ABOUT | October 2020

HENRY HAYSEED

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SIGRID LORFING

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A NEW SHERIFF

October 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Henry Hayseed He’s watched over the garden from spring’s first warm kiss. Kept guard over beans, cucumbers, and asparagus. He’s frightened crows from the corn and deer from the okra.

He’s frightened you a time or two in the twilight aura.

A sticky situation The right path Sigrid Lorfing has had a keen interest in art since childhood. She recalls spending most of her time with her hands glued to her sketchbook, constantly practicing and experimenting. From a young age, she knew she wanted her career to be centered around art.

The power of the people negated by one word

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A new sheriff in town When you get a hankerin’ for a hamburger, there’s plenty of options. And while there’s some variety within the particulars, it’s all basically the same formula — meat, bread, cheese (on cheeseburgers, of course), the standard condiments and veggies, and maybe some bacon.

Countertop Creations - Soups on...

Old things made new 10 Things ABOUT: Johnny Carrol Sain

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT THIS MONTH’S COVER Continuing our tradition of fiction and art for October, this issue’s cover comes to us courtesy of Sigrid Lorfing.

Sigrid is an artist of many styles, but her creepy yet whimsical take on one of autumn’s iconic symbols is perfect imagery for the month of spookiness.

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Arkansans appreciate community. We work and raise families. Care for our neighbors.

And come together in good times and bad.

At First Security, that local strength is what we love best about our home state. There is commitment here. And heart. And hope.

Thank you to everyone who is standing together, learning from one another, and making Arkansas a place we all love to call home.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Country creepy While I believe every season is best enjoyed in a rural setting, autumn especially has a rustic feel to it.

Of course, rural life doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and that whole folksy agrarian “country” fall vibe that’s been commercialized to death is based on real, yearlong work. The pumpkin you’re carving grew from a seed planted way back in June.

Coincidentally, it was on an unseasonably cool June morning when the inspiration for this year’s October feature caught my eye and chilled my bones.

I was on a walk around my “neighborhood” — a five-mile circle of mostly cow pasture, woodlots, and homes spaced acres apart — with my camera.

I was counting butterflies and noting bird song and generally reveling in the bucolic green glory of late spring in the rural River Valley, when I came upon a property where no butterflies fluttered and no birds sang. Not a breath of animated life wavered across the approximately two acres. Even the breeze had stilled.

A dapper red brick house sat square in the middle of the manicured lawn. Behind it was an adorable garden. New corn sprouts poked through the brown duff and fresh tomato plants were putting on a bloom. Various other verdant little lives peeked above the soil in straight rows.

But behind all that pastoral charm stood the most ominous, eerie fiend of a scarecrow I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s pale and

terrifying face along with outstretched and too-long arms had to be the reason that nothing stepped foot on nor fluttered over the property.

Even more horrifying, he was positioned to look right into the home’s kitchen window.

Why would the homeowners do that?

I snapped a photo with my telephoto lens and then hurried on. It was a mile later (checking my back trail several times) before I finally felt comfortable.

I walked that route the next week and, other than growth in the garden, the scene was similar — hair-raising scarecrow doing his job and then some.

But the week after that, things were different. A meadowlark stood in the yard and a few tiger swallowtails flitted across the fencerow. I looked toward the garden. The scarecrow was gone.

There was still a good three months of growing season in Arkansas. Where did he go and why?

It’s a mystery to this day, but he once stood in all of his creepiness only half a mile away (as the crow flies) from my own backyard.

And while he was probably blown down in a summer thunderstorm, I’m still a little worried that one night I’ll catch him peeking into my kitchen window.

Reflecting the Character of the Arkansas River Valley since 2006 A Publication of One14 Productions, Inc Vol. XV, Issue 9 – October 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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Inquiries may be made by calling (479) 219-5031.

Office: 220 East 4th Street Email: info@aboutrvmag.com Postmaster: Please send address changes to: One14 Productions 220 East 4th Street Russellville, AR 72801

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 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 October 2020 calendar of events you can attend and participate in online and otherwise utilizing social distancing guidelines.

Su

M

T

W

Th

F

S

* Please confirm directly with the promoter to ensure event details have not changed.

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Saturdays

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— 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.

Saturdays & Tuesday evenings — Pope County Farmers Market.

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.

Nov. 14

— The Texas Tenors at Reynold’s Performance Hall on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Emmy Award winning vocalists best known from America’s Got Talent.

Holiday favorites and original songs. Tick-

ets go on sale September 23. Adults: $40, $35, $30. Children and students $10. *Reynolds Performance Hall continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and has plans and protocols in place to ensure the safety of its patrons. In the coming months, Reynolds will continue to follow all mandated regulations for large venues and institutions of higher education. Plans will be monitored and assessed on a show-byshow basis, depending on which phase we are in with the COVID-19 pandemic. This could mean that your seat assignments may be moved for any of your ticketed events.

For more information on Reynolds Performance Hall’s upcoming season 20-21 shows, visit uca.edu/reynolds or follow on social media.

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25 26 27 28 29 30 31 *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.

Providing free quality instruction and support to literacy-seeking adults.

River Valley Adult Learning Alliance (479) 477-3910

rivervalleyliteracycouncil@gmail.com

Fall ... in love with a new HO ME APPLY ONLINE @ fsbmybank.com

Member FDIC OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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HENRY HAYSEED Written by

H

Johnny Carrol Sain

| Illustrated by

Sigrid Lorfing

e’s watched over the garden from spring’s first warm kiss Kept guard over beans, cucumbers, and asparagus

He’s frightened crows from the corn and deer from the okra He’s frightened you a time or two in the twilight aura But as the joy of summer fades with its green As shadows grow long and the light grows lean When songbirds fly south, flowers wither and die Henry Hayseed walks the farm in twinkling starlight He climbs from his fencepost and wanders stiffly around A trail of dropped straw marks his steps ‘cross the ground He’s sloughed to the barn, to the shed, and the pond’s seep He peered through your window, he watched you sleep You heard his scratchy steps through the window’s screen You wondered about the sounds and leapt up for a peek But Henry was quick and then still as a post You laughed off your shivers as just a figment like most But inches away Henry stood with breathless life In the shadows he waited for Halloween night His patience was long as the oak trees are tall He’s not really alive so time doesn’t matter at all

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OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

H

enry waited til you slipped back under the sheets

Then shuffled up to the window, oh so discreet Somewhere in the hay that made up his brain

