ABOUT | August 2020

A HELPING HEART

August 2020 • www.aboutrvmag.com

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley

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MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES

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GREAT ON THE PL ATE

August 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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A helping heart Friendship Community Care is an extension of founder Cindy Mahan’s personality — caring for those who most need care.

A brow-raising experience Are we there yet?

The Museum of Automobiles is the culmination of a dream of the late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. He discovered Petit Jean Mountain in the early 1950s and fell in love with it and Arkansas.

Ballot initiatives 1 and 2: make an informed decision Great on the pole and on the plate The flavors of summer in the South are tethered to the land. June’s juicy blackberries and July’s zesty tomatoes, the smoky sweetness of your barbecue in every bite of whatever meat came off the grill. But one of the more iconic Southern summer delicacies comes from our waters, a whiskered denizen of our rivers and lakes that makes a statement on the fishing pole and on the plate. Catfish are a favorite of many and for many reasons.

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Countertop Creations An informal education It’s only a game 10 Things ABOUT: Billie Pawlicki

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ABOUT THIS MONTH’S COVER In 1972, Cindy Mahan’s humble vision became a reality - fast forward to 2020 and that reality is a thriving Friendship Community Care. We caught up with Cindy this month to highlight the legacy of this organization and her transition into a role that will continue to give back for years to come.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Savior of the South Arkansas summers are notoriously fierce with a brutal one-two punch of extreme humidity (we get Gulf of Mexico moisture without the pleasures of a beach) and scorching temperatures.

But as a lifelong Arky, I was still 15 years old before we had air conditioning in the house. As a result, running around outside, baked and boiled, was no problem for me as a kid. Looking back, I think trying to sleep at night was the hardest thing.

There were no cool spots to be found. Heck, there were barely any dry spots. But we managed with box fans in bedroom windows until Dad sprang for an attic fan. The big attic fan really just sucked more viscous air into the house. But at least the air was moving faster.

Central air conditioning was installed as the last phase of a modest remodel of our home. And, oh, do I remember that glorious day it came to be.

I experienced pure elation coming home on that first afternoon after my summer job of mowing and sweeping gas station parking lots. I walked in and immediately sprawled out on the cool backroom floor. I couldn’t believe we finally had air conditioning in our home. And even back then I recall making a mental note to never take it for granted.

But I did.

For the rest of my life, I’ve set the ther-

mostat and forgot about it. The drone of AC units has been the background noise of every summer since, and I’ve rarely thought a thing about it except when it stops working. Living in perpetual 72 degrees (or my preferred 69 degrees) Fahrenheit inside has become one of the thousands of things I’ve taken for granted.

But this past winter we moved into a smaller home with no central air. The little house has a tiny window unit.

You have to make a conscious decision — after the dampness envelopes your body like warm fog, after your clothes start sticking, after the mugginess settles into every piece of furniture — that you’ve had enough.

It’s time to shut the windows and turn on the fresh air.

The first time I turned that dial this summer, the minuscule effort jogged some huge memories for me. It also scraped away some of that ingrained sense of entitlement that’s crusted my soul through the years.

Here in the most grueling days of another Arkansas summer, I am deeply and humbly grateful for the privilege of turning a knob to ensure something so trivial, so utterly meaningless as my personal comfort.

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley since 2006 A Publication of One14 Productions, Inc Vol. XV, Issue 7 – August 2020

DIANNE EDWARDS | founding editor JOHNNY CARROL SAIN | managing editor johnny@aboutrvmag.com LIZ CHRISMAN | photography editor lizchrismanphoto@gmail.com BENITA DREW | advertising benita@aboutrvmag.com MEREDITH MARTIN-MOATS | freelance meredith@aboutrvmag.com JILL MCSHEEHY | freelance jill@aboutrvmag.com SARAH CLOWER | freelance sarah@aboutrvmag.com LYDIA ZIMMERMAN | columnist lydia@aboutrvmag.com CHRIS ZIMMERMAN | layout/design chris@aboutrvmag.com CLIFF THOMAS | illustrator maddsigntist@aboutrvmag.com

ABOUT… the River Valley is locally owned and published for distribution by direct mail and targeted delivery to those interested in the Arkansas River Valley.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

August 2020

Find up-to-date information and future events @

www.aboutrvmag.com/events

With social distancing setting new parameters for our social lives, we present the AUGUST 2020 calendar of events you can attend and participate in online and otherwise utilizing social distancing guidelines. * Please confirm directly with the promoter to ensure event details have not changed.

Saturdays

— Dardanelle Farmers Market. Please practice social distancing.

Masks will be on-site and encouraged as well as hand sanitization. For more details about vendors or other restrictions, please visit the Dardanelle Farmers Market page on Facebook.

gram, numbers in Arkansas and especially Mount Magazine are thriving. Discover the fascinating world of black bears today through a variety of programs. Watch the calendar closer to the date for a detailed schedule. For more information contact 963-8502.

Saturdays & Tuesday eve- 22nd — Cultural Celebration at Lake nings — Pope County Farmers Market. Dardanelle State Park — Programming and

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*Unless otherwise indicated, all area codes are 479. To have your event included in the ABOUT Calendar of Events, email: editor@aboutrvmag.com or fax to (479) 219-5031. Deadline is the 10th of the month preceding publication.

Depot Park in downtown Russellville. The Saturday morning market runs from 8 a.m – 1 p.m. and the Tuesday evening market runs from 4-7 p.m.. For more information, or to get in touch with coordinators, please follow the Pope County Farmers Market page on Facebook.

activities all day to share the history of the River Valley. Explore early inhabitants of the area and the many people who were brought here by way of the Arkansas River.

Check with the park for a full schedule of the day’s activities. For more information contact 967-5516.

Folks are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and spend the day. For more information contact 229-3328.

8th

22nd

Sept. 12th — Russellville Children’s

— Bears at the Mount Magazine State Park Visitor Center. American black bears are an important part of Arkansas’ heritage. Arkansas was once known as the Bear State due to the high population. Unbelievably, they were also almost extirpated in the last century. Thanks to a largely successful reintroduction pro-

— Mount Nebo Chicken Fry. “Chicken, Pickin and Politickin” celebrating the poultry industry in the Arkansas River Valley, Mt Nebo State Park has played host to the Mt Nebo Chicken Fry since 1948. Tyson’s award-winning cooks and chamber volunteers prepare chicken strips, smoked chicken, and all the fixins.

Fishing Derby at Pleasant View Park. Normally held in June but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information will be available at a later date.

For more information contact the Russellville Recreation and Parks Department at 968-1272.

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A helping heart Story by KENZIE SAIN | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

Friendship Community Care is an extension of founder Cindy Mahan’s personality — caring for those who most need care.

AUGUST 2020

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Cindy Mahan has always offered a helping hand.

Service was a consistent part of her childhood within her large and gracious family.

Cindy’s parents owned a hardware store called May’s Store in Marshall, Arkansas. Cindy along with her brothers, sisters, and cousins worked shifts at the store while maintaining their grades in school. They also dedicated time and effort to assisting the less fortunate in their community. Every week, Cindy’s family delivered groceries to families in their community who didn’t have transportation or to individuals with disabilities who struggled to leave their homes. “We gave to everybody,” Cindy says. “That was the life of our family.”

Cindy’s family also chose to employ individuals who typically struggled to find work. “People who had not been given a break,” Cindy says. Her parents, uncles and aunts helped many struggling people by giving them a positive and stable work environment as well as genuine friendships. “We took care of everybody through the hardware store,” Cindy says. Employees were invited to family holiday gatherings, and if they weren’t able to drop in, food was always delivered.

