Lit - December 2015 by Do South Magazine

速

LIT

December 2015 DoSouthMagazine.com

CONTENTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Catherine Frederick CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Scott Frederick MANAGING EDITOR Marla Cantrell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS John Blase Marla Cantrell Marcus Coker Leah DiPietro Catherine Frederick Rachel Gerner Seth Haines Jessica Sowards Heather Steadham Janna Wilson GRAPHIC DESIGNER Artifex 323 - Jessica Mays

PROOFREADER Charity Chambers ONLINE ASSISTANT Emma Sullins PUBLISHER Read Chair Publishing, LLC

INSIDE

14 24 58 64

HERO IN A HOSPITAL GOWN

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Catherine Frederick - 479.782.1500

When an Arkansas boy was diagnosed with leukemia for the second time, a man in California offered him a miracle. This story will tug at your heartstrings.

Catherine@DoSouthMagazine.com

KRAFTING A CHRISTMAS

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Marla Cantrell - 479.831.9116

How do you make the perfect gift even better? With personalized gift wrapping, name tags, and even one-ofa-kind bags. We'll show you how to wow those you love this Christmas, even before they open their gifts!

BOURBON PECAN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE Bacon, bourbon, sweet potatoes. And that's just a partial list of ingredients. This dish will become one of your holiday traditions, and with good reason. It's absolutely delicious!

COZY CABINS After the holidays, you may be looking to reconnect with nature. We'll show you some of the coziest cabins in the state that are sure to help you relax, regroup, and recharge.

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Scott Frederick - 479.459.6672 Scott@DoSouthMagazine.com

Marla@DoSouthMagazine.com 息2015 Read Chair Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions contained in Do South速 are exclusively those of the writers and do not represent those of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. as a whole or its affiliates. Any correspondence to Do South速 or Read Chair Publishing, LLC., including photography, becomes the property of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. Do South速 reserves the right to edit content and images. Printed in the U.S.A. | ISSN 2373-1893

FOLLOW US Annual subscriptions are $30 (12 months), within the contiguous United States. Subscribe at DoSouthMagazine.com or mail check to 7030 Taylor Avenue, Suite 5, Fort Smith, AR, 72916. Single issues are available upon request for $7. Inquiries or address changes, call 479.782.1500.

letter from the editor

This photo was taken Christmas Eve, 1977, just a few weeks shy of my third birthday. There I am, standing proudly in front of our Christmas tree, wearing

branch. You could see through the branches, clear back to the wall; those holes in the tree didn’t matter then. It was what we had, and to me, it was beautiful.

some sort of bandana getup that strangely resembles a picnic tablecloth. Pretty sure those are jin-

For the past several years, I’ve fussed a lot over

gle bells on my saddle shoes and a gingerbread

Christmas. Decorating our tree with themed

man pin on my dress. I was something. But, oh

ornaments and making sure the outside of the

how I paled in comparison to our grand old tree.

house is lit up and the porch is adorned with decorations. But you know what? That’s all for

I'm afraid that tree probably wouldn’t meet today’s standards. Not enough lights, or ribbon, or coordinat-

everyone else. I’ve somehow lost the true meaning of the season amidst the ribbon and lights and glitter.

ing ornaments. Plus, it was fake. Pull-it-out-of-the-boxand-fluff-out-the-branches fake. You see, the thing is, when I

So, there will be no lights on our house this year, and I’ll lock

was growing up, our tree wasn’t on display for company, or some-

the control-freak side of myself in a closet and ask for help when

thing we just used as decoration. It was a tree of memories. Lots of

decorating the tree. I’m thinking we need strings of popcorn this

ornaments made by my hands at school, which most times included

year and some garland.

a photo or a painted handprint reminding my mom and dad that I wouldn’t be this small forever.

I want to scale back, to give my family a taste of the nostalgic holidays that populated my childhood, the ones that become crystal clear

Some years we’d make salt dough ornaments or string together pop-

every year when the Christmas music starts playing on the radio and

corn. And you could always count on the tinsel. Either tinsel garland

our hearts turn to this most blessed season.

in a variety of colors or the loose stringy stuff that you'd find lingering months later attached to a sweater or the bottom of your shoe. They

My wish for you is simple: enjoy your family and friends, remember to

probably don’t make the stringy stuff anymore—most likely it’s some

stop and give thanks for all you've been given. Help others. Spread joy.

sort of danger to pets and humans.

And the next time you're obsessing over your catalog-worthy Christmas tree, consider this, the ornaments your kids will likely remember are the

And the lights—they were special too. If I close my eyes real tight, I

ones they helped make with their little hands and brought home to you

can still see them. Each colored bulb was secured by a piece of clear

with so much pride their hearts almost burst with joy.

plastic near the bottom that looked just like the petals of a flower. I remember we had to put the strands on the tree by circling round

I know that's how it was for me. Every imperfect and mismatched

and round until we had it just right. It may have only been a couple of

decoration became a thing of wonder when placed so carefully on

strands, but when the lights were turned on, our little tree sparkled

our humble tree. Every one of them seemed to sparkle in the glow of

as though it held a billion lights.

the twinkling lights, quite possibly because they were filled with love, and with the endearing magic only Christmas can bring.

We even had some store-bought ornaments. I remember a couple of plastic deer, and lots of character ornaments from my favorite movie, Winnie the Pooh. And icicles and snowflakes dangling from every

~Catherine

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calendar

December 2015

SUNDAY

MONDAY

View our calendar on dosouthmagazine.com for more events and details.

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

01 02 03 04 05 Season's Greetings Concert, ArcBest Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith, 7:00pm

(1-31) Greenwood Trail of Lights, Bell Park, Greenwood

Notes at Night with Samantha Hunt, Ramo d’Olivo, Bentonville, 6:30pm-8:00pm

(4,5,8) EV Drama’s A Christmas Carol, The King Opera House, Van Buren

The Fort Smith Symphony’s Holiday Memories, ArcBest Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith, 7:30pm

Walton Arts Center and SoNA Present The Snowman: A Family Concert, Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville, 2:00pm

Rogers Christmas Parade, Downtown, Rogers, 7:00pm

Toddler Time Storytime Program, Main Branch Fort Smith Public Library, 10:00am

Movie Night at the Pavilion: “The Polar Express”, Bell Park, Greenwood, 6:30pm

Drop in and Draw, Regional Art Museum, Fort Smith, 12:00pm-4:00pm

(11-13, 17-20) #AChristmasCarol, Arkansas Public Theater, Rogers, 8:00pm

(12-13) Western Arkansas Ballet’s 30th Annual Nutcracker Ballet, ArcBest Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith, 2:30pm

Jim Brickman Comfort & Joy, Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville, 4:00pm

The Road Less Traveled of California: Wine Education Class, Tyson Culinary Learning Center, NWACC, Rogers, 6:30pm-8:30pm

Nature Night: Dutch Oven Lid Lifter, Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center, Fort Smith, 6:00pm

(12/3 – 1/3) Peter and the Starcatcher, Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, Fayetteville, see website for showings

(17-18) Live Nativity on display, Bell Park, Greenwood, 6:00pm

(18-19) UAFS Academy of the Arts Presents Mulan Jr., Breedlove Auditorium, Fort Smith

Christmas with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Faulkner Performing Arts Center, Bentonville, 7:30pm-9:30pm

Beginner’s Guide to Archery, Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center, Fort Smith, 2:30pm

(21-23) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville, 7:00pm

Hayride and S’mores at the Trail of Lights, Bell Park, Greenwood, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Visit Santa at the Walmart Museum, Bentonville, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Holiday Hayride, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, Little Rock, 3:00pm-5:00pm

(through Jan. 16) Ice Skating at The Rink, Lawrence Plaza, Bentonville

(through May 8) Nava, o Wearings from the Pam Parish Collection, National Cowboy & Western Museum, Oklahoma City

Collections Highlights, Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, 2:30pm-3:30pm

Winter Break Wonders, Crystal Bridges, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Noon Year’s Eve Celebration, Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, 12:00pm-3:00pm

Appy Christmas! We hope you enjoy this issue. CHECK OUT THESE FREE iPHONE / iPAD GAMES AND ACTIVITY APPS FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES. – Santa Cam FX by Hot Salsa Interactive – Elf Yourself by Office Depot, Inc.

– Holly, A Christmas Tale HD by Big Fish Games, Inc.

Read Do South's® digital edition at DoSouthMagazine.com.

Get one year of Do South® for just $30. Subscribe online at DoSouthMagazine.com, or send a check to: Read Chair Publishing, LLC 7030 Taylor Ave, Ste 5 Fort Smith, AR 72916

– Talking Santa by Out Fit 7 Ltd.

– Find the Scout Elves by The Elf on the Shelf® CCA & B LLC.

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yrreM samtsirhC

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poetry

THIS CHRISTMAS DAY LINES John Blase

I awoke with a start convinced I heard the clatter of sleigh bells. Ha, what a sentimental fool. It was simply the vaccine tags on the beagle’s neck jing-jing-jing-a-linging. I plugged in the lights on our lopsided tree and it dawned on me I fall in love every day. Standing in the sliding glass doorway as the beagle took care of basic business I felt this most holy morning’s chill. Soon my wife and children would stir themselves awake to smells of sausage balls and piñon coffee. Then a handful of gifts to unwrap. I thought mercy, we made it one more round. On that rather earthly threshold my soul felt its worth.

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UPCLOSE&PERSONAL

Cliff Cabaness II Founder/CEO, Trinity Multifamily 6515 South Zero Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.452.1817 | trinitymultifamily.com

DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

UPCLOSE&PERSONAL

Words to Live by: There is no detail so small it doesn't require close attention—finish strong! "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

About Trinity Multifamily Trinity Multifamily was founded out of a need for me and my business partner to purchase and manage our own apartments. As time went on, we began to get requests to purchase, invest in, or simply manage other people’s properties. My father taught me two life lessons that we now apply daily: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing it right the first time," and "Finish it well!” Dad’s advice was a good guide. Trinity has grown into a regional company with more than 7,500 apartments, condos, duplexes, and homes under dedicated care! We provide safe, well maintained, and managed properties in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

3 things Cliff can't live without:

Favorite childhood memory of Christmas? Sneaking a peek early, then acting surprised Christmas morning. What treats did you always leave for Santa? Cookies and milk. All-time favorite Christmas gift? A boombox that flashed to the beat. Best Christmas present you ever gave someone? I got my oldest daughter a pink and black truck, and my youngest daughter a horse. Favorite Christmas TV show? A Charlie Brown Christmas. What do you miss about being a kid? Terrorizing the neighborhood, and packs of boys out from daylight to dark. What's gone out of style that you wish would make a comeback? High top Reeboks® and jeans with tight-rolled cuffs. First job? I was fourteen and I got a job at Dairy Queen. I spent my first paycheck paying them back for all the fries I ate. Favorite song from your teen years? "Walk This Way" by Run-D.M.C., and "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. What's on your playlist right now? Contemporary Christian, Journey, Sam Hunt, Jimmy Buffett. What's on your bedside table? Bible, Bose® radio, i-Pad®. Favorite meal? Steak and baked potato. Farthest you've been away from home? It was when I was doing mission work in the Pare Mountains in Africa. Strangest place you've called the Hogs? The front yard of a deer camp in Junction City, Arkansas after defeating #1 LSU. If you could take a year off and do anything you wanted, what would it be? I'd stay at my condo in Destin. Scuba dive in Cozumel and the Bahamas. And visit extended family. Last book you read? One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future by Ben Carson M.D. and Candy Carson. Last movie you saw? Woodlawn.