Came the dust of a thought that a change should be made For as long as the crops have came up from the ground Henry’s spirit has moved through the soil and the plow From wheat fields of Egypt when pharaohs ruled the land On to Greece then to Rome in the vineyards he did stand He brought wealth and good health to the farmer ’s life He was the effigy of gods, blessing harvest times Celebrated as savior when the crops came in Henry was burned and buried with winter ’s cold winds His body went into the soil whence it came Giving nutrients back to the plants for the spring It was a cycle of giving and receiving well known It was the cycle of life since before time was told Further north into Europe, children kept birds at bay Til plague came along and took the children away Scarecrows then moved into England and Germany Henry’s legend grew dark then, the reasons are many

OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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I

t was a time of great panic with death everywhere

People sought a strange comfort in making sense of their fear So they told tales of witches and hexes and devils And they blamed the hay folk for some of their troubles The scarecrows decided and then they declared That Halloween night would be only theirs That anyone caught under moonlight alone Would be startled and frightened and chilled to the bone But while Henry watched you he made a decision Scaring people to screams was not his life’s mission He wanted to live as scarecrows of old Bringing joy of the harvest to each living soul So don’t expect Henry to jump from the dark He won’t lurk ‘round the corner to give you a shock He won’t sneak to your room and hide in a closet He won’t be under your bed, strewing hay ‘cross your carpet Henry, instead, will go back to his roots He’ll take smile-less joy in his old ragged boots He’ll again be a symbol of autumn’s delights But he’ll still walk the farm every Halloween night.

the End

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EVE RY DAY L I F E

A sticky situation Story by SARAH CLOWER Illustration by CLIFF THOMAS

WITH KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL, or at least preoccupied with their school work and Zoom meetings, most moms that I know are getting their homes back in order after a six-month-long Spring Break.

One Sunday evening my friend Crissy called me. She asked if I was working the next day and wanted some help with organizing and cleaning. Being a hairstylist, most people assume I am off work on Mondays, but I almost never am. However, this particular Monday I was free. I told Crissy I’d swing by her house after all the kids were off to school.

The next morning, after watching Raff walk through the front doors of his school, I headed to Starbucks to caffeinate myself for the organization project I had committed to helping with. I grabbed an extra coffee for Crissy, and drove to her house.

Before I could even ring her doorbell, the

front door was flung open and Crissy stood on her welcome mat with a huge smile.

“I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve already been procrastinating!” Crissy said, with her disheveled ponytail perched precariously on her head.

I handed her the coffee and stepped into her house. She had numerous piles of miscellaneous items dispersed across her liv-

ing room floor, and she pointed at each one as we walked by, denoting their intended destinations. Some were being donated to Goodwill, some to her church, etc.

We started in her closet, working our way out of her bedroom, and had tackled her kids’ closets and their rooms by mid-afternoon. We had made a lot of progress!

I glanced at my watch.

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

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“It’s 2 p.m. and I’m starving. Why don’t we go get some lunch before we have to pick up the kids from school?”

Crissy looked up from the pile of cookbooks she was sorting through. “That sounds like a great idea; looking at all these cookbooks has made me hungry. But I definitely have to put on real pants first,” she said, looking down at her slouchy pajama pants.

I looked at a pile of discarded clothing across from where she was sitting. There was a pair of striped linen pants that still had the tags attached draped across a menagerie of old sweaters.

“Why don’t you just put these on? These are super cute. And they still have tags!” I exclaimed.

“I really loved those when I bought them! But every time I put them on, I just feel like they are too… loud,” she said wistfully. “They have just been sitting in the bottom of my closet forever.”

“Oh, I think they are adorable! Put them on and let’s get lunch!”

She took the pants from me and went to change.

A few moments later, we were on our way out the door. Crissy offered to drive, and I got into the passenger side of her car.

She opened the driver door and started to climb in.

“Ouch!” She yelled, jerking her leg back out of the car.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know… something is in my pants,” Crissy said, running her hand over

the side of her upper thigh. “I can feel something plastic in here.”

“Maybe you left a tag on the pants? Or maybe it’s a security sensor the store forgot to remove,” I suggested, thinking of the times that had happened to me and how inconvenient it was.

Crissy walked back inside the house to inspect the mystery item in her linen pants.

A few minutes later, she emerged with a worried look on her face.

“Sarah, you’re not going to believe this, but I have a sticky trap stuck to my pants and my leg,” she said.

I stared at her open mouthed. “Like, the ones for mice?” I asked.

“Yes! I forgot I had put some in my house. I saw a mouse a few times, but then my cat caught it and I never saw any more.

I thought I had picked them all up! The last time I tried on these pants, I must have thrown them onto this trap!” she wailed.

“Well I’m sure we can get it off, don’t worry,” I followed her back into her house.

Once inside, I had to get a better look at the trap, and this meant looking directly down my friend’s pants.

“Good thing we know each other so well,” I muttered.

Sure enough, there were two sticky traps, folded outwards so that both sides were sticky, one firmly stuck to the inside of her pants, and the other firmly stuck to her thigh.

“It’s probably not a whole lot different than pulling off a wax strip. Just try to pull

it down really hard and fast,” I recommended to her.

Crissy jerked. Nothing happened. She tried a few more times to no avail.

“Let me try,” I said. I knelt down in front of her and took the sides of her linen pants in my fists.

“Lordy, this is so awkward,” she murmured.

I yanked with all my might and fell backwards as I heard a loud ripping sound. I sat up and looked at the pants in the hands.”

“Finall—-“ I stopped. And looked at Crissy’s thigh. There, still stuck to her leg, was the sticky trap. The panel that had been stuck to her pants was now covered in fabric. I held up her pants, and looked through a perfect rectangle-shaped window.

“Oh boy. Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t like those pants anyway,” I said and sheepishly looked up at Crissy.

Epilogue: After making a quick trip to my salon to see if wax remover would remove the trap from her leg (it did not) we then made an even quicker trip to Lowe’s to see if Goo Be Gone would remove the trap from her leg (it did not work either.)

Desperate, we decided to call in The Big Dog, The Problem Solver, A.K.A … My mom. She suggested using an iron on the very lowest heat setting so as not to burn Crissy, but enough to heat up the sticky stuff on the trap, and figured it would slide right off. She was right, and then we used the Goo Be Gone to clean off the rest of the residue. Thanks, Mom! l

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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The right path Story by KENZIE SAIN Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

Artist Sigrid Lorfing’s unique first name comes from Old Norse. It means “victory,” “beautiful,” and “wisdom.” Her parents settled on it while her mom was pregnant. “My mom and dad were watching The Man from Snowy River,” Sigrid says. “They saw the name of actress Sigrid Thornton in the opening credits. Both of them were taken with it and began calling me that.

It’s also a bit of a family name. My great grandpa Lorfing was named Siegfried.”

Now living in Russellville with her husband Jordan and two cats, Marzipan and Opie, Sigrid has had a keen interest in art since childhood. She recalls spending most of her time with hands glued to her sketchbook, constantly practicing and experimenting. “Every time Christmas came around, I would get a lot of art supplies and that was just the most exciting thing,” says Sigrid. From a young age, she knew she wanted her career to be centered around art.

