ABOUT | March 2017

wren’s song

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley March 2017

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MARCH 2017 EDITION

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8 Wren’s Song

Wren Whiteseven, a middle aged, bald man with a massive goatee, is holding a fiddle in his hands and a big, infectious smile across his face. Then he leans his head gently against the wood, closes his eyes and begins to play a sweet Irish song. Everyone is focused on Wren.

14 Change… and love is in the air

16 Working with the grain

On an unusually warm and sun-drenched Saturday in February, I met with Donnie Elliott, Jerry Hankins, Doyle McEntyre and Bobby Askue at Doyle’s wood shop in Dardanelle. The group belongs to the Arkansas River Valley Wood Turners Club.

26 Laissez les bon temps rouler

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

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A PAGE FROM

The Editor’s Notebook

Wherever it takes me

I have another job, and this one brings the total to three… I mean four. Besides managing editor at ABOUT, I’m also an associate editor at Hatch Fly Fishing magazine, a freelance writer selling memories and words to a few much-appreciated publications, and just last month I added interim executive director of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. Such is the nature of freelancing in today’s economy. Various hats are a requirement.

It’s easy to see similarities between the former three jobs. All are in the journalistic vein, though, real journalism is something I do only from time to time. This latest job isn’t that different. My background and journalism degree are definitely helpful to the gig, and there is a direct correlation between previously published work and this job offer. I see it as an extension of what I started seven years ago.

Back in 2010, I didn’t understand what logic, emotions, forces or spirits moved me to type out that very first essay about February weather, and then another about whip-poor-wills, and send them to the Atkins Chronicle and Newton County Times in hopes of publication. Nor did I really understand, at the time, why at age 40 I decided to go back to college, and then why the heck I changed majors (with Dianne Edward’s righteous disapproval), preparing me for a career in the riskiest industry of the last decade. None of this sounds reasonable in the slightest. But here I am, a 45-year-old man with three… whoops, four jobs and all as advocate for so much of what I love. It’s what happens when you let your heart take the lead.

Working as an advocate is what I’ve been doing here, at ABOUT, for the last four years. It was the reason for ABOUT before I ever came on the scene. I know intuitively (but also because she told me) that ABOUT came to be because of Dianne’s love for the this region and you, its people.

The advocate’s life ain’t all beer and skittles, and I don’t recommend making career decisions based on some vague sense of duty. But then, I don’t recommend getting married after dating for only a month, either. And that’s exactly what Christine and I did on the 22nd day of March 24 years ago. It seems that I’ve been led around by my heart for a while now.

I reckon the best plan is to keep following and see where it takes me.

Johnny Carrol Sain, Editor johnny@aboutrvmag.com

Celebrating a Decade of Character in the Arkansas River Valley A Publication of One14 Productions, Inc Vol. XII, Issue 2 – March 2017

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 CHRISTINE SAIN | advertising christine@aboutrvmag.com MIKE QUAIN | creative content producer mike@aboutrvmag.com MEREDITH MARTIN-MOATS | freelance meredith@aboutrvmag.com SARAH CHENAULT | 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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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS: MARCH 2017 March 3 — Art Walk in downtown Russellville from 6-9 p.m.

March 4 — Archeology Day at Petit Jean from 8 a.m - 5 p.m. March is Archeology Month in Arkansas, and you are invited to spend a day discovering the archeological treasures of Petit Jean Mountain including the American Indian pictographs of Rock House Cave.

Contact the park for a schedule. Admission is free. For more information contact (501) 727-5441 March 5 — Endangered Arkansas at Lake Dardanelle State Park from 11 a.m. - noon. Meeting Place: Orientation Room. Arkansas is home to many creatures. Some of them occur in abundance, others are scarce. Join a park interpreter in the visitor center Orientation Room to discover some of the rarities in the state and what we can do to help them. Admission is free. For more information contact 967-5516.

March 10 — Night Flight at Lake Dardanelle State Park from 6-7 p.m. Join a park interpreter at the amphitheater to learn about silent hunters that come out when the sun goes down.

We will talk about some of their unique feathers, and then walk the Meadowbrook Trail as we try to catch a glimpse of these stealthy raptors.

Admission is free. For more information contact 967-5516.

March 11 — Chocolate & Wine hosted by the Princess Project of Johnson County from 6-9 p.m. Knights of Columbus 202 E Cherry in Clarksville. Chocolate tasting, wine, silent auction and door prizes with all proceeds raised from this event going toward the Princess Project — a program that helps pay for students who wish to attend prom but cannot afford the costs associated with it. Ticket Price is $20 and tickets are available at the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce. For more information contact Tiffany Cowell 647-8970.

March 17 — Bear Hollow Watch at Mt. Magazine State Park Benefield Picnic Area from 10-11 a.m. Scan the northern slope of Bear Hollow from overlooks on its southern rim for wildlife.

You never know what we might discover. Deer, turkeys, and even bears are possibilities. Admission is free. For more information contact 963-8502, March 17 - 20 — Celebrating Trees at Petit Jean. March 20 is Arbor Day in Arkansas. You are invited to enjoy park programs that celebrate our bounty: a variety of trees and the natural beauty of Petit Jean State Park.

Contact the park for a schedule. Admission is free. For more information contact (501) 727-5441.

March 28 — Clarksville Lion’s Club AllYou-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast at the

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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 15th of the month preceding publication.

First United Methodist Church 215 W Sevier St Clarksville from 6:30-noon.

Tickets purchased before the event are $5 and $3 for children under 12. Tickets at the door are $5.50 and $3.50. Deliveries for five or more orders.Tickets are available at the Chamber or from any Lions Club member.For more information contact Phillip Taylor 754-2616.

April 1: Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, 8:00 PM. ATU Campus in Witherspoon. Pre-reception at 6:00; Lake Point Conference Center. Tickets available at the door, or at Brown & Brown Insurance, 706 W. Main, or call Ann Squyres at 968-5080.

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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ABOUTthe theRIVER RIVERVALLEY VALLEY ~~ MARCH MARCH2017 2017 88 ABOUT

I Story by BILLY REEDER | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

t’s the fall semester of 2015 and I’m standing on a makeshift stage in the Arkansas Tech student center with a guitar strapped across my shoulders. For all intents and purposes we’re in a food court with bad acoustics. In front of me is a surprisingly large crowd of students. To my left is Wren Whiteseven, a middle aged, bald man with a massive goatee, holding a fiddle in his hands and a big, infectious smile across his face.

Then he put the fiddle up to his shoulder, leaned his head gently against the wood, closed his eyes and began to play a sweet Irish song. As music cut through the room, the kids became silent.

Everyone focused on Wren. Over the next hour those students were transported from that student center with high glass walls to a pub in Ireland with an ebony stained wood bar and an ancient floor scratched and worn over the centuries.

The kids sang. They laughed. They cried. They danced. For at least a little while, the stress of college was forgotten.

And according to Wren, that’s the point.

