ABOUT | September 2010

From Africa to Arkansas

SEPTEMBER 2010

a publication of SILVER PLATTER PRODUCTIONS, INC. www.aboutrvmag.com

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8 From Africa to Arkansas

Dr. Alexis Nyandwi, Professor of Journalism for Arkansas Tech, is a man of experiences, some that will make you envious and others that will fill your heart with thankfulness. Nyandwi attended a European primary school where his passion for journalism began.

18 18 It Feels Like Coming Home

As Dr. Larry Davis prepares to take over the reins as the newest chancellor of the University of Arkansas Community College (UACCM) at Morrilton, he reflects on a childhood that laid the foundation for this moment in history.

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Parlor Car 3505

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Open House Unveils Center

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ABOUT…Food

Greyhounds Bring Life Back to Family, Farm

ABOUTour Cover Dr. Alexis Nyandwi grew up with his four

older siblings in Rotuvu, Burundi, a small town

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The Bottomless Cup

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Aquatic Conservation Camp

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Engagements and Weddings

The Brown Derby was a little “Route 66-style” café that sprang up on Highway 64 West in Russellville by the 1970s. It was the sole beacon of food service on the west end of town, thus attracting the local senior coffee and newspaper crowd in the mornings.

Our Associates Melanie Conley

ad ve r tis in g

479.858.2708

Vonna

Marpel

ad ve r tis ing

479.970.4263

near the origin of the Nile River. The only child in his family to leave Burundi and venture out into the world, Dr. Nyandwi was attending

an International Communication Association conference in Chicago where he met and was

Tonda

Steve

Bradley

Newby

ad ve r tis in g

ph o to g r a phy

479.970.7659

479.880.1006

hired as a Journalism instructor for Arkansas

Tech. Read the amazing story of his path from East Africa to Arkansas beginning on page 8.

Cliff

Zimmerman

il l u s tr a to r

l ayo u t/ d e s ig n

479.890.3630

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Chris

Thomas

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September 2010

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 5

ABOUT the River Valley

A Publication of Silver Platter Productions, Inc Vol. V, Issue 7 – September 2010

OWNERS/EDITOR Nolan and Dianne Edwards editor@aboutrvmag.com

Advertising Sales Melanie Conley

melanie@aboutrvmag.com

Vonna Marpel

vonna@aboutrvmag.com

Tonda Bradley

tonda@aboutrvmag.com

Graphic Design Chris Zimmerman

zimcreative@aboutrvmag.com

Writers Dianna Qualls

food@aboutrvmag.com

Kechia Bentley kechia@aboutrvmag.com

Christine Keaster christine@aboutrvmag.com

PhotographY Steve Newby stevenewbyphotography@aboutrvmag.com

ILLUSTRATION Cliff Thomas 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.

Subscriptions are available by sending $20 for one-year (10 issues) to: SPPI/ABOUT Magazine P.O. Box 10176 Russellville AR 72812 Material contained in this issue may not be copied or reproduced without written consent. Inquiries may be made by calling (479) 970-6628.

Office: 417 West Parkway Email: editor@aboutrvmag.com Postmaster: Please send address changes to: SPPI, P.O. Box 10176, Russellville AR 72812.

6 | ABOUT...the River Valley

A PAGE FROM

The Editor’s Notebook

While the content of this editorial should be directed toward September’s activities, I’m writing this piece and it’s HOT outside. It’s really difficult to think ‘cool’ but the promise of autumn is upon us!

Arkansas has long been ‘enjoyed’ for our balmy latesummer temperatures and this year has been no exception.

Even though thoughts of fall are creeping inside my head, the temperature begs to differ. But, I remind myself that soon we will be complaining about the cold, so while September makes its debut and it’s still rather warm, I’ll enjoy the joys of the last dog days.

One of the ‘joys’ of which I speak is the beautiful trail of butterflies which have recently graced our pathway. I’ve seen a number of winged visitors lately along the roads I’ve driven. I remember a former coworker who was known to practically wreck her car to avoid hitting one of the winged beauties. She believed they carried the souls of those who had passed away. Now, when I say ‘believed,’ I’m not sure she truly believed that in the spiritual sense, she just hated the thought that they would be hit by her vehicle. But then again, I can’t be sure...

Russellville is blessed with a plethora of natural beauty which changes with the season. Imagine living somewhere that the temperature only varies a few degrees with the season – no changing leaves, no migratory creatures. I’ll brave summer’s heat and winter’s cold, thank you.

Capturing the beauty of kids and creatures alike is Sasha Bowles, park interpreter for Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville. Don’t miss the beautiful photography of our winged visitors, along with photos of recent LDSP program participants, on page 32. As your children continue the new school year, there is still time for them to experience the natural state through several remaining park programs. Details are included or available by visiting their website at ArkansasStateParks.com.

Fall is a time to start anew, whether that means enjoying the start of a new school year or creating new pages in one’s history. Arkansas Tech University’s journalism professor, Dr. Alexis Nyandwi began his Arkansas teaching career in the fall of 2008. Dr. Nyandwi continues to appreciate the beauty of The Natural State when he has opportunity between classes. Read as he shares his personal history on page 8.

Soon to arrive to the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton is Dr. Larry Davis. He prepares to take over the reins as the newest chancellor of UACCM beginning mid-month. Read his story beginning on page 18.

Allow us to tout our own history, celebrating the birthday of a historical location. Don’t miss the story, “Parlor Car 3505: End of the Line,” starting on page 12. While the Green Train Car serves as the office of ABOUT... Magazine, and we are certainly NOT at the end of our ‘line,’ Parlor Car 3505 is – at 80 years of age – is the last remaining of her kind.

Don’t miss the piece submitted by train enthusiast Bill Pollard of Conway.

Our newly redesigned website at www.aboutrvmag.com is now online! We believe you’ll enjoy our new look. We’ve added a blog which will keep you updated of events on a regular basis, as well as activities and happenings around town. Our new Google calendar makes it easy to follow events as they are announced. View snippets of our current issue, as well as browse our archives. Not a subscriber? We’ve also made it simple to subscribe online using PayPal. Send your thoughts and comments to: editor@aboutrvmag.com.

More stories await you in this month’s issue. We hope you enjoy them all.

Dianne Edwards, Editor/Publisher

Editor’s Note: Our apologies to Ashley Miller-Davis, who was the choreographer for the recent musical, “Willy Wonka.” Our article in the August issue, “Wonka takes the Stage,” failed to credit her critical participation.

September 2010

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Talk ABOUT...Our History

Regular readers of ABOUT... the River Magazine may recognize the oil painting above as the work of talented illustrator Cliff Thomas which first appeared on the cover of our June 2009 issue. We loved it then and we love it now, especially since our beloved Green Train Car celebrated its 80th birthday in August. The car, which serves as our office, is located slightly behind and between Stoby’s Restaurant and pattiCakes Bakery, at 417 West Parkway. Cliff’s rendition of our office was a token of his creativity painted to celebrate our third anniversary last year.

This past spring, I received an email from Bill Pollard, a self-confessed train enthusiast who lives in Conway.

He is a regular writer for Remember the Rock, a national publication dedicated to historical chronically of the railroad’s ‘golden era.’ Bill inquired as to the possibility of touring and photographing ‘our’ train car for a story he was preparing for the magazine’s next issue.