The humanitarian virtues of her family laid the foundation for Cindy’s mission to aid those who are struggling in whatever way she can. “I’ve always had a heart for individuals who didn’t have what I had or what we had,” Cindy says. “So I’ve always felt the need to help people.”

In high school, Cindy was involved in leadership roles and graduated as the student body president and valedictorian of her class. “I would always look for what I felt needed to be done to ensure that things

were fair,” Cindy says. Through these roles, she was able to express her passion for helping people while also developing leadership qualities. While attending the University of Arkansas, Cindy was a member of the Tri Delta sorority where she took a leadership role once again. She graduated with a master’s degree in science with an emphasis in child development and a minor in psychology.

When Cindy moved to Russellville, she wasted no time in getting to work. Through grants, she was able to open up a classroom for children ages 5-13, the first realization of Friendship Community Care (FCC). The school operated in a two-room building on Skyline Drive in Russellville that now serves as a fire station.

“The only thing we heated with was just a big stove and the bathroom was about 40 or 50 feet outside,” Cindy says. “But that didn’t bother me at all. I knew that it was just the beginning.” I can hear her smile as she speaks of the curtains made and donated by the parents, and her husband making early morning rounds to pick up the students because they did not have a bus.

One family even drove from Tilly in extreme northern Pope County every day to drop off their child. “All that was done without any thought; I knew that it shouldn’t be any other way,” Cindy says. “I knew that the future and my advocacy was going to assure life in the River Valley for individuals with developmental disabilities.

In the beginning, FCC had only two employees and enrolled 10 children. But within a year, a second classroom was opened with 20 children.

The original home of Friendship Community Care in 1972, the year it was founded.

Arkansas Business of the Year Awards 2008.

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Through more grants and painstaking work, Cindy was able to get FCC’s current facility up and running. That building is the home of Friendship Pediatrics with more than 40,000 square feet of service space. She created programs and services for adults with disabilities in the community. Cindy’s forward thinking and passionate dedication allowed FCC to make an impact from the beginning, finding ways to make the programs and therapies more personalized in order to increase the quality of care.

“For example,” Cindy says, “many families had to drive to Little Rock just for specialty evaluation services and all the therapies. We finally developed those within our community and then we spread it throughout the rest of the state.” Some of the services offered are developmental therapy, occupational therapy, pediatric child development, and prevocational training. One vocational program is called Job Path with a goal to create more jobs for individuals with disabilities while also giv-

ing those individuals chances to intern out in the community.

Another vocational program is Project Search. This program presents vocational knowledge in a classroom setting before moving the participants into internships. “They truly have an opportunity to be in jobs before they are hired,” Cindy says.

Many employers throughout the community, such as Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center along with Embassy Suites Fayetteville hire program graduates.

FCC often collaborates with government agencies such as with the Community of Champions, an advocacy program funded by the Arkansas Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities and powered by Friendship Community Care. Community of Champions strives to educate, inspire, and empower peer advocates, self-advocates, and state leaders to understand the importance behind advocacy and how it brings our communities closer together, in turn growing our state to its maximum potential. >> AUGUST 2020

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According to FCC literature, “too often, at the corner of disability and advocacy stand community members all across Arkansas that hinder true acceptance due to a lack of knowledge.”

One of the challenges facing our families and children of FCC is people who aren’t aware of the issues these individuals face.

Community of Champions and Friendship Community Care offers tools each person can use in their daily life, promoting true acceptance and inclusion for individuals with developmental disabilities. Community of Champions is striving to spread support through education to support Advocacy and grow committed “Champions” for this program.

Today, FCC serves roughly 2,000 individuals and employs about 1,700 people around the state. Cindy is particularly proud of their behavioral health services. To make things easy, FCC strives to have all the services their individuals need in one setting. “Like a one-stop company,” she says. Cindy also spoke fondly of the executive staff she works with to keep everything in motion. “The team that I have now is very strong, and they are knowledgeable on the latest and the best processes and opportunities that can be used for children with disabilities,” she says. This wellequipped team of about 60 therapists is always searching for new therapies that could benefit the individuals that go to FCC. This year, Cindy is preparing to retire from Friendship Community Care, but her work isn’t done yet.

In October, she will become CEO of the Friendship Foundation. In this position, Cindy will be working with a board of directors with members from all parts of the state. “Our goals will be using the wonderful relationships and the newly developed ones,” Cindy says,” leveraging for endowments, gifts, and many other ideas for the expansion of Friendship.” A few ideas for expansion are already in the works as well as sustainability initiatives to ensure that FCC will be a lasting organization.

Cindy has also spent a lot of time on the political side of things. Throughout her years of service, she has worked with our governors, congressmen, and even presidents. “I’ve worked hard to establish rules and national associations that are dedicated to protecting our services,” Cindy says. There were many times in the early 2000s when the future of Medicaid was unsure. Cindy worked with President Clinton and his

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administration to ensure that services like that will not face that uncertainty again.

Cindy Mahan is a giver through and through. From an early age, giving has been her life and her culture. “It’s just part of our hearts, part of our being to help the people in need,” Cindy says.

“When I look back or walk in these buildings, I don’t ever think about what I’ve done, I just know it happened.” Because of her passion and forward thinking, many people throughout our state have been given life-changing care and opportunities that might have seemed impossible before.

Cindy also shared her appreciation for and the importance of the board of directors. “Service of our board members through years of volunteering safeguards a program that is invaluable to the community,” Cindy says. “It’s brought tens of thousands of jobs to our communities and allowed our children, adults, and families the dignity of life as it should be.” Cindy says that the culture she’s cultivated at FCC is one of kindness, of treating staff and families with the utmost respect. The legacy of Cindy Mahan will continue through FCC employee efforts to sustain that culture and drive it forward. l

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EVE RY DAY L I F E

A brow-raising experience Story by SARAH CLOWER Illustration by CLIFF THOMAS

DURING “QUARANTINE,” MANY PEOPLE REALIZED how they took the ability to get regular haircuts for granted. Especially my clients that like to come every few weeks, or even every week.

For my elderly clients that reside in nursing homes, I was unable to see them even when Phase 1 came into place. Because of their susceptibility to Covid-19, nursing homes and assisted living facilities have been closed off to visitors for quite some time.

Finally, when Phase 2 was put into place, these facilities started allowing their residents to leave for haircuts and doctor visits, and some even allowed hairdressers in the nursing home’s inhouse salon.

One of my favorite clients, Gertrude, finally got approval for me to come out to the nursing home to cut and style her hair. Her daughter, Agnes, arranged the appointment and let me know all

that I would have to do upon arriving.

I arrived a few minutes early so the nursing home staff could make sure I was wearing the appropriate protection for Covid-19.

A nurse came to the entrance to greet me. She checked my temperature, asked a series of questions, and looked over my mask and gloves. She then welcomed me into the nursing home’s inhouse salon area.

The nurse said she would go get Gertrude, so I started to unpack my plastic ziplock bag that I kept my sterilized items in: a comb I only use for Ms. Gertrude, a couple of hair clips, and of course my scissors. Agnes and I chit-chatted while we waited for Gertrude.

A few minutes later, the nurse returned with one arm around Gertrude’s arm, helping her into the room.

“Hi, Ms. Gertrude!” I exclaimed, as I took a double take. I

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hadn’t seen her in several months, and I was quite shocked to see my white-haired client with black-as-night, thickly drawn on eyebrows. Agnes glanced at me wide-eyed, apparently she was just as surprised as I was by their drastic appearance.