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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IN 1967 FERGUS AND MARY WHITSIEVENS IMMIGRATED FROM IRELAND TO THE UNITED STATES. A few months later, Wren was born in the Dallas area. But by the time he was three, cancer had taken his mother and a car accident had taken his father’s life. He was left all alone in a new country and placed in the care of Hope Cottage Orphanage until he was adopted by Joe and Pat Brown on his fifth birthday.

Fast forward with a new loving family, mix in a confused immigration officer and “Whitsievens” became “Whiteseven” and the immigrants’ son had been given another chance.

By the time he was 10, Wren’s adopted mom had noticed his love for music and enrolled him in private violin lessons. One lesson turned into many and over the years the classically trained young boy became an accomplished violinist. When he was 17, Wren auditioned for and made the Dallas Symphony. He was next to the last chair, but he made it.

By that time he also felt something was missing until a friend handed him a copy of the Kansas album, “Leftoverture.”

“I was stunned,” said Wren. “I was in disbelief of what I was listening to.” The 10

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

classically trained violinist now wanted to play progressive rock and roll. From this point on, Wren has continually sought out other musicians and played in multiple working bands ranging from progressive rock to honky tonk music in cattle sale barns to Christian heavy metal to worship music. Though the bands and people change over the years, Wren never stopped making music.

In 2002, when Wren moved to Russellville, he said it didn’t take long to find people to play with. “Musicians have always been sort of a tribe,” he told me.

And while working bands are harder to come by here, there seems to be no shortage of friends to play music with in churches or on back porches. In recent years, the call of Ireland has become stronger for him. “I’ve been drawn to the Irish culture and heritage all of my life,” he said.“It was more of a personal listening hobby. That was until he connected with now longtime friend, Warren Dickey, who along with Wren, make up the core of their current Irish band, The Wandering Troubadours.

It’s no wonder that Ireland calls to so many of us. What we often refer to as “southern culture” is in many ways a product of the Scots-Irish culture laid down from early immigrants to what we now know as the southern United States.

Drawn to the hill country that reminded them of their homeland, the Scots-Irish

“Because of my heritage, I’ve had a love for Irish music far and above any other music.”

culture gave us many things from our clannish tendency toward family honor, to small hill farms with livestock, to the pull of a fishing pole and a shade tree by the river on a summer afternoon.

But perhaps one of their greatest gifts was their love for music. The music of Ireland transformed itself in the back hollows of the American hill country into what we now know as mountain music, bluegrass and country.

In the South, music isn’t just something that exists for entertainment. It is a thread that binds our culture together. “Music is probably the greatest gift that we have other than life itself.”

Wren tells me. “What else splashes more color and more joy into life itself than music? I feel the musicians of the South have more time, or choose to take more time, on the things of good and lasting virtue,” said Wren. “And because they’re living a slower lifestyle they’re noticing the things about them that make a good life.”

But there seems to be something about Irish music in particular that has such a strong calling. Because we are a country of immigrants, Americans very often feel like a misplaced people.

There is a family history that is often unknown, and the struggle of our ancestors to leave their homeland in the search for a better life.

To Wren, that immigrant story hits closer to home.

“Because of my heritage, I’ve had a love for Irish music far and above any other music,” said Wren. “My heart of hearts is helplessly enslaved to the music of Erin’s Isle. The music of Ireland is so diverse and full of life and character. The dignity of these people from what they’ve suffered and endured throughout the history of their nation I think is reflected in the music. They celebrate hard, but they mourn hard, too. The people of Ireland have had a raw deal, in my opinion, almost from the beginning of time.” >> MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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Wren and his fiancée Cary Tumbleson

When asked what he meant, you soon find out that Wren is as much of an introspective observer of humanity as he is an amazing violinist. Wren Whiteseven takes some things very seriously — music, faith, friendship. And Ireland.

“Because of the oppressed history of that nation is why you get so much extreme in their music,” Wren explained.

“The first thing people think of with Irish music is pub songs. And there’s a good reason for that, but not the reason one would normally think. One can choose to find joy in your life in the midst of challenging circumstances. The pub songs are born from the hardworking people of Ireland coming together for a

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

moment of escape from long workday or the tasks that lay ahead for them at home later that night. And they come together and it’s a joyful celebration of life through the vehicle of music. There is joy in the gift of music and this is the tapestry of their feelings coming out in their music. Likewise, in songs like ‘The Foggy Dew’ they are making a musical accounts of historical events of oppression, war, famine, and disease.”

“It’s like this,” said Wren, “there’s a lot of talk today about the Syrian refugees coming into America and how often is the temptation to write this off, excusing you from any deep thought about it by saying that’s just bad luck on them that

they happen to be born where they were.

And Ireland has rarely even sniffed what one would call being a superpower or an independent entity of their own. They’ve always been reliant on Great Britain to help fund, maintain, or uglier terms like keep under your thumb and I’ve known so many good people from England, but I don’t have a general positive opinion of that nation due to how I feel Ireland has always been exposed to some kind of abuse and control literally throughout the entire course of their history. So that makes me have a special place in my heart for them in that I’ve always been the ‘root for the underdog’ guy. I’ve always liked the little guy.”

Perhaps this is the essence of what calls out so deeply to so many. The music has its own dialect. Its own accent.

The personality of an ancient homeland that resonates with us in this modern life. We hear the voice of our ancestors and their words still hold relevance. Wren continues. “The Irish celebrate with exuberance and raw enthusiasm. But, they mourn and grieve with equal enthusiasm. The accounts of the highs and lows of the people of the nation are evident in their music.”

Personally, I believe the music of Ireland has two natural environments. One is in nature itself. Wren’s home is in the community of Piney along the bank of the Arkansas River.

I can imagine his violin playing a mournful ballad, cutting through the morning fog in the stillness of a cool morning or a setting sun. Somewhere on that river a fisherman or a riverboat crewman pauses at the sound and for however brief a moment finds that the music connects with him in a profound way.

The other is in a pub. With laughter, shouts and dancing, both celebration and introspection. And so when it comes to being on stage, Wren embraces that raw enthusiasm. “You go in there and you give it your best shot, and the idea is that everyone who goes in there will come out better and encouraged, entertained, happy and remember a great time,” said Wren.

“This world is hard enough. We are faced with every kind of challenge — the economy, the uncertainty of the government — I could go on and on,” said Wren. “All the obvious things that stress all of us out. We all have a lot of real problems in a real world. So when you can go into a pub or a place that has live music, you have an opportunity to gather with friends, family, and loved ones and enjoy live music. To celebrate life and basically escape for an hour or two. When I’m on stage, whether I’m playing an original that I’ve crafted or a cover song, and I look out while I’m playing and I see smiles on people’s faces and their heads bobbing, I get happy. And I feel like my purpose, my life is being fulfilled. My desire is to perform music to make people happy and if they can be entertained and inspired at the same time then I have done my job.” l

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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EVERY DAY LIFE

ABOUT...the River Valley

Change… and love is in the air Story by SARAH CHENAULT | Illustration by CLIFF THOMAS

“If you don’t like the weather, wait another 30 minutes and it will change!”