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“I knew that I wanted to do something in art for a very long time. My time at Tech really just solidified that.”

At Clarksville High School, Sigrid says that she was lucky to have a class with art teacher Leslie Mori. Ms. Mori described her job as “doing what I love all day long.” Sigrid took those words to heart and knew that teaching art would fulfill her, just as it did her own teacher.

Sigrid went on to attend college at Arkansas Tech University.

She saw consistent growth during her time there and soaked up everything she could from her passionate and resourceful professors.

During her senior year, Sigrid presented her artwork in a student exhibition and won first place. “That told me I was going down the right path,” she says. “I knew that I wanted to do something in art for a very long time. My time at Tech really just solidified that.”

Sigrid graduated from Tech in 2015 with a degree in Art Education.

Fully equipped with her fresh college experience, Sigrid started her teaching career in El Dorado, but after a year, moved closer to home and began teaching at Pottsville Middle School and Jr. High. “I loved building relationships with the kids,” she says. Each kid has a unique personality, and it excited Sigrid to watch her students grow and create art. Many students who hadn’t expressed interest in art before, blossomed in her class.

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“That meant a lot to me,” says Sigrid.

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, Sigrid decided not to return to the classroom this year. Instead, she’s focused on her personal art. In the past, Sigrid’s portfolio consisted mainly of traditional paintings or drawings on wood panels. She created portraits, but most often she painted self-portraits. Sigrid was taught to draw using elements of realism, and that shines through in her work. She also draws inspiration from Gustav Klimt, known for portraits of distorted figures with an elaborate background.

More recently, Sigrid has decided to do more artwork of other people. “I’ve been having fun using other people as the inspiration here lately,” she says. She’s also switched up her medium to digital art. “I recently got an iPad, so I’ve been trying to learn digital artwork and see what I can do with it,” says Sigrid.

Digital art offers easier manipulation and more opportunity creatively. Sigrid’s favorite feature is the easy color changing.

“That was something that I struggled with whenever it came to painting traditionally,” she explains. “It would take me so long to decide colors.” Now she can test several different colors with just a tap. >> OCTOBER 2020

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Sigrid’s digital art is simultaneously modern and retro. She uses bright colors and contrasts them, similar to pop art. She also uses distortion and layering to emphasize the subjects. Her backgrounds normally have colorful patterns that add a texture to the piece. “I’m hoping that I can take what I’ve done digitally and translate it into a traditional painting,” says Sigrid.

Digital art makes it especially easy for Sigrid to carry out her creative process -- trial and error. “I’ll start out with a photograph,” she explains. “Then I’ll draw portions of the body that I can see, and then try to use my imagination to fill in the rest of the art work with whatever I’m kind of feeling at the time.” She throws around blocks of color, layering, and patterns to build the background around the subject. “I just kind of play around with placement until I’ve got something that I’m happy with,” says Sigrid. Each piece can take her anywhere from three to five

Welcome!

“I’m hoping that I can take what I’ve done digitally and translate it into a traditional painting,” hours to complete.

The quick turnaround time with her digital art allows Sigrid to upload more prints to her Esty page where she sells her work. She has also recently started painting custom commissioned portraits.

Custom portraits can be ordered on her website, which also features her portfolio and other prints and artworks for sale.

On the days that Sigrid is feeling a little less creative, she sim-

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

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Website: ply takes a break. When her mind is blank, she chooses to draw inspiration from other art forms like literature, TV, and film. “My husband’s a writer, so sometimes I’ll be inspired by something he’s writing,” says Sigrid. Most often, reading is the cure to her artist’s block. Her most recent source of inspiration has been science-fiction books.

In 2016, Sigrid lost her father. This loss made it difficult to produce new artwork. She went a year with no new creations before she decided to use art as a healing tool. The pieces from Sigrid’s 2019 solo exhibition called “In & Out of Body”, explored her re-

actions to grief and the unexpected loss of her father. This collection reflects the disorientation of a sudden loss with its segmented pieces and isolated subjects. These paintings have a dark surrealism that makes them visually and emotionally captivating. The collection was hosted in the Batesville Area Arts Council Gallery from August to September of 2019.

Sigrid is excited to continue her personal work in the future.

She plans on experimenting with her art and expanding her portfolio as much as she can. After this personal time, Sigrid would like to pursue a master’s degree in studio art. l

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COMMUNITY

Friendship Community Care awarded Sunderland Foundation grant The Sunderland Foundation in Overland Park, Kansas recently awarded Friendship Community Care in Russellville, AR a $100,000 capital grant.

Grants from the Sunderland Foundation help build the places where families in distress find help and healing, where young minds grow and thrive, and where communities come together for celebration and inspiration.

Michael Hutchison, Executive Vice President of the Friendship Foundation, says, “The Sunderland Foundation grant gives Friendship a strategic opportunity to provide new independent living services to adult clients on the Autism spectrum. The grant enables Friendship to renovate two campus units to provide residential living space and treatment. This new and unique program is called Living/Learning Center for Autism. It enables FCC to more effectively and efficiently transform lives.”

Friendship Community Care’s Mays and Horizons houses are adjacent to the Friendship Community Care (FCC) campus in Russellville, Arkansas. Because of the increased demand among adult clients with autism or developmental/intellectual needs, who seek residential group hous-

Mike Hutchison, Executive Vice President of the Friendship Foundation and Jimmy Streett, Chair of Friendship Foundation Board.

ing toward independent living, FCC has an immediate strategic opportunity to repurpose these units to serve this exceptional group. Each facility would provide residential space, technology and rehabilitation programs for four adult clients and a supervisor.

The renovated residences will support their specific diagnoses with autism-appropriate technology, programs, and supervision. Each will also feature COVID-safe designs and protocols to protect this Covid vulnerable population.

The conversion requires extensive renovations including drywall, repainting throughout, commercial surfaces and flooring. Walls will be replaced, and doors added. Full kitchens will be installed in each unit. Bathrooms will be updated with cabinets, sinks, faucets, showers and commodes.

The level of need in the Russellville, Arkansas, area for residential group housing is High. There has been a twenty-five percent increase in the number of adults served with autism and individuals with a co-occurring diagnosis (an Intellectual Developmental Disability) and mental illness who benefit from residential group housing. The alternative to residential group housing for adults with special needs is institutionalization at a state facility.

Daily living skills, when taught and practiced in a residential group living setting, are shown to be better retained by adults with special needs than when living in an institution. The residential group setting fosters independent living skills and increases clients’ opportunities to acquire and practice workforce skills and achieve meaningful employment.