Bible

What are you grateful for? Salvation, my wife, and my business partners.

Mathews® bow

What's your hidden talent? I'm a break-dancing machine. What's on your Bucket List? An African safari, and catching a 1,000 pound blue marlin. What's the most sentimental thing you own? A ring passed down from my grandfather.

Boots

What do you love about your career? The ability to make a living doing what I love, while developing my employees, and providing housing for more than 14,000 residents in the South Central United States. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

pets

ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU

Herman

Stitch

Delilah

Tanner

Koda

Togan

3 Girls Animal Rescue is a foster-only rescue, so there is no facility. All animals are currently in foster homes being socialized and cared for by loving families. All are spayed or neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations, and heartworm negative. 3 Girls is run completely by volunteers and operates solely on public donations.

CONTACT: Angela Meek 479.883.2240 • Mitzi Burkhart 479.651.4445 www.facebook.com/3GirlsAnimalRescue • threegirlsanimalrescue@outlook.com Each month, Do South® donates this page to local and regional non-profit animal shelters. If you work with a shelter and would like to reserve this space, please email editors@dosouthmagazine.com.

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people

HERO IN A HOSPITAL GOWN THE JAMES BEAVER STORY

James Beaver and Family

words Marla Cantrell images courtesy James Beaver and Amber Alder

In January 2015, Do South® Magazine published ”Brave: The Aiden Alder Story," detailing the battle Aiden fought to get well, after fighting leukemia for the second time. Key to his recovery was the bone marrow donor whose identity at that time was not known. Since then, we've learned the man who saved Aiden's life is James Beaver. This is his story.

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people

When you're a policeman, you see things most people don't.

tinue. When he said yes, they described the donation pro-

Nobody calls an officer when things are dancing along. And so

cess, told him he could be out of work for about a week,

James Beaver, a resident of Modesto, California, and a former

and assured him any out-of-pocket expenses he incurred

member of the nearby Gustine Police Department, knew what it

would be covered.

was like to arrive in the aftermath of trouble. The wrecked car, the woman assaulted by someone who claimed to love her, the

In early 2014, he traveled to Stanford Medical Center and

house that had been turned into a drug den. He'd seen it all.

went through a full workup to make sure he was healthy enough to proceed. James, who stands six feet tall, is in

But he also knew something all good officers know. If you go

great shape, doing everything from hunting to hiking to

to work with good intentions, you'll likely be able to make

surfing to snowboarding. When he passed this hurdle,

someone's dreadful day just a little bit better. And James,

they discussed the best way to extract the bone marrow,

now thirty years old, tries to live a generous life.

using factors like Aiden's age, and decided to take it from James' pelvic bone. They would drill four holes, about the

In early 2012, while at a mall near his home, he saw a booth

size of a pencil eraser, to access the bone marrow.

set up. The banner read: Be the Match ® . The organization helps those with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma find the right person to give them the bone marrow donation they need to survive. James signed up on the spot. Seventy percent of those in need of a transplant don't have a match in their family, so without donors these patients lose hope. What occurs once the bone marrow transplant takes place is miraculous. The donor's healthy blood-forming cells enter the patient’s bloodstream, where they begin to grow and make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Patients receive the transfusion through an IV.

"I remember thinking if that were my child, I'd be praying every day that there would be a match and someone would be willing to do exactly what I was doing."

Nothing happened for a year and a half. And then, in the waning months of 2013, Be the Match ® called to let James know he and a few others on the registry were possible

While James prepared for the procedure in February, Aiden's

matches. There was an eight-year-old boy fighting Acute

mother, Amber Alder, was knee-deep in gratitude. She had

Myeloid Leukemia for the second time. Because of privacy

been fervently praying for a match. Her heart had been bro-

issues, James was not told that the boy was Aiden Alder,

ken shortly after Aiden's second diagnosis just before Hal-

who lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and whose worsening

loween 2013, when her sweet, brave boy turned his face to

condition had an entire community united in prayer.

the wall and said, "I don't want to die."

At that point, James says he was given the choice to continue

Ten days before the donation, Be the Match ® called James

on by having more blood tests or opt out. He didn't hesitate.

again. "They said, 'He's going to have to go through a set

He was a father by then, and his heart broke for Aiden. "I

of chemo to eradicate all of his bone marrow and it's go-

remember thinking if that were my child, I'd be praying every

ing to be extremely painful, and we want to be sure you're

day that there would be a match and someone would be will-

one hundred percent certain.' When you hear something like

ing to do exactly what I was doing," James says.

that," James says, "you just want to jump in and do it as soon as you can. I just wanted him healthy again."

Three weeks later, he got a second call. He was one of the best matches. He was asked again if he wanted to con-

While James prepared, Amber was with Aiden in Dallas, watch-

DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

people

ing her son struggle from the effects of the chemotherapy Aiden, recovering

James had been warned about. Ulcers formed in Aiden's throat and mouth, and he was throwing up, the combination of these two things making his life excruciating. James' procedure took place in California and lasted two hours. He went home several hours later and was back to work in just four days. The bone marrow he'd donated was sent to Aiden, and once he'd been transfused, the waiting began. In those days that followed, Amber sat down to write James a thank-you note, but found that words were not enough. Every time she tried to convey her immense gratefulness, she fell short. It took her sixteen attempts to say what was in her heart. "At that point I still didn't have Aiden's name," James says. "But I did learn more about him. I knew he liked to play outdoors and that he loved his little sister very much. I'd written him a letter, telling him about my life. About being a police officer and having a ten-month-old daughter. I sent him a police badge and belt." Life got busy after that and time moved on. Amber treasured every new day with Aiden, who was growing stronger every day. James changed jobs, leaving law enforcement, and he

are a lot to bear, so James set up a Go Fund Me速 account, hop-

and his wife Joanna had another daughter.

ing those who hear their story will want to help.

In March 2015, James heard again from Be the Match 速 .

"I want to meet this young man who is now a part of me. I'm

"After one year of waiting, you're able to sign a release,

a part of him. Literally. Amber told me Aiden's blood type is AB

and then information, such as our names, can be ex-

positive and it's slowly changing to my blood type, which is A

changed with the donor. We didn't hear back quickly, so

positive. That's mind-blowing and special. I told her I wanted to

we didn't really know if Aiden and Amber wanted contact,

apologize upfront in case he got even more ornery because he

or if maybe Be the Match 速 was just really busy.

has my blood now," James says, and then laughs.

"And then, in September, Amber emailed me. I didn't

The two families want to meet in Dallas, since Amber would be

respond for a couple of days. For one thing, it was an

able to drive there, making the trip less expensive. They hope to

extremely busy time, but the other thing was that I just

spend two or three days getting to know each other. Already,

didn't know what to say. She wrote me a very emotional

the Dallas Zoo has offered them free admission, and the Dallas

and caring email. What do you say to that? Except that I'd

Stars hockey team wants them to come see a game for free.

do it all over again if I had to. I just put myself in her shoes and imagined someone saving my own child's life."

"I just wanted to make this trip as carefree as possible. I didn't want any financial burden to hinder it. I just want to be able to

Since then, the two families have exchanged phone calls and

focus on creating an even greater connection between our two

emails. The next logical step seemed to be to meet in person.

families. I want my kids to meet Aiden and his sister and for

But the expenses for things like flights and rental cars and meals

us to have pictures of that, because we have a lifelong bond."

DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

people

Aiden, today

As James is telling his story, the sounds of his two-year-old daughter ring in the background. At one point, he hands her the phone and lets her say hello. His five-month-old daughter is nearby, his wife busy corralling them all, and he appreciates every minute of it. He lives an hour and a half from the ocean, and an hour and a half from snow-covered mountains. He has a wife he adores, and a big, happy, extended family. His life is full and noisy and beautiful.

"I want to meet this young man who is now a part of me. I'm a part of him. Literally."

One of the best experiences he's ever had was helping Aiden. If he could have one wish, it would be to encourage others to do what he did. "I'm a private person. I don't even have a Facebook page," he says. "But by telling my story, if just one person is convinced to sign up, and they're able to save somebody's life, it's all worth it."

For more on the bone marrow donation registry, visit bethematch.org.

No one would agree more than Aiden. He is ten years old now, almost constantly smiling, and so full of life it's hard to imagine the path he walked to get here. And often, when he and his mom and his sister gather to say their prayers, the

To help Aiden and James meet, visit Go Fund Me速, Cancer Survivor Meets Marrow Match, gofundme.com/ay5eenve.

first person they mention is James. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

entertainment

Books Make the Best Presents reviewS Marla Cantrell

Books make great Christmas gifts, and those who receive them will think of you as they devour these stories. Here are several, for all ages, that could be the perfect gift for those on your Nice List. (A special thanks to my great friend, Tara McCleod, who helped with the selections for kids and young adults.)

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entertainment

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee (grade 7 and

Daywalt (K-2nd grade) is absolutely hilarious!

up) is an adventure story with strong female

My Southern Journey: True Stories from

And the illustrations are great. There's even

characters. Set in 1849, it follows Samantha, a

the Heart of the South by Rick Bragg is as

a glow-in-the-dark illustration. Imagine if

Chinese-American, and Annamae, a runaway

comforting as biscuits and gravy on a cold

crayons could talk. Well, in this book they do,

slave, as they flee an impossible situation and

winter morning. This book of non-fiction

and they have plenty to say. This is a great

head out on the Oregon Trail. Along the way

contains essays about being southern that

book to read aloud.

they face adversity, befriend a trio of cowboys,

Bragg wrote in the span of about ten years.

and discover the power of friendship.

Want to love this book even more? Get the audio version to hear Bragg read his words. His voice is full of the music of the South.

Also Recommended: Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee (grades 3-5) The Marvels by Brian Selznick (grades 5-8) Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff (grades 4-8)

Edisto Jinx by C. Hope Clark, a fast-paced

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (grades 6-9)

mystery set in the beach town of Edisto, South Carolina, follows former Boston PD

For those who love literary fiction, it doesn't

detective Callie Morgan, as she is pulled back

get much better than Did You Ever Have a

into the world of crime solving. A young

Family by Bill Clegg. The story begins the

woman dies, but is it murder? Before that

night before a big wedding. Lolly, June Reid's

question is answered, another mysterious

daughter, is getting married, and the house is

death occurs. The locals have their opinions.

full of friends and family. It should be a time

Some think the small town is cursed, and at

of great celebration; however, tragedy strikes

least one resident says she's being visited by

and everyone but June is gone in a flash.

ghosts. But Callie suspects something even

What happens next takes June on a journey to

more sinister, and with every passing day it

trace the last happy travels of her lost daughter.

appears as if she's right. This is one of those

Along the way she finds unlikely heroes who

books that will keep you up late into the

refuse to let her fall. This book is elegant and

night trying to figure out "who done it."

heartbreaking and absolutely beautiful.