September 2010

We were delighted to open our doors to Mr. Pollard and his wife; however, the doors which were really opened were those granting us insight to pages of Rock Island Parlor Car 3505’s unique history. Built by the Pullman Car & Manufacturing Company and delivered to the Rock Island Railroad in 1930, the car survived a number of renovations and renumbering sequences before arriving in Russellville in October 1981.

The “green” train car, along with its two companion passenger cars which are now incorporated as part of Stoby’s Restaurant, were three of four purchased

by John Harris at the 1981 auction. They were later sold to current owner David and Patti Stobaugh.

Bill, along with Remember the Rock magazine, graciously shared their work with our readers in a revised form. Don’t miss “End of the Line,” beginning on page 12.

And, if you are interested in a tour of the interior of ‘Parlor Car 3505,’ let us know. We’re most often ‘out and about.’

Sept. 3: Downtown Artwalk, Historic Downtown Russellville, 5-8 p.m.; enjoy a leisurely stroll while viewing the work of the area’s talented artisans; music, refreshments; info: 967-1437.

Sept. 7-30: Ark. Small Business and Technology Development Center seminars: Starting a Business, Marketing on a Shoestring, eBay Techniques, Customer Service Tips, Intro/Interm. Quickbooks, Business Etiquette, How to Write a Business Plan and Low Cost Marketing; Call (479) 356-2077, (800) 862-2040.

Sept. 11: River Valley Log A Load for Kids Fish Fry Fundraiser; begins 4 p.m., Boys and Girls Club; drawings, proceeds benefit Arkansas Children’s Hospital; info: Kevin Tuckfield (501) 354-2461.

Sept. 11: Ballroom Dance Party, Dance With Joy Studio, 8-11pm, $10/pp. reservations required, 968.1620; DWJstudio.com.

Sept. 14: Senior Health Expo – Promoting Healthy Aging, 8 a.m. until noon; free health screenings, snacks, vendor booths; Hughes Center. Info: 968-5039 or 857-7863.

Sept. 14-18: Annual Pope County Fair, PC Fairgrounds.

Sept. 17: Country Dance Workshop, Dance With Joy Studio, 8-11pm, $10/pp, reservations required.

968.1620; DWJstudio.com.

Sept. 23: Community Bingo, seniors 55 and older invited; 2-3 p.m. 4th Thurs. of each month; door prizes, grand prize, refreshments; Wildflower, 240 S. Inglewood, Russellville; 890-6709.

Sept. 23: Destination Downtown, THE Welcome Back Event for Arkansas Tech; 5-10 p.m. Open to students, faculty and staff of Arkansas Tech; sponsored by the Russellville Downtown Assoc.; info: 967-1437.

Sept. 25-26: Food and Faith Fair, Jo Luck, speaker. All Saints Episcopal Church, 501 South Phoenix. Info: 968-6286, 968-3622.

Oct. 2: Harvest Fest Bazaar and Dinner, 2-10 p.m.; BBQ dinner, entertainment, games for all ages, silent auction, jumpables, Bingo; St. John’s Catholic School, 967.4644.

Oct. 2: RUSSELLMANIA III by Traditional Championship Wrestling; 7 p.m. L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club, Russellville; info: 880-7371 or www.traditionalwrestling.net. *Unless otherwise indicated, all area codes are 479.

Visit www.aboutrvmag.com for a list of activities updated as they are received. To have your event included in the ABOUT Calendar of Events, email: editor@aboutrvmag. com or fax to (866) 757-3282. Deadline is the 15th of the month preceding publication.

ABOUT...the River Valley | 7

The Path From Africa to Arkansas Story by Christina Keaster Photos by Steve Newby and Sam Strasner

A

s we celebrated our Nation’s independence this past July, we heard the sounds of sparkling blue, white, and red light up the sky. Most Americans have the luxury of not knowing the sound of a grenade setting off, but for Dr. Alexis Nyandwi, an exploding grenade is what woke him up anxiously from his deep sleep… or so he thought. As he sat up from his bed and looked out his window for military presence, he realized he was no longer in Burundi, Africa, but at the University of Pennsylvania on the night of the fourth of July.

Dr. Alexis Nyandwi is a man of experiences, some experiences that will make you envious and others that will fill your heart with thankfulness. Nyandwi grew up with his four older siblings in Rotuvu, Burundi, a small town near the origin of the Nile River. He speaks three languages fluently: English, French, and Kirundi. Kirundi is spoken by natives of Burundi and Rwanda, with no dialect ever formed from it.

Living within two miles of three of Burundi’s former presidents, Nyandwi attended a European primary school where his passion for journalism was built through geography, television, and languages. He passed a rigorous arts and humanities exam to qualify for college, one which most students scored a 50%, Nyandwi passed very well.

“I was the commencement speaker at my high school. The chancellor wrote the speech for me, but I got to deliver it,” Nyandwi recalls. Encouraged by two high school professors to leave the small education potential offered in Burundi, Nyandwi took a scholarship to the University of Oran in Algeria. He studied English and news writing, and received a Bachelor’s degree in English.

Upon graduation, Nyandwi looked for a job and found his place at the National Radio and Television of Burundi in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura in 1993.

“I was fortunate to graduate and find a job after graduation,” says Nyandwi.

Working as a producer of national and international news, Nyandwi describes his job responsibility as ‘busy’. “I produced a show three times per week, had my own show, and interviewed people for current stories during the week.”

In 1994, Nyandwi’s story coverage changed drastically from current stories to one story: the Rwandan genocide. Nyandwi found himself in the middle of the chaos between the two tribes at war, not just reporting the conflict, but dealing with it on a daily basis.

Being calm and minding his own business is how he dealt with the conflict on a daily basis, but that did not keep him from verbal harassment and

news stories because they believed he resembled the opposition.

“That was very scary,” he recalls. The scariness factor sent many reporters to different parts of the world, “They [the reporters] didn’t have the energy to go out into the chaos every day, and it was hard to deal with the tension. The sounds of grenades are something you don’t want to live again.”

The genocide in Rwanda is one memory that Nyandwi will not forget. He worked for the station for another year and a half witnessing death all around him. One before embarking on an opportunity of a of the tribes did not welcome him when lifetime, and a chance to leave the tragedy he traveled to gather information for his surrounding him. >>

“Tech is very friendly. I like all my classes. Global journalism is my favorite topic to talk about.”

“You could feel the tension in the air.

There was a lot of military presence; you didn’t know how it would turn out.”

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September 2010

ABOUT...the River Valley | 9

Affairs. Through the program, Nyandwi was paid to go to school.

“They paid for my housing, food, and education… almost everything!” Receiving the Fulbright Scholarship wasn’t an easy task. Nyandwi waited a year just to hear back from the program with an update that his application had been accepted.

“They offered me to study at Washington State. It felt really good to get accepted and be offered the scholarship. It was depressing to live in Burundi. I had never been to the United States, I was very excited!” He is the only child in his family to leave Burundi and venture out into the world, but that comes as no surprise as Nyandwi was always traveling to Europe as a young adult. Barcelona is his favorite. There is a nice atmosphere there and good weather.

The University of Pennsylvania was where Nyandwi spent three summer months in cultural adjustment training, learning the American lifestyle and how exploding fireworks sound like grenades. After those three months, he started graduate school at Washington State where he double majored in American studies and journalism.

It was at Washington State where his interest for even higher education sparked within him. Nyandwi completed another two years after his Master’s degree and finished with a Doctoral degree in Mass Communication. With eight years of higher education under his belt, he began his teaching career as Dr. Nyandwi.