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OCTOBER 2020

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Dardanelle Regional Medical Center awarded grant from Tyson Foods to enhance care Dardanelle Regional Medical has received a $126,700 grant from Tyson Foods. The grant funding will focus on enhancing health care services in Dardanelle, which is the site of a Tyson Foods plant. The grant will help expand access to specialty care services and provide for capital improvements to Dardanelle Regional Medical Center.

“We’re proud to support Dardanelle Regional Medical Center overcome recent challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and historic flooding in 2019,” said Jeremy Hankins, Dardanelle Complex Manager, Tyson Foods. “We believe this investment will help provide improved healthcare and better quality of life for our community and the 1,2000 Tyson team members at our Dardanelle facility.”

Conway Regional Health System manages the operations of Dardanelle Regional Medical Center and the grant will help support the infrastructure needed to expand clinical services and meet the needs of the communities served by Dardanelle Regional. The hospital expects to begin providing pain management services in the fall and while still in the early stages, outpatient cardiology, orthopedics, and gastroenterology are among the planned additional services to follow.

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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.

OCTOBER

OCTOBER

Sarah Langston & Hunter Jackson (2nd)

Bethany Knight & Eric Manning (24th)

Megan Ayres & Clay Moore (3rd)

Avigail Yanes & Jacob Phillips (24th)

Kayla Farris & Johnathan Scott (3rd)

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Summer Rasmussen & Bobby O’Donnell (3rd)

Kaitlyn Gregory & Josh Tanner (31st)

Jordin Stinnett & Dillon Tribble (3rd)

Courtney Miller & Adam Parish (31st)

Lyndsey Balentine &. Jerry Boriboun (10th)

NOVEMBER

Krissy Davis & Jacob White (10th)

Heather Bramlett & Christopher Steuber (14th)

Carmen Meadows & Matt Quain (10th)

Shelby Bryant & Corey Hottinger (21st)

Denise Nicole Reis & David Joshua Renfroe (10th)

DECEMBER

Emily Hoelzeman & Gage DeSalvo (10th)

McKenzie DuVall & David Meeks (12th)

Hayden Reeves & Braden Bennett (17th) Janeth Arreguin & Helton Lawson (17th)

JANUARY 2021

Sydney Richardson & Aaron Dale (21st)

Andrea Vega & Tyler Griffin (8th)

“Our two hospitals share a mission of providing high-quality, compassionate health care to the communities we serve.

First and foremost, our focus is to be encouraging and supportive for a vibrant future for the Dardanelle community,” said Matt Troup, president and CEO of Conway Regional Health System.

Local partnerships are foundational to Dardanelle Regional’s success. Alan Finley, site administrator of Dardanelle Re-

gional Medical Center, said, “Partnering with the local business community to create an environment where we can provide high-quality care for the community is important to us. That is exactly what Tyson Foods is doing by supporting the health and wellness of the Dardanelle community. We look forward to carrying out our part of this team effort to enhance the care provided at Dardanelle Regional Medical Center.”

‘Community’ continued on page 25...

November

December

Open House

Jingle & Mingle

12/13th More information to come about these fun events!

4th Mike & Margie Smith, Owners

Mark your calendars!

3103 W Main Place, Russellville | (479) 968-1323 | www.rosedrug.com OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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

The power of the people negated by one word Story by KRISTIN FOSTER

On August 21, 2020 the Secretary of State certified Issue 4 and Issue 5 for the November ballot. Issue 4 would have changed how legislative district lines are drawn following the census.

Issue 5 would have changed Arkansas primary elections by placing all state and federal positions on the same ballot, regardless of party, with the top four advancing to the general election.

Ballot certification sounds like it would be the last step before voters decide an issue, but it’s really just the first hurdle to overcome. Experienced campaign teams expect to defend their initiative against legal challenges right up until Election Day. But this is 2020 and nothing is going as planned.

Less than a week after ballot certification, on August 27th, the Arkansas Supreme Court handed down a decision that threw out signatures from over 150,000 voters and upended Arkansas’ hundred year old system of direct democracy, leaving more questions than answers. The whole melodrama came down to one single word on the petitions. Here’s the statement that caused so many issues: “On behalf of the sponsors, this statement and submission of names serves as certification that a statewide Arkansas State Police background check, as well as, 50-state criminal background check have been timely acquired in the 30 days before the first day the Paid canvasser begins to collect signatures as required

by Act 1104 of 2017.”

Did you catch the magic word that changed everything? Don’t feel too bad if you missed it. Some of the most talented constitutional lawyers in our state didn’t catch it either. The one word that undid the will of 150,000 voters is “acquired” and according to Arkansas’ highest court “acquired” doesn’t cut the mustard.

To understand how this happened we have to go back to the contentious 2012 election cycle. Several initiative groups used

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(479) 968-3991 | 1903 SOUTH ARKANSAS 24

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

paid canvassers to gather signatures that year, a departure from past efforts that relied heavily on volunteers. State lawmakers responded by overhauling the petition process in 2013, adding several new restrictions on ballot access for citizen led initiatives. In 2015 another round of restrictions was added to include a section stating that all paid canvassers must pass “from the Department of Arkansas State Police, a current state and federal criminal record search on every paid canvasser.”

This is where it starts getting wonky. The Arkansas State Police cannot provide a federal criminal record search and there is no standard for passing or failing a background check, meaning this requirement is technically impossible to meet. Logically that would mean that no other initiatives have been able to use paid canvassers since 2015. Like many of the policies that come out of Little Rock, logic isn’t the leading principle. In this case the law was crafted to be strong on requirements and weak on follow through.

There isn’t actually a point in the process that the initiative sponsor is required to provide the background checks for an official review. In 2016 and 2018, initiative sponsors certified that their paid canvassers passed a state and federal background check. That met the legal requirement for the Secretary of State to count signatures, even though it was impossible to truly follow the letter of the law in how they were obtained.. In 2020 the initiative sponsors followed the same process for background checks as they have in the past. None of the canvassers had a criminal record that would prevent them from gathering signatures. The only thing missing was that one pesky word. Passed…

That brings us back to 2020, where all bets are off.

The Arkansas Constitution states that “the first power reserved by the people is the initiative.” Yet this election will be one of only a handful in Arkansas history that does not include a single policy brought by the People. Instead we are left with three constitutional amendments written by lobbyists and referred to the ballot by politicians. Ironically one of these referred amendments, Issue 3, substantially restricts the ballot initiative process.

Between the impossible requirements addressed by the Arkansas Supreme Court and the increased requirements proposed in Issue 3, this could very well be the last we see of citizen led ballot initiatives in Arkansas. l

...continued on page 23

$3.9 million in federal grants to benefit ATU students Arkansas Tech University has earned $3.9 million in estimated grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education for three Student Support Services (SSS) programs. he grant funding will allow ATU to continue its existing SSS program on its Russellville campus, establish a new SSS teacher preparation program on its Russellville campus and develop a new SSS program for its Ozark campus. The SSS grants are scheduled to be received by the university over a period of five years.