“Hi, Ms. Sarah!” Gertrude said. “Thank you for coming all the way here to cut my hair. I’ve really missed you! You have no idea how much you will miss the simple things like haircuts and Subway sandwiches until you can’t get them anymore.”

I stifled a giggle and agreed with her. I helped her into the barber chair, wrapped the styling drape around her, and reclined her into the sink to wash her hair.

“Ms. Gertrude, you look great, and I see that you’ve been doing something new with your brows,” I said as I shampooed her hair.

“Oh yes, I’ve been using the new brow pencil you left here last time you came. I reeeeeally like it, and it’s so easy to use, but if you need it back, I’ll give it back to you.” Gertrude said, with a furrowed brow, perhaps because she feared I would want her prized brow pencil back.

“A brow pencil that I left here?” I mused, as I glanced at Agnes, who shrugged. I didn’t remember leaving a brow pencil behind.

And I certainly didn’t own any black brow makeup, as I am a fairskinned redhead.

I continued talking to Gertrude while I washed her hair, cut it, and blew it dry into her preferred coiffed style. Afterwards, I inquired about the brow pencil again. I of course didn’t want it back, whatever it was, but was quite curious as to what type of makeup

I could have left behind at her last appointment.

Gertrude said she would go back to her room and get the brow pencil while Agnes paid me and set up her next appointment.

“Whatever she comes back with, just go with it,” Agnes said.

“While the nursing home was closed and I couldn’t visit her, I would Zoom call her and her brows were black as night then too, but she was so proud of whatever she found so I just let it be.”

I smiled and nodded.

Gertrude returned to the salon with her prized brow pencil and held it out in her palm for us to see.

I immediately stifled a giggle, and I saw Agnes sigh and discreetly roll her eyes.

Lo and behold, what Gertrude held out in her hand was a black Sharpie pen. I must have left it behind when I came to cut her hair back in March.

“Oh, yes, that makes a great eyebrow pencil, and it would definitely stay on a while. It’s yours to keep Ms. Gertrude,” I said to her with a smile.

Later that day, I dropped off groceries at my mom’s house, as I have been discouraging her from going into stores. I retold her the Sharpie story over a cup of coffee.

My mom let out a chuckle. “Well, since Ms. Gertrude hasn’t been able to leave her nursing home or have visitors for a while, it probably was a small joy that ended up making her really happy.

In times like now, it can often be the smallest joys that bring us the most pleasure.” l

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A

gentle press on the key fob initiates and all the doors and rear hatch unlock on the SUV. Courtesy lights on the outside rear view mirrors come on for about 20 seconds. The seat automatically adjusts for the driver it senses. Another fingertip action and the engine springs to life.

Depressing the brake pedal allows Buddy Hoelzeman to select for reverse and back down the driveway.

Only a slight effort turns the wheel

thanks to power steering. An alarm warns him he is getting close to wife Tootsie’s prize tropicana roses. The warm summer sun warrants adjusting the air conditioner to a more comfortable temperature. With the gear selector in ”D”, he is on his way.

Traveling West on US Highway 64 and then south on State Highway 9, he is soon crossing the Arkansas River. A slight push on a steering wheel button sets the speed control at a pleasant below-the-limit speed. After completing the longest curve in the Arkansas road system, a right turn at Oppelo yields scenery of fences and cattle and haying operations.

The two-mile stretch of State 154 produces an elevation change of over 2,000 feet. At the top, past Petit Jean’s gravesite, the last leg of the trip provides the mixed scenery of homes, pasture, and timber.

Buddy’s drive to work is something millions of people do every day all over planet Earth. But it’s something that absolutely no one did just 120 years ago.

Story by RICK WOOD | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

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A GREAT PHILOSOPHER ONCE SAID: “Find a job you love to do, and you will never work a day of your life.” Buddy has accomplished just that. Work, for Buddy, is the Museum of Automobiles. But it’s a place where some of the examples on display share only two things with his transportation to work—four wheels and a seat. The earliest cars did not have a windshield and used a tiller for steering.

Buddy’s career at the museum began in January 1966 as an accountant. His talents were soon recognized and he became much more involved in August of that year with added duties including overseer of restorations and procurement as well as operations. Buddy accepted the title of director in 1971 and was reaffirmed when the museum reorganized as a nonprofit in 1976. Buddy’s son and two grandchildren also work at the museum.

The Museum of Automobiles is the culmination of a dream of the late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. He discovered Petit Jean Mountain in the early 1950s and fell in love with it and Arkansas. Rockefeller wanted the museum to be a significant, outstanding facility so the renowned architectural firm Cromell Architecture was enlisted for design. The 45,000 square foot 18

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T.J. Hoelzeman (son), Emily Hoelzeman (granddaughter), Alex Hoelzeman (grandson), and Buddy Hoelzeman.

building has two levels on a 150 feet by 150-feet footprint. The copper roof is free floating, not supported by the walls, and is suspended by cables attached to four massive corner posts. The significance of the design produces a stream of visitors to study the architecture itself.

Opening in 1964, the Museum of Automobiles was a boost for tourist traffic. The “Antique Automobile Fair” was held in October of that same year and anchored a regional auto enthusiast tradition that continues today. The week-long event now ends on Saturday the day before Father’s Day. Attendees affectionately refer to the annual trek as “going to the mountain” with no other explanation needed. The event is one of the largest automotive happenings in Arkansas. >>

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In the museum, there are approximately 50 automobiles on display at any one time. Five or six cars are changed out annually so it is not a static display. Displayed permanently are the Rockefeller family cars, the 1914 Cretor’s Popcorn Wagon (possibly one of the first food trucks), an Elvis-owned car, President John F. Kennedy’s personal Lincoln provided to him by Ford Motor Company, and two Climbers. The Climbers at the Museum are the only complete examples of the only car manufactured exclusively in Arkansas. Publicity stunts were the most effective form of advertising in that era (1920s), so newspapers reported on the progress of a planned trip around and across the region to show the Climber’s ability to negotiate Arkansas’ primitive road system. The engine was started in Little Rock and ran continuously during the odyssey. The grand finale was the car being driven up

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— climbing — the steps of the state capital and Governor Charles Brough ceremoniously turning the engine off. The collection displays the chronological development of the automobile concept with real examples. A great history lesson with detailed features and facts is provided on each auto displayed. Also featured are motorcycles, gas pumps, license plates, signs, and pedal cars.

The Museum of Automobiles offers world-class architecture and an enlightening presentation of the history of a device that did not exist just over a century ago — a device that truly changed the world. The automobile has become so engrained in our lives that we now live in a car culture. Experience the automobiles when they had names like: Brush, Rickenbacker, Olds, Studebaker, Star, Tulsa4, Indiana, Stutz and Moon. And Buddy’s smile will greet you and make you feel welcome.

Located at 8 Jones Lane atop Petit Jean Mountain, the Museum of Automobiles is open 10 a.m. -5 p.m. every day except Christmas. COVID-19 precautions include the state mask mandate and barriers in place to create a one-way maze for visitors to view cars and displays while minimizing interaction with other museum visitors. Admission prices are Adults $10, 65 up $9, 6-17 $5, 5 and under no charge. l

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COMMUNITY

UCA 2020 ServiceLearning Awards Honor Local Student And Faculty Member Every year, UCA recognizes a selection of students, faculty, and community partners for their outstanding service-learning collaborations. Among this years honorees were Grace Zimmerman of Dover, and Dr. Debra Burris of Atkins.