Dr. Nyandwi began teaching journalism and communication at two east coast colleges and then at Eureka College in Illinois where Ronald Regan graduated. He traveled to Chicago to attend an International Communication Association conference and it was there that he met Dr. Donna Vocate, former Department Head of the Speech, Theatre, and Journalism Department at Arkansas Tech University. She was hiring for a journalism professor and Dr. Nyandwi was hired for the job! He began working in the fall of 2008.

“Tech is very friendly. I like all my classes. Global journalism is my favorite topic to talk about.”

When he isn’t teaching, Dr. Nyandwi enjoys watching the news, Frequenting the U.S. Embassy in Burundi to read about worldwide reading novels, writing, playing basketball, running, and listening to news, he learned about a highly completive program offered to music. Most importantly, he treasures talking to his wife, Nzibariza, students of high academic merit and leadership potential: The and daughter, Anna, who live overseas.

Fulbright Scholarship Program. The program, founded by late With all the experiences he has collected throughout his life, he Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, is sponsored by the desires to do one thing with them — pen them to paper. “I would U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural like to write a book about my life and what I’ve experienced.” n

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 11

history

Parlor Car 3505 END OF THE LINE Story and Photos by Bill Pollard

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n August 2010, one of the newer additions to the Russellville Railroad Historic District celebrated its 80th birthday. It’s not one of the many historic structures, but rather the “green” passenger car located near Stoby’s Depot & Restaurant. This car now serves as the unique headquarters for ABOUT The River Valley Magazine, and was recently featured in Remember the Rock, a national magazine which specializes in the history of railroading’s golden era.

This car was built by the fabled Pullman Car & Manufacturing Company and delivered in August 1930, one of only six such cars purchased by the Rock Island Railroad. In that era, travel meant trains, and a variety of accommodations were offered to passengers, ranging from utilitarian

coach seats to sleeping cars with individual staterooms. Parlor car service was provided on premier trains, offering first class accommodations for daytime travel.

Russellville’s “green” passenger car began its service as Rock Island parlor car number 3505, operating between Chicago and Peoria, Illinois. This service was heavily patronized by businessmen traveling back and forth to Chicago; somewhat comparable to those who today choose to pay extra for first class airline seating.

For frequent train riders, the most popular seats in parlor 3505 were the 24 revolving seats in the main area of the car, each providing extra comfort and much more space than comparable coach seating. The car also included a drawing

room, a private stateroom seating six people, and equipped with a table which could be used for a business meeting or, more frequently, a poker game among some of the regular riders.

At the time that car 3505 was built, airconditioning was a rarity on passenger trains, but in 1935, Rock Island’s fleet of parlor cars was air-conditioned in response to growing public demand for more comfort while traveling.

This car continued to operate between Chicago and Peoria until 1937, when the Rock Island Railroad inaugurated the Peoria Rocket, a new diesel powered, streamlined train.

The Rocket’s arrival allowed several of the 3500 series parlor cars to be shifted to a longer route, operating between Chicago and Des Moines.

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Pullman Builder’s Photo courtesy of Philip A. Weibler Collection

Of greater interest to Arkansans, two of the 3500 series parlor cars were assigned in 1937 to the Hot Springs Limited, the Rock Island Railroad’s premier train operating between Memphis, Little Rock and Hot Springs. The Hot Springs Limited made close connections at Memphis Grand Central Station with Illinois Central trains to and from Chicago, and the route became a favorite of Chicago underworld figures traveling between

September 2010

Chicago and the vacation spot of Hot Springs National Park.

By the late 1940s, older “heavyweight” passenger cars were gradually being replaced by newer streamlined cars. At the same time, passenger train service was being consolidated as government subsidized highways replaced passenger trains as the public’s favored mode of travel. The Hot Springs Limited was discontinued in January 1949, and along with it, the last full parlor car route on the Rock Island.

Like most railroads, the Rock Island was very frugal in reusing surplus equipment, and the 3500 series parlor cars were no exception. Parlor car 3505 was converted to instruction car 1815 in 1951. As an instruction car, this car traveled the Rock Island system as a mobile classroom, with a rules examiner lecturing railroad employees on the book of rules and operating trains in a safe manner. >>

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 13

In 1966, instruction car 1815 was sent to the Rock Island’s large shop complex at Silvis, Illinois, for another conversion. This time, the car was remodeled for work train service, being renumbered as Maintenance of Way car 95047 in the process. In work train service, this car was used as the food car on a wreck train – a train which was kept ready to go, with a crew to clear derailments when they occurred.

The unusual journey of this car continued as it was moved to the railroad’s Biddle shops in south Little Rock in 1979. By this time, the Rock Island was under the control

of a bankruptcy judge, and in early 1980, the railroad was ordered to be liquidated.

Rock Island freight train service in Arkansas ended with the passage of the last Rock Island train through Ola late in the evening of March 29, 1980. Several bankruptcy auctions were held at points along the Rock Island, and Russellville businessman John Harris subsequently purchased this car in an October 1981 auction held at Biddle.

Harris purchased a total of four passenger cars at the auction, reselling one and moving the other three to Russellville.

Two of these passenger cars served as

various restaurants before becoming part of Stoby’s Depot and Restaurant about 1984.

The third car, the original parlor car 3505, underwent a careful interior restoration, and now serves as the headquarters of ABOUT the River Valley Magazine. The history of this car is tied to both the Rock Island Railroad and to Arkansas’ colorful history of Hot Springs. Because of this, the car is quite significant from a historical perspective, and has become a point of interest for those who enjoy history or heritage tourism.

Of the original six Pullman built parlor cars acquired by the Rock Island, only the 3505 has survived to the present day.

Additional information on this car, or on the other cars used by Stoby’s Restaurant, can be found in Remember the Rock magazine, Volume 6 number 1, 2010, www. andoverjunction.com.

Editor’s Note: We are very grateful to Mr. Bill Pollard for contacting ABOUT Magazine and touring our beloved “green train car.”

His article provides an answer to many questions posed by current train car owners David and Patti Stobaugh, owners of Stoby’s Restaurant and pattiCakes Bakery located within the adjacent block. For additional information, Bill may be reached via email at: arkrail@sbcglobal.net. n

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September 2010

Open House Unveils New Surgical Center Central Arkansas Surgical Center has opened its doors in Russellville. The facility was formed through a partnership between local Russellville physicians and Meridian Surgical Partners, LLC, based in Nashville, Tenn. The 7,500 square foot multi-specialty outpatient surgical facility is located at 151 East Aspen Lane at the intersection of East Aspen Lane and Hwy 7 (North Arkansas Avenue.)

Central Arkansas Surgical Center is a state-of-the-art facility with two operating suites and one procedure room. The facility will provide same-day/outpatient surgical procedures in orthopedics, otolaryngology, pain management, podiatry, and spine.

To celebrate the upcoming opening of the center, the public was invited to an open house event at the facility on Thursday, August 19. Refreshments were served and a facility tour was available.

“We are excited about the development of Central Arkansas Surgical Center. This centrally located, state-of-the-art facility will provide patients with an efficient, comfortable, and cost-effective alternative for their outpatient surgical procedures. This is a great addition to the community and we look forward to opening our doors and creating value for our patients,” said Owen Kelly, M.D., founding partner and orthopedic surgeon at Central Arkansas Surgical Center.