Student Support Services programs are under the TRIO umbrella of federal education initiatives, which were established as a result of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. SSS programs were introduced in 1968.

“Arkansas Tech University is committed to making higher education attainable for all who wish to pursue it,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, ATU president. “We exist to fa-

cilitate student success regardless of background. The resources provided by Student Support Services have benefited our Russellville campus students since 2010, and we are excited to be able to expand those opportunities at our university with the addition of similar programs for teacher candidates and Ozark campus students.”

Since its inception, the ATU SSS program has assisted 258 Tech students in earning their bachelor’s degrees.

Each SSS program is designed to serve 140 students per academic year. With the addition of SSS programs for teacher preparation and ATU-Ozark Campus, the impact of Student Support Services at ATU will increase by 200 percent to serve approximately 420 students per year.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, SSS programs are designed to “provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education.”

Required SSS program services include academic tutoring, assistance in postsec-

ondary course selection and information on financial aid programs and benefits, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

In addition, SSS programs must provide education or counseling services designed to improve financial and economic literacy as well as activities designed to assist participants in continuing their studies beyond the completion of the credential currently being pursued.

SSS programs may also provide individualized counseling, activities and instruction designed to acquaint students with available career options and exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.

ATU students on the Russellville campus interested in applying for the continuing SSS program or the SSS teacher preparation program may call (479) 880-4172, send e-mail to trio.sss@atu.edu or visit www.atu.edu/sss for more information.

Those interested in the new SSS program at ATU-Ozark Campus may call (479) 6672117 or send e-mail to rharris1@atu.edu to learn more. l

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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GUNSLINGIN’ BURGER 713 EAST 4TH ST. RUSSELLVILLE

A new sheriff in town Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN Story by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

26

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

WHEN YOU GET A HANKERIN’ FOR A HAMBURGER, there’s plenty of options.

And while there’s some variety within the particulars, it’s all basically the same formula — meat, bread, cheese (on cheeseburgers, of course), the standard condiments and veggies, and maybe some bacon.

But the humble hamburger can be more.

Think of those basic burger building blocks as just that — the basics. There’s a world of flavor combinations that could and should be applied to the burger and bun. All it takes is a little imagination.

Thankfully, the River Valley has an imaginative burger joint, a place where it seems that there are no limits to what a burger can be.

Gunslingin’ Burger in Russellville offers

OCTOBER 2020

everything from the tequila burger to the slightly pretentious red wine burger (basted with a red wine and shallots reduction then topped with mozzarella, sautéed mushrooms and spinach) along with so many other topping and condiment fusions you likely never dreamed of. They also offer a black bean burger for those prefer a meatless option.

We had the Butch and Sundance, a spicysweet creation like no other. The spicy half features chipotle, tomato, jalapeño, pepper jack and dijon mustard. The sweet offers brown sugar, cheddar, onion, spinach, and bacon jam.

Order some fries, slaw, and even chili if you’re particularly peckish. Then take a big bite down the middle and let your tastebuds sort it out. l

OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

27

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

Soups on...

Story by LYDIA ZIMMERMAN, Food Editor Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN

I

love this time of year. The air turns crisp and the leaves change to beautiful shades of red, yellow and gold. Another thing I look forward to in fall is making soup.

When the weather gets cool there is nothing better than walking through the house and smelling homemade soup or chowder simmering in the kitchen.

Pair it with some home-baked bread, crackers, or croutons and you have a meal.

So to start the autumn season off right, I’ve found some awesome smelling and tasting recipes to share with my readers.

As always, enjoy!

Easy Autumn Chowder

EASY AUTUMN CHOWDER 1/2 c butter 1 lg chopped yellow onion 1/2 c all purpose flour 1 12 oz bag frozen (steam in the bag) whole kernel corn, cooked and drained 1 1/2 c pumpkin puree 2 c chicken broth (I like to use Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon) 1-3 tsp salt, to desired taste 1 c cubed smoked ham 1-2 T allspice, to desired taste 1-2 T ground white pepper, to desired taste 2 c half and half

28

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

ABOUT Magazine Featured Recipe ~ OCTOBER 2020

Preheat oven to 420 degrees while corn is cooking in microwave.

When corn is finished drain it well on a paper towel and pat dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Pour the corn on the baking sheet evenly and place in oven for approx 25 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through roasting. Remove after roasting done.

While corn is roasting, place butter in a stock pot and melt over low/medium heat. When butter is melted add onions, cook until onions are tender stirring frequently (3-4 minutes). Then turn heat to low and add flour, stir well. Add remaining ingredients stirring well after each addition.

Remove 1/2 of chowder from pot and place in a blender to puree until smooth, then place back into soup pot and stir well.

Serve hot with croutons, crackers or a slice of warm bread.

CHEESY ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP Meatballs: 3 T olive oil 3 T minced garlic 8 oz ground Italian sausage 8 oz ground pork sausage ½ c breadcrumbs 3 T Italian seasoning 1 T dried oregano 2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp sea salt ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 large egg Soup: 1 T olive oil 1 lg chopped yellow onion 2 lg carrots peeled and grated 5 oz finely chopped fresh baby spinach 2-3 T garlic salt, to desired taste 1 T ground black pepper 10 cups chicken broth (I like to use Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon) 1/2 c dried acini di pepe pasta 3/4 bag of (19 oz) Best Choice frozen Cheese filled tortellini shredded Parmesan cheese for serving Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While oil is heating, place ground meat in a large bowl. Add next 7 ingredients, mix well with your clean hands.

Form small marble sized meatballs. After all meatballs are made place minced garlic and meatballs in the heated skillet. Brown meatballs well, stirring frequently. When

Cheesy Italian Wedding Soup

all the meatballs are browned place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

While meatballs are draining, place prepared vegetables and seasonings in a slow cooker. Add the meatballs to the crockpot and add chicken broth to mixture.Stir well and place lid on cooker. Cook on low heat for 3 hours, then removed lid and place pasta and frozen tortellini to crock pot. Stir well and replace lid. Cook an additional hour on low heat.

Serve hot topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and a slice of warm bread.

CHEESY BROCCOLI POTATO SOUP 4 T butter 1 c chopped onion 1/2 c flour

4 c low-sodium chicken broth 4 c fat free milk 2 c frozen broccoli, chopped 2 c potatoes, peeled and diced 1 1/2 c Cheddar cheese, shredded 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and cook until tender.

Add flour; stir until blended. Gradually stir in broth. Heat until slightly thickened.

Add milk, broccoli and potatoes.

Cook over low heat about 15 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are tender. Stir in cheese and seasonings.