I don’t know who first said this, but it’s frequently spoken this time of year in Arkansas. The ever-changing weather likely accounts for the high number of people afflicted with allergies. I’m no exception. I’m prone to bouts of laryngitis and ear infections during the months of finicky weather.

During one such bout, after implementing several homeopathic remedies to no avail, I made an appointment with my physician.

They were able to see me the same afternoon, so I picked my son up from school and dashed off to the doctor’s office.

Lots of other people were also waiting to see the doctor.

They were packed into the small room and seated in the rigid uncomfortable chairs. Raff and I found two seats toward the back of the room and settled in to wait.

I entertained him with I spy, thumb wrestling, and doodling on receipts from my purse before boredom finally reduced us both to people watching.

There was an interesting looking woman sitting diagonal from us. If I had to make assumptions, I would suppose she lived alone, possessed every book Danielle Steele ever penned, and kept the company of a multitude of cats. You know the type. I named her Gertrude… In my mind.

I was busy wondering what all of Gertrude’s cats might look like when a man strolled by and plopped down in the empty seat next to Gertrude’s. She seemed startled at first then pleasantly surprised.

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The man was wearing clothes one might wear if employed in the construction business and was covered in drywall dust. He looked like a Carl.

Gertrude’s eyes darted back and forth from Carl to her hands in her lap. Finally she spoke.

“Hard day at work?” She asked.

Carl turned and glanced at her.

“Yeah. Got to get off early to come get a physical they make me have every year.”

And from that point their conversation went on fluidly for a few minutes before the pair exchanged numbers.

Right after that, the nurse summoned Gertrude and the two parted ways.

I was thinking to myself how love could be found in the oddest of places when I realized that Raff was eyeing Carl. I was so caught up in the couple’s exchange that I hadn’t noticed that he, too, had been watching them. He glanced to make sure Gertrude had disappeared through the door with the nurse. Then he turned to Carl.

“You could have at least asked her why she was seeing the doctor. She could have germs you don’t want to get!”

Carl turned bright red then chuckled.

“You’re right, little man. I didn’t even think of that.”

He glanced over at me. “You have a smart cookie on your hand.

Doesn’t miss a beat, does he?” Carl asked.

“Oh you have no idea…” l

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Working Story by KAREN RICKETTS | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

T

he sound of chitchat drifted from the open doorway. At first glance

the shop might seem unorganized, every countertop piled with an assortment of wood blocks and woodworking tools. But with further inspection, you can see a method behind the madness. Every clamp, saw, gouge and miscellaneous piece of wood has a place in the shop. The wood shavings recently swept to a corner and a fine coating of sawdust on every surface gave the shop a rustic aroma. Across the room, a lamp illuminated the wood lathe in a numinous glow.

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

MARCH MARCH2017 2017 ~~ ABOUT ABOUTthe theRIVER RIVERVALLEY VALLEY 1717

ON AN UNUSUALLY WARM and sun-drenched Saturday in February, I met with Donnie Elliott, Jerry Hankins, Doyle McEntyre and Bobby Askue at Doyle’s wood shop in Dardanelle. The group belongs to the Arkansas River Valley Wood Turners Club. The club is fairly young, five years in the making, and meets on the second Thursday of each month at Star Industries in Russellville.

The group includes men and women of diverse backgrounds and range in years of woodturning experience.

A welcoming lot, with no end of jokes and laughter, we gathered around a worktable in the center of the room while they told me how the club came to be. Bobby met Donnie when they both happened to be bidding on the same lathe at a local auction.

“After he got the lathe, I asked him if he knew of any woodturning clubs and he told me they had just started one,” Bobby said.

“I had a lathe, and I was thinking about starting up a club myself when for some reason I heard about this one,” Doyle said. “So I just showed up one night and brought some of my own stuff along.”

“I think all of us had an interest initially in woodturning or we wouldn’t have been here,” Jerry said. “Some of us knew each other before we started the club and that’s how we knew people to invite.

We’re all from different backgrounds and different vocations.”

Arkansas River Valley Woodturners Club is a certified nonprofit organization and an affiliated chapter with the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). Headquartered in St. Paul 18

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

Minnesota, AAW is dedicated to advancing the art of woodturning worldwide by providing opportunities in education, information and organizations to those interested in wood turning.

“Most of us have wood working experience or have been doing woodwork, flat work they call it, making furniture like cabinets, dressers, and cedar chests,” Donnie said. “And this is just the next step. Since we don’t do shop anymore, it’s a way to get started and start having fun.”

Each month one member will demonstrate how to turn a specific project. After the meeting, members will have the rest of the month to make his or her project with an added personal spin. “At our last meeting Jim showed us how to make a little scoop, and all the members that were there, that’s what we are supposed to make next month whether we’ve ever done it or not,” Bobby said.

When the club meets the following month, the members will show-and-tell their new woodturned pieces. “I look forward to seeing what everyone’s project looks like and hear the story about how they did it, if it was easy to make or complicated,” Jerry said.

There is no shortage of wood when it comes to wood craftsmen. You might say it’s an undeniable characteristic.

Throughout my visit Doyle kept emerging with more and more plastic sacks filled with wood pieces. “You think this is bad, walk over around back of the building and look where I keep my wood,” Doyle said. “I’ll show you what we collect as wood turners.”

“Any type of wood that has different characteristics, we collect it,” Doyle said.

“When it gets out that you like to collect wood, people you know will bring it to you.”

Doyle said that he air-dries all of his wood to prevent cracking, even occasionally coating pieces in wax.“When I get a little itchy and need to turn something I’ll just come out here, pick up something, and go turn it,” Doyle said. “You can always find someone to give it to.”

There are two types of woodturning: bowl and spindle. Bowl turning is when the grain of the wood runs at a right angle to the axis of the lathe. Spindle turning is when the grain of the wood runs lengthwise along the lathe bed and the grain is perpendicular to the direction of rotation under the tool. >>

“Usually when you try to turn something you have an idea when you start to make it, but what it actually looks like when it’s done is different.”

In an open lean-to like area, racks at least seven-feet tall were stacked high with cured blocks of almost every wood imaginable.

Persimmon, walnut, hickory, sassafras, cherry, elm, tulip and even a little mesquite from Texas, just to name a few.

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With a keen imagination, steady hands, a little patience and flexibility a woodturner can make just about anything on a wood lathe. With spindle work, a woodturner can make Christmas ornaments, flowers, handles, knobs, eggs, spears and even fruit. Similar to a potter’s wheel, a wood turner can make any size, shape of bowl or vase.

“One of the things we always say when we are making a bowl is that you can make a funnel out of a bowl real easy because you can go too deep,” Jerry said.