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A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen (grades 4-7) The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (teen and young adult) Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (grades 9-12) Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (grades 8-12) Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (grade 10 and up) The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz (grades 6-9)

people

Coming Clean:

THE SETH HAINES STORY words Seth Haines images courtesy Seth Haines

Seth Haines grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and now lives in Fayetteville with his wife and sons. His first book, Coming Clean: A Story of Faith, was released in late October. This is his story.

DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

people

I was raised in the South, which is to say I

Grandpa Ducky—we called him this on account of the bayou

was raised among characters. There was Ar-

ducks he fed every evening—leaned in, fire on his breath.

thur Larimore, the tee-totaling veteran with

“St. George was undaunted,” he said. “He charged and

a penchant for teaching seventh grade boys

lanced the dragon in the heart. He straddled the head of the

the ways of the good Lord, and the ways of

dragon—roaring and bucking as he was—and with a clean

a good trigger finger. There was Ann Curtis,

stroke, he separated the beast’s massive skull from his neck.”

the slight woman with the bluish beehive

He paused, let the story settle as the mallards splashed down

hairdo who barely spoke a word, unless it was

into bayou water from the western sky. Then, in the cicada

during one of her three shifts a day in the

crescendo on the banks, he said, “You can slay dragons, boy.

church prayer room. There was Sam Phillips,

You can set things right.”

who’d caught a catfish with his bare hand in Doc’s pond, jumped out of a tree stand and

My grandfather’s storytelling was always marked by the scent

rode a wounded deer to the ground, and ate

of Gordon’s gin, a dry London swill that, when mixed with

Sriracha by the spoonful for show. (Only one

tonic, tasted like an evergreen forest fire and quinine. Patri-

of these Phillips’ stories is verifiable.)

arch as he was, noble as he was, when we visited his house, it was the only drink, and when he traveled, he’d bring his own

Among the characters in my life, there was

supply in a green ammo crate. It was his survival kit, his over-

none more colorful than my grandfather,

night stash—a bottle of Gordon’s, pickled onions, a few limes,

George Mouk. My grandfather was a man

Schweppes tonic water, and a bottle of Dry Sack sherry. (“You

never at rest, and was equal parts family pa-

never know when sherry season might sneak up on you,” he’d

triarch, successful businessman, charismatic

say with a wink, especially in the days after my grandmother’s

leader, scratch golfer, house chef, and the

passing.) This was his crate of courage, his magic box. It was

consummate North Louisiana conservationist.

endearing, part of his persona and our family lore.

He was pulled to passion, a unifier, a developer, a solution-oriented and outcome-determi-

There was never a more joyous group than those under the

native man prone to tell you “what you ought

influence of his libations. He was a jubilant imbiber, a loose

to do.” And every night, he dulled his obses-

fellow who’d tell secret stories of the war and breaking codes

sive drive, his pent-up energy, and the worries

and young lovers. He’d flirt with the granddaughters-in-law,

that came with them, with stiff gin drinks.

would tell off-colored jokes in that aw-shucks manner afforded eccentric and accomplished southern elders. It was

I remember the botanical scent on his breath, he

Gordon’s gin and tonic that most often contributed to these

pulling me into his lap when I was a boy, rock-

memories, some of my fondest of him.

ing in an old wicker chair overlooking the bayou. “Sit here, boy,” he’d say, “and let me tell you

My grandfather bequeathed me his prominent nose, his flat

about my namesake.” St. George was a war

backside, and his penchant for Gordon’s and Schweppes. We

hero during the Crusades, he said. A fierce war-

are nothing if not a loyal family. I blame that on our southern

rior, St. George was pulled toward greatness.

roots. For the more initiated drinkers, those of you who elevate the finer things of life over familial identity, perhaps this is an

St. George once found a damsel bound in a field,

abomination. But in the days when I needed the liquid courage

my grandfather told me, she clothed in a wedding

to slay my own dragons, Gordon’s was the courage of choice.

dress, bound hand and foot. The maid was to be

In 2012, my youngest son Titus fell ill with a mysterious

sacrificed to a dragon, the beast that tormented

disease. At six months, he stopped gaining weight. At ten

the girl’s village. No sooner had the maiden de-

months, he began losing weight. In his eleventh month, his

clared her plight than the dragon appeared, blue

body began to reject his meals.

blazes flaring from his upturned snout. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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We were admitted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where

which I responded, “How did you know you had a drinking

the doctors labored to find a solution. As they labored, I la-

problem?” Her eyes softened, the smile of a mother eased

bored under the stress that our son might not make his first

across her lips, and she said, “You know, don’t you.” It was

birthday. There was a dragon of fear in that hospital room,

not a question. It was a revelation.

and when I needed to dull the pain and doubt so as to continue the fight, I had a bottle of gin smuggled to the hospital

That was the morning that began my journey into sobriety,

room, and I drank.

a journey that is recorded in my first book, Coming Clean: A Story of Faith. It wasn’t an easy process, this process of coming clean. I suppose, in part, it felt like a betrayal of

"I look back on those early days of sobriety and recognize that it was the beginning of something sacred. It was the beginning of my own heritage, perhaps the genesis of my own character sketch."

my heritage, my Grandfather’s genetic predisposition. But more than two years removed, I look back on those early days of sobriety and recognize that it was the beginning of something sacred. It was the beginning of my own heritage, perhaps the genesis of my own character sketch. My grandfather was right—dragons are slayable creatures. My son’s illness was not the dragon I once thought, though. The dragon was of a more personal sort. It was sneaky. It was habitual. And now, one day at a time, I’m slaying the dragon. Long live St. George.

The problem, I found, with drinking to dull the pain is this: when the exigency resolved, I was unable to quit drinking. And this was the precarious predicament in which I found myself mired over one year after my son’s discharge from Arkansas Children’s. Whiskey, gin, beer, wine—I drank and drank to avoid dealing with the pain and disappointment of my son’s ongoing, but no longer life-threatening, health-related issues. Pour a stiff one; drink it down; squelch the anxiety; pour another. This became the rhythm of the day. It was a rhythm that would continue, notwithstanding my wife’s questions: do you think you have a problem? And here’s what any accomplished, talented former-drinker will tell you: all of the nagging questions will be swept aside until the moment is right for the coming clean. In September of 2013, I slopped into my last good drunk under the arms of a Spanish Oak in Austin, Texas. In the morning that followed, I met a friend, a former alcoholic, in a Methodist church lobby. “Good morning,” she said, to

You can follow Seth at his website, SethHaines.com. His book, Coming Clean: A Story of Faith, was released on October 27.

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krafting a words and images Janna Wilson

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For years Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve loved the simple goodness of kraft paper packages and have used it to wrap holiday presents, as well as birthday gifts and other goodies. This holiday I decided to experiment with some interesting ways to make my simple packages snazzy and festive with a handmade touch. With just a few supplies from your craft stash, you can create customized gift wrap and one-of-a-kind gift bags to place under the tree.

Supplies: kraft gift wrap and/or bags ink (black and white) paint brush (no. 2 and no. 8 round) chalk marker scrapbook supplies (patterned papers, stickers, paper punches, decorative tapes) ribbons, greenery (boxwood sprigs) tape and scissors

Tips: Create hand-lettered gift wrap with Christmas songs or Bible verses. Use your circle punch to add dots to a simple kraft package.

Create a snazzy gift tag with scrapbook stickers. Add color with ribbons, stickers and greenery.

How to: Packages 1 and 2 Use ink and brush to letter favorite holiday song lyrics, verses, or seasonal sayings on brown paper. This is

a great neutral background for tying on pretty bows, adding pops of color with stickers, or popping in some greenery. I like using ink best because it flows smoother than paint, but you can try either.

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Giftbag I keep kraft gift bags on hand at all times. A chalk marker works wonderfully

pen

“Jingle

Bells” on the front of the bag. Try this with some other colors of markers and perhaps highlight specific words within the text design for a colorful effect.

Gift

Kraft paper is old-school but make it sparkle under the tree with a few

touches of gold foil and glitter. I used foil stickers, strips and scrapbook paper (me & my BIG ideas™) with a glittered letter (Sugar Paper®) tied on.

Gift 5 Glittered paper and decorative tapes are a quick and fabulous way to add fun dotted accents to a wrapped package. Add a handmade tag with similar circular elements for the perfect finishing touch. Take advantage of pre-made glittered stickers and package add-ons rather than making a glittery mess.

Janna Wilson is a graphic designer, lettering artist and long-time crafter. Visit Janna’s blog at jannawilson.com for more holiday crafting ideas.

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Christmas

I AM

words and images Jessica Sowards

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I am a basket. I hold a bundle of rosemary, traded by a soft-

I am an average kitchen, largely furnished by Craigslist and garage sales.

spoken man to the woman with the farm and all the sons, tied

I will never be called “top of the line.” In the spring, I will sit still during the day,

with a ribbon and smelling of warmth. I hold a jar of spicy jam,

as the man and the woman and the sons whir through for cold sandwiches on

jewel-bright and proud, made of peppers carefully inspected at

their way back out to the garden, the greenhouse, the springtime places of a

the market and pickings from the pastor’s pear tree that arrived

farm. In the summer, my counters will be lined with jars of canned bounty

at this house in a soggy cardboard box. I bear apple-butter, long-

and baskets of garden goods, awaiting their destiny. In the fall, I start to

simmered in a pot while small boys stopped to inspect through-

wake up and get ready for this season, for the feasts I will birth, the family I

out the day, curious what was being made of their orchard-found

will cradle and comfort. The garden and the greenhouse sit quiet now, but

treasures. I hold a dozen eggs, smooth, multicolored shells lov-

I am warm and full. I saw turkeys raised in the yard feed dozens in Novem-

ingly tucked into a second-hand carton. I cradle a loaf of bread,

ber. I saw flour-dusted boys laugh with their mother during the making of

kneaded by calloused hands and infused with prayers to an al-

Christmas cookies and pumpkin pies. I wake up first on the icy daybreaks

mighty God. I’ll be given away soon, to a loved one nearby. I’ll

and turn out hot coffee and honeyed tea to warm the hands bitten by cold

take the place of fancy gifts in shiny paper. And in my

morning chores. I smell of spiced cider and fresh bread. I fill a place that hungers for more than just food during the holidays. I

lowliness, I will move hearts. I was hard-earned.

am the host of memories. I am a fake tree, bought from a clearance I am a simple house. I am not old enough to

sale and decorated with more twinkle lights than could be counted. I am hung

be valued for antiquity and not new enough

with six Baby’s-First-Christmas orna-

to be desirable to most. I was empty and

ments, with reindeer made of candy

forgotten, a widow, until the man and the

canes, and years of faded Polaroid®

woman with the dream found me. My skirts

photos from Sunday school crafts. I am

flowed out into acres, unkempt and uncared

topped with an old star that represents

for. But they saw something in me that no

an older star that once lead the way to

one else could perceive and from the first day

the Savior. And at night, my yellow glow

they came, their sleeves were rolled up, and their

shines through the window onto a frozen

hearts were set on that unseen something.

and quiet farm. I stand for the deep comfort of tradition. I exceed the standard of the children who

They built, they cleaned, they nurtured. They dug, they

adorned me and am indifferent to any other standard. Because,

planted. They built more. When the fall began to whisper in their

while I may not hold the splendor of the trees in the shop win-

ears of colder days, they worked against the threat of winter. And

dows, I embody all the wonder in the world.

then when she came, they retreated. I hide them from the coldness and darkness of the world and in me has been born some se-

I am a living room rug, bound of scrap carpet and nothing

cret sanctuary. And I think this month is a celebration of that. This

to sing about. I lie in front of a hearth. I am warmed by a

month, with the handmade wreath on the front door, none of

fire of crackling wood. It was split in July, in sweltering heat,

the visitors notice the faded red paint. This month, with the warm

by the man with the farm and his brothers and friends. I am

light spilling out of the windows, and the laughter bubbling out

wearing out in spots, and I bear not the awe of the mantle,

of the kitchen, and the smell of home pouring out into the biting

with its garland and stockings and cinnamon branches. I am

cold, I have been transformed into something completely other. I

often strewn with rubber boots and scrubbed where mud was

am only an old house, but during this time, I am an expression of

tracked in from the yard. But on the coldest nights, piles of

thanks. I am a home, a refuge from the whole wide world.

boys in footie pajamas, with their pillows and the quilts from their beds, come and lay on me. They watch Christmas classics

I am just a little farm. This is not my proudest hour. The colors have

and spill their hot cocoa and it doesn’t even ruin the moment.

been muted by cold and births are brewing but will not come until

Because I am only an old rug, here to warm feet and soften

spring. I am hung with words like “dormant,” like “off-season.”

the floor for the ones that matter.