F. “Buddy” Bacon, Jr., chief executive officer for Meridian Surgical Partners.

Meridian Surgical Partners aligns with physicians in the acquisition, development, management, and turnaround of multispecialty ambulatory surgery centers and surgical facilities. Meridian acquires interests in established physician-owned outpatient surgical facilities and partners with physicians to build new surgery centers. Meridian empowers physicians to reach the highest level -- the meridian -- of a partnership opportunity.

Founded by veterans of the healthcare industry with the vision of creating a superior model for outpatient surgery, Meridian Surgical Partners is It is our hope that the opening of headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., this facility will be a milestone for the approximately 15 miles south of Nashville. community and benefit all patients and For more information about Meridian, physicians who utilize it,” added David visit: meridiansurgicalpartners.com. n “Our company has worked diligently with the founding physicians and other development partners to make the vision of Central Arkansas Surgical Center a reality.

“This centrally located, state-of-the-art facility will provide patients with an efficient, comfortable, and cost-effective alternative for their outpatient surgical procedures.”

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 15

family

For Better or Worse...

Story by Kechia Bentley

As I write this it is July 17, 2010. Twenty-six years ago, on July 17, 1984, my husband asked me to marry him. It was a Wednesday evening and we were watching the sunset on Clearwater Beach, Florida. It was definitely not the typical marriage proposal.

Let me set the scene for you.

We had been to church earlier in the evening, and when church was finished everyone decided to go the movies. Donald didn’t want to go; I did. He wanted to go to the beach and watch the sunset – something we did all the time. Needless to say, we had a little tiff. Of course, I had no idea he had an engagement ring in his pocket. He was so intent on going to the beach that I reluctantly told my girlfriends, “I have to go with him.”

Once at the beach Donald grabed the blanket and we began to walk to a quite, less populated area. I had developed a slight, loving sarcastic attitude – yes, there is such a thing. Remember all our friends were at the movies and I thought we should be too.

It was a beautiful sunset and after we had diamond for my ring. Let’s just say it was been cuddling and talking for a short bit a amazing. That engagement lasted four family with small children walked by. Donald months. (Yes, I gave the ring back.) looked at me and said very seriously, “I So, imagine with me if you will. It has only want you to be the mother of my children.” been eight months since the end of my last For a moment the funny sarcastic part of engagement and I am excitedly running into my brain went into overdrive. Remember he the house announcing, “I am engaged!” said, “I want you to be the mother of my To say the news was met with very little children” not “Will you marry me?” So did enthusiasm is an understatement. On he just want me to be his “baby momma” the phone with one of my cousins, I was or was this a marriage proposal? Oh, all the informed that several family members who funny one-liners running through my head, were present said they would get excited but I opted for the more serious tone of the when I was actually walking down the aisle. moment as I saw him pull the diamond ring Now remember, I have a crazy sense of out of his pocket. Yep, he wanted me to humor so I actually thought that was funny. marry him, not just breed with him.

I, of course, said yes, but as you can see I have added the funny side of the story to every retelling of, “So how did your husband propose?” It fits perfectly with that lovingsarcastic attitude of mine.

Like all newly-engaged girls, I wanted to rush and tell my friends and family that I My dear husband-to-be did not! He took a would be getting married. That, too, has a lot of teasing that evening about my past history with engagements, and even though little twist to it.

You see, by the time Donald asked me he knew all of the details, he later confessed to marry him, it was engagement number hearing everyone talk about it made him a three for me. I wasn’t exactly the runaway little anxious. bride – I was the young girl in love with As they say, the third time is a charm and this one stuck – for better or worse. being in love.

Fiancée number one was a fellow student Now to make the story even better, my at the University of South Carolina. It lasted dear husband-to-be was unemployed at the time of his proposal. My poor mother all of five months.

Fiancée number two was a seminary who had just lost her husband -- my daddy student I had know all of my life. He was -- the year before was now faced with the five years older than me and from a well- prospect of a son-in-law with no job. Just established Florida family. I picked out the what every mother-of-the-bride wants to

say when her friends and relatives ask, “What does he do?” “Oh, he is unemployed at this time.” Lovely conversation, isn’t it?

It didn’t help matters that it took until October 13th -- my 21st birthday -- for him to find what would be considered a respectable job. But this is one of those ‘be careful what you ask for,’ because the job was in New York – Long Island, New York.

Not only had this 26-year-old unemployed ex-navy sailor asked my dear mother’s 20-year-old daughter to marry him, but now he was announcing on her 21st birthday that he was taking her to New York! This did not sit well at all.

“So did he just want me to be his ‘baby momma’ or was this a marriage proposal?”

16 | ABOUT...the River Valley

My mom very quickly decided this was not the man for me. My dear momma thought I was marrying a deadbeat that was going to take me far away and force me to live in poverty. Fortunately, my husband’s fears and my mother’s fears were both unfounded. I did actually walk down the aisle on Dec. 29, 1984.

And my husband has turned out to be anything but a deadbeat. He has provided me with an amazing and comfortable life.

The real twist to this story is we now all joke that my mother likes Donald better than she likes me. I can understand that.

Thanks, honey, for all the great stories. n September 2010

Fish Fry Fundraiser

community

The River Valley Log A Load for Kids is hosting a 2010 Fish Fry Fundraiser at the L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club in Russellville on Saturday, Sept. 11. This event will raise money for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The club is located at 600 East 16th Street.

Since the program came to Arkansas in 1993, members of the forestry community and loggers have lead the way with hosting annual fund raisers and have demonstrated their commitment to Arkansas’s Children by raising almost $5 million for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The program is sponsored by the Arkansas Forestry Association in cooperation with the Arkansas Timber Producers Association.

Miss Arkansas USA 2010, Adrielle Churchill, will join in this important fund raising effort. She is actively involved with her family’s Tree Farm at Dover and is an accomplished speaker and writer.

The Mayor of Russellville, Tyrone Williamson, signed a recent proclamation declaring the month of September as River Valley Log-A- Load For Kids month.

The event begins at 4 p.m. followed by the fish fry, guest speakers, live and silent auctions and results from the raffle items. Last year the organization raised over $81,000 for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The main drawing item is a Bad Boy UTV, customized for this event.

Table sponsors, items for auction and event sponsors are also being sought.

Items to be donated, UTV drawing tickets and and event tickets are available at any of the timber industry and sawmill offices in the River Valley. Information is available by calling Allen Farley (501) 354-2461 or Terri George at (479) 968-4986. All proceeds support Arkansas Children’s Hospital. All donations are tax deductible.

Fall Fest, Chili Cookoff Oct. 30

The streets of Russellville’s Downtown Historic District will host the 19th Annual Downtown Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff on Saturday, Oct. 30. Started in 1992, this oldfashioned street festival has grown up around the Chili Cookoff and offers fun for all ages.

In addition to the CASI sanctioned Chili Cookoff other events include the Omelets & More Breakfast at the American Legion Hut, 5K Run/Walk, Tour de Pumpkin Bike Ride, Old Fashioned Pie Contest, and the Antique, Classic & Custom Car Show. Also included will arts and crafts and exhibit booths.

Lots of kid-friendly activities include game booths, children’s costume contest, children’s parade of wagons, pony rides, and Canine Capers Dog Show.

As always, live music and entertainment will take place on the stage in front of the caboose at Depot Park and there will be lots of great festival food. Admission to the 19th Annual Downtown Fall Festival is free.

For information contact the office of Main Street Russellville, 320 W. ‘C” St. at the Depot, (479) 967-1437, msrsvl@centurytel. net. Registration forms are available online at www.mainstreetrussellville.com.