Doyle explained that starting with green wood is called a rough turning. After getting the overall shape, it’s important to let the piece dry in a bag of wood shavings, sometimes for

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several weeks, to prevent the bowl from cracking. Once it’s dry, the bowl can be put back on the lathe for a final turn to get the smooth shape. “Every once in a while I’ll mess up and make a nice bowl,” Doyle said.

The object often emerges organically on the lathe with the wood dictating the final shape, not the woodturner. “It is a part of nature and sometimes it’s hard to control,” Donnie said. “Usually when you try to turn something you have an idea when you start to make it, but what it actually looks like when it’s done is different.”

Such is the give and take when working with nature’s elements.

“Y’all want to see Lichtenberg?” Doyle asked. Doyle has a unique way of embellishing his work. He uses a method called fractal wood burning, which creates Lichtenberg figures on the surface of the wood. Discovered by German physicist Georg Lichtenberg, Lichtenberg figures are the branching of electric discharges that sometimes appear on the surface of insulating materials. Doyle uses a neon light transformer and works with 15,000 volts.

“If you’re going to make this the business end of 15,000 volts,” Doyle held up one of the brass electrodes, “you better have a lot of steps to get there,” he said. “You got to know what you are doing.”

Working with high voltage, Doyle has multiple steps in place to cut down on the chances of an accident. He places a marble slab underneath a piece of yellow pine to demonstrate. Next, he places marble props on the wood to keep the two brass electrodes in place. Then goes to a shelf to pick a jar of electrolyte.

There are several options when it comes to electrolytes: sodium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, alum (a sodium calcium silicate) and a water/baking soda mixture. As a retired nuclear chemist, it is easy to see how Doyle has paired two of his passions.

Doyle explained using a board with different test swatches that each electrolyte will leave a different color stain on the wood, mainly yellow, and the variance of pigment also depends on the type of wood being used. For the demonstration, Doyle chose the sodium bicarbonate and used a small paintbrush to apply the chemical liquid to the porous wood. “When you are doing this, it’s a good idea to put one hand behind your back or in your pocket,” Doyle said. “You don’t want a charge of 15,000 volts running across your heart. It will stop it.”

After letting the sodium bicarbonate soak in, he does one more safety check, flips a switch and Lichtenberg is hot.

The sound of pops, crackles and fizzles filled the air when the electrodes made contact with the solution. The current stretched across the yellow pine like warped hands reaching out to each other.

The smokey scent was reminiscent of Fourth of July fireworks.

Bobby chimed in, “The current flows where there is least resistance. When he puts more juice on there, that has less of a resistance than the dry and that’s how Doyle can change the direction of the burning.”

The finished effect left behind what looked like charred veins embedded in the wood.

The knowledge of woodturning begs to be shared. And that is at the center of the Arkansas River Valley Wood Turners club. Members share their tricks of the trade with other wood turning enthusiasts, and encourage each other with an abundance of laughter. l

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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COMMUNITY PAGES

Arkansas Tech University selects three to join Hall of Distinction

Three individuals have been selected to Cooper was director of bands at Arkanreceive the highest honor Arkansas Tech sas Tech from 1979-2011. He is one of University may bestow upon an individu- five individuals to hold that title during the more than century-long tradition of instrual in 2017.

Hal Cooper of Russellville, Kevin Hern mental music at Tech. Cooper was named of Tulsa, Okla., and George T. Hudgens Arkansas Bandmaster of the Year in 1988, of Silver Spring, Md., will be inducted into the ATU Hall of Distinction during spring commencement ceremonies at John E. Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Saturday, May 13.

Hern and Hudgens will enter under the Distinguished Alumnus category.

Cooper will be inducted under the Distinguished Service category.

“For more than a half-century, selection to the Hall of Distinction has symbolized Kevin Hern Hal Cooper the pinnacle of achievement as a member of the Arkansas Tech University community,” said Mike and he achieved membership in the AmeriHutchison, vice president for advancement at can Bandmaster Association in 1992.

ATU. “These three individuals have distin- Hern, a 1986 graduate of Arkansas Tech, guished themselves in their respective fields is a private investor and managing partner at and brought honor to our university. We look Firstrike Management Group. He has been forward to the opportunity to recognize them involved in the McDonald’s franchise system for 30 years. Hern has the franchise for 10 during spring commencement weekend.”

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

ABOUT...the River Valley

McDonald’s restaurants in the Tulsa, Okla., area that employ more than 400 individuals.

Hudgens, who became the first African American graduate in Arkansas Tech history in 1963, went on to a distinguished 29-year military career that included serving as a commander in Vietnam and leading counterterrorism efforts as inspections branch chief in the U.S. Army Office of the Inspector General at the Pentagon in Wash-

George T. Hudgens ington, D.C. He retired at the rank of Colonel following a career that included serving as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee for former president George W. Bush and as Deputy Director of the Inaugural Committee for former president William Jefferson Clinton.

Established in 1964, the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction recognizes the accomplishments of Arkansas Tech alumni and friends in five categories: Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Distinguished Alumni Service, Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna, Distinction in Intercollegiate Athletics and Distinguished Service (non-alumnus).

Nominations for the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction may be made by any graduate of Arkansas Tech, any current or former member of the faculty or administration of Tech, any currently enrolled full-time student at Tech or any member of the Hall of Distinction. Nominations may not be made by a family member of the nominee. The nomination deadline is Oct. 1 of each year.

No incumbent member of the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees, faculty, staff or administration is eligible for nomination for any category of the Hall of Distinction.

For more information about nominating an individual for the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction, visit www.techties.atu.edu, call (479) 968-0242 or send e-mail to alumni@atu.edu.

RUSSELLVILLE ARTIST FEATURED AT STATE PARK

Russellville artist Jeannie Stone is the February featured artist at Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville. Her exhibit, titled “A Call for Silence,” will be on display for the entire month in the Visitor Center.

The public is invited to meet the artist at a

reception Sunday, Feb. 26, noon - 2 p.m.

An Arkansas native, Stone is the 2010 River Valley Artist of the Year and has shown her art across the country. She paints with The Artists of Lori’s Loft, associated with Gallery 307 in Russellville, and is represented by The Showroom in Little Rock, Space in Morrilton, and A Conversation Piece in Russellville.

Stone is a visiting lecturer of English at ATU, a PhD student in Leadership Studies at UCA, and executive director of the nonprofit agency Traveling Arts Fiesta. She also has a February solo exhibit at The Center for Art and Education in Van Buren.

The oil and watercolor paintings capture Arkansas scenes and still lifes that reflect the beauty of the state’s natural resources. Speaking of the art pieces, Stone says, “In this collection of seemingly far-flung subjects, there is an attempt to celebrate reverie. Whether one prefers the hush of a church or the sacred sounds of nature, we are pulled toward places where we are allowed to find solace and inspiration. My intention is that these paintings offer viewers a path to inner peace.”

The ongoing art program is an outreach of the River Valley Arts Center in Russellville. For more information contact 9682452 or www.rivervalleyartscenter.org.