But still, the sweet smell of hay mingles with that of ice and animals DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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and spice. And there is a reflection of another time in a dormant,

care that their life is simple, or even that it is lacking. Because they

winter farm. A remembrance of a manger, when a girl became a

will be equipped to live out a new December. An unselfish one,

mother and a King became a baby. I will shine soon, but today I am

unhurried, unconcerned about material things. They will see the

only a backdrop. I am only the sound of a rooster's crow, of bleating

opportunities to give without receipt, to go the extra mile, to cel-

goats. I am only the smell of wood smoke. I am only a small bowl

ebrate with kindness, and patience and an untouchable joy. They

of greenhouse greens and a handful of coveted eggs. I am not the

will see Jesus as their focus and all the rest as beauty to adorn Him.

focus, just the setting. Like the manger was two thousand years ago. I am Christmas. The story of a Savior. The opportunity to bless in the I am December. I never meant to be demanding. I do not come

measure that you have been blessed by that baby, that manger story.

with the bounty of fall, or the escape of summer or the promise

I’m not hiding, but I’m largely overlooked. I’m largely masqueraded

of spring. I am, however, extraordinary. Because underneath the

as some expensive thing, but I am free. I am beautiful. I am waiting to

door-busters and the dollars-off, behind the juggling show of pro-

be embraced. I am waiting to make every gift reflect the greatest gift.

grams and parties, I am the teller of an incredible love story. I am

I am waiting to strike hearts with wonder. I am waiting to be found,

a place where no bought things can lead. I am the celebration of

understood. I am Christmas. Will you have me?

a great gift, given freely, that could never be afforded by anyone but God. I bear the weight of an incomprehensible adoration, of a miraculous pursuit. And when a man or a woman take hold of it, they get to experience me in a new way. They will no longer

Follow Jessica on her blog @ thehodgepodgedarling.blogspot.com

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THE BARN BY

TWO BROTHERS words Marcus Coker images courtesy The Barn by Two Brothers

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Just off Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on 87th Street, there’s a red, three-story barn that time and progress have somehow allowed to stand for over a century. For decades, it simply stored hay and maybe a few sheep. But thanks to renovations, it’s recently been the site of numerous weddings, birthday parties, and even a swing dance convention, all perfectly framed by hand-cut wooden rafters, antique pickle barrels too big to wrap your arms around, and more history than you can shake a stick at. Built circa 1910, the barn sits on two acres, but the original property was thirty-five acres and included a blacksmith shop, a potato house (now Scott’s Bike Shop), and a two-story farmhouse between the barn and Rogers Avenue.

Lisa Neumeier Bobel Hearn

“The property was the old Sharum place,” says Frank Sharp,

At the time, Lisa was a single mother and named the building The

who’s seventy-seven, lives in Fayetteville, and bought the

Barn by Two Brothers in honor of her sons. “Being a single parent

property (including the hay barn, blacksmith shop, and potato

isn’t easy,” says Lisa, “and more than once I thought that I was

house) in 1977. “They sold produce, had a large greenhouse,

getting in over my head. But Frank has been like an angel to us and

and stored potatoes for their neighbors. I understand that the

made it possible to buy the barn.”

main house was destroyed by a fire in the 1940s.” The purchase was completed in June of 2013, and by that time, Lisa When Frank bought the property, he converted the potato house

was engaged. She and her fiancé, Tim Hearn, decided the barn would

into the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse, selling smoked meats, bakery

be the perfect place for their wedding reception in September. “We

items, and jellies and jams until he retired from the business in 2007

still didn’t have any water, and Scott was kind enough to open up his

and leased the company to a friend who kept it open for a couple

downstairs bathrooms. It all worked out so pretty and so well that we

more years. In 2010, Scott’s Bike Shop moved in.

had others approach us asking if they could use the barn.”

During the smokehouse years, Frank repaired the roof and the

The next year and a half was spent getting the building up to city

foundation of the hay barn. He traded two hams for the flagstone

code, which included adding plumbing, restrooms, more electricity,

floor on the first story. “We kept my daughter’s 4-H sheep

air conditioning, and handicap access. “When the inspector first came

there,” says Frank, “and many people may remember coming to

out, I just knew I was going to be shut down,” says Lisa. “But he gave

the ‘sheep to shawl’ demonstrations and craft fairs we hosted.”

it the thumbs up and said, ‘What a shot in the arm for Fort Smith.’”

Between 1997 and 2001, Frank got rid of the sheep, insulated the barn, built a loft to make a third story, and constructed a gazebo

Stepping into the barn on the main level, which is almost 1,800 square feet,

outside. “For nearly ten years, it was vacant until I found someone

is like stepping back in time. The wooden floor planks are as wide as my

as crazy about old buildings as I am.”

foot is long, covered in scratches but strong enough to support the trucks that used to drive in and deliver hay. The walls are paneled in wooded

That person was Lisa Neumeier Bobel Hearn. In 2011, Lisa was looking

planks, each a different type of wood. (You’ll recognize the same paneling

for a place to use as a workspace for her floral design business,

at Scott’s, as well as The Garden Room on Dickson Street in Fayetteville,

L Designs. “I was visiting one day with Scott Chapman at his bike

one of Frank’s properties.) There are windows to the left and right that

shop,” says Lisa, “and Scott introduced me to Frank, and he showed

used to be large openings for tossing out hay. Secured to the floor and

me the barn. It was full of junk, covered in foliage, and boards were

beams are original hooks and pulleys, also used for moving hay around.

falling off the wall, but I fell in love.” For over a year Lisa worked in the barn without heat or air conditioning, borrowing water in five-gallon

Upstairs is the loft that Frank built, which Lisa uses as her office.

buckets from her friend Scott next door.

Downstairs is where the sheep used to stay, but it now houses Lisa’s DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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design business. Doors on both sides open up to the rest of the

“At one time, people used to come together as communities to put

property. On the east side, there’s a pasture with a stage perfect for

barns together,” says Lisa. “And one of the best parts of renovating

outdoor concerts and dancing. On the west side, there’s the gazebo

this barn has been all the support from the community, especially

that Frank added, which goes back to a potato house story.

people at the Butterfield Place Retirement Community next door. They come by and say, ‘Thank you for saving this,’ and share their

“The potato house has a strange history,” says Frank. “There is a

stories, like eating sandwiches at the smokehouse and coming here

very shallow natural gas formation under the area. When the

to feed the sheep. It’s been a lot of work, and there will always be

Sharums leased the natural gas on their property, they were given

something to do, but it’s so fun to see this treasure come to life again.

free, unlimited access to it, which they used to heat the potato house

This big city has grown up all around it, and it’s just been waiting. I’m

where they stored their neighbors’ potatoes for the winter. Anyway,

proud for it because it’s withstood a lot of time.”

farmers used to camp on the banks of Massard Creek before going into Fort Smith to sell their produce and purchase supplies. There

The future of The Barn by Two Brothers is bright. Lisa is working

was a water well by the campground that would fill with gas and

toward expanding parking and buying the old blacksmith shop,

occasionally catch fire if someone dropped a match. So I built a replica

which could potentially be used as a bridal suite. With each new

of the well inside the gazebo and had planned to feature a burning

addition, every new idea, Lisa feels an even greater connection to

well for special occasions, but Lisa capped it off because she’s much

the barn's history. All those memories make everything she does that

too careful for such foolishness.”

much richer, that much more full of promise.

Since May 2015, The Barn by Two Brothers has been open for business, mostly hosting weddings and receptions. “The official

The Barn by Two Brothers is located in Fort Smith at

capacity is ninety-one,” says Lisa, “but we’ve had as many as 300

8720 South 87th Street.

because we can use the east pasture.” Clients of the barn have access to tables, vintage chalkboard windows, and many other rustic decorations, including pickle barrels and a serving buffet that came from the smokehouse.

For more information, find The Barn by Two Brothers on Facebook, visit thebarnbytwobrothers.com, or contact Lisa at 479.434.6737 or lisaamf@yahoo.com.

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Holiday Infusion words and images Catherine Frederick

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BOURBON AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE. Isn’t that how the old saying it goes? Perhaps not, but it sure does warm you up on a

cold winter night. Infused cocktails are all the rage, and small batch bottles make great gifts for those hard-to-buy-for people on your list. We’ve concocted a bourbon infused with bacon. As everyone knows, bacon makes everything better! We also love this spiced bourbon recipe made with citrus, cranberries and cloves. Dress up the bottles for gifting by adding a handwritten cocktail recipe.

Bacon bourbon

METHOD Cook 4 slices of bacon. Pour grease, about 1oz., into small bowl and cool slightly. Combine 750 ml of bourbon, bacon grease and 1 slice cooked bacon in 1qt. canning jar. Cover with plastic wrap, let sit room temp. for 6 hours. Put in freezer, about 8 hours. Remove. Scoop away solidified grease, discard with bacon slice. Strain bourbon through cheesecloth into container of choice. Keep in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Holiday Spice Bourbon

METHOD Add 2 (2”) orange rind strips, 8 whole cloves, 1 cup fresh cranberries (lightly crushed) and 750 ml bourbon to a 1qt. canning jar. Cover with lid. Let sit at room temperature for 4 days. Shake jar, remove lid and strain bourbon into pitcher. Add ¼ cup Simple Syrup, stir. Pour mixture into container of choice. Keep in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

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WOOF !

Oatmeal, Peanut Butter & Banana Dog Treats words and images Catherine Frederick

Don’t forget the adorable pups in your life this Christmas. Our dogs are huge fans of this homemade treat, packed with oatmeal, wheat flour, peanut butter, bananas—and of course, love!