Recipe courtesy of usdairy.com

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

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CREAMY SAUSAGE, POTATO AND SAUERKRAUT SOUP 4 T butter 1 medium onion, finely diced 1/4 c flour 1 1/2 c chicken broth 2 1/2 c milk 1- 14 oz pkg Polska Kielbasa, halved & sliced 1 1/2 c cooked diced potatoes 1 c sauerkraut 1/2 tsp dried parsley 1 c shredded cheddar cheese black pepper In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

Add onions and saute for about five minutes, until tender.

Add flour, stirring until completely combined. Cook for one minute, then add the chicken broth and milk.

Turn heat to medium high, then cook stirring often until broth begins to thicken.

Reduce heat to medium then add kielbasa, diced potatoes, sauerkraut and parsley.

Simmer for five minutes, then add shredded cheddar.

Stir to combine and remove from heat.

Serve sprinkled with black pepper.

Recipe courtesy of hoteatsandcoolreads.com CAJUN SWEET POTATO SEAFOOD CHOWDER 1/2 T butter 1/2 T oil 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 T cajun seasoning 4 c low sodium chicken broth or shrimp broth 1 T fish sauce 2 lb sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1/2 in cubes

1 c corn 2 T tarragon, chopped 1 T lemon juice salt and pepper to taste 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deviened 1/2 lb scallops 1 T oil 1 T cajun seasoning Melt the butter and heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cajun seasoning and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender before pureeing half of the sweet potatoes in a food processor.

Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium-high heat, toss the shrimp and scallops in the oil and cajun seasoning and cook in the pan until lightly golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per side before setting aside.

Add the fish sauce, corn, tarragon and lemon juice to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chowder garnished with the shrimp and scallops and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of closetcooking.com BEEF STROGANOFF SOUP 1 onion diced 3 T olive oil divided 1 lb stewing beef trimmed salt & pepper to taste 1 clove garlic minced 8 oz mushrooms brown or white, sliced 6 c beef broth low sodium ½ c red wine 1 T Worcestershire sauce 3 T cornstarch

Fall Festival is cancelled but fun is still happening downtown!

½ c sour cream 3 T parsley chopped 1 ½ c egg noodles, cooked Heat 2 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Set aside.

Add 1 T olive oil and cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes or until tender.

Stir in wine, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and beef and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer 45 minutes or until beef is tender.

Combine cornstarch with 3 T cold water.

Whisk into boiling soup until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and parsley. Place egg noodles in the bottom of a bowl. Top with soup and serve.

Recipe courtesy of spendwithpennies.com SLOW COOKER BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLES 4 lbs Butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 Onion, diced 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and diced 2 T Curry powder 4 Garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper 2 tsp salt 4 c vegetable or chicken stock 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk Combine all ingredients except coconut milk in a Crock-Pot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

Using a hand-held blender (emulsion blender) blend soup in pot until smooth. Pour in coconut milk and stir until combined.

Note: This soup freezes very well!

Recipe courtesy of the modernproper.com

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Check Facebook and our website for more information on upcoming events.

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

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BUFFALO CHICKEN SOUP 4 c cooked, shredded chicken 2 T butter 1/2 c coarsely chopped celery 1/2 c chopped onion 3-1/2 c chicken broth (or 2-14 oz. cans) 1-1/2 c milk 1 tsp buffalo hot sauce (we like Frank’s Buffalo Flavor) 1-1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese 1-1/4 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese 1/3 c all-purpose flour more Buffalo hot sauce for topping In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.

Add celery and onion; cook and stir until onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in broth, milk and teaspoon of hot sauce.

In a bowl toss together mozzarella, 1 cup of the cheddar, parmesan and flour.

Gradually add to soup, small amounts at a time, stirring after each addition until melted. The cheese has a tendency to clump if you add too much at a time, so slowly is the key Stir in three cups of the shredded chicken and heat through.

Top with remaining chicken, cheese, hot sauce and chopped celery as desired.

Recipe courtesy of numstheword.com COPYCAT LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE MUSHROOM TRUFFLE BISQUE 2 T butter 4 oz white button mushrooms sliced 4 oz baby portobello mushroom sliced 1/2 c white onion chopped

1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp chopped garlic 2 c low sodium chicken broth 1 c heavy cream 1 1/2 tsp truffle oil Melt 2 T butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and chopped onion. Sprinkle mushrooms and onions with salt. Cook until the onions have become transparent and the mushrooms have released their water. Add chopped garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

In a medium sized saucepan add chicken broth, and the mushroom mixture. Heat through. Use either a stick blender, or a food processor to process soup. Process soup until the mushrooms are chopped very fine. Add heavy cream to the soup, and heat until the soup is warm. Add truffle oil just before serving. You may want to drizzle a bit of sour cream if desired on the soup just before serving.

Recipe courtesy of copykat.com SENATE NAVY BEAN SOUP 1 lb dry navy beans 1 smoked ham hock 3 T butter 1 c chopped onion 1/2 c chopped celery 1/2 c chopped carrot 2 cloves garlic, chopped Wash and rinse the beans and discard any debris or dark-colored beans.

In a large stockpot, combine the rinsed beans, the ham hock, and 4 qts of water. Over high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer over low-medium heat until the beans are soft (about 2 hrs). When the beans are almost ready, melt the butter in a medium-sized skil-

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let. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery, and saute until all the vegetables are soft.

Add the softened vegetables to the beans and stir well. Remove the ham hock from the soup and cut the meat into small bite-sized pieces.

Add the meat back into the soup. Use a potato masher to slightly mash some of the beans - this will give you a nice velvety texture. Season soup with salt and pepper before serving.

Recipe courtesy of copykat.com COPYCAT CARRABBA’S SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP 1 lb Italian sausage 3 garlic cloves minced 1 lg onion diced 1 stalk celery chopped 2 lg carrots chopped 1 small zucchini chopped 5 c chicken broth 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained 2 c dry lentils 2 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper fresh basil oregano and shredded parmesan for garnish In a large skillet, brown sausage on medium/high heat, crumbling as you cook.

When sausage is almost done, add in the garlic and allow to cook.

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, combine all ingredients and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cover.

Simmer for about 1 hour or until lentils are tender. If soup is too thick, add water for desired consistency.

Sprinkle with basil, oregano, and parmesan for garnish.

Recipe courtesy of thecookierookie.com LIFE INSURANCE

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3115 E. MAIN ST., RUSSELLVILLE • (479) 967-5575 OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

31

COMMUNITY COMMERCE

Simmons Bank AFTER 117 YEARS, Simmons Bank is one of few banks that can say it has never been sold. Starting in 1903 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with first-day’s deposits of $3,338.22, Simmons opened its first drive-thru in 1953 and purchased its first computer in 1982. Simmons now has 200 branches, all Arkansas owned, in seven states, with 73 branches in Arkansas, alone.