FREE PROGRAM HELPS FEMALES REACH FITNESS GOALS

For 20 years, a free fitness program has been bringing ladies from across generations and Arkansas communities together to reach

a common goal: improving their fitness as they train to run, walk or run-walk a 5K (3.1 miles). Ladies of all ages who are ready to get off the couch and get moving as well as experienced walkers and runners who want to improve their pace and endurance are now signing up for the free “Women Can Run” (WCR) walking and running clinics.

With 657 registrants in 2016, Russellville is historically home to one of the largest WCR training clinics in the state.

While Russellville’s WCR clinic has always been open to young participants, last year it added a training group designed specifically for girls in 1st through 6th grades.

After much success, the Junior Walker/ Runner group will once again be offered to provide girls a positive experience with walking, run-walking, running and physical fitness, in general, as well as boost confidence. Leaders keep in mind the girls’ shorter attention spans and engage them with a variety of activities that prepare them for the Women Can Run Graduation 5K event in Conway and a lifetime of wellness.

Clinic leaders stress that the Junior Walker/Runner group is not a drop-off program.

Each girl’s mother or other guardian-authorized adult chaperone must remain on site during and is encouraged to sign up for one of the other WCR training groups geared more towards adults, which include: • Walker Group A: Participants train to walk up to 3.1 miles walking at their own steady pace. >>

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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• Walker Group B: Participants train to walk up to 3.1 miles using slow-fast intervals. The duration of the fast walking intervals increases weekly, improving their pace.

• Beginner Runner Group A: Participants do not currently run but have a goal to train to walk-run up to 3.1 miles, whereby they primarily run but take regular walk breaks.

• Beginner Runner Group B: Participants currently run, but no more than three minutes at a time before needing a walk break. Their goal is to train to complete 3.1 miles running with no or minimal walk breaks.

“WCR has let me and my daughter get closer, giving us a little one-on-one time together each week,” said Katie Drake, mother of 13-year-old Lauren. “It has also shown us that healthy comes in all shapes and sizes.” This mother-daughter duo has participated in the training clinic for a couple of years, and Katie will be coaching WCR in 2017. The clinic has also built a foundation of running that set the foundation for a new Drake tradition—completing the RussVegas Half Marathon Relay as a team.

Dates and Times The Russellville WCR clinic will launch with an informal, drop-in orientation on Saturday, February 25, from 10 till noon.

It will be held at Russellville’s Upper Elementary 5th Grade (UE5G) school cafeteria. All participants are encouraged to attend to receive important information and coupons, meet their coaches and have an opportunity to order a clinic shirt, which is optional. New participants and those

313 W. B Street Russellville, AR 72801 Open Tuesday-Saturday 11am - 8pm 24

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

who want to know more about our Junior Walker/Runner group are encouraged to be present at 11 a.m., when we will have a short, sit-down informal introduction and question-and-answer time.

Training groups meet Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings for 10 weeks at Russellville High School Cyclone Stadium. If there’s a scheduling conflict with a school event, an alternate location will be announced.

The first training session will be held on Saturday morning, March 4. For the first two Saturday morning training sessions, we will have a “split schedule” to accommodate the large number of participants and minimize congestion on the track. The walker groups will start their training session at 8 a.m. All five groups will be present for announcements, door prize drawings, and a guest speaker time at 9 a.m. At the conclusion of this assembly at 9:30 a.m., runner groups will head to the track for training. The Junior Walker/Runner group will be available during both time slots.

Starting Saturday, March 18, all five training groups will meet at 9 a.m. for the speaker time and train at 9:30.

The training groups will also meet on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. for 45 minutes of physical activity.

Interested ladies who have a scheduling conflict that would prohibit them from attending one of the weekly training sessions are still encouraged to take part. The program calls for participants to be at both training sessions and have one session of homework to do on their own or with a buddy on a weekly basis. Those who have to miss a training session simply need to plan

for an extra homework session each week.

Initially, ladies come to the clinic with their fitness goals in mind, but it proves to give them so much more. “I have a new love for running thanks to the amazing women from WCR. They encourage, celebrate and empowered me to believe in myself,” said Sara Tosch. This year, Tosch will be paying it forward as a WCR coach. “I now encourage every woman I know or meet to believe in themselves. They can be active and run [or walk] if they want, and the clinic is a great place to begin.”

Drake and Tosch are joined by 53 other volunteer coaches, 30 helpers and clinic director Kim Head to hold the local clinic, which has affectionately become known as “Runnersville.”

The Russellville clinic is one of dozens of training clinics the Women Run Arkansas (WRA) Running/Walking Club is hosting statewide during the same 10-week period.

The first clinic was established in Conway 20 years ago, and since then, thousands of ladies have benefitted from the free program.

Women Can Run Pasta Party and 5K At the conclusion of the 10-week training period, clinic participants from across the state are invited to take part in the Women Can Run pasta party and 5K walk/run graduation event. The 5K will be held at Conway High West starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 13. While there is no charge for the training clinic, there is a $25 fee for the Women Can Run 5K, which covers the race entry, race shirt, goodie bag, and post-race refreshments. A portion of the entry fee is also donated to the Children’s Tumor Foundation (NF Endurance Team). There will be entry categories for clinic participants and open registration for both the 5K-walk event as well as a 5K-run event. Awards will be given in various categories and age brackets.

Race-day registration for the 5K is not available; those participating must preregister.

The pasta party will be held the evening prior: Friday, May 12 at the First United Methodist Church of Conway. This year’s speaker is Dr. JoAnne Owens-Nauslar, who has spent 43 years promoting the benefits of healthy living. The cost of a ticket to the pasta party is $20, but a $5 early bird discount is available when purchased with a race registration by March 31.

Online Registration Now Open To sign up for the free clinic online, go to womenrunarkansas.net, click the red CLICK HERE button, click Russellville, and fill out the brief form. There are three screens of information to fill out and a confirmation screen to approve, but it only takes a few minutes. Recipients will receive a confirmation email. Periodically, you will then receive emails with updates about local training clinic news. To ensure that email messages don’t go to a “junk mail” or “spam” folder, registrants should add runnersville@suddenlink.net to their email address book.

Those who do not have internet access and would like to participate in the Russellville clinic can sign up at the orientation session on February 25. Forms for signing up for the pasta party and 5K will also be available.

Find more information about the Russellville clinic on the “Women Run Russellville” Facebook page. To ask questions about the Russellville clinic, email runnersville@suddenlink.net or call Kim Head at 264-7661. l

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

VALLEY VITTLES

ABOUT...the River Valley

Laissez les bon temps rouler Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN | Story by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN GUMBO ZYDECO | 2405 East Parkway, Russellville

Confession time.

I dearly love Arkansas and the River Valley. I love the mountains and river bottoms. I love the creeks and lakes.

I love the culture. I love the people… most of them anyway. This is home.

But here’s the confession: I could be persuaded to move south, way south into coastal Louisiana to be exact, by one simple argument — food. There is no cuisine out there to match the spicy, sultry, French-influenced Creole/Cajun dishes that define New Orleans and all of southern Louisiana.