INGREDIENTS

(MAKES ABOUT 24 TREATS) 1 egg cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup oats ½ cup mashed banana Cookie cutter

METHOD Preheat oven to 300°. Add ingredients to large mixing bowl. Knead ingredients until dough ball is formed. Add more flour if dough is sticky. Turn dough out onto counter, roll out dough to about ¼” thick with rolling pin. Cut out shapes with cookie cutter. Place treats on non-stick cookie sheet or parchment paper. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool, then store in refrigerator. As this recipe contains an egg, don’t feed your dog raw dough.

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The Humble Life of

Hop Bray DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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words Heather Steadham images courtesy Hop Bray

Garland “Hop” Bray is a man who figured it all out relative-

ly early in life—but it took him a scared-straight-like trip to the only prison in Arkansas that executes death sentences to really get the message. After a teenage Hop broke into the Pepsi-Cola ® plant in Fort Smith in the late 1960s, the judge, hoping to reform the mischievous nineteen-year-old,

"With what schooling I had, I consider myself successful in life, you know. Because I own my own home. It ain’t big and fancy and two-story, but it’s mine."

set a plan in motion: a three-day stint in the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections. And for young Hop, it worked like a charm.“I thought I was just gonna go

Hop began volunteer-coaching both football and baseball for

down there for a day and come home. And after I got down

the Fort Smith Boys Club back in 1972. Considering that he

there, I found out it was a seventy-two-hour trip and I had

still head-coaches football (and helps a buddy with a baseball

to spend the night down there, and I thought, Aw man! I’m

team), his forty-three years of service means he’s put in even

not gonna survive this.”

more years volunteering than he did getting paid by the City. Over his lifetime, he's served as a member of the Young Men’s

Survive it he did, though, and he even went on to suc-

Association and the Ben Geren Softball Board of Directors.

ceed—with help from his father. When he first got back

These days, he spends most of his time with the Fort Smith

from Cummins, Hop had no intention of returning to high

Round Table, a nonprofit organization classified as an Educa-

school to finish his senior year. However, his dad—the

tional Organization for Youth Development begun by Arkansas

man he calls his only mentor—had a different plan for

State Representative George McGill. The mission of the Round

him. “My dad said, ‘Oh no. You going back to school.

Table is, in part, to establish an educational structure that works

Make sure. You going back to school, and you gonna

to enrich the lives of economically disadvantaged people.

graduate.’” And in 1966, with the last graduating class at Lincoln High School (the segregated public high school

To meet that end, Hop helps run an outreach program for

in Fort Smith that closed its doors as integration became

at-risk youth called the Golden Knights. Students at Howard

a national requirement), Hop received his diploma and

and Spradling Elementary and Kimmons Junior High are

went on to attend college on a baseball scholarship at the

selected to attend weekly meetings that are designed to

College of the Ozarks in Clarksville (now the University of

establish a mentoring relationship and to instill leadership.

the Ozarks). After just a year there, his family began to

In his role as mentor, Hop addresses everything from proper

struggle financially, and he made the difficult decision to

meeting management to personal hygiene to the value of

return home and get a job to help out.

a formal education. “I tell my boys, ‘You guys are leaders. You have got to be the positive role model because every-

But now, at the age of sixty-nine, Hop can look back over

body notices that you belong to the Golden Knights. When

his life and see a path well-laid. Retired from the City of Fort

you come in here on Fridays with your shirt on, everybody

Smith after forty-two years of service, he explains that he

says, ‘Oh! He’s a Golden Knight. I want to be a Golden

is pretty darned satisfied with the way things turned out.

Knight!’ So personal hygiene is really important. You can’t

“With what schooling I had, I consider myself successful in

get up in the morning and throw a little water in your face

life, you know. Because I own my own home. It ain’t big and

and go on about your business.’ And we learn how to ap-

fancy and two-story, but it’s mine. I own my vehicle. I don’t

proach a person. How to introduce yourself. How to look

have that many bills. Rose [Hop’s wife] and I draw good

them in the eye while you’re talking to them. We learn how

retirement, so we’re comfortable. I’m not rich, I’m not poor.

to stand before people and talk and not be ‘uh uh uh.’ ‘Uh

I’m just comfortable.”

uh uh’ is not a word. Destroys your whole conversation.” DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

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Another aspect of the Round Table's mission is to cooperate with other charitable organizations, foundations, and government entities to empower economically disadvantaged people. This is yet another area where Hop has proven vital: back in 2008, Hop had a friend whose wife was suffering from ovarian cancer. As the family faced mounting medical bills, Hop came up with an ingenious plan: he approached several local civic organizations (one being Fidelity Women, his wife’s own club, a multifaceted community-based organization promoting family values, moral competence, and educational excellence) and proposed a joint-venture Christmas party. By charging ten dollars a head for entry to the party (a fee that has not increased in the seven years this program has continued), the organizations ended up donating almost five thousand dollars that year to help the family out. This project was such a success that the organizations joined to create Solomon’s Chest, a “community pot” where associations like the Fort Smith Round Table, Fidelity Women, and Delta Sigma Theta (an organization of college-educated women committed to constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the black community) can deposit funds that go to benefit worthy causes. Since Hop helped form Solomon’s Chest, the fund has raised more than ten thousand dollars Garland "Hop" Bray

for the likes of the Fort Smith Museum of History and the Elizabeth McGill Drop-In Center (which supplies money, goods, or services to the poor).

Hop laughs in response. “I like to go. I keep going. My dad told

It seems like Hop isn’t so retired after all. “It’s like this,” he explains. “I’m retired. I work every day, but I work at what I wanna do. I don’t have to do what someone else wants me to do.” And for Hop, that work includes three days a week spent mentoring at schools, four days a week coaching Boys Club

me a long time ago, ‘An idle body don’t live long.’ So I keep this one busy. I don’t get idle if I can help it.” Looks like Hop is going to follow his mentor’s advice to the very end.

football, Saturdays spent doing things like rebuilding podiums for Unity Missionary Baptist Church, and Friday nights taking tickets at Northside High School football games.

If you’d like more information about the Fort Smith Round Table Rose says, “He doesn’t know how to go someplace and sit

or this year’s Solomon’s Chest Christmas Party on December

down and do nothing.”

19, you can contact Rose at rbray4396@sbcglobal.net since, in Rose’s words, “He never looks at his email.”

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375

reasons to love Christmas words Marla Cantrell

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people

This is a hard story to tell. Not because of its subject. The subject is wonderful. A church in Fort Smith, Arkansas, hoping to help the children of those in prison, does all it can to make Christmas special by buying gifts on the parents' behalf and giving them to the kids at a party held each December. Simple, beautiful, touching. Here's the hard part: finding someone to take credit for the event. The logical choice is the pastor of Community Bible Church, Kevin Thompson. He's gracious and kind and easy to talk to. But he keeps directing the conversation away from himself. "The congregation makes this happen," he says. "The team that works almost year-round makes this happen." He mentions several people who know more than he does, including a volunteer named Anna Lane, and then he says, "Talk to Jim Kolp. Jim was there from the beginning, in 1999, when Community Bible was holding services in the old Phoenix Village Mall. That first year, someone donated frozen turkeys and we had to keep them for forty-eight hours before the party, so we filled the baptistery with ice, which was a hot tub if you can believe that, and kept the turkeys there." Kevin laughs at this memory. And I decide to take his direction. And so I call Jim Kolp, whose voice breaks when he talks about the kids he's seen, who've opened presents, and whose eyes welled with tears because getting these gifts is a highly-charged and emotional happening.

Imagine how isolated they must feel, especially at Christmas. We want to take care of everybody, the kids, the caregivers, and the prisoner. Just as he's beginning to really open up, he directs me to Shannon Pigeon, saying she's the one to speak with. "She's done so much for the Angel Tree Prison Fellowship Ministry," he says, "and she's just wonderful to talk to." Shannon tells me about that first year, when twenty-five kids and their caregivers showed up for the party. She remembers the thrill of it, making Christmas happy for these sweet kids. She tells me the story of one of the workers, in recent years, who was in the checkout line at a local store, and was asked to donate to a Christmas charity. She told the checker she was already giving to the Angel Tree Prison Ministry, and the woman seemed to be overtaken by emotion. She told the worker she had been in prison the year before and that her kids had gotten presents at Community Bible, and what it meant to her, there behind bars, so far away from everyone she loved. Shannon says, "Isn't that amazing?" It is. The scene shows all that is good about this program: these children getting gifts, the woman who'd spent time in prison thanking the worker who DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

people

helped make it happen. It's a full-circle detail that makes a story sing,

says. "We have one family that hosts birthday parties throughout the

and Shannon is happy to share it. But then asks me to please not focus

year for the kids in the family they met at one of our parties."

on her in the telling of it, because she's since retired from the program, and, anyway, she always got more out of it than even those getting

But the bulk of the magic happens on the night of the party. Kevin recalls

gifts. She wants me to talk to two more volunteers who stepped in

their very first year. He was sitting at a table with a boy, and they were

when she left and are working to make this year's event even better.

talking sports. When the boy opened his present, he loved it. "I said,

"You can't believe how much good they're doing," she says.

'That's from your dad. He couldn't be here but he wanted you to have this.' A wall came up. He was just done. I was wishing I hadn't said a

At this point, the round-robin approach ends. I could go on and

word about his dad. And then later, when the party was wrapping up

on, interviewing the next person in line, until I'd talked to so many

and we were walking out, that boy came up to me and asked, 'Is this

people the story would implode. What seems evident is that I've

really from my dad?' And I said, 'Yeah, buddy, it is. Your dad loves you.'

come across a trove of reluctant heroes, and none of them is will-

And he just broke. This is what this is about. He knew his dad cared.

ing to take credit for the estimated 375 kids, eighteen and under, from Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin and Logan counties, who will

"We get letters from the prisoners. Sometimes both the mom and

open Christmas gifts from their prisoner-parents this year.

dad are in prison, especially if it's a drug charge. We take pictures and make two copies, so the family can have one and the prisoner

If 375 kids sounds like a lot, consider this. In a June 2015 report

can have the other. If the kids write thank-you notes, we send them.

in the Arkansas Times, the prison population in Arkansas was

Sometimes that photo and note is all they get for Christmas. Imagine

listed at 18,681. In 1977, only 2,519 were in prison in Arkansas,

how isolated they must feel, especially at Christmas. We want to take

so the tally has grown significantly for this state of approximately

care of everybody, the kids, the caregivers, and the prisoners."

2.9 million. The church is cognizant of everyone's needs. If a family doesn't want For these nearly 400 kids, facing Christmas can't be easy. On TV,

to attend, they'll deliver the presents and food to them. Church mem-

ecstatic families abound. At school programs, moms and dads

bers volunteer, often driving to the hills and valleys of rural Arkansas.

show up together. Often, these kids are also facing economic

They'll also pick up the families if they need a ride to the party. And

hardships. Think about how your own family would operate if you

on that night, volunteers are on site to buy additional gifts, in case extra

lost one paycheck in your two-paycheck household.

kids show up. They zip out, buy the present, wrap it up, and have it ready in the nick of time.