‘Promoting Healthy Aging’

The 2010 Senior Health Expo will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at the Hughes Center in Russellville. The purpose of the event, designated to help in “Promoting Healthy Aging,” is to provide free health screenings, including blood pressures, blood sugar, bone density, grip tests, pulse oxygen, eye exams and depression screenings.

Snacks, refreshments and door prizes will be provided.

The event begins at 8 a.m. and ends at noon and will offer a number of vendor booths with services available to and benefitting senior adults.

Those interested in hosting a booth ($10 fee per table) must reserve space no later than Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. Contact Terri Fuller at the Pope County Senior Activity Center, 1010 North Rochester Avenue, Russellville for forms and information.

Questions regarding the health expo may be answered by calling (479) 968-5039 or (479) 857-7863.

Food and Faith Fair Sept. 25-26

All Saints Episcopal Church, 501 South Phoenix, Russellville, Arkansas will host a weekend Food and Faith Fair, free and fun, for families and individuals on Sept. 25-26.

The goal of the event is to raise awareness about local and global hunger, while offering information about how our daily food choices affect our own health, and the health and food security of our neighbors at home and around the world.

A day of fun and learning will be offered: workshops on cooking, gardening and healthy foods; films; panel discussions about faith and food; and much more.

A local foods supper will be served in the evening with guest speaker, Jo Luck, president of Heifer International. Friar Tom Chesterman, spokesman for Food for the Poor, will preach Sunday morning.

Any monetary donations generated by the event will go to developing All Saints’ Edible Churchyard into a community garden; to local and global food projects like Manna House; Food for the Poor; Heifer International; and to related educational events.

“If you share our interest in hunger issues, in sustainable local agriculture, or in education related to food and good health, and would like to participate in our event please contact us right away,” urge organizers. For information, contact Carolyn McLellan, 968-6286 or All Saints’ Episcopal Church, (479) 968-3622. n

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 17

It Feels Like Coming Home Story by Mary Clark, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for UACCM Photos courtesy of UACCM and Steve Newby

A

s Dr. Larry Davis prepares to take over the reins as the newest chancellor of the University of Arkansas Community College (UACCM) at Morrilton, he reflects on a childhood that laid the foundation for this moment in history.

The experience of growing up as an auto mechanic’s son carried a lot of weight when Davis was setting his academic goals and future career path. Davis’ father knew first-hand the importance of working in a technical trade, possessing skills that require both a practical mind and a savvy hands-on approach. While watching his father tinker around on cars as a vocation or for fun, Davis came to understand that the payoff from vocational-training could be rewarding both personally and professionally.

Although his hometown of Shawnee, Okla., was the location of two liberal arts colleges, St. Gregory’s University, a private Catholic university as well as the state’s first college, and Oklahoma Baptist University, an institution founded in 1910, Davis wound up attending East Central University in Ada, Okla., majoring in mathematics.

It was while working on his master’s degree in math at Oklahoma University and teaching freshman math classes there as a teaching assistant, he found his first love was in the education field. A year later, he combined his love for teaching math with his recognition of the importance of technical trades by going to work at the OSU Technical College in Okmulgee, Okla., teaching applied math as well as college-transfer courses.

As a youngster growing up in Shawnee, a town located on Interstate 40 just 30 miles east of Oklahoma City, Davis observed that his parents were “big-time Arkansas fans.” Davis said they took all of their vacations throughout the years to various parts of Arkansas and relished the natural beauty and friendliness of the state. Davis has noticed both Oklahomans and Arkansans exude a warm, embracing attitude that seems to run across state lines and run border to border in each state.

18 | ABOUT...the River Valley

His parents had eventually planned to retire in Arkansas but didn’t get the opportunity before his father passed away in 1997. However, the immense love of a state by his parents would in due course lead Davis to plant his roots in the land of opportunity, a nickname for Arkansas that would ring true in not only a philosophical but realistic way.

One of the greatest life-changing events of Davis’ life came when he and his brother were both diagnosed with polio, the viral infectious disease that was one of the most dreaded and feared illnesses for children growing up in the early to mid-fifties.

September 2010

Prior to Jonas Salk’s critical development of a vaccine, polio left thousands of children and adults paralyzed, and Davis’ brother was not spared the disease’s devastating effects. Although his brother never walked again after he contracted the disease, Davis was luckier, with his symptoms eventually going away. He was left with noticeable irregular chest curvature and an enlarged sternum, but was able to walk again after the symptoms disappeared.

However, the magnitude of the illness had a profound impact on his family. Davis said circumstances of that nature slant one’s

Davis said from 1967 to 1973 he had a 1957 Chevy that his father, the auto mechanic, promised to keep running for him providing reliable transportation back and forth to work and to school.

“My parents told me I would have to get a job and earn my tuition money, but I wouldn’t have to worry about the logistics of getting to my classes,” said Davis, adding when he tells that story now, people remark about how “cool” that must have been to have a ’57 Chevy.

However, Davis said with a smile, “Back then it was just a 13-year old car.”

“More than anything, it’s about the students and a commitment to each individual achieving his or her goals.” perspective on disability issues and the way people handle obstacles.

He stated, “My brother never complained once about the fate life had handed him. He simply used his experiences to help others, eventually working for the Governor’s Disability Commission in Oklahoma and later for the Oklahoma Employment Office in Shawnee for many years until his death two weeks before Christmas in 2000.”

Davis recounted once complaining to his mother about having to carry around his brother everywhere he went, struggling to physically lift both the young man and his cumbersome wheelchair into his car.

Davis reflected his mother looked him in the eye and asked simply, “Well, would you like to trade places with him?” The answer was obvious and stuck with Davis to this day. Davis stated his brother was a “great guy and my hero.”

Davis said his mother had always wanted to go to college, but never had the opportunity to do so. The era in which she grew up reflected a time when most college students were from affluent families with the resources to cover tuition, room and board, and other expenses before the emergence of the grants and loans available today.

Although his mother couldn’t achieve that dream for herself, she strongly encouraged her son to continue his education beyond high school. Davis said it was more like a command than a request; he was expected to take that next step into post-secondary education upon receiving his high school diploma.

Davis set out to East Central State College in Ada, Okla., with strong family support and an eye on the future. Located 45 miles south of Shawnee, Ada was close enough for comfort but far enough away to allow for a little independence.

September 2010

Davis completed his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in mathematics and minors in history and English in May 1971.

After earning his undergraduate degree, Davis went on to complete 18 graduate hours of math courses from the University of Oklahoma in Norman from 1971 to 1972. He taught as a graduate assistant in the Mathematics Department at Norman during this time, In 1972-73 he taught 8th through 12th grade math at Weleetka Public Schools in Weleetka, Okla. In 1973, he began his career at OSU-Okmulgee in Okmulgee, Okla., where he would stay for 31 years, rising through the ranks from a math instructor to department head, and eventually, division chair.

In May 1980, Davis completed his Master of Science degree in occupational and adult education at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater where his thesis topic was the integration of computerassisted instruction into the classroom at OSU-Tech. In May 1988, Davis earned his doctorate of education from OSU-Stillwater, realizing his and his parents’ dream of reaching the pinnacle of academics.

Davis got a first-hand opportunity to work in an institution which focused on technical education at OSU-Okmulgee (now Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology). As the technical branch of the Oklahoma State University System, the campus is known for its hands-on technical training, world-class equipment, and unique partnerships with industry.