I enjoyed a trip to New Orleans and points south just last November. Fly fishing for red drum was the stated purpose, but I could have spent every day eating my way through New Orleans and been just as happy. I’ve already been planning a return trip for this summer

and maybe another in the fall, and I’m already saving money earmarked solely for the pleasure of my palate.

But now this new place opened up here in Russellville, this restaurant that could siphon off some of my food fund. It’s called Gumbo Zydeco.

No need for an eight-hour drive, Gumbo Zydeco has captured all the sublime found way down there in the bayous and marshes and brought it here. We had oysters on the half shell loaded up with cheese, bacon, and just enough spicy bite to make you crave another along with a steaming, shrimpfilled gumbo of a spectacular hearty and earthy complexity. It tasted like genuine Louisiana — in Russellville.

So this summer, I might just save the miles, grab a spoon, and laissez les bon temps rouler right here in the River Valley.

The red drum can wait. l MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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COUNTERTOP CREATIONS

ABOUT...the River Valley

Chocolate Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee

One sleeve salted Saltine crackers (about 35-40 crackers) 1 c unsalted butter 1 c packed dark or light brown sugar 6 T creamy peanut butter 2 ½ c semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips 1 c crushed M&Ms (optional) sprinkles (optional)

Peanut Butter Lover’s Day Story by LYDIA ZIMMERMAN, Food Editor

N

ational Peanut Butter Lover’s Day is celebrated on March 1st each year according to holidayinsights.com.

It’s not a federally recognized holiday, but apparently someone loved peanut butter enough to honor it.

When people speak of this famous spread. it’s often followed by “…and jelly.” I am not a fan of the combination, but it is often associated with cherished childhood memories.

According to Sherry Coleman, a registered dietician and authority on peanuts, 50 percent of all peanuts in the US are grown in Georgia and peanuts aren’t even nuts at all. They’re legumes like beans and lentils.

In celebration of this unofficial holiday I have collected some delicious and easy recipes using peanut butter.

As always, enjoy!

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

Preheat oven to 400°F . Generously spray a half-sheet pan with cooking spray or line with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Stirring lightly, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. As it begins to boil, leave it alone without stirring for 3 minutes. Pour boiling mixture evenly over crackers, then bake for 5 minutes.

As toffee bakes, melt peanut butter in microwave. Remove toffee from the oven, then pour peanut butter over top.

Smooth it into an even layer. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top, then return the pan to the oven for 1 minute to help chocolate chips melt. Remove from the oven and spread chocolate chips into one melted chocolate layer. Top with M&Ms. Refrigerate toffee for 2 hours. Once set, break into pieces.

Make ahead tip: This toffee tastes wonderful for up to 2 weeks, so make it ahead and keep it covered tightly in the refrigerator. It freezes well too-- up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then enjoy.

Recipe courtesy of sallysbakingaddiction.com

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 1 c crunchy peanut butter, preferably organic 1 c brown sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 lg egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp all-purpose flour 1 tsp vanilla extract Heat oven to 350°F. Coat several large baking sheets with cooking spray.

Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt in bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

Shape dough into 24 balls and arrange on prepared pans. Dip tines of a fork into flour and gently press a crisscross pattern into top of each cookie.

Bake until lightly browned on bottom, 10 CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER to 12 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool. Store PUDDING RECIPE in airtight container at room temperature.

1-1/2 T cornstarch Recipe courtesy of prevention.com 1/2 c packed brown sugar 1-1/4 c almond milk 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/3 c smooth peanut butter (or almond butter if you prefer) Add the cornstarch and brown sugar to a small saucepan and mix together.

Turn the heat to high, and add about 1/4 c of the almond milk, just enough to help dissolve the cornstarch and brown sugar.

Stir to mix.

When the mixture has dissolved, turn the

heat to high and add the remaining almond milk, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Allow the mixture to boil for about a minute, stirring, until it thickens.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pure vanilla extract and the peanut butter. Mix until well blended and smooth.

Pour the pudding mixture into 3- or 6-ounce ramekins and garnish with chopped nuts or almonds.

Allow the pudding to chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes before serving.

Smooth and creamy pudding is a glutenfree delight!

Recipe courtesy of sheknows.com >>

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CROCKPOT THAI PEANUT CHICKEN 2 lb, skinless chicken breasts 1 small red or orange bell pepper, sliced 1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced 1 white onion, chopped ½ c chunky peanut butter 1 T lime juice ½ c chicken broth ¼ c soy sauce 2 T of honey ¼ c crushed peanuts for topping

Reuse.

Place peppers and onion at the bottom of the crockpot. Next place chicken on top. In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, lime juice, chicken broth, soy sauce, and honey. Pour sauce over chicken. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or 6 on low. When 15 minutes remain of cooking time, shred chicken with two forks. Cover and continue cooking for the remainder of the time. Remove from crockpot and serve over brown rice or noodles.

Recipe courtesy of familyfreshmeals.com

drizzle of the melted peanut butter.

Add ½ the pudding. Add half the cream. (I like to use a pastry bag so it is pretty but you can spread it if you prefer.)

Top with chopped peanut butter cups.

Repeat the layering! Decorate the top with crushed nutter butter cookies, peanut butter cups and a drizzle more of peanut butter. This must be chilled overnight for the cookies to soften!

Recipe courtesy of stuffhappens.us

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE LASAGNA 1 box Nutter Butter Cookies Cool Whip or whip your own fresh whipped cream (1 c cream plus a drop of sugar for sweetness) peanut butter cups ½ c peanut butter, melted in microwave 1 box instant or regular vanilla pudding, prepared according to package

THREE INGREDIENT FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER MUG CAKE 3 T peanut butter (creamy) 1 T + 1 tsp white granulated sugar 1 large egg

Line the bottom of an 8×8 pan with Nutter Butter Cookies. Top with a

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

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Whisk all ingredients into an oversized, microwave-safe mug until batter is smooth and egg is fully whisked in. Microwave for about 1 minute. Let cake cool a few minutes before eating.

Recipe courtesy of kirbiecravings.com

THAI CAULIFLOWER RICE SALAD WITH PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE For the salad 1 medium cauliflower head 1 c coconut milk 1 small onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 small bunch fresh parsley 2 spring onions, roughly chopped ¼ c toasted almonds, chopped 1 mango, peeled and cut it small cubes 1 bell pepper, cut in small cubes ½ c red cabbage, finely chopped 1 tsp coconut oil For the sauce 2 T peanut butter 1 in ginger piece, peeled 2 limes, juice only 1 tsp organic raw honey ¼ c water ½ tsp sea salt Remove the cauliflower greens, cut in florets, rinse and drain well.

Place the florets in the food processor and pulse until you obtain the rice size.

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet, add the onion and garlic and fry for a minute.

