is a state with diverse natural beauty, featuring rolling hills, scenic rivers, forests, hot springs, and caves. Visitors can explore the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains, hike along the Buffalo National River and relax in the hot springs of Hot Springs National Park. The state's numerous state parks offer opportunities for camping, hiking, and fishing, as well as stunning views of valleys, waterfalls, and mountains. Blanchard Springs Caverns, one of the largest underground cave systems in the United States, offers a unique experience for visitors to explore the stunning rock formations.

OUACHITA MOUNTAINS

The Ouachita Mountains are unique in that they run east to west, rather than the north to south direction of the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. The sandstone and shale slopes harbor two types of forest: hardwood on the northern slopes and pine and oak on the drier south-facing slopes. Much of the range is contained within the Ouachita National Forest, a 1.8-million-acre outdoor playground. No matter what you enjoy doing, you’re in the right place.

FISHING

With fast-moving streams and crystal-clear lakes, there’s nothing you can’t catch in the Ouachitas. The Ouachita and Little Missouri Rivers are especially popular in this area for trout and walleye fishing, while Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton are superb spots for striper and bass.

HIKING

Those who wish to experience the entire Ouachita Mountain range can traverse the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, a 223-mile recreational hiking trail that stretches from Arkansas’s western border near Talimena State Park to Pinnacle Mountain

WORDs and images courtesy Arkansas.com

State Park near Little Rock. You’ll find plenty of quality shorter options as well, such as the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT), Eagle Rock Loop and more.

CAMPING

The Ouachitas are a perfect spot for camping. The Ouachita National Forest is open to dispersed camping for those who like to rough it, but there are dozens of public and private campgrounds throughout the mountain range as well – complete with RV hookups, restrooms, showers, and other amenities.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

The Ouachita Mountains may be one of the nation’s best spots for mountain biking. The area is home to three IMBA Epic trails – the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOVit), the Ouachita National Recreation Trail and the Womble – and an IMBA Bronze-Level Ride Center in Hot Springs. The Iron Mountain trail system in Arkadelphia and Cedar Glades Park just miles from downtown Hot Springs are also popular singletrack spots, and the miles of unpaved forest roads are ideal for long days of exploration.

BOATING

Lake Hamilton, Lake Ouachita, Lake Catherine, Lake Greeson and Lake DeGray are highly popular among boaters and water sports enthusiasts, while the Caddo, Cossatot, Little Missouri, Ouachita and Saline Rivers are perfectly suited for canoe and kayak paddlers.

OZARK MOUNTAINS

The Ozarks are actually comprised of three separate and distinct plateaus: the Boston, Springfield and Salem Plateaus. Hardwood forests dot the range, comprised of sandstone and shale in some spots and chert and limestone in others. There is plenty of wild country to explore here: the Ozark National Forest spans 1.2 million acres. But the highlight of this area for many will be the charming mountain towns, where you’ll find everything from antique shops to impromptu folk music gatherings in local squares.

HIKING

The 218-mile Ozark Highlands Trail is only the beginning of the great hiking opportunities here. There’s the breathtaking Pedestal Rocks Loop, the Lost Valley Trail, Hemmed In Hollow and countless other trails to explore.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

The mountain biking scene in the Ozarks includes the IMBA Epic Upper Buffalo Headwaters Trail and Syllamo Trail. But other area gems aren’t to be ignored, specifically Mount Kessler, Lake Leatherwood, and Slaughter Pen. The city of Bentonville is an IMBA Silver-Level Ride Center and nearby Fayetteville is a Bronze-Level Ride Center. One could spend an entire week riding the many trail offerings here in the Ozarks.

CAMPING

Aside from dispersed camping in the Ozark National Forest, you’ll find plenty of wonderful campgrounds that range from primitive to luxurious. Devil’s Den State Park, Richland Creek and White Rock Mountain are good places to start looking.

ROCK CLIMBING

The Ozarks have their own special brand of sandstone that’s perfect for climbing. Whether you’re into sport climbing or bouldering, you’ll find some superb routes at Sam’s Throne, Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Red Rock Point and even Mount Magazine State Park.

FLOATING

The Ozarks are a serious paddler’s playground. The Buffalo National River is the crown jewel of the region, stretching 150 miles. Other float-friendly options include the Mulberry River, Kings River, White River, Spring River, Big Piney Creek, Crooked Creek, Eleven Point River, Illinois Bayou, Little Red River and the Strawberry River. Whether you want to flow through fastmoving rapids or enjoy the scenery on a laid-back voyage, you can’t pick a better place than the Ozarks.

FISHING

The same rivers that make these mountains so ideal for floating also make for unforgettable fishing. The Spring, Little Red and White Rivers are renowned trout-fishing streams. Anglers on the hunt for bass should check out the region’s lakes, including Bull Shoals Lake, Greers Ferry Lake, Norfork Lake and Beaver Lake.

Other attractions include Mount Magazine State Park and Crater of Diamonds State Park. Arkansas is a state that offers a wide variety of natural attractions that are sure to impress and inspire visitors. Plan your next Arkansas adventure at arkansas.com!

SENIOR LIVING

Now is YOUR time!

Perhaps you’re looking to spend more time with family, do a little traveling, or take up a new hobby. No matter what’s on your list, it’s imperative you take care of yourself!

Do South® has partnered with local experts to assist you with healthcare, insurance, and incredible relaxation and entertainment options!

Health for the Ages

No matter your stage in life, there are many things you can do to care for your body as you age. Check out the tips below then commit to putting them into action!

20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s ALL AGES

• Be aware of what you’re putting in your body. Read labels, they matter.

• Diet and low-cal drinks still contain calories which add up quickly.

• Sunscreen. Wear it. Protect yourself against skin cancer and age gracefully.

• Take care of your bones with a calcium supplement and exercise.

• Bo ost your brain with high-intensity interval training (HIT), a proper diet, brain games, and adequate sle ep.

• Eliminate sugars, especially from desserts, coffee, and juices.

• Make sure you include a large portion of leafy green vegetables with all meals–smo othies are a great way to include them for breakfast.

• Master your metabolism with exercise. Get active with an activity you enjoy; think running, Pilates, hiking, or swimming.

• Even if you’ve created bad habits in your 30s and 40s, you have time to make changes.

• Discover a new activity, run a race, pick up a new hobby.

• Know your body and stay on top of health screenings.

• Stay active, both mentally and physically, doing some sort of exercise daily, whether it's a short walk or a morning swim.

• Enjoy outdoor activities like the farmer’s market, walks in local parks and art exhibits.

• Create a safe environment at home. Eliminate areas of concern that could lead to falls and possible bone fractures.

• Make sure you have an established relationship with a primary care provider so they can care for you through all of life’s stages.

• Be aware of and schedule healthcare screenings by age and state of life.

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