This technical aspect of education sparked Davis’ interest due to his family’s background and also gave him the opportunity to delve into several areas new to him: formulating business and industry partnerships and fundraising in the form of grants and development. >>

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 19

Dr. Larry Davis points to his father’s name on the donor plaque at the Transportation Technology Building.

Davis served as a division chair at OSU for six years, honing his skills as an administrator, leader, and manager supervising faculty in both the Arts and Sciences and the General Studies and Business Technologies Divisions. In 2004, he saw an advertisement from Arkansas State University (ASU)-Newport seeking a vice chancellor for academic affairs. Davis applied for the job and was selected for the position that February. He said that when he moved to Newport, he “didn’t know a soul. But, the people were so friendly, and literally adopted me as one of their own.”

Davis is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of ASUNewport’s instructional programs, both technical and university-transfer. He has supervised the division/department chairs for general education and occupational

Celebrating almost

50

years

programs, criminal justice and prison programs, business and transportation programs, and distance education for the past six years. He has also provided oversight to the admissions and records office, library/ learning resource center, and business outreach/continuing education programs.

During his tenure at Newport, the college has added several new programs, including the state’s only high voltage lineman program and a state-of-the-art outdoor underground lab. Davis was instrumental in advancing the college’s health programs, creating a surgical tech program that will begin this fall, and working as part of a chief academic officers’ group that developed an eight-college consortium LPN to RN bridge program. His involvement with the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium (ADTEC) group in the areas of manufacturing and renewable energy is another of his biggest achievements.

He will be leaving Newport with a legacy of six years of success that can be seen in new programs, new partnerships, and relationships developed with employees and students. One of his most special memories is making a contribution to ASUNewport’s Student Community Center, which allowed his late mother’s name to be placed on the donor plaque in memoriam.

He followed that donation with a gift to the college’s transportation building, thereby

honoring his father by setting his name in stone on that donor wall. He said the permanent listing of their names on the buildings is a “great tribute” and he thinks it would definitely please them both.

As Davis prepares for his move to Morrilton, he is excited about the possibility of creating relationships with businesses and industry in the region to foster new job creation and economic development.

He believes community involvement is an essential part of developing those relationships. He said, “I am involved because I believe the college and the community have to be partners for both to be successful.” Davis continued, “More than anything, it’s about the students and a commitment to each individual achieving his or her goals.” His mantra has always been, “It’s not about us, it’s about them.”

Davis is headed to the area with optimism, enthusiasm, and energy, excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. He is also thrilled about the fact that he will be several hours closer to his daughter, Sara, who still resides in Ada. Sara and her husband have already planned an October trip to Morrilton to visit dad in his new home. His son, Ryan, lives in Los Angeles where he works for Warner Entertainment, but Davis said he will keep encouraging him to come to Arkansas and spend a little time in the state that has always held a special place in his family’s heart. n

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20 | ABOUT...the River Valley

J O URN EY WI TH MEANING

September 2010

1

2

3

ABOUT

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4

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Other prints available. Another Arkansas product carried by Gifts on Parkway/Gifts on Rogers; 2149 E. Parkway, Russellville (479) 890-6932; 510 S. Rogers, Clarksville (479) 705-8282

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September 2010

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 21

food

celebrating the perfect

pear

GINGER PEAR PRESERVES

by Dianna Qualls About the River Valley Food Editor

W

hen we moved into our home some 24 years ago, we decided to plant two pear trees. One of those trees survived with a struggle for two years and never produced any fruit. The other tree has somehow managed to hang in there all these years. In the early years it produced an abundance of pears the size of softballs. Now it doesn’t produce as many and they are the size of baseballs, yet they have never lost their crisp, sweet, juicy taste. Last year our tree produced maybe five pears; this year it is hanging full and I can hardly wait to enjoy them.

My ginger pear preserves, I must say, are awesome -not bragging just stating a FACT. Ha-ha I gave my Uncle Joe a few half-pints of the preserves two years ago. He called me back and thanked me for the tasty preserves but wondered why I had put the preserves into “single serving jars”. He is quite the character and is my favorite uncle, so this year I may have to use gallon jars just for him.

Enjoy the recipes. Pears are as versatile as apples so most recipes that call for crisp, tart apples, can be used for pears. Last, but not least if you have thickened juice left from the preserves use it as you would syrup, on pancakes, hot buttered biscuits, your fingers. Yum! Yum!

3 lbs. pears peeled, cored, sliced 3 ½ c. sugar 1 ½ tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger Juice of 1 small lemon Place sliced pears into a large bowl. Pour sugar on top completely covering the pears DO NO STIR. Allow to stand at room temperature overnight.

Pour bowl of pears and their juice into a large pot, add ginger, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until

PEAR NUT BREAD 2 or 3 ripe pears ½ c. salad oil 1 c. sugar 2 eggs 2 c. sifted flour ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. vanilla ¼ c. sour cream ¾ c. chopped nuts

thickened, and pears are tender, clear and caramel colored and liquid is the consistency of honey, approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Pour boiling preserves into hot sterilized pint jars, leaving ½ inch headroom. Wipe rims clean and seal at once with sterilized lids.

Turn jars upside down on a towel and leave to cool and seal.

Note: Place sliced pears in acidulated water to retain their color, but drain before placing in the bowl with the other ingredients.

Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes.

Peel and core pears, chop to get 1 cup. In large bowl, beat together oil and sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, sour cream and vanilla.

Sift together dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture; blend well.

Add pears and nuts. Put batter in greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees one hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn onto rack to finish cooling. Makes 1 large or 2 medium loaves.

- Recipe from Cooks.com

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22 | ABOUT...the River Valley

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PEAR FRITTERS

BAKED CARAMEL PEARS

1 T. olive oil 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced 2/3 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1 egg 3 T. milk Oil for deep frying

3 lg. ripe pears 3 T. unsalted butter 3 T. sugar ½ c. whipping cream Pecan pieces for garnish (optional) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Half, core and peel pears. In a flame-proof dish (glass or enamel over metal) put pears round side down. Cut butter into bits and sprinkle on top. Bake 20-30 minutes, basting often.

When pears are tender and pierce easily, they are done.

Remove pears from dish. Leave the juice in and put back into dish any sugar from pear cavity. Set over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce turns brown. Pour in cream; bring to boil. Spoon sauce over pears.

- Recipe from Cooks.com

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the pears until caramelized; set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper; form a well in the center. In a small, separate bowl beat the egg with the milk and pour into the dry ingredients; mix well.

Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees. Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls into hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels. Serve hot.

- Recipe from Allrecipes.com DEBBIE HARRIS’ FRESH PEAR CAKE 3 eggs, beaten 2 T. baking powder ROASTED DESSERT PEARS 1 ¾ c. sugar (no sugar added) 1 tsp baking soda 4 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and 1 c. oil cut in half 2 T. SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated 1 tsp. allspice 1 T. vanilla ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 3 c. raw pears, finely chopped 2 T. fresh lemon juice 2 1/3 c. Flour 2 T. melted butter 1 c. nuts, coarsely chopped ¼ tsp. maple flavoring ½ c. orange juice Combine eggs, sugar and oil in mixing 1 pint low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt bowl. Beat with mixer on medium speed Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange until well mixed. Add vanilla. In another pears cut side down in an 11x7x1½- mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, inch baking dish. Combine SPLENDA® baking soda and allspice. Add to sugar Granulated Sweetener, cinnamon, lemon mixture alternately with the pears. Stir in juice, butter, and maple flavoring. Spoon chopped nuts. over pears, turning to coat. Pour orange Pour into well greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 375° for 50-55 minutes or juice in bottom of pan around pears.

Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool in pears are tender. Serve warm or at room Pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. When cool, top with temperature with 1 scoop frozen yogurt. >>

- Recipe from Splenda.com Caramel Drizzle.

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 23

CARAMEL DRIZZLE ¼ c. butter 1 c. (or less) powdered sugar ¼ c. brown sugar, firmly packed ½ tsp. vanilla 2 T. milk Pinch salt Melt butter. Cook over low heat until light brown, stirring constantly. Add brown sugar and cook until sugar melts. Remove from heat. Add milk, stirring constantly. Slowly add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.

Beat on medium speed of electric mixer until it reached glaze consistently. Pour over cooled cake. Enjoy!

BAKED PEARS ELEGANTE

1 ¾ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. ground ginger ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. salt ½ c. whole milk 1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract 8 T. unsalted butter, softened 1 c. packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9”x2” round cake pan (don’t use a springform pan, as the caramel might leak out during baking).

Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment and butter the top of the paper.

4 medium pears 1 c. red wine 1 c. sugar 3 inch stick cinnamon 6 whole cloves ¼ tsp. salt 6 thin slices lemon

Make the topping Peel, core, and cut the pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the pear slices on the bottom of the pan in a circle around the edge, overlapping them slightly, with the pointed ends towards the center. If necessary, cut a little off the pointed ends to make the slices fit better. Or if the pear Pare, half and core pears; place in 10 x 6 x slices don’t reach all the way to the middle, 1 1/2 inch baking dish. In saucepan, combine arrange a few of the shorter slices in the remaining ingredients. Pour over pears. Bake, center to cover the bottom of the pan. covered at 350 degrees, 20 minutes.

Make the Basic Caramel according to the Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or directions. until pears are tender, basting once or twice Immediately remove the pan from the heat to glaze pears. Serve hot or chill and top and whisk in the 4 tablespoons of butter one with whipped cream. Makes 4 servings. piece at a time, until they are completely

- Recipe from FineCooking.com melted. Carefully pour the hot caramel evenly over the pears (it should spread over CARAMELIZED PEAR UPSIDEthe pears and onto the bottom of the pan.)

DOWN CAKE Make the cake batter. Sift the flour, This is worth the effort to make. baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and Softened unsalted butter for the pan salt into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and For the topping: vanilla. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted 2 medium firm-ripe pears (about 1 lb.) with the paddle attachment, beat the butter 1 recipe Basic Caramel (see below) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 T. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces about 1 minute.

For the cake: Turn the mixer to medium and slowly add the 1 ½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour brown sugar. Increase the speed to high and

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Basic Caramel: 1 c. granulated sugar ¼ tsp. fresh lemon juice Fill a cup measure halfway with water and put a pastry brush in it; this will be used for washing down the sides of the pan to prevent crystallization. In a heavy-duty 2-quart saucepan, stir the sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup cold water. Brush down the sides of the pan with water to wash away any sugar crystals.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan, until the mixture starts to color around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes.

Gently swirl the pan once to even out the color and prevent the sugar from burning in isolated spots. Continue to cook until the sugar turns medium amber, about 30 seconds more. (Once the mixture begins to color, it will darken very quickly, so keep an eye on it.)

- Recipe from FineCooking.com

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continue to mix until lightened in texture and color, 2 to 3 minutes total. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and alternate adding the flour mixture and milk mixture in five additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix each addition just enough to incorporate, as over-mixing will lead to a tougher cake. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix briefly to blend well.

Spoon the batter in large dollops over the pears and smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula.

Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Turn a cake plate upside down on top of the cake pan and, using pot holders, carefully invert the cake pan onto the plate.

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September 2010

GRILLED FONTINA SANDWICHES WITH PROSCIUTTO AND PEAR WITH OVEN-BAKED FRIES Fries: 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into fries, 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick 2 ½ tsp. salt Freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 T. olive oil, plus more for brushing Preheat an oven to 500ºF. On a Silpatlined baking sheet, stir together the potatoes, salt, pepper and the 2 T. olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes, gently flipping the fries with a spatula after 15 minutes of cooking.

Sandwiches: 8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter 12 slices firm white bread, brioche or challah ¾ to 1 lb. fontina cheese, sliced 6 slices prosciutto (baked ham may be substituted) 1 ripe pear, such as Bartlett First, clarify the butter: Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat, watching carefully so it does not burn.

Remove from the heat and let stand briefly, then, using a spoon, skim off and discard the foam from the surface. Carefully pour off the clear yellow liquid into a bowl. Discard the milky solids left behind in the pan.

Lay six slices of the bread on a work surface and top evenly with the cheese, 1 slice of prosciutto (ham) and the pear slices.

Top with the remaining bread.

Brush a wide sauté pan or stovetop grill pan generously with the clarified butter and warm over medium heat. When it is hot, place as many sandwiches as will fit in the pan without crowding and weight them down with a pan lid. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes.

Adding more butter as needed, carefully flip the sandwiches, replace the lid, and

GRILLED BRIE, TURKEY & PEAR SANDWICHES One-half ripe pear cored and thinly sliced 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 ½ c. shredded cooked turkey or chicken 1 ½ tsp. lightly chopped fresh thyme leaves Eight ½ - ¾ -inch-thick slices artisan-style whole-grain sandwich bread 2 T. Dijon mustard 8 oz. Brie, sliced 4 tsp. unsalted butter, softened In a small bowl, toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Heat a large skillet or griddle over low heat.

Meanwhile, toss the turkey and thyme in a medium bowl. Spread each bread slice with mustard. Arrange half of the Brie on four slices of the bread. Layer the pears over the Brie. Mound the turkey mixture on top of the pears, layer on the remaining Brie, and top with the remaining bread slices mustard side down.

Lightly spread the tops of the sandwiches with half of the butter and set them, buttered side down, in the heated skillet (if necessary, cook the sandwiches in two batches.)

Set a large heavy skillet right on top of the sandwiches and put 2 lb. of weights (canned goods work well) in the empty skillet. Cook the sandwiches until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes.

Remove the weights, butter the sandwich tops, and turn the sandwiches over. Replace the skillet and weights and continue to cook until the second side is golden brown and the cheese is oozy, about 4 minutes longer.

Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.

- Recipe from FineCooking.com

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PEAR-GINGER MUFFINS 1 ¾ c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt 2/3 c. firmly packed golden brown sugar 1 tsp. ground ginger 1 T. peeled and grated fresh ginger 2/3 c. finely chopped crystallized ginger 2 eggs 1 c. milk 6 T. unsalted butter, melted 1 ¼ c. chopped, peeled pear (about 1 large) Preheat an oven to 425°F. Butter 12 standard muffin cups or line with paper liners.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, ground ginger, fresh ginger and 1/3 cup of the crystallized ginger. Set aside.

To make the batter by hand, in a bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Stir in the milk and butter. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Fold in the pear. Do not over-mix.

To make the batter with an electric mixer, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk and butter and beat on low speed just until blended. Add the flour mixture and beat just until moistened. Fold in the pear. Do not over-mix.

Recipes cont. on page 33

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cook on the other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes more. The cheese will have melted. Remove the sandwiches from the pan and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 25

ties that bind

Greyhounds Bring Life Back to Family, Farm

Story and Photos by Tonda Bradley

W

hen Carmen Jorgensen drove past the family farm every day, she mourned the fact that the farm was no longer being used and that her family had scattered. When her husband, Wayne, passed away after 48 years of marriage, the family hog farm had closed. She and her daughter, Sonja Green, continued to run their business, Copper Pig, in the City Mall, but she missed the times that the whole family would work together on the farm.