Add the cauliflower and coconut milk, mix to combine and cook for five minutes on low heat, until the cauliflower is tender, but not mushy.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

Add the cauliflower, mango, bell pepper, red cabbage, spring onion and parsley in a large bowl and mix to combine.

Place the sauce ingredients in the blender, and pulse to obtain a smooth, creamy liquid.

Pour over the cauliflower salad and toss carefully, to combine. Top with fresh parsley and almonds and serve.

Recipe courtesy of theawesomegreen. com l

Dwane Ahrens, Manager Shop: 479-968-9732 • Fax: 479-968-0821 Dwane@advancedcollisionsolutions.com 2731 S. Arkansas Ave., Russellville, AR 72802

Thank You River Valley for letting us Serve You for the past 10 Years!

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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COMMUNITY COMMERCE

Rackley Furniture When you enter Rackley Furniture, you are at first greeted by a sea of sofas and rows of plush recliners. The atmosphere is welcoming with a faint sent of new leather and wood polish.

As you walk further into the store, it is easy to imagine a new leather sectional fitting perfectly in your recently remodeled living room. And it can be assured that you will be greeted with a friendly, “Hi, how can I help you?” from Tracey Rackley.

Tracey was fifteen when her parents, Carl and Pearl Rackley Furniture Rackley, purchased a furniture (479) 641-2220 business from the Lemley 1402 N. Church St., Atkins family in 1978. Almost 40 years later, Rackley Furniture in Atkins has become a household name across the River Valley.

A family-owned business since its inception, Tracey runs the Atkins store with her father while her brother, Mike Rackley, manages the Morrilton location.

Managing a furniture store is not a one-task job. In addition to waiting on customers and answering the phone, Tracey can be found helping load the delivery truck, assembling hardware and keeping the displays looking sharp.

“When dad first bought the business, I started just helping 32

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

ABOUT...the River Valley

Story by KAREN RICKETTS

around the store with what ever I could do: dust, clean mirrors and the like,” Tracey said.

Tracey said the best part about her job, though, is the friendships that blossom from getting to meet new people.

“I’ll tell them about my granddaughter and they will tell me about their grandkids and we have a really good visit on top of shopping for furniture,” Tracey said. “We’ve maintained those friendships through the years.”

Today, Rackley Furniture offers an array of home furnishings and bedding items. Customers can choose bedding from Serta and choose from multiple brands in upholstery including Best Home Furnishings, Flexsteel, Broyhill, Mayo and Ashley to name a few. The store still offers free delivery with furniture purchases, which Tracey said not many businesses still do.

For some, the idea of working closely with family members could feel like a daunting task. Tracey joked that, “sometimes the building isn’t big enough,” but that working together has made her family closer. “It’s just different when you work together every day and then you get together at Christmas and you’re like ‘I saw you yesterday’ and for most people it’s not that way,” Tracey said.

Tracey attributes the decades long success of Rackley Furniture to the loyal support of Atkins and the surrounding

communities. “We have a lot of people that make the drive from Russellville, Dardanelle and Danville just to come shop with us,” Tracey said. “We appreciate the support so much because if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.”

Occasionally the steadfast dedication of shopping at Rackley Furniture has spanned generations for some in the River Valley. “We’ve sold to all four generations in some cases; great grandparents, grandparents, parents and the kids,” Tracey said. “And that’s what is so neat about being in a small town and a small community.”

Giving back to the communities that have supported the business since the beginning is high on the priority list for the Rackley family. The business sponsors ball teams in the summer and other community events throughout the year. “This is where I grew up,” Tracey said. “My brother and I played ball when we were younger and we had

parents that volunteered to coach. They put in their time and someone sponsored us. It’s important to me for kids to have an opportunity to play sports and learn sportsmanship.”

Rackley Furniture has also been a sponsor for the Quail Unlimited Youth Hunt for the past two years.

“They host a banquet to raise money for the youth hunt and I always buy tickets and donate something to their auction,” Tracey said. “I like to donate so kids who wouldn’t get the chance to shoot skeet or get to go on a hunt get to go.”

Rackley Furniture may seem like it’s only a store, but this family-owned business knows a thing or two when it comes to preserving a strong community connection.

“If you don’t have the support from your customers you’re not going to make it,” Tracey said. “Hopefully we’ve been doing something right. We’ve been here for 39 years.” l

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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BACKYARD LIVING

ABOUT...the River Valley

As creation awakens

G

eese honk in the distance. The morning fog barely burned off, the sun slowly warms the earth. Birds sing their gentle melody, and one perches on the tree in front of me. The winter-bare branches swell with tiny nodules, telltale signs of a creation readying to awake from slumber.

Wrapped in a blanket, I survey the tiny ripples in the lake beyond me. Fishermen trolling along the shore gently disrupt the glassy green waters. One casts his line and my attention catches back to my porch, where my writer friends quietly enjoy this early morning with me. One pecks on her laptop while another thumbs through her Bible, highlighted and marked in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Quiet. Such a foreign sensation. Even the most ignored sounds echo loudly in the background —

Read more from Jill at www.journeywithjill.net 34

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

the jet thousands of miles above us, the early morning motor boat, the rustling of pages, early morning porch conversations in the distance.

Quiet. With two young children and a schedule full of activities, quiet usually falls victim to the everyday.

But on this weekend, three of us escaped from the demands of daily life and retreated into quiet, into a space where we create with our words while creation serenades us with its gentle song.

I recall the weekend before, when my family and I escaped into nature, camping for the first time since our kids were born. Screens locked away, my husband and I read in lounge chairs while our children played with fallen sticks and discovered the joy of wide open spaces. Though all is never quiet with children, the sense of calm enveloped our souls.

We must make time to do this more.

As a believer in a Creator, is it any wonder we find peace and joy in the place He created for humanity to enjoy? Is it any wonder the further we

Story by JILL MCSHEEHY

slip into our walled homes and the more we become prisoners of technology, our spirits suffocate? Is it any wonder that quietness in nature, of all things, speaks so loudly to our innermost sanctum?

Shadows of the trees grow shorter as the sun’s heat warms my skin. Geese continue their banter and birds sing. I traded my hot coffee for cold water and realize how I take for granted this gift of creation too often.

But spring! Each year as nature awakes, it calls to us, beckoning us to rise from our slumber and see the gift for what it is! It calls loudly but within our walled homes we risk not perceiving it. We can’t hear the quiet, a balm to the aching muscles of our busy lives.

Spring calls to us, but we have to step outside the confines we’ve erected and look.

As creation awakens, it calls us to wake up, to return to appreciate the gift it is. Spring, the season of new beginnings, beckons us. May we put down our phones, step outside, and heed the call. l

The first sign of a

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OUTDOORS

ABOUT...the River Valley

Through my veins Story and photos by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

“SO WHAT DO THE CREEKS MEAN TO YOU, JOHNNY?” The question caught me off guard. I’d never tried to verbalize my thoughts about the local creeks and rivers in such a direct manner.