That's where Community Bible steps in. They work with prison chaplains, through the Prison Fellowship Ministry, who've gotten

Kevin stands to retrieve a report that details the work that goes into this

requests from inmates to add their kids to the list.

program. He is tall and thin, and as he stands, the light seems to surround him. He sits, tugs the knee of his jeans, stretches his long legs. He says,

The week before Thanksgiving, Community Bible in Fort Smith sets

"Who gets the most out of this? The kids benefit. The prisoners. But I

up their Angel Tree. (They've already been in touch with the child's

think it might be us, this church. Around here, we joke that watching the

caregiver by then to verify sizes and wish lists.) Church members pick

kids open their presents is the best forty-five seconds of the year."

an angel, spend fifty dollars buying one piece of clothing and one toy, and return it to the tree.

What started out to be a story about how Community Bible Church helps the children of those in prison, has turned out to be a story of

Meanwhile, volunteers are planning a big party for early to mid-De-

how these children help the church. Maybe that's why everyone I

cember, with live music, food, and photos with Santa. Each family is

talked to passed the torch. They don't see themselves as the center

given a gift box to take home that has everything, including a turkey,

of this effort. They see themselves as the recipients of the grace that's

for Christmas dinner. Church members volunteer to sit at the tables

the backbone of their faith. Maybe that belief, that giving trumps

with their guests, to make sure they feel welcome.

receiving, is what makes this story special. Maybe it's the perfect example of how the spirit of Christmas grows with each passing year,

"You would be amazed at the connections that are made," Kevin

spread as it is from one caring heart to the next.

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lifestyle

Holiday HOSPITALITY

101

words Rachel Gerner

"To welcome the stranger is to acknowledge him as a human being made in God's image; it is to treat her as one of equal worth with ourselves — indeed, as one who may teach us something out of the richness of experiences different from our own." — Ana Maria Pineda

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lifestyle

Last Sunday, you saw that new couple in church. You wish you

“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone

could invite them over for a meal, but you feel exhausted just

to feel seen and heard and loved. It's about declaring your

thinking about it. With the holidays approaching, you’d love to

table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment,” wrote

invite your new neighbors or colleagues over for a little holiday

Shauna Niequist, author of Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life

get-together, but you cringe at the mandatory cleaning, orga-

Around the Table.

nizing, and decorating. Does hospitality have to be so hard? “Well, can’t we just go to a restaurant?” you might be saying.

Laurie Malloy, co-founder of Simple Spaces, based in Fayette-

Of course you can. That said, when you want to connect with

ville, Arknasas, says, “The spirit of perfectionism can feed us

others, your home is the most intimate. It’s an extension of

into a tailspin.” As the co-founder of a professional organiz-

your personality. It also has some very practical advantages.

ing and home staging company, Laurie says that she’s met many people who would like to offer a refuge to friends and

Dede Berger, Owner and Designer of Dream Design Events in

family and tackle the barriers of CHAOS — which she says

Northwest Arkansas, says, “If you have a party at your home, you

stands for “Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome.”

are in control of your environment. It’s less expensive than a restaurant and people can relax without strangers around them.”

The first step to offering good hospitality, is offering the gift of saying, “It’s okay,” to ourselves. Our homes may not be

What are some practical things you need to think through

what we see on HGTV. We may not know which fork to use or

before you open your home to potential friends? Dede says,

where the butter plate goes. Too often when we think “enter-

“You don’t need a theme, even during the holiday season.

taining” and “dinner party” we immediately begin worrying

You want it to be fun and memorable so people come again.

about whether the towels match the soap dish.

You may consider quiet music in the evening. While it’s nice to have a tablecloth, it’s all right to use plastic cups and plates

It’s time for an attitude adjustment! People are looking for others

(the clear ones are very elegant and it’s easy clean-up).”

who are real and authentic. You don’t need to be an entertainer and put on a show to offer hospitality. Let’s be honest. It’ll prob-

Purchase and prepare supplies that you can use for drop-in

ably leave everyone stressed and feeling awkward anyway.

visitors as well. Crackers, good cheese, and frozen cookies are items you can stash in your freezer and cupboards to pull

Let’s take a step back. Why is it good to extend hospitality?

out if an unexpected guest drops by or you extend a spontaneous invitation. Keep a teapot, good tea bags, coffee, sugar

Everyone needs shelter and food. Abraham Maslow, an Ameri-

bowl and creamer in one place so you can quickly prepare a

can psychologist, created a hierarchy of needs (usually shown

warm drink.

as a pyramid) with food, water, and sleep as the foundation. When those needs are met, we can then move up the pyramid

Consider the different personalities of your guests. “If someone

and experience security, love, esteem, and self-actualization.

is quiet, provide a comfortable chair,” says Dede. “If someone

When we invite people to an event—whether it’s a brunch,

is musically talented, have them bring their instrument.” Who

tea, dinner party, or any other variation—we invite people to

knows the new traditions and memories you can create!

experience safety, a sense of belonging, and self-esteem. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

lifestyle

If you’re planning a larger holiday party, here are a few practical

Identify rooms your company will be in. It is okay to put boundaries

tips to consider:

up: ‘We keep that door closed.’ You can laugh about it.”

1) Set the date. Laurie says, “I tell my clients to set a date on

6) Write down your menu. The day of the party is not the

the calendar when you will have company. This piece is huge

time to experiment with new recipes no matter how pretty

because it motivates you.” Holiday parties don’t have to be

they look on the Food Network. Stick with comfort foods you

during the two weeks leading up to Christmas. Be creative

love—they’ll still be new to your guests. As a side note: many

in considering a post-holiday party, such as a Twelfth Night

people have meat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free preferences.

party, which is celebrated January 5 on Epiphany Eve, or Box-

While you can be a sweetheart and take those into consid-

ing Day, on December 26, which some cultures simply call

eration, you are not responsible for every person’s diet. Still,

Second Christmas Day.

make sure that not every dish has meat. Veggie trays are easy

2) Make a budget. If you’re planning a bigger holiday shindig,

and can go a long way with a diet-conscious crowd.

Dede offers this advice: “Respect your budget. The hostess

7) Go easy on the decorations. When possible, choose one

is the decision maker. While it’s fine to search Pinterest ® for

candle rather than ten; one centerpiece, not three. Make sure

ideas, weave your own ideas and traditions into the parties.

you have space in a closet or on a spare bed for coats and

Don’t get overwhelmed by what everyone else is doing.”

purses. Set out coasters and lots of napkins (take what you

3) Have a guest list and invite people early. People can receive dozens of invitations so aim to let people know as soon as possible.

4) Consider adding a personal touch that shows guests that

think you’ll need and double it).

8) Ask for help. You don’t have to do everything. Your sister, the neighbor. Give them simple tasks, such as "Will you help me pour drinks?”

they are special and welcome to your home. Little else says

9) Once the party starts, enjoy it! It’s important for you to share

“Welcome!” like seeing or hearing your name. It could be a

your time with your guests. No one, including yourself, wants a

place card if you’re having a sit-down dinner or a personalized

stressed-out hostess. You can invite guests back to the kitchen if

gift tag on the bottom of a wine glass or dessert cup.

you have a few things still in the oven, but turn your attention to

5) Create a timeline. What can you buy at the store a week be-

them rather than fussing on getting everything just right.

fore? Are you able to make anything in advance and tuck it in the

Extend hospitality this holiday season—even if it’s not perfect.

freezer? Can you clean a few days before? Remember, perfec-

Move out of your comfort zone. Host a gingerbread making

tion isn’t what you’re aiming for. “Every space won’t be visually

party for your littles and their friends, and encourage your

organized; every room won’t be picked up,” says Laurie. You do

teens to have friends over for a cookie-baking party. Invite

want to make sure the bathrooms are clean. If you’re looking

your book club or church group over for hot cocoa and treats.

around your home, and feeling overwhelmed by clutter, Laurie’s

When done with the right spirit, hospitality is a gift—often

advice is: “Chunk it—break it down into manageable pieces.

giving more to the giver than the recipient.

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lifestyle

Stop. Drop. Clean!

Quick Clean Your Home in Twenty Minutes or Less! words Catherine Frederick

’Tis the season for unexpected friends and family. Oh, joy! If you’re like me, ninetynine percent of the time your house is a gigantic train wreck tad bit messy. Don’t panic! When guests say they’re on their way, follow these eight simple steps to quick clean your home in twenty minutes or less. Let’s do this!

Do’s and Don’ts Do keep room spray and all-purpose cleaner on hand at all times. Don’t go it alone—enlist family to help with tasks. Don’t apologize for your home—your guests are there to see YOU!

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lifestyle

Smell Factor Immediately preheat the oven (I’ll explain later). Spritz room spray (my favorite is from Bath & Body Works) to remove odors—especially trashcan areas, kids’ rooms or areas with kitty litter boxes or dog kennels. Open windows for a bit, even if it’s chilly, turn on the ceiling fan and get that air moving! Back to the oven. Bake up some frozen cookies (might want to put those on your grocery list), not only to get your house smelling delicious, but also to have a nice treat when guests arrive.

Front Door Make sure this entry area is free of clutter and go over the floor with a broom or vacuum. An extra spritz of room spray won’t hurt.

Powder Room Make sure it’s stocked with toilet paper, soap and linens. Use an all-purpose cleaner to quick-scrub the toilet, wipe down surfaces and the mirror. Close the shower curtain to hide any unpleasantness.

Dishes If time, load them in the dishwasher. If not, and there’s only a few, rinse and stack neatly on one side of the sink. If there are too many and it looks unsightly, place them in a tub or box and hide them away until the coast is clear. Use an allpurpose cleaner on surface areas and sink.

Control Clutter I'm the world’s worst at pigging out one counter in our kitchen. Mail, purse, papers, keys, craft materials. Nothing will make your house appear messier than a sea of clutter. Grab a box, a bag, anything, to gather up items and hide them away until your guests leave. Now is not the time to put things away.

Great Room Focus your attention on the room where you’ll spend the most time with guests. Whether it’s the den or the kitchen, make sure it’s tidy and smells fresh. Quickly run over that floor with a broom or vacuum.

Check Yourself You probably don’t want to hear this, but your guests will be more focused on you than your home. Find a mirror, brush your teeth, comb through your hair, and get out of your pajamas.

Time to Kill Keep your focus on the front door area, the main room and any other areas your guests may walk through on the way to the powder room. Dust, if time, and pay attention to floors—especially if you have pets. Tidy up pillows on the couch and arrange loose books or magazines. DOSOUTHMAGAZINE.COM

taste

Biscuits

Buttermilk words and images Janna Wilson

Prepare Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray or butter. Place all ingredients, except buttermilk and melted butter, in food processor with blade attachment. Pulse until the ingredients are evenly distributed and the mixture looks like coarse meal. If not using a food processor, use a pastry blender or fork to cut the fat into the dry ingredients to evenly distribute the ingredients. (This dry mixture stores well in the refrigerator for later use.)

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taste

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 Tablespoons butter, cold 2 Tablespoons lard, cold 2 Tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450° I’ve got two words for you if you want to make homemade biscuits – “hot and fast.” After years of attempts, I finally discoverd a recipe I have success with every time, and these tasty little buns are a family favorite. When I prepare them, it's easy just to go ahead and mix a couple of extra batches and store in the fridge for a quick fix next time. I think you’ll find this recipe will be one you’ll commit to memory and make over and over again.

Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, add buttermilk and stir

Roll the dough out to a square about 1 inch thick. Cut the bis-

just until dough clings together (do not overwork). Dough

cuit dough into rounds with a biscuit cutter or the floured edge

will be slightly sticky.

of a drinking glass by pushing straight down (no twisting or you will seal the edge and restrict rising). Place the biscuits on the

Move dough to a floured surface and gently pat the dough flat.

prepared baking sheet so the edges just touch.

(This is the “fast” part – do not over-handle the dough.) Sprinkle lightly with flour, fold the dough in half and pat down. Repeat

Bake in the hot oven until they've risen and are lightly golden, 15 to

the fold, pat down, fold again and repeat until you have folded

20 minutes (You got it, this is the hot part). Brush the tops of the hot

the dough 4 times. This helps create those flaky layers we love.

biscuits with melted butter and place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

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taste

cocoa with a KICK! words Catherine Frederick

Tired of the same old mug of cocoa? Kick it up a notch with our favorite new recipes! Heat ingredients on stove top until combined & pipping hot. Garnish with whipped cream, marshmallows, caramel topping, or a chocolate drizzle! Each recipe makes one mug.

minty cocoa 1 cup milk

1/2 cup chocolate chips

citrus cocoa 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

spicy cocoa 1 cup milk

5oz. chopped dark chocolate

1 cup milk

2oz. dark chocolate

peanut butter cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch cayenne

1 cup milk

4oz. chocolate 1/4 cup creamy 1/2 cup heavy chopped peanut butter cream

caramel cocoa

pumpkin pie cocoa 1 cup milk

1 teaspoon unsweetened dark cocoa

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chocolate chips

5oz. milk chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 Tablespoons caramel sauce

salted almond cocoa

lucky cocoa 1 cup milk

1/2 Tablespoon 1/2 Tablespoon orange zest sugar

2oz. Baileyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sÂŽ Irish Cream Liquor

1 cup milk

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1/2 cup chocolate chips

1oz. amaretto

pinch of sea salt

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Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Bacon Pecans

58 taste

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taste

Words and images Catherine Frederick Recipe adapted from halfbakedharvest.com

I'm a traditional girl when it comes to holiday foods. Every now and then Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll try something new, but nothing too crazy or my family would riot. Each year I make sweet potato casserole, one side with pecans, one without, so as to appease the masses. This year will be no different, but I will be including this little show stopper. Bacon, pecans, bourbon and sweet potatoes. What?! This dish is simply scrumptious. It screams tradition with a big slap in the face of down-home southern. You need this in your life! Trust me on this one.

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taste

Ingredients For the Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes ¾ cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup heavy cream ¼ cup butter, melted 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 Tablespoons bourbon

For the Pecan Topping

Method

Preheat oven to 400°. Poke holes in sweet potatoes, then bake until tender, about an hour. Remove from oven, cut in half, let cool. To make the topping, heat a large skillet (I prefer cast iron) to medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from skillet, reserve bacon. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, pecans, butter, cayenne, and sage. Stir to combine, then add in reserved bacon. Reduce oven temp. to 350°. Remove skins from potatoes, then add flesh to a bowl. Mash potatoes, then add brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, butter, eggs, and bourbon. Stir to combine. Pour sweet potato mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cover the mixture with pecan topping. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until pecans are nice and brown. Best served warm.

6 slices thick cut bacon,

chopped

¾ cup brown sugar ½ teaspoon cinnamon cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups raw pecans, roughly chopped cup salted butter, melted ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

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taste

chocolate cherry kiss Words and image Catherine Frederick

Always drink responsibly. Never drink and drive.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz. cherry vodka ½ oz. peppermint schnapps 1 oz. heavy cream ½ - ¾ oz. chocolate syrup Ice Mini candy canes for garnish

Method

In a shaker, combine ice, vodka, peppermint schnapps, heavy cream, and chocolate syrup. Shake until outside of tin is frosted, then strain into a martini glass, garnish with mini candy cane.

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life

“IT WAS A GOOD MOMENT, THE KIND YOU WOULD LIKE TO PRESS BETWEEN THE PAGES OF A BOOK, OR HIDE IN YOUR SOCK DRAWER, SO YOU COULD TOUCH IT AGAIN.” — RICK BRAGG, ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN'

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travel

Cozy Cabins

Warming Up Winter in the Natural State

words Leah DiPietro, communications manager, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism images courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Mount Magazine

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travel

“OH, THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL…” THANKFULLY IN ARKANSAS, THE WEATHER IS USUALLY NEVER REALLY FRIGHTFUL. AND AS WINTER APPROACHES, THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN SITTING IN FRONT OF A CRACKLING FIRE, SIPPING WARM CIDER AND ENJOYING THE PEACE AND TRANQUILITY OF A COZY CABIN IN THE NATURAL STATE! NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL

PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN Arkansas’s first state park, Petit Jean, near Morrilton, is the back-

MOUNT MAGAZINE

drop for Mather Lodge, a newly renovated rustic-style design con-

Towering over Arkansas Wine Country, Mount Magazine is

taining a restaurant, enhanced guest rooms, fifty-person room

the state’s highest peak at 2,753 feet above sea level. The

for meetings and small banquets, and a new swimming pool.

state park, located near Paris at the top of the mountain, has

Near this beautiful lodge are the park’s thirty-three quaint cab-

long been a popular respite for campers, hikers and horse-

ins. Some are 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps rustic-style, and

back riders. Now the exquisite lodge and cabins lure even

others are modern duplex designs. Choices include one bedroom,

more people. The Lodge at Mount Magazine, the park’s resort

three bedroom, and studio cabins. The cabins are fully-equipped,

lodge, comprises sixty guest rooms, the Skycrest Restaurant, a

and twenty-one include kitchens. Most of the cabins are spaced

conference center, a business center, an indoor heated swim-

along the bluff of Cedar Creek Canyon. Call 800.264.2462 or visit

ming pool, a fitness center, and a game room. Set on the

petitjeanstatepark.com.

mountain’s south bluff, the lodge offers breathtaking views of the Petit Jean River Valley and distant Blue Mountain Lake.

LAKE FORT SMITH STATE PARK

Forty-three guest rooms have balconies and seventeen feature

At Lake Fort Smith State Park in Mountainburg, ten rental cab-

spa tubs. Thirteen fully-equipped cabins with deck hot tubs

ins are fully-equipped and feature a great room with a wood-

share the same bluff and panoramic view. Call 877.665.6343

burning fireplace, high definition satellite TV, kitchen, and dining

or visit mountmagazinestatepark.com. MOUNT NEBO Rising 1,350 feet, Mount Nebo State Park features fifteen comfortable cabins with fully-equipped kitchens and fireplaces. Native stone and logs from Mount Nebo were used by the Civilian Conservation Corps to construct many of the park’s bridges, trails, rustic-style cabins, and pavilions. Park facilities include a pool, tennis courts, picnic areas, playgrounds, extra-large enclosed and standard open pavilions and a ball field. The visitor center offers exhibits, a store and bicycle rentals. Fourteen miles of trails encircle Mount Nebo, located near Dardanelle. Call 479.229.3655 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/mountnebo.

Mount Nebo State Park

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travel

OZARK FOLK CENTER STATE PARK The Ozark Folk Center's famous hospitality is reflected in its Cabins at Dry Creek with a pleasing blend of homespun décor and modern comforts. These duplex-like cabins, all at ground level, feature two queen-size beds, telephone, TV, wireless Internet, mini-refrigerator, iron and ironing board, and coffee pot. There are large windows and glass doors that open onto small porches, most with Mount Magazine

a wooded view. The office has a game room and swimming pool for guests. Guests receive discount

area. Five cabins offer one bedroom and one bathroom. The oth-

coupons for tickets to Arkansas crafts and Ozark music events.

er five cabins include two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Enjoy

Ozark Folk Center offers music, craft and herb workshops, concerts,

an elevated, covered deck with a woods view at the back of each

trail access, The Skillet Restaurant, and more. Call 800.264.3655 or

cabin, with a picnic table and a grill on the ground level. Two of

visit ozarkfolkcenter.com/cabins.

the cabins (a one bedroom cabin and a two bedroom cabin) are barrier-free to meet the needs of visitors with disabilities. Lake Fort Smith State Park offers outdoor adventures such as camp-

UPPER AND LOWER DELTA

ing, fishing, kayaking, swimming, mountain biking, hiking and nature study, as well as an indoor visitor center. For backpackers,

CROWLEY’S RIDGE STATE PARK

the park serves as the western terminus of the 165-mile Ozark

Atop the forested hills in northeast Arkansas, Crowley's Ridge

Highlands National Recreation Trail. Call 888.695.3526 or visit

State Park occupies the former homestead of Benjamin Crow-

arkansasstateparks.com/lakefortsmith.

ley, whose family first settled this area and the namesake of Crowley’s Ridge. One of the park system’s original Civilian

DEVIL’S DEN STATE PARK

Conservation Corps parks, it has a 1930s era group lodge with

Seventeen fully-equipped cabins featuring kitchens and fire-

kitchen and dining hall, plus four fully-equipped duplex cabins.

places are nestled in the natural beauty of this park. Each cabin

Call 870.573.6751 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/crowleysridge.

has a wood-burning fireplace that is available seasonally. Devil's Den State Park in Winslow is an Arkansas icon that connects

VILLAGE CREEK STATE PARK

you to picturesque Lee Creek Valley and the craftsmanship and

Located on nearly 7,000 acres, Village Creek offers hiking,

conservation legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Hiking,

biking, horseback riding, two lakes, and much more. Golf-

backpacking, and mountain bike trails lead to backcountry ar-

ers will enjoy The Ridges at Village Creek, the park's twenty-

eas in the park and the surrounding Ozark National Forest. The

seven hole, Andy Dye signature course. This public course

park also offers campsites, park café, swimming pool (season-

features the rolling terrain of Crowley's Ridge, dramatic el-

ally), picnic tables, grills, horse camp, and nature programs. Call

evation changes, and the backdrop of the seasonal beauty

479.761.3325 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/devilsden.

of the surrounding hardwood forest. Ten fully-equipped cabins have kitchens and wood-burning fireplaces—ready for a

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comfortable weekend stay. They range in size from three bedrooms with two baths, two bedrooms and two baths, two bedrooms with one bath, and one bedroom with one bath. Call 870.238.9406 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/villagecreek. LAKE CHICOT STATE PARK The park is located along its namesake, the beautiful Lake Chicot, a twenty-mile long oxbow lake, which is a peaceful setting for fishing, boating, and bird watching. Because of its location in the Mississippi Flyway, the park offers

Mount Magazine

some of the best year-round birding opportunities in Arkansas. The park offers lake tours, levee tours, and other opportunities for you to view a variety of birds and other wildlife. There are fourteen cabins with kitchens (many with fireplaces, lake view patio and fishing dock), a swimming pool (open in summer), picnicking, standard pavilions (screened), and a park store/marina. You can choose from one and two bedroom properties. There is an ADA accessible two bedroom with spa tub also available. Call 870.265.5480 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/lakechicot.

SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST LAKE CATHERINE STATE PARK Lake Catherine State Park is located on the shores of 1,940-acre Lake Catherine, one of the five popular Diamond Lakes in the Hot Springs area. The park offers outdoor opportunities like fishing, boating, picnicking, hiking and park programs. The park features many historic Civilian Conservation Corps constructed facilities. Overall, the park has twenty full-service cabins, including one that is ADA accessible with a stone patio and its own fishing pier. The cabins have features such as kitchens and most have wood-burning fireplaces too. The park also has a dog-friendly cabin. Call 501.844.4176 or visit

Devil's Den State Park

arkansasstateparks.com/lakecatherine.

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LAKE OUACHITA STATE PARK Lake Ouachita State Park in Mountain Pine is located on the eastern shore of Lake Ouachita, the largest lake (40,100 acres) in Arkansas. The park is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest and is a lure for those that enjoy the outdoors. The lake consistently ranks as one of the top ten spots in the nation for largemouth bass fishing and water activities such as boating, water skiing, and kayaking. Hiking trails such as the four-mile Caddo Bend Trail can be found at the park too. Fully-equipped cabins include seven that overlook the Lake Catherine State Park

lake and one that offers a woods view. The cabins offer features such as a fireplace and spa tub. Some cabins are also ADA accessible. Call 501.767.9366 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/lakeouachita. MORO BAY STATE PARK Moro Bay State Park, located about twenty miles from El Dorado, is the only Arkansas state park on the lower Ouachita River. Moro Bay and Raymond Lake join the Ouachita River at the park. For those interested in visiting, there are five fully-furnished cabins available to rent. Each cabin features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a screened-indeck with a view of the river. Behind each cabin guests have a picnic table, a grill, and a fire ring for their personal use. One cabin is ADA accessible. Fishing from a bank or boat is popular and

Lake Fort Smith State Park

the waters there are home to bass, bream, crappie, and catfish. Wildlife at the park include a range of animals like fox, white-tailed deer, and river otters. Birding is also popular. The park is home to hiking trails, a

For more information on winter lodging options in The

marina and an exhibit featuring a historic tugboat and barge.

Natural State, visit arkansas.com/places-to-stay.

Call 870.463.8555 or visit arkansasstateparks.com/morobay.

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southern fiction

Christmas Eve at the Hard Times Cafe FICTION Marla Cantrell, Arkansas Arts Council Fellow in Short Fiction

As soon as Donna steps foot in the Hard Times CafĂŠ she isn't Donna anymore. Here, where she waitresses, they called her Red, because of her fiery hair that seems to always fight against the rubber band that strains to hold it in place. Her real name is Madonna, a mistake her mother had made when she was born two months early, when she still seemed like some kind of miracle. When she left Kentucky after her mama died, she changed her name to Donna. People don't expect near as much from a Donna. She is shimmying out of her heavy coat when Silas Brooks comes through the rickety door that slams with a bang. He's old and mad for plaid, and he has on a green plaid coat and red plaid hat that don't match at all. He sits at the table near the plate-glass window, where a swoosh of silver and gold tinsel dances when the central heat kicks on, and taps his cane on the cracked linoleum floor. "Happy Christmas," Silas says, and Donna answers, "Happy Christmas, Silas. You got family coming in?" "Nah, Red, just me and the Mrs. The two oldest boys I ain't seen in going on forty years, I guess. And the youngest one, now he's the one that's got the diagnosis from the fancy doctors in Little Rock." Silas hesitates, seems to consider how much more to say, then adds, "Well, anyhow, all them white-coats ended up blaming me and his mama for everything." Silas shrugs, touches his Adam's apple. "Must be twentyfive years since we seen him." Silas raises his free hand way up high. "He's yay-high and two hundred sixty pounds and mean sometimes." He shakes his head. "I'm too old, Red, way too old."

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southern fiction

Donna pats him on his boney back, and then Silas says, "I didn't

“You one of them store Santas?” she asks.

mean to go on like that," and she sees that his eyes are damp. “Nah,” he says, and slips off the hat. “Just a family Santa. Over in In the back where everything smells like fried onions and bread bak-

Tisdale. Got a passel of nieces and nephews." He pats his tight belly.

ing, she picks up the phone, calls Dalton, says, "We still on for to-

"Thought I should fatten up a little before I got there.”

night?" And when he stalls, she says, "Dang it, Dalton, it's Christmas Eve!" And he reminds her of his obligations, of the kid he has in

“Kids come in, see you without the beard, they’ll get confused.”

another town, and the mama of that kid who doesn't make him pay child support if he does the right thing, and the right thing on Christ-

“Never thought of that."

mas Eve is to go over there and put together the kid's bike. “You could slip off the jacket, throw 'em off the scent.” "I'll try to make it, Donna, I really will," he finally says, "but I can't make no promises."

So he does, strips down to his T-shirt and red velvet pants.

When Silas leaves, three truckers come in and sit at the bar on the

When Donna brings him his food, she slides onto the bench opposite

blue bar stools. They hook their cowboy boots on the brass bar

him. "Needed to get off my feet," she says, and he sits up a little

that runs right where their feet reach, and order milkshakes and

straighter.

meatloaf and coffee, and they whistle when Donna walks away. "Bring us a extra order of mistletoe, bring us a little sugar, Sugar,"

His name is Cletus, but everybody in this part of Arkansas calls him

they tease, and she shakes her head without looking back. She's

Hambone. It's one of the reasons he moved, he tells her. "Hambone,"

clearing Silas' table when she sees a package wrapped in Rudolph

he says, "who thought that would be a decent nickname for a kid?"

paper where his plate had been. Donna lifts it up, checks out the shaky handwriting on the tag, and see's her name, "Red." Inside

"My name's Madonna," she says. "I go by Donna, though. Less pres-

is a Santa hat, the kind you get from the dollar store, but Silas, or

sure. Madonnas are saints, or so I've been told." She looks around

maybe Mrs. Silas, has glued little bells all around the hat's edge.

the Hard Times, at the chipped tables, the rows and rows of red plas-

Donna adjusts her long ponytail, pulls on the cap, touches the

tic glasses. "But Donnas are just regular people trying to get by."

fuzzy pom-pom that will bob against her temple when she walks. Cletus listens to her, a french fry caught between his two fingers. When Donna crosses the floor, she is a tambourine. The hat lifts

When he doesn't say anything more, she says, “I never saw a man

her spirits, and she goes to the juke box, puts in a quarter, and

young as you wear a Santa outfit.”

plays "Jingle Bell Rock." She is shaking her head to the beat when this new guy comes in. She sees him from the corner of

“It’s my daddy’s."

her eye. He is wearing a Santa suit, but no white hair or beard. He is smiling big as Texas.

“Why isn't he wearing it?”

She has always had a thing for tall men, for big guys who don't

“He’s gone to the grave.” Cletus pauses, eats the fry, rubs the knee

seem to know what to do with all that vertical distance, who

of the velvet pants. “In March.”

seem to be in a perpetual hunch because of it. When he stalls there by the picture of Bill Clinton when he was governor of

“Must hurt,” Donna says, and she watches Cletus cut his eyes away,

Arkansas, she goes to him, and leads him to a booth in the

hears him take a deep breath, sees him dig his fingernails into the

center of the room.

palm of his hand.

“Nice hat,” she says, and then touches her own cap, and the guy

“I don’t much want to be Santa.” Cletus shrugs. “But my daddy left

blooms with color.

me the suit, and it felt like a sign."

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southern fiction

Donna wants to reach across the table and touch Cletus' hand, to

“Then come with me. Meet my crazy family. Help me play Santa."

tell him it will get better, but she knows his grief is too new for him to believe it. Instead she says, “I met Santa once. Mama was

Donna hasn't met a soul connected to Dalton, not the kid in the next

working Christmas Eve, at a rest home where she washed sheets

town, not the mama of the kid, not one sorry friend.

and mopped floors. I was nine. Alone. Miserable. I heard bells, just like they say you do, and when I walked out of my room, there

There was a time when having a man stop by once in a while was

he was, his back to me, his red suit sparkling. I stood in the hall-

enough. In those first years after her mama died it certainly was.

way transfixed. And then he just vanished. I swear to God," she

She liked the surprise of it. A knock at the door late at night. A

says, and goes quiet for a second. “I don’t tell that story to many

rap on her window. But lately she'd been thinking that there is a

people. People'd think I’m crazy.”

mountain separating those that stop by and those that stay on.

“I got an aunt who saw a leprechaun. Right after a big rain washed

Donna looks full-on at Cletus. His brown hair is parted almost in

out the road to her house.”

the middle and tucked behind his ears. He has arms like you see in wrestling matches. His mouth is beautiful.

“You’re joshing me.” A middle-aged couple comes through the door, bringing the icy air with them. Donna stands up. "Y'all sit wherever you want,"

“No, she really did.”

she says, and they head for the counter. The pie carousel is spin“Life’s a mystical thing,” Donna says, and she's thinking about

ning: pecan, cherry, coconut cream. Behind the cash register are

Silas and his hard sons. The last time he came in he was telling her

souvenir plates from all fifty states. The owner likes to travel, just

about Winnie the Pooh, the real-life Winnie the Pooh, bought for

not beyond the U.S. of A.

twenty dollars from a trapper in Canada by a young soldier headed to World War I. He said the soldier trained the little bear cub to

Donna heads for the juke box. It costs a quarter to play any song

stand at attention and sit in his lap, and told how the soldier near

you want. Donna punches number twenty-five and Conway Twit-

about broke apart when he had to leave the bear behind. He'd

ty starts singing "Hello Darlin'."

taken her all the way to England on the ship that carried him over. Winnie ended up at the London Zoo, where they'd let kids ride on

"I believe it's going to be a happy Christmas," Donna says, to

her back like she was a pony. "The soldier always thought he'd get

Cletus and to these new folks who've stepped inside the Hard

Winnie back," Silas had said, and his voice shook.

Times Café just in time to see the beginning of a great love story, although nobody knows it just yet, least of all a guy named

Donna bites the inside of her lip. She thinks about the moment

Dalton who is at this moment arriving at his kid's mama's

the soldier must have turned back, must have thought twice about

house, who is just now thinking about Donna and how he'll

leaving Winnie. But war is war and a bear is not a soldier and love

stop by the drugstore on the way over tomorrow—he couldn't

will rip you to pieces if you're not careful, and who is careful? Who

possibly make it to her house tonight—and how he'll pick up

is careful enough? is what Donna's thinking, although she doesn't

some chocolate-covered cherries and work on his apology on

know how to say this without running Cletus off.

the drive to her place. He'll say, "Baby Cakes, it's Christmas. Nobody can be mad on Christmas."

“You got plans tonight?” Cletus asks, and he blushes again, and it Turns out he's wrong. Turns out you can be mad on Christmas Day,

throws Donna back into the here and now.

but Dalton has at least eight more hours before he finds this to be the Donna hesitates. “There’s a guy said he might stop by.” She looks at

truest lesson he'll ever learn, and just possibly the hardest.

her hands. “He says a lot of things he never does.”

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