Grace Zimmerman (‘21) is the recipient of the 2020 Spirit of Humanity Award for service-learning. She is a Physics major and Music minor at UCA, and is currently doing a summer internship with NASA in which she has been awarded a John Mather Nobel Scholar. Grace plans to pursue a career following graduate studies in aerospace engineering. She hopes to be a role model for young girls in STEM. As Grace shared, “I participate in UCA’s College of Natural Sciences service-learning and outreach programs because of how important it is to create interest and accessibility in the sciences, especially for under-represented groups within STEM. My involvement started with Dr. Burris and her physics courses,

Grace Zimmerman

Dr. Debra Burris

which taught me the importance of science literacy and outreach. It has been incredibly rewarding to share my love for science with my community, and also serve as an example to encourage students to pursue their scientific interests, no matter how daunting it may seem.”

Debra Burris, professor of physics, received the Peter J. Mehl Service-Learning Faculty of the Year Award. For the past several years, Burris and her physics students have collaborated on service-learning projects and hands-on science activities with Community Connections, a central Arkansas nonprofit that provides extracurricular activities and support for children with special needs and their families.

“By reaching out to the community, we take away some of the mystery of what scientists do,” said Burris. “By sharing our love of science, we instill the idea to

all the kids at Community Connections that when they imagine a scientist, the person in their mind looks like them. Diversity makes STEM stronger!”

Burris is a certified master naturalist and the first woman to achieve the rank of professor in the Department of Physics. Her commitment to service was previously recognized by the university when she received the Public Service Award in 2012.

The Service-Learning Program is part of the Division of Outreach and Community Engagement (OCE) at UCA. Academic service-learning is a course-based teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.

For more information about the program, awards as well as additional 2020 and previous award recipients, visit uca.edu/servicelearning/service-learning-awards/.

ATU students named Gilman scholars

Danile Delgado 22

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

Eden Pinkston AUGUST 2020

Kacy Watkins

Three Arkansas Tech University students have earned the Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.

Danile Delgado, Eden Pinkston and Kacy Watkins were recently notified of their awards after applying for the scholarship through the ATU Office of Distin-

guished Scholarships.

Delgado is a junior mathematics educator major from Clarksville.

Pinkston is a junior graphic design major from Bergman.

Watkins is a junior English education major from Hector.

According to the program website, the U.S. Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students to study or intern abroad and develop skills deemed critical to national security and economic prosperity. The Institute of International Education has administered the program since its inception in 2001.

Visit www.atu.edu/academics/nifs.php to learn more about the ATU Office of Distinguished Scholarships. Learn more about study abroad opportunities at ATU by visiting www.atu.edu/studyabroad.

Save the Date

ENGAGEMENTS

List your engagement or wedding announcements in the pages of ABOUT the River Valley magazine at no charge.

You can email yours to: editor@aboutrvmag.com or mail to: ABOUT Magazine, 220 East 4th Street, Russellville AR 72801. A phone number must be included for verification.

AUGUST

OCTOBER

Hannah Grace Knight & Robert Branscum (8th)

Jordin Stinnett & Dillon Tribble (3rd)

Brooke Woodward & Derek Hollowoa (8th)

Lyndsey Balentine &. Jerry Boriboun (10th)

Selby Bailey & Alec Yates (10th)

Krissy Davis & Jacob White (10th)

Andrea Dixon & Chad Stewart (15th)

Carmen Meadows & Matt Quain (10th)

Sydney Johnson & Nathan Bell (15th)

Hayden Reeves & Braden Bennett (17th)

Meredith Hedberg & Morgan Link (29th)

Bethany Knight & Eric Manning (24th)

SEPTEMBER

Kaitlyn Gregory & Josh Tanner (31st)

Haley Fossitt & Thomas Avery (5th)

NOVEMBER

Shelby Gray & Marty McNally (19th)

Heather Bramlett & Christopher Steuber (14th)

New Symphony Guild Officers and Board Members

Emily Roberts & Doug Smith 919th)

Shelby Bryant & Corey Hottinger (21st)

Josie Dixon & Jonathon Myers (20th)

The Russellville Symphony Guild would like to formally welcome four new board members. Betty LaGrone, Sherry Cowell, Jenifer Freeman, and Sandy George. Every year the Guild has a special membership luncheon to introduce the new members.

This year, for the first time, the luncheon did not take place because of the COVID-19 virus. The Board is hoping that in the early Fall we will be able to celebrate. They are all also hoping to present Auditorium on the ATU campus.

At the last board meeting, new officers were voted on by the Board. President Kathy Westmoreland handed over her gavel to the new President, Ann Squyres.

Vice President is Sue Ann Strait, Treasurer is Judy Murphy, Secretary - random, Publicity is Paula Stamps, Historian is Kathy Westmoreland.

Certificates and a sincere thank you were given to three board members who retired.

Robin Danielson, Linda Rush, and Charlotte Linch. Linda and Charlotte have been with the board since the beginning, and have worked so hard, and have contributed in many ways to the Russellville Symphony Guild. They are all very special women who will be missed.

Abbie Moore & Kent McCoy (27th)

DECEMBER McKenzie DuVall & David Meeks (12th)

OCTOBER

JANUARY 2021

Sarah Langston & Hunter Jackson (2nd)

Andrea Vega & Tyler Griffin (8th)

Megan Ayres & Clay Moore (3rd) Summer Rasmussen & Bobby O’Donnell (3rd)

Arbor Day Foundation honors Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Tech University has achieved the Tree Campus USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for a fifth consecutive year.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.

Arkansas Tech achieved the title in 2016 and maintained it in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-

care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a non-profit conservation and education organization with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.

Arkansas Tech began a tree planting program during the 2009-10 academic year.

The trees are a continuation of a long-term landscaping beautification program made possible through the generosity of Arkansas Tech alumni Robert and Sandra Norman of Tulsa, Okla.

The Normans’ philanthropy has led to the planting and care of more than 1,100 trees on the ATU campus in Russellville over the past decade. l AUGUST 2020

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T H E R IVE R VA L L EY C I T I Z E N

Ballot initiatives 1 and 2: make an informed decision Story by KRISTIN FOSTER

Unless struck down by the courts, ballot initiatives appear with only their popular name and ballot title, making an informed decision on complex issues challenging for most voters. This second installment on 2020 ballot initiatives will provide detailed information on Issues 1 and 2, both referred for voter consideration by state lawmakers. Issue 3 will be covered in the next installment.

Issue 1: Continuing sales tax for roads and highways HJR1018: An Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution Continuing a One-Half Percent (0.5%) Sales and Use Tax for State Highways and Bridges; County Roads, Bridges and Other Surface Transportation; and City Streets, Bridges, and Other Surface Transportation After the Retirement of the Bonds Authorized in Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 91.

Issue 1 will ask voters to decide on a proposed one-half percent sales and use tax to fund maintenance, repairs, and improvements of the state highway system, county roads, and city streets. Food and food ingredients would be exempt, but the tax would be applied to other goods and services. The revenue from a one-half percent sales tax is projected to generate $293.7 million per year. Revenue will be divided with

15 percent going to the County Aid Fund, 15 percent to the Municipal Aid Fund, and 70 percent to the State Highway and Transportation Department Fund.

This would be a permanent continuation of a 2012 sales and use tax that was originally approved by voters as Amendment 91.

Constitutional Amendment 91 allowed the state to secure revenue bonds for road improvements, but is set to expire upon settlement of the bonds or by June 30, 2023. So it is important to note that the current tax under Amendment 91 will continue until that date, regardless of the outcome of the 2020 election. If the tax is approved by voters, it will go into effect on July 1, 2023. If Issue 1 fails, legislators would still have one more chance to put it on the ballot in 2022 before Amendment 91 expires.