I knew how much I enjoyed the small moving waters in my life, but putting that into encompassing terms was not something I’d considered before now and was unprepared. The question carried weight, it was massive. I struggled with it. I mumbled something about fishing and swimming and sunsets, and the questioner said my answers were fine, but I didn’t agree. The answers were shallow and cliche. I wasn’t sure if I could even put those feelings into words. The question haunted me.

What do the creeks mean to me?

On the drive home, I thought about this question as I guided my truck down a dirt road and through switchbacks leading down to Hurricane Creek or “Herrican” as it’s known to the locals and those of local ancestry. At the end of a hidden side road barely big enough for my truck sits a hole of water known to all that whisper of its existence simply as “the swimming hole.” This is where my dad learned to swim. I caught my first ever smallmouth in the riffle running out of this pool. There’s a boulder in the middle that’s perfect for jumping into clear and summertime-cool water. The swimming hole has a campground that’s been used by folks all the way from the roots in my family tree on to the outer branches. The camping area is on a jut of privately owned land surrounded by public, but the land owner doesn’t mind sharing. Most every camper that settles in here Read more from Johnny at www.aviewfromthebackroads.com

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for a night or two leaves the place just like they found it. My uncle says it’s been this way, the pool and the camping area, for as long as he can remember.

I took a fishing day-trip to the hills last July and found the swimming hole delightfully deserted after a morning of bronze bass action downstream. The pool shimmered under a noon sun as copper shallows fell into aquamarine depths at the boulder’s base. A school of smallmouth bass patrolled the pool’s perimeter.

Longear sunfish positioned themselves near the shoal waiting on hapless crayfish lost in the current. I shucked sweaty clothes and waded in up to my neck, wonderfully lost to the world of cellphones and traffic in this lonesome hollow. Immersion is the word but the word does not nearly capture the experience.

What do the creeks mean to me?

I thought about that question again while standing on the banks of another Ozark creek. The cold winter waters of the Illinois Bayou foamed white with subversive energy at a rocky shoal before plunging and transforming into the brilliant cyan of a deep pool. The pool’s depth gave it an illusion of stoicism.

Room to stretch does that to moving water. The pool seemed unmoving and unchanging, forever enduring with the dark rippling of quiet power at rest. But beneath the gentle surface, that fierce energy churned onward forever altering the channel with minute bites and subtle nudges.

Right here, at this very spot, the Bayou’s course has changed dramatically just over the span of my lifetime. The main channel has moved at least 200 feet and the water has dissolved the four-

foot shale overhangs that once provided some fantastic inner-tube rides. It was just below those rapids, on a tiny island, that my family would camp after hauling coolers, sleeping bags, lanterns and whatever else we needed up the creek in a rubber raft. On summer day-trips the raft’s cargo often included my grandmother.

We would ride the inner-tubes and jump from a nearby bluff. We would chug Pepsi while scarfing down cold sandwiches and chips.

We fed bread crumbs to swarming schools of minnows.

As the summer sun gave up it’s relentless rule and sank below the hills, ringed dimples and v-shaped slashes punctuated by mini explosions in the water signaled that my favorite time of day was here. As everyone else prowled the banks for firewood, I flung cast after cast toward the dimples and slashes.

What do the creeks mean to me?

The better question is: What am I without the creeks? What am I without the memories and heritage of these sacred waters? What am I but a man shaped by heritage and memories? Just as the deer and squirrels of this land have nourished my body so have the waters nourished my soul. These are my holy places and, really, there are no words to capture an answer for either question.

What am I without the creeks?

I am not me.

The waters of Illinois Bayou darkened as another winter day drew to a close. I dipped my hand into the creek and felt the tingling chill, the wild and raw energy, the essence of this place that I call home. I felt the creek surging through my fingers. I felt the creek surging through my veins. l

MARCH 2017 ~ ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

37

On a Personal Note Restoring hope to the homeless Guest Written by Fred Teague

We realized that a person often made poor decisions because they did not have the information needed to make better decisions. We began to dream of a life skills training facility that would allow our community to invest knowledge and information into people’s lives to enable them to make wiser, healthier choices.

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In December of 2015 the 3rd birthday of The Russ Bus was quickly approaching. As we reflected on the successes and failures of the past three years, we became dedicated to discovering what we could do to improve our efforts. The answer was simple but unconventional — one of us would attempt to live the life of one of our homeless friends for one month.

So the decision was made that I would live in a homeless camp and document my experience to improve our services and raise awareness within our community.

On January 2, 2016 I left my family and home to live in a micro cabin for 30 days. I documented my daily routine on Facebook and Youtube for the community to watch. From day one we discovered many things we could improve: more frequent meal deliveries, meal security from animals, more frequent shower access, clean bed linens and much more.

What amazed us was the fact that none of our homeless friends had ever complained about these issues or asked for improvements. They were just appreciative of any help given to them. After the 30 days, I walked out of the woods to do an exit interview video with Billy Reeder at ATU in order to share what I had learned. The next day we began the process of how to implement the lessons learned.

We assembled an action team from various churches and organizations to help implement the much needed changes. Teams started working on meal deliveries. We now have food delivered seven days a week as opposed to three.

Showers were made available every four days instead of seven. Connect Church assembled a group to deliver fresh linens every week to each of our camps. A great group of 5th graders from St. John’s Catholic School found a solution to keep meal deliveries safe from animals. One step at a time we implemented changes that would improve the life of those living in our camps.

Throughout the 30-day challenge I would talk about the need for transitional living over and over in my videos. Well finally, after talking for a year-and-a-half, we broke ground on our first

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~ MARCH 2017

two transitional units. This was super exciting for us. It has been a dream for so long, and to finally see something tangible come from a dream has been amazing. We were overwhelmed as the community came together every step of the way to donate labor, materials, money or whatever we needed to make the project happen.

As the transitional housing was becoming a reality, we began to looked forward to the next logical step to make our service more effective in bringing hope to those in need within our community.

It became evident to us that many of our friends lacked information and skills to correctly navigate some of life’s obstacles.

We realized that a person often made poor decisions because they did not have the information needed to make better decisions.

We began to dream of a life skills training facility that would allow our community to invest knowledge and information into people’s lives to enable them to make wiser, healthier choices. So with this dream as our driving force we enlisted the help of an occupational therapist and Jeff Harrison, a local architect, to design not only a building but a structured program that we feel will be a major asset to our community. On February 25, 2017 we broke ground on the life skill training facility and hope to see it functional in the fall of 2017.

The Russ Bus is always looking for the best ways to help in our efforts to “restore hope to the homeless.” Our goal is transitioning those who are homeless into stable living conditions.

We will continue to be the voice of those who sometimes cannot speak for themselves; we will love those that society pushes to the outskirts; we will continue to believe in those who have lost the strength to believe in themselves; we believe these things can changes lives. We invite you to join us.

Look for more interesting features and tidbits in "On a Personal Note" each month in future issues of ABOUT... the River Valley. You'll find short stories, interesting pieces and other great reads from people you know, or would like to know from around the River Valley.

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