According to Amanda Crow, 800 North Arkansas Avenue branch manager, “our Russellville employees have 413 years of combined banking experience. That is not a lot of turnover. Experience is the key: the

Story & Photos by BENITA DREW

more experience you have, the better you are at your job.”

Making the list as one of 2020 Forbes World’s Best Banks is likely due in part to Simmons’s customer service. Simmons Community President Scott Hill said, “If you don’t have customer service, you are just like everybody else. We try to really Simmons Bank (479) 967-8000 800 North Arkansas, Russellville simmonsbank.com

spoil our customers. We are small enough to treat them like they have their own private banker, but we have all to offer that the larger banks have. We focus on needs based conversations. We get to know our customers and what we can help them with later on.”

Lately, he said, Simmons has learned to cater to online banking. He also added that Simmons completed 200 Payment Protection Program loans within four weeks.

“We did 13 million dollars worth. We are proud of that. It helped a lot of people in the community. We worked late to get them completed. We didn’t have anybody

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

Join us this Fall for that applied that didn’t get approved. We helped a lot of people when they needed it the most.”

Along with customer service, Simmons Bank prides itself in community involvement. The Simmons First Foundation was established in 2013 to give back to communities. Russellville Simmons Banks have participated in or sponsored several local events, including Russellville Cyclone Achiever, the annual Chambers banquet, Rhea Lana’s, the Business Expo, Russellville Downtown Chili cook-off, Hoops for Hunger, Bingo at Brookdale, Food-4-Kids, United Way Read-a-thon, Continuing Education by River Valley Board of Realtors, United Way, and Community Service Golf

tournament.

Simmons bank has several Russellville locations with the main branch at 800 North Arkansas Avenue offering ATM, drive-thru, full service, mortgages and wealth management; 3079 East Main branch offering ATM, drive-thru and full service, and ATM only at 306 West O Street on Arkansas Tech University Campus. Also in the River Valley is a Clarksville location at 1100 South Rogers. It offers ATM, drive-thru, full service and mortgages.

For general information about Simmons Bank, call 1-866-246-2400, or visit their website at www.simmonsbank.com. To speak to someone at Russellville’s main branch, call 479-967-8000 l

at Victory Missionary Baptist Church!

Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:15 pm Ages 2 years old - 5th grade 517 Reasoner Lane, Russellville (across from I-HOP) www.victoryrussellville.org

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www.centralbeekeeperssupply.com OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

33

in the Garden

Old things made new Story by JILL MCSHEEHY Photo by JOHNNY CARROL SAIN

OCTOBER GREETS US WITH A SEA OF ORANGE AND YELLOW. Large pumpkins appear in grocery store bins as children and parents inspect for the best potential jack-o-lantern. Decorative pumpkins nestle among hay bales around doors and front yards.

Unique, colorful gourds flank these sunset-colored delights for decorative displays of fall.

Once only purchased at the grocery store or even picked at a pumpkin farm, gardeners have now begun to embrace growing their own. Whether intentional or by accident (my best pumpkin came from my compost pile after a seed from the previous year’s jack-o-lantern sprouted), growing our own gourds has become a new hobby in the gardening world.

I don’t recall many neighborhood gardens from my childhood, but the ones I do remember seemed to follow the same pattern, year after year. Tomatoes, peppers, corn, and beans filled these gardens. As much as I love growing these staples, even I probably would have grown bored of the monotony.

That’s why I delight in today’s gardeners venturing out and trying new things. No longer is the garden the square patch of tilled-up soil with the same varieties year after year. What fun is

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2320 West Main, Rsvl (479) 968-6464 Monday-Saturday 9:30-6:00 34

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

1-866-246-2400

gardening if you can’t have some…fun?

While many gardeners are growing their own fall pumpkins for the first time -- hoping for a homegrown jack-o-lantern or backyard pumpkin pie -- I decided to try a different venture in my garden this year. It’s still a gourd, but you won’t find it with a candle in the center or filling a Thanksgiving pie. But hopefully you’ll find it in my bath, kitchen, and even wrapped in Christmas presents.

Can you guess? It’s called a luffa gourd, and this less-familiar cousin is gaining notoriety, thanks in large part to Instagram and Pinterest. Though many in the world eat it like summer squash, it’s more commonly known because of its household use in a similar manner to a sponge.

And all these years I thought all sponges came from a manufacturing plant or the ocean.

The luffa plant itself has been fascinating to watch grow. The seeds sprouted easily and the plants began to climb an arch trellis throughout the summer. An untrained eye would mistake it for a climbing squash plant. Eventually the eight plants covered the trellis and began vining beyond the area I had allotted them.

But as August arrived, I observed only lush green leaves. No flowers, no luffa. As the days began to grow shorter with still no hope of harvest, I wondered if anything would come from this garden trial.

I posted my confusion on Instagram and many previous luffa-growers assured me that flowering would begin soon.

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And right they were! Honeysuckle-scented flowers the color of sunshine began covering these plants in the early morning and evening, and soon the long, thin, slightly-curved gourds began to form.

Seeing that I might have dozens of luffas to harvest before a killing frost arrives, I researched uses for this unique fruit. I envision my November filled with craft projects like luffa dish sponges, luffa exfoliating soap, and luffa gift soaps for Christmas (gotta love Pinterest.)

Who knew this could all come from a few seeds I poked into the soil in April?

It’s no secret that the world saw a baby-boom of new gardeners in 2020, but I venture to believe that this generation of gardeners will look a bit different from previous generations. They’ll explore new ideas beyond the tomato. They’ll discover a whole new world of homegrown, handmade staples at their fingertips. They’ll enjoy the delight of old things made new.

Yes, old things. While you and I may see using a plant as a bathing aid as a novel idea, we’re really just harkening back to what our ancestors saw as normal.

If experimenting with the garden in fun ways is the “new normal,” I look forward to what that new normal looks like in the years to come. Gone are the mundane gardens in years past. Thanks to technology and the ability to learn “new” things, we can harness the power of our modern ways and embrace the garden of utility and delight. l

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“Meretricious Mantis” OCTOBER 2020

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ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY

35

Story by T.L. SIMPSON

A JOURNAL of our RURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE

Halloween is about family I CAN’T IMAGINE THIS TIME OF YEAR WITHOUT TRICK-OR-TREATING, corn mazes or pumpkin patches. But thanks to COVID-19, I’m having to reimagine a lot of things this year, including Halloween.

I’m not sure where my love for Halloween comes from. Certainly not my parents, who I think barely tolerated the holiday when I was younger. I can still remember walking the block in whatever costume I’d thrown together each Oct. 31, feeling the crisp beginnings of autumn and letting myself believe that maybe, just maybe, everything they said about Halloween was true.