Issue 2: Changing term limits for state legislators SJR15: A Constitutional Amendment to Amend the Term Limits Applicable to Members of the General Assembly, to be Known as the “Arkansas Term Limits Amendment” Issue 2 proposes changes to an earlier 2014 constitutional amendment that implemented 16-year lifetime term limits for members of the Arkansas General Assembly, which consists of 100 State Representatives and 35 State Senators. If approved, this amendment would effectively remove lifetime term limits, instead implementing a four year “sit out period” that temporarily disqualifies the legislator from service in the General Assembly following the completion of their final term. Once

With our senior population at higher risk, we want to provide support and peace of mind for families to ensure good health and safety.

It’s times like these that we, as a community, must look after one another.

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

AUGUST 2020

that sit out period has ended, the slate is effectively wiped clean and the individual can run for legislative office again with a brand new term limit.

That standard would differ slightly for legislators first elected before January 1, 2021 as compared to those first elected on or after January 1, 2021. A legislator who was first elected before 2021 would be subject to a 16 year combined term limit, followed by a four year period of ineligibility for office, and then would be eligible to serve as an elected state legislator once again. For those elected on or after January 1, 2021 the term limit would be 12 years served consecutively, then renewed eligibility for office following either a gap in service or a four year sit out period.

Additionally those state Senators first elected on or after Janu-

ary 1, 2021 would include the two-year abbreviated terms caused by redistricting in their total years of service, while Senators first elected before 2021 would not be required to include that twoyear term towards their current term limit.

Issue 2 is the subject of a pending lawsuit that challenges the ballot title created by the 92nd General Assembly in 2019.

The lawsuit alleges that the ballot title does not meet the legal standard of providing sufficient information to voters. The plaintiff argues that the ballot language for Issue 2 does not adequately explain that it would abolish lifetime term limits and allow legislators to “essentially serve for life with a few dead periods.”. The Pulaski County Circuit Court will decide that issue in the days to come. l

As a member of the Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists, we at ABOUT the River Valley magazine submitted several works for consideration in the 2019 Diamond Journalism Awards. These awards recognize outstanding journalism by professionals and students from Arkansas and bordering states.

It’s our proud honor to announce the following awards we received, and congratulate each contributor to our publication as well as the subjects of the River Valley which they feature.

1st Place - Editorial

1st Place - Student Feature

“We can’t stand in silence”

“A place of hope and healing”

JUNE 2019 ISSUE

APRIL 2019 ISSUE

MAY 2019 ISSUE

“An important subject handled tastefully, with a strong personal element and building to a solid conclusion. I hope everyone in the ciruclation area had a chance to read this editoriala nd take it to heart”

“Rich writing and outstanding interviews with counselors, staff and clients, captivating and heartwarming. Great photos and graphics. Well done.”

“The design architecture of this magazine is excellent, and sets the stage for the designers and photographers to execute creative fronts, such as this winning entry.

This cover simply demands that the reader turns the page.”

JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

1st Place -Design

HANNAH BUTLER

CHRIS ZIMMERMAN “The hero we need.”

1st Place - Opinion

2nd Place - Student Sports

“A nearby faraway”

“For the love of the game”

APRIL 2019 ISSUE

FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE

JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

2nd Place - Design

KENZIE SAIN

“Nice to be home”

“Without Darkness there is no Light”

2nd Place - Editorial

2nd Place - Arts & Culture

JUNE 2019 ISSUE

DECEMBER 2019 ISSUE

MAY 2019 ISSUE

3rd Place - Editorial

“The hero we need.”

3rd Place - Opinion

“Called to do Heroic Things”

“Guns and responsibility”

NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUE

JUNE 2019 ISSUE

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley since 2006.

AUGUST 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

25

MACKEY’S CATFISH 2300 W MAIN ST. RUSSELLVILLE

Great on the pole and on the plate Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN Story by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

26

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

AUGUST 2020

THE FLAVORS OF SUMMER in the South are tethered to the land. June’s juicy blackberries and July’s zesty tomatoes, the smoky sweetness of your barbecue in every bite of whatever meat came off the grill.

But one of the more iconic Southern summer delicacies comes from our waters, a whiskered denizen of our rivers and lakes that makes a statement on the fishing pole and on the plate. Catfish are a favorite of many and for many reasons.

Fried catfish is actually a combination of two summer staples — the fish, of course, and corn. Good Cornmeal is absolutely essential to delicious fried catfish and, too, its most important accompaniment — hush

puppies. Round it all out with coleslaw and fries. On a sultry evening, there is no finer eating to be found. There is no more quintessential flavor of the South, and especially of a river town.

But you don’t need to set a pot of oil to boiling for the experience. You just need to go to Mackey’s Catfish in Russellville.

Flakey white meat (red meat is always trimmed away), the perfect blend of seasonings in the cornmeal, and hushpuppies that’ll have you swiping extras from a friend’s platter. Add some slaw and fries, some fried pickles and scrumptious dessert. Enjoy a timeless meal with hardscrabble origins as the lightnin’ bugs flicker on a warm August night. l

AUGUST 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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CO U N T E RTO P C R E AT I O N S

The story behind the song Story by LYDIA ZIMMERMAN, Food Editor Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

I

was recently listening to my Apple Music library and the Tom T. Hall classic “Old Dogs,Children and Watermelon Wine.” I always think of my mother, as it was one of her favorites from the man nicknamed “The Storyteller.” Each time I hear it, I think of a cherished outing to a Tom T. Hall concert she and I attended at the Great Arkansas PigOut that was held in Morrilton for several years.

The song’s lyrics say “ain’t but three things in this world that’s worth a solitary dime” and why. I was interested in the how, the where and the idea behind the song, so I researched and found that the lyrics were actually based on a conversation with a gentleman in a hotel lounge.

It was 1972 and Mr. Hall had performed a concert with George Jones and Tammy Wynette in Miami, Florida.

After the concert Hall was sitting there in the lounge having a drink when a man cleaning tables did in fact approach him and struck up this peculiar conversation that led to the lyrics. Davis wrote the song on a flight sickness bag during his trip back to Tennessee the next day. As the song goes, this gentleman found only those three things in his life that he valued as being faithful and true, old dogs, children and watermelon wine.

So in celebration of National Watermelon Day, which I coincidentally discovered is August 3rd, I’ve created and collected some delicious and some unusual recipes that contain watermelon.

As always, enjoy!

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

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MELON BERRY MARGARITA (NON-ALCOHOL) ABOUT Magazine Featured Recipe ~ AUGUST 2020

1 1/2 c cubed seedless watermelon 3/4 c frozen strawberries 1/4 c frozen limeade (thawed to slush)

2 T Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice 1-2 T honey, to taste

Place the first 4 ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Add 1 T of honey to the mixture and stir. If not to your desired sweetness you may add another tablespoon of honey.

Wet the rim of the glasses you are going to serve it in and dip into salt to coat. Pour mixture into the serving glasses immediately and serve.

Serves 1-2 depending on your glass capacity.

WATERMELON CUPCAKES Cupcakes: 1 Betty Crocker White cake mix 1 1/4 c pureed watermelon (puree 2 c of cubed seedless melon in a blender) 1/3 c vegetable or canola oil 3 egg whites red food coloring Frosting: 1 stick butter, softened 1 bag (11 oz) Great Value baking chips 1.5-2 lb powdered sugar 1/2 -1 c watermelon puree red food coloring 1 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Line your muffin tin with paper liners.

Pour cake mix into a large mixing bowl, add pureed watermelon, vegetable oil and egg whites. Begin mixing on low, until combined then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add food coloring and mix until desired coloring. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and place in oven for approx 15 minutes or until when toothpick is inserted it comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

While cupcakes are cooling, beat butter with a mixer until smooth. Continue to beat on low and add 2 c of the powdered sugar, mix well.

Place baking chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments, stirring between increments until chips are melted. Do not over cook.

Watermelon Cupcakes

Add the melted baking chips to the powdered sugar mixture and beat on low.

Continue to add powdered sugar in small increments, alternating with the pureed watermelon and mixing until you get a desired frosting consistency. Add red food coloring and mix until desired coloring.

Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

WATERMELON AND PISTACHIO SALAD 3 c watermelon cubes ½ red onion, cut into thin slices 1/3 c balsamic vinegar

¼ c pistachios 4 oz feta 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint Cut the rind off the watermelon and cut into medium sized chunks.

Place watermelon and onion in a large bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss to combine.

Now add the pistachios, mint (reserve a little to sprinkle on top) and feta.

Toss again.

Serve on a large platter with a scattering of mint over the top.

Recipe courtesy of watermelon.org >>

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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WATERMELON AND PINEAPPLE SALSA 2 c watermelon, cut in 1/3-inch dice 2 c pineapple, cut in 1/3-inch dice ½ c red onion, cut in 1/3-inch dice 3 T cilantro, chopped 1 - 2 diced jalapeño peppers, to preference ¼ c lemon juice Dash salt and pepper to taste Plantain chips, for serving Combine watermelon, pineapple, onion, cilantro and jalapeño pepper. Add lemon juice, pepper and salt.

Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Recipe courtesy of watermelon.org WATERMELON HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE 1/2 c watermelon puree I used my blender to puree 2 garlic cloves minced 1/2 c ketchup 2 T Truvia Brown Sugar Blend or 1/4 cup light brown sugar 2 T soy sauce 1 T balsamic vinegar 1 T white vinegar salt & pepper to taste Combine watermelon puree, garlic, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegars in a medium sized sauce pan. Heat to boiling and then lower to a simmer.

Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cool and then serve. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of yummyhealthyeasy. com

WATERMELON POPSICLES 19 oz cubed seedless watermelon (about 3 1/2 c) 5 1/2 T granulated sugar , divided 1 T fresh lemon juice 1/2 c canned coconut milk , well shaken 13 oz kiwi (about 6 medium) 1 T mini chocolate chips Add watermelon, 2 T granulated sugar and lemon juice to a blender and blend until well pureed. Skim off foam then carefully pour into 10 popsicles molds filling each about 2/3 full (try not to splash on sides, I found it worked best to let it run down the outside edge then just wipe off that part later with a damp paper towel or q-tip).

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over tops then using a popsicles stick gently push down to immerse chips (push towards sides so you can see them once the freeze).

Wipe sides clean as needed. Cover with the lid and insert popsicles sticks. Freeze 3 1/2 hours.

During last 30 minutes of popsicles freezing, whisk together coconut milk with 1 1/2 T sugar until sugar has dissolved, chill 30 minutes (you want it to be a nice pourable consistency after chilling, not too thick. If you find that it is stir in 1-2 T cold water to thin. I recommend chilling it because you just don't want it warm or it will melt the watermelon layer when pouring in).

Remove popsicles from freezer, remove lid and carefully pour a scant Tablespoon coconut milk into an even layer over watermelon layer (again, it works best to pour it down the outside edge then wipe clean).

Clean sides as necessary. Return to freezer,

uncovered, and chill for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut tops from kiwi and use a spoon to scoop flesh from kiwi while leaving skins. Transfer kiwi to blender along with 2 Tbsp granulated sugar. Pulse until well pureed. Force mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl using a rubber spatula to remove seeds (at this point I mixed int just a tiny bit of blue gel coloring because mine weren't the best shade of green, so that's optional). Chill kiwi mixture 30 minutes.

Remove popsicles from freezer and carefully pour about 1 Tbsp kiwi mixture over coconut layer. Return to freezer and chill until popsicles are solid about 2 - 3 hours.

To remove popsicles from molds, turn tray to the side and run plastic molds under warm water several seconds (don't let the water touch the kiwi portion at the top) then slowly pull from molds.

Recipes courtesy of cookingclassy.com WATERMELON FRUIT LEATHER 10 c Diced Watermelon Sugar or Honey (optional & to taste) First, preheat your oven to the lowest temperature possible & line a baking sheet with good quality plastic wrap or silicone baking mat.

Blend all of the watermelon chunks in your food processor & place it in a mesh colander lined with paper towels to drain out the excess liquid. You could also use a cheesecloth to strain the liquid.

If you desire to sweeten your watermelon, place the pureed watermelon back in the blender with your choice of sweeter

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

AUGUST 2020

& blend until the sweetener is evenly dispersed. If need be, place the puree back in the colander one last time to remove any excess liquid.

Evenly spread the watermelon puree onto the center of the baking sheet using a spatula so that it is approximately 1/4 in thick.

Bake the Watermelon Fruit Leathers for 6-8 hours, rotating the pan every hour.

The Watermelon Fruit Leather is done baking when it is no longer shiny & has a matte appearance, it will also no longer be super sticky.

Let cool completely before removing the Watermelon Fruit Leather from the baking sheet.

Carefully pull the plastic wrap/fruit leather off the baking sheet & flip it onto a piece of parchment paper, fruit leather down. Remove the plastic wrap from the Watermelon Fruit Leather, cut off any excess fruit leather with a pizza cutter, & the excess parchment paper along the long side with clean kitchen scissors.

Cut the fruit leathers/parchment paper into long strips, about an inch wide, & roll them up.

Recipe courtesy of domesticallyblissful. com

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WATERMELON, MOZZARELLA AND PROSCIUTTO SKEWERS wooden skewers or toothpicks, for assembling 20 small fresh mozzarella balls, patted dry 20 (about 1-in square) chunks seedless watermelon 20 (½-in thick) slices (peeled or unpeeled) cucumber 20 thin slices prosciutto minced fresh basil, for sprinkling balsamic glaze, for drizzling On the skewers or toothpicks, thread one mozzarella ball, then one piece of the watermelon, a piece of the cucumber and lastly a slice of prosciutto. Repeat as needed to fill the skewer or toothpick (I usually do two rounds on each skewer).

Place the assembled skewers on a serving tray. Sprinkle with fresh basil, then drizzle generously with the balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of cooknourishbliss.com

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AUGUST 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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COMMUNITY COMMERCE

Shiloh Creek Apartments TUCKED AWAY IN A QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD, near enough to ATU for a short jaunt to classes but far enough to be out of the hustle and bustle, Shiloh Creek Apartments in Russellville is a great living option for many from young to elderly.

Opened in the 1990s with new phases added through the years, Shiloh Creek Apartments are a part of Meadows Properties and Management, based in Fort Smith. Shiloh has 288 apartments housed

in 18 buildings made up of one and two bedroom apartments.

Options such as washer and dryer included or with washer and dryer hook-ups but no washer and dryer, are available, Shiloh Creek Apartments (479) 890-5454 meadows.properties 802 Limestone Circle, Russellville

Story & Photos by BENITA DREW

but there are also two laundry facilities on site. Some apartments have paid water and sewer while others do not. Covered parking is available for some buildings, and staff accommodates clients with handicap accessible units as available.

One-bedroom apartments start at $475 per month, and two-bedroom apartments start at $550 per month. Pets are allowed with additional deposit.