Maybe ghosts really were just a little closer on Halloween than other nights of the year. Maybe it was the one night of the year when spooky things could exist.

Whatever the case, the holiday had

magic for me, and I indulged throughout my childhood and into my adult life. Soon, I gave up trick-or-treating for Halloween parties, scary movies and mischief.

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2909 South Arkansas Ave (Hwy 7 S) • Russellville, AR (479) 967-7439 • www.russellvillelawn.com 36

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OCTOBER 2020

“These kinds of stories flood my memories this time of year...My fondness for the holiday grew out of my fondness for weirdness, I’m sure, but it’s funny how much of it is tied now into the most normal thing there is: a man’s love for his family.”

Then I had kids, and all the things I did when I was a kid came roaring back.

One Halloween we took our three children to a graveyard at night for a little spooky fun. I downloaded a “ghost detector” app on my phone, which I’m positive was complete nonsense, but it added to the atmosphere. We wandered among the graves under a sliver of moon, pretending to communicate with the dead. Anytime the ghost detector went off, the kids got a thrill. Except the oldest.

He was 13 and way too smart and cool and big to buy in to the spooky fun. I was hoping the atmosphere might get to him, but he kept it real the entire time.

That is, until we were nearly done.

On the way back to the car he called out, “If there are any ghosts here, come on back

to the house!”

I pretended to panic, “Don’t invite them in!”

“What?”

“Ghosts! They always say never invite them in.”

He laughed about it, but on the way home, quite by coincidence, my wife began to feel sick to her stomach. When we got in the driveway, she couldn’t make it inside. She threw open the door and puked in the grass. I spun in the seat and looked at my oldest son. “What have you done!” I said.

And that, it turns out, was enough to get him to lose his big-kid cool.

That’s just one memory out of hundreds.

I still remember every costume they wore. I can barely remember any of my

own. I can remember the time we went to a trunk or treat at a church, and my son suddenly cared more about the college girls handing out candy than the candy itself.

I remember getting lost in corn mazes with my wife or wandering pumpkin fields looking for the largest or most scary. I remember my daughter dang-near slicing her finger to the bone while trying to carve a pumpkin and my then 2-year-old son asking if she was going to die.

These kinds of stories flood my memories this time of year. Thanks to the internet, they flood my Facebook memories, too. My fondness for the holiday grew out of my fondness for weirdness, I’m sure, but it’s funny how much of it is tied now into the most normal thing there is: a man’s love for his family. l

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COMMUNITY LEADERS

...

Johnny Carrol SAIN

AGE: 49 OCCUPATION: Managing editor of ABOUT the

River Valley and freelance writer, editor, photographer published in various regional and national magazines.

HOMETOWN: I grew up in Atkins, but for most of the last 20 years I resided near Dover. Now I live in Harkey Valley, just south and west of Dardanelle.

The River Valley is the only home I’ve ever known.

FAMILY: I’ve been married to Christine for 27 years. Madison and Mackenzie are our adult daughters. My sonin-law Luke Reves is married to Madison, and they’ve given us three grandchildren — Nixie, Lenny, and Luke Henry. Our four-legged family member is Rudy the red dog.

1

What is your favorite book and why?

I can’t choose just one, but for brevity’s sake, I’ll offer only two. First is A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Leopold was a scientist, and his understanding of nature as a community — one that we humans belong to — is the key to fixing just about everything wrong with the world. Leopold writes with such poetic grace, sincerity, and tenderness that the philosophies encircle your heart with spiritual nurturing while they also infuse your mind with an intellectual enlightening.

Number two is Woe to Live On by Ozark Mountain author Daniel Woodrell. One of my favorite novelists, Woodrell’s stories are robust and fast-paced.

This one was so incredible that after reading two pages I decided I wasn’t going to do anything else until I finished the book. And that’s exactly what happened.

Photo by LIZ CHRISMAN 38

ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~

OCTOBER 2020

Then there’s Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, Heartsblood by David Petersen, The Others by Paul Shepherd, Monster of God by David Quammen, anything by Jim Harrison or Ray Bradbury or Mary Oliver’s books of poems or… I’ll quit now. But I love to read.

2

Dog or cat? Why?

While I dig cats and their hyper-predatory skills, anti-social aloofness, and mildly sinister vibe, I love dogs. Many of my favorite memories involve the dogs I’ve shared my life with.

Rudy’s not our pet. He’s family.

3

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

The diversity of land and waters. I live right between the Ozarks and Ouachitas with mountains, bottomlands, creeks, swamps, and the river all just minutes away. It’s an outdoors enthusiast’s paradise.

4

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

Christine and I eloped after dating for only three weeks. When you know, you know.

5

What is your favorite music genre and artist? Why?

I’m the ultimate eclectic when it comes to music. Classical, classic rock, rap, pop, hair bands, old country, really old country, metal, bluegrass, church hymns, pagan Nordic, Celtic, movie scores — you name it. The only thing that doesn’t get any play is the pop-country stuff.

But my favorite artist is Sturgill Simpson.

I feel like Sturgill and I share some cultural heritage, and his songs could be my songs… if I could write songs, which I can’t.

6

What do you nerd out on?

I’m an amateur naturalist and get plumb giddy about encounters with wildflowers, insects, birds, fish, herps, mammals, fungi, trees, and anything else outside. I own several field guides and keying out species is something I often do for fun.

I’ve gorged on all and will happily gorge on all again. But I’d give up a lot for one more meal of my Granny’s fried chicken.

It starts with a young, free-range rooster from her flock, dispatched and processed by her hands and then transformed by her kitchen magic into the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

10

What is your favorite quote?

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

7

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

I’d grab the people — metaphorically speaking — by the collar and say in a confident yet gentle manner that we can be and deserve better. I wish the community understood that. I think our cultural insecurities get in our way.

“But I’ll tell you what hermits realize.

If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you’ll come to understand that you’re connected with everything.”

~ Alan Watts

8

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

I keep my favorite places secret because, frankly, I don’t want to see anyone else at them. That’s partly why they’re my favorite places. But one well-known place is the top of Pilot Rock Mountain. On a clear day, get there about an hour before sunset. Plan your trip to coincide with a full moon and, if you can, stay until dawn.

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9

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

The Scarlet Locke Hair Lounge has space available for an experienced and fun sylist with clientele. Booth space is $85.00 per week.

We are in the heart of downtown Russellville and the only salon with a full beverage bar.

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Get your official Russellville, Arkansas Sesquicentennial Coin, Pin, and Christmas Ornament by visiting the Russellville Tourism & Visitors Center office today!

110 S. Commerce, Russellville 479.967.1762 discoverrussellville.org

OCTOBER 2020

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