While most apartments require a one-

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

AUGUST 2020

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year lease, Shiloh Creek Apartments also has available corporate furnished apartments with shorter terms. As Regional Manager Amanda Mondier said, they provide diverse options to meet the needs of many.

Along with all of the apartment options, comes extra on-site facilities. In the main building are a fitness center, tanning bed, billiards room and conference area with computers. Also on site are two pools, a basketball court and a car wash with vacuum.

A top priority of Shiloh Creek Apartments is safety. On-site security is provided as well as management and maintenance. Visitors would usually be greeted with a smile at the door of the main office by one of the two new on-site managers Liz Hickman or Becca Milloway, but with heightened sanitation practices due to COVID-19, Hickman and Milloway are just a phone call away.

“We like to be more personal, but it is a necessity right now. We are limiting the amount of people allowed in the building,”

says Mondier. They can meet at the main entrance to the offices, which stays locked otherwise, but foot traffic is currently limited for safety. Management can direct visitors on where to view available apartments via telephone.

Mondier, along with fellow Regional Manager Beverly Soucy, travel and support the managers of Meadows properties around the state. Meadows owns and operates approximately 1,500 units in Fort

Smith, which is the largest complex. Other complexes include Van Buren, Russellville, Conway (which just opened), Searcy, Beebe, and Arkadelphia. Cabot is the most recent addition, still under construction but projected to open in 2021.

For more information about any of the Meadows properties, call 479-478-6788.

For Shiloh Creek Apartments, at 802 Limestone Circle, Russellville, call 479890-5454. l

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AUGUST 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

33

in the Garden

An informal education Story by JILL MCSHEEHY

I WATCHED IN AMAZEMENT last spring as my third-grade daughter gazed at the faces of her teachers on my laptop screen. One taught her fractions and the other read a book. Both asked the class short follow-up questions and asked the students to “turn in” those responses by commenting in the Facebook group. Her art, science, reading, music, and P.E. teachers developed weekly assignments to help her learn in a fun and creative way. When she posted photos of her artwork, each teacher offered encouraging words.

LIFE INSURANCE

Seeing her teachers’ faces on her laptop lit up her otherwise uncertain and dull days.

My heart throbbed with a mixture of pride and compassion for my daughter’s teachers. As the daughter of two retired teachers and having four other teachers in my family, I shook my head in awe at what these teachers scrambled to do for these kids. No aspiring teacher envisions teaching to a camera, to an empty classroom. Yet they found a way to do it while connecting with their children in a meaningful way.

As I write this, the future of the 20202021 school year is still uncertain. I, for one, know that my children need to be back in the classroom. However, it’s not lost on me that while in-class learning took an extended break, education for many kids expanded in a way that can’t be replicated in a classroom.

For example, after days of boredom stuck at home, my daughter decided she wanted to expand her cooking skills. At the time a former teacher-turned-blogger offered an online cooking class for chil-

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

AUGUST 2020

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dren during the pandemic. Taking advantage of this opportunity, my third grader learned how to soak and cook dry beans, make homemade tortillas from scratch, cook Spanish rice, make homemade ranch dressing, and create homemade taco seasoning. She beamed when she cooked her first meal from start to finish.

My seventh-grade son wasn’t interested in cooking, but he showed interest in video editing. As an online garden educator with a new audience of beginning gardeners this year, I created more “how-to” videos and I taught him how to edit them.

Not only did he enjoy the creative outlet while at home, but he gained a skill that if he chooses to, could someday provide him with income possibilities.

My children weren’t the only one to learn new skills at home during the pandemic. As a garden educator, I saw and heard from countless parents who began new gardens with their children. For the first time, perhaps, these kids learned that carrots grow underground and peas taste delicious snapped from the vine. Children

“As I write this, the future of the 2020-2021 school year is still uncertain. I, for one, know that my children need to be back in the classroom. However, it’s not lost on me that while in-class learning took an extended break, education for many kids expanded in a way that can’t be replicated in a classroom.” saw their science classes come alive in nature as they observed earthworms and bees. Families learned how to turn kitchen scraps into compost among other skills that are now becoming more mainstream.

As the school year approaches -- in whatever form it takes -- I know that my children need to be back, but I’m hopeful that some of those memories, for many of

them, will include adding unique, handson life skills to the whole of their education. These life skills may not only come in handy in the future, but I wonder how many will find their life trajectory shaped in some way by them.

And for those children who choose to become teachers themselves someday, they will also be inspired by their teachers who rose to meet the challenge of the day.

While the news and our social media feeds may assault our conscience with negative and sad events of 2020, my hope is that we can look at the good. We may not know until years later what “seeds” were planted in the hearts and minds of our children in 2020 that will go on to bear fruit we never could have predicted.

Our children’s future is still largely the hands of skilled teachers who will continue their formal education. But I also can’t deny the life-skills education my children and others received when onsite instruction took a hiatus. Children of this generation will look back to this blip in history and remember different things. l

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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Story by T.L. SIMPSON

A JOURNAL of our RURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE

It’s only a game WHEN ARKANSAS GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON TOLD THE PRESS we might not get football in the fall if people didn’t take masks seriously, I swear I saw twice as many cloth masks that day.

It’s enough to make you ask, “Why?” Why do Southerners care so much about football?

It’s a difficult topic to tackle. The game is so intertwined with Americana it’s almost impossible to pull apart the threads and see where one begins and the other ends. Below I’ve recounted some of my experiences with the sport. As you read, understand almost every Southerner has a story (or several stories) like this. And maybe that’s why when Hutchinson said wear the mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or else no football, some folks finally decided to listen. *** We knew Super Bowl LIV was over when San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw a pick-six in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

My wife, an avid Niners fan, held it together as members of our watch party dissipated, shuffling by to offer half-hearted condolences: There’s always next year, and They played a good game. Or, I’m sorry for your loss, as if she’d lost a parent.

When the room cleared, she stood and began packing away the laptop we’d used to broadcast the game. She wound the cords around her thumb and forearm; her shoulders slumped. When I approached, she put her head in the center of my chest and cried. *** It was already raining when we arrived in Danville, home of the Little Johns, a blinkand-you’ll-miss-it town nestled at the base of Danville Mountain. My teammates were 36

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

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already joking we were going to “flush” the Little Johns, because John is slang for toilet and haha, 15-year-olds are so clever.

By the time the game started, the sky was bruised purple, and we were one lightning bolt away from calling the whole thing off.

I remember wishing for a justifiable excuse to file back on the bus and head back down the mountain, to avoid playing a single down of this football game.

I was starting. And I had no business starting.

For some reason, we only ever ran one play, although our coach had installed the whole playbook. Twenty-four gap slam.

We ran it on an infinite feedback loop, pantomiming a huddle, the quarterback jogging to the sideline to receive the play from the head coach, us wondering if we might try any number of the plays we’d practiced during the week. But every time, it was the same. Twenty-four gap slam. And break.

I knew the play well. I still know the play well.

It goes like this: the right guard pulls down the line of scrimmage and blindsides the opposite linebacker, who, if everything goes according to plan, never sees the incoming trap. The running back uses the hole made by the pancaked linebacker to scurry upfield. If he’s a quick kid, he’s just got to beat the safeties and it’s end zone and fight song and cheerleaders.

I knew the play, but I could not execute the play. In the abject chaos following the snap of a football, I almost never found the linebacker. Turns out, linebackers seldom stood in place the way the kids on the scout team did. And believe it or not, they don’t hold tackling dummies and wait for you to hit them, either.

I was yanked off the field midway through the game, and I stood on the sideline blinking away rain and tears. My position coach grabbed my facemask and screamed into my face.

We had one play, and I couldn’t do it.

I looked up and watched the rain trace lasers through the stadium lights, felt the water fill the corners of my helmet and run down my face.

Coach blinked at me, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Are you crying? What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“It’s the rain,” I told him. “Just the rain.” *** My wife’s father, Jeff, was born and soon orphaned in San Francisco. He wasn’t a fan of any particular football team, but some of my wife’s fondest memories of him somehow revolve around the Super Bowl, which they watched, along with the NBA Finals, every year.

Jeff watched with the back door cracked open, one hand stuck outside with a cigarette burning. It didn’t matter who was play-

ing. Sporting events gave him anxiety. And anxiety is likely what led to self-medicating, which led to alcoholism and drug abuse.

There were times he was so intoxicated he couldn’t function, and my wife, a little girl, was forced to be the adult. But during the Super Bowl, over a spread of her favorite foods, she got to be a kid with a regular dad for just a little while.

I’d heard all these stories before I met him. How he’d signed his rights away on kids he no longer saw and my wife had never met, how he’d gone to prison, been abusive, drank too much and done drugs.

But I also heard his sure, calm voice crackling through the phone anytime my wife needed him. When I met him, he was quiet and gentle and sober and noodled a guitar on the back porch with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Something had changed.

Somewhere along the way, he was able to put away addiction and exchange it for love. He’d done what so many addicts before him were never able to do. And though the wounds he caused my wife remained as scars, he became the most important and complicated male figure in her life.

She took a solo trip to San Francisco in 2011. She walked the streets he once walked.

She called him on the phone. Do you remember this house? Tell me your favorite places?

It’s almost like you’re here with me... *** Almost two decades after I cried on the sideline of a junior varsity football game, I stood on another sideline not far away. The Dardanelle Sand Lizards were having a remarkable year — undefeated heading into the semifinals of the Class 4A state semifinals. As a sports journalist for an old-fash-

ioned print newspaper, I’d been there for every high and every low…

But actually, there weren’t many lows at all. The Sand Lizards had beaten almost every opponent they’d played so badly the officials ran the clock without stopping after halftime.

It looked like another win for the formidable Sand Lizards, but near the end of the game, the opposing team got two tries to kick a field goal due to a penalty, got the second one and went up 17-16. Dardanelle fumbled on its next drive and ended their season in the squalor of a muddy 50-yard line, one game away from the championship.

I watched those boys hold each other, their faces slick with tears and mud. I took pictures of them, which we ran on the front page, their grief exposed. The boy who fumbled the ball hugged and apologized to each of his teammates. Dardanelle hadn’t lost because they weren’t good enough.

They’d lost on a couple of mistakes. One of only a handful I’d seen them make all year. But that’s how it goes. Sometimes the only difference in winning and losing is a single, solitary mistake.

I found the coach alone in his office, one leg kicked up on his desk. If Dardanelle was going to have a state championship season, this had been the year for it. Now it was over. He shook his head and said, “Well, that was it.”

A year later, he took a job coaching a hundred miles away from Dardanelle. *** We were getting ready to go out when the phone call came. The last thing I remember before that moment is my wife wrestling our toddler into his jacket and telling him, “Let’s go have a good day.”

Instead, we drove to a church, and she sat in the nave and argued with God. Jeff was gone. He’d been fading for a long time. We knew this was coming. But knowing didn’t stop it from feeling like someone yanked a tablecloth from under something beautiful.

Her brother held him as he passed.

His final words were, “I don’t want to go.”

A year later, the San Francisco 49ers lost the Super Bowl, and my wife cried into my shirt.

“It’s just a game,” someone told me afterward, as I helped them carry a casserole dish out to their car. “There’s always next year. She must be an avid fan.”

“She must be,” I said, knowing there was no way to explain it.

I wanted to tell my wife that football will break your heart, and it’ll never be about football itself. It’ll always be about something greater, something unexplainable, like the moments you were closest to your father, like a real family in a living room cheering for America’s favorite game, when you had a small taste of normalcy in a childhood that was anything but normal.

It’s like watching the team from his hometown come so close but come up so short and having zero words to explain it’s not about the game. Not really. It’s like knowing you are no good at football but still crying when you can’t play, or staying up all night because you saw the ugly shame of high school boys who truly believed they would win it all but had it crumble in front of their eyes at the last moment.

It’s like all these things.

And yet not quite.

It’s just a game.

And yet not quite. l

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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COMMUNITY LEADERS

...

Billie

PAWLICKI AGE: 62 OCCUPATION: Receptionist at Sorrell’s

Body Shop.

HOMETOWN: I was born in Duncan, Oklahoma,

to Bill and Wanda Gray of Appleton. Been living in the River Valley since 1999 after my husband retired from 26 years in the Navy, which allowed us to live in many different places making lots of friends along the way.

FAMILY: I have two sisters and one brother.

I’ve been married for 42 years to John Pawlicki. I have one son, Jonathan Pawlicki, married to Gina. I’m the grandmother to five beautiful granddaughters: Anna, Sadie, Jada, Carly and Journey and mother of one grand-dog: Roxie (golden retriever.)

1

What is your favorite book and why?

The Shack. Pictures true life and where people are in their lives from season to season or chapter to chapter if you want to look at it from a book perspective.

2

Dog or cat? Why?

Dog. They truly are a person’s best friend.

They know you, love you unconditionally and are very smart. Dogs can make you laugh without trying, and they break your heart when they leave this earth without saying goodbye.

3

What do you think is the most positive aspect of living in the River Valley?

Photo by LIZ CHRISMAN 38

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

AUGUST 2020

The people — down-home, solid people whom I love serving. Customer service has been a part of my life for over 40 years, and I never tire of helping and serving anyone I can within my power to do so. That’s why working at Sorrell’s Body Shop since 2001 has been and is a perfect fit for me.

4

What’s something no one would ever guess about you?

My love for our military. I have served as an ombudsman, which is a liaison between Navy Command and families. I let the families know what was going on with the ships and overall helping families if they had needs such as groceries and paying bills that are overdue.

5

What is your favorite music genre and artist? Why?

Electric Light Orchestra. The energy that comes from that music — its just the best.

6

7

If you could change one thing about the River Valley, what would it be?

The River Valley needs more family-oriented things to do. We are lacking in that area.

8

Where is the one location in the River Valley you would tell a firsttime visitor that they must go?

Mt. Nebo State Park. There are a lot of switchbacks to get to the top, but once there, the views are breathtaking and the sunsets are picture perfect and postcard worthy. There is a lot to do once you arrive at the park.

What do you nerd out on?

Hallmark. I am a hopeless romantic and especially like happy endings.

Plus it’s just good, clean TV watching that is positive, which we all need and desire.

www.lizchrisman.com

9

Pizza, tacos, cheeseburger, or fried chicken? Any particular reason why?

CJ’s has the best burgers in town, Taco Villa for tacos and burritos, Casey’s for pizza - yummy! On any given day any of these would be a great place to eat!

10

What is your favorite quote?

Could be from an inspirational person, could be an original.

“One of the most spiritual things you can do is embrace your humanity. Connect with those around you today. Say “I love you,” “I’m sorry,” “I appreciate you,” “I’m so proud of you” … whatever you’re feeling. Send random texts, write a cute note, embrace your truth and share it.

Cause a smile today for someone else and give plenty of hugs.”

~ Steve Marboli

commercial art & portraiture

“Lowkey Lavender” AUGUST 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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