The boys, son-in-law Robert Green and son Wade Jorgensen, had started working in the nuclear field, and were gone quite often.

“The land was just sitting there, not being used, and it just didn’t seem right”, she stated.

Carmen was on a trip to Iowa for a family reunion when a solution for the family farm was presented.

“I usually cut across country to Des Moines to get on I-35 to come home,

but this time I took a different route.

Actually it was a longer route. I always listen to AVHO radio out of Des Moines, but this time dad and I were listening to AMES radio. The head of the Iowa State Board for Racing dogs and Horses was speaking about Greyhounds, and how easy it was for a mother or a child to get into the business.”

“Alan Hill, who had been raising Greyhounds for 25 years came on and told us that you can’t feel bad, because when you get up every morning, your dogs are waiting for you, and they just make your day. I was hooked,” recalled Carmen.

“I called the next morning and spoke with Alan, and he invited me to Iowa to see his kennel. I went to Iowa the following week and spent half the day with him. He assured me he would help get me started in the business, and on the first of November, I got my first dog, Regal Rose Bud, better known as Rosie.”

Rosie was sent to Abilene to be bred with a top sire, Dodgem By Design, and had 12 puppies in her first litter. Then Carmen bought an additional 12 puppies from a kennel in Kansas. She was in the greyhound business.

“It is so exciting” states Carmen. “I was never much of a dog person, but I love my dogs. It has brought our entire family back to the farm. Our morning starts at 7:30 a.m.

We all meet at the kennels for our first visit of the day. We talk to and pet the dogs. We then mix their food, which is a mixture of 1.5 pounds of fresh meat and vitamins.

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The dogs are fed this only in the mornings.

They eat from self feeders for the rest of the day. Their water is checked and they are loved and petted, and then loved and petted some more. They are very loving, sweet dogs, says Carmen.

“We then all go to our regular jobs, and meet back at the farm in the evenings to check on the dogs again. We walk them, teach them to lead and get them used to a collar.”

“Everyone in our family is involved,” says Sonja. “My brother Wade, his wife Beth, and her two children, Jordan, 12, and Dakota, 18, also work with us. My husband, Robert helps every day and our daughter Britni, who is a pharmacist in Memphis, is right there with us when she is home.”

“Sunday is bath day” says Beth. “It is just such a joy to watch everyone get involved with bath day” chuckles Carmen. “All the dogs get scrubbed down with Dawn and we all get filthy, but it is so much fun.”

The dogs are kept in pens that have runs that are 340 feet long by 15 feet wide. There are three dogs to every pen, and each pen includes a house that Robert and Wade built. They are taken to the vet regularly and Carmen estimates that by the time the dogs are released to go to the trainer, she has invested around $2,200 to $2,500 in each dog. After training, the dogs are sent to the kennel at a track to race. Most of Carmen’s dogs race at Southland in Memphis.

“When the dogs are sent to the track, they become the property of the kennel there,” states Robert. “Those kennels are extremely clean, and the dogs are very well cared for.”

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September 2010

“Greyhounds love to run,” says Carmen.

“They are natural runners, and they love to compete. Even here on the farm, they run up and down their runs and compete with each other. I think most people have a misconception of the track. The dogs are exercised four-to-five times per day, well fed, and have a personal groomer and trainer. The kennels are air-conditioned and the dogs are checked by vets regularly.”

“I have a pass to the track and can go check on my dogs whenever I want.

Our family goes to the track often on weekends to see our dogs run. When a dog wins, the breeder and the kennel split the purse. When your dogs win, it is such a proud moment. They are like your children; their accomplishment is your accomplishment.”

“The dogs typically race at the track for about four years, then they come home, and we place our dogs for adoption. They make wonderful, loving pets.”

“One of the best things about this business is the people. We have met so many people that have helped us.” says Carmen. “When I first started, I knew nothing about the business, so I called the track and they put me in touch with a man by the name of Darby Henry, who has been in the business for over 50 years.”

“He invited me to his home and he and his wife gave me great advice on my dogs.

He has been to my kennel four times to see my dogs. Our meat suppliers, Robert Hume and Mike Harris, have helped with any feeding questions we have had, and has made suggestions for us. These people have helped make my business successful.”

Breeding is a vital part of the greyhound business. Originally greyhounds were bred for royalty as hunting dogs.

“Wade takes care of our breeding programs,” states Carmen, “Most of the work is done on computer. We look for things like a fast starter, a spirited dog, etc. When a pup is 12 weeks old, they are ‘tattooed’ in their ears. The association is very strict on the eartagging procedure. The information on the ear tags includes our kennel name (CBJ), the date of birth, litter number, markings, toe nail colors, along with other information.

The Jorgensens and Greens make this a family night too. Sonja, Jordan and Dakota transfer the pups back and forth. Beth fills out all the paperwork, and Robert and Wade do the actual tagging.

“We typically breed three different sires.

However, the female is the important part of the breeding process. A total of 80% of the characteristics of a pup come from the dame. Breeding fees can run from $500 to

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One of Carmen’s first litters of pups was bred on November 25th.

“This was the anniversary of mine and Wayne’s first date in 1956 in Iowa,” she says. “He took me to see the movie, ‘Love Me Tender’ with Elvis Presley. We decided to name all the pups with an “Elvis” theme. Their names are, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Presley,’ ‘The King,’ ‘Heartbreak,’ ‘Teddy Bear,’ ‘Lisa Marie.’ ‘Tupelo,’ ‘Elvis,’ ‘Memphis,’ ‘Graceland,’ and ‘Ruppie Doo,’ which is Beth’s son’s nickname.”

“Having these dogs has added purpose back to my life,” states Carmen. “My dogs are such a joy, and they all have such personality.

That moment when they look up at you with those big, brown eyes is pretty special. Most importantly, having these dogs has brought my family back to the farm.” n

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 27

healthcare

Delivering more care to the River Valley As early as high school, Dr. David Nelson knew that the medical community was something he wanted to be a part of. He went to Ouachita Baptist University as a Pre-med major, and, he simply stated, “Was never drawn to anything else.”

David is a 1998 graduate of Russellville High School, and has always enjoyed living in a smaller community. He and his wife, Kristen, met at college and went through medical school at UAMS together. David chose Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kristen, Pediatrics. The couple jokes that they wanted to live “where there is just one football team to yell for,” but also feel that the River Valley is a good fit for their future.

“The main deciding factor for both of us was the physician groups that we are joining. You cannot ask for better doctors anywhere,” said David, who has begun seeing patients at his Millard Henry Clinic office. Kristen will begin her practice with Millard Henry this November.

Dr. Nelson considers Obstetrics and Gynecology to be the perfect mixture of clinical practice and surgery. “I love obstetrics,” he said, “and I want to deliver babies for a very long time. It’s a joy to be a part of this huge event in patients’ lives, and also nice to know that they are usually happy to come to my office.”

On the gynecologic side, “There are so many advancements being made in minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures for conditions such as urinary incontinence and pelvic relaxation,” he said,

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“and it’s exciting to be part of a practice that is really on the forefront in surgical care.”

Dr. Nelson’s dedication to his practice is evident in the numerous honors and awards he received throughout his medical education and residency at UAMS. In his second year of residency, he was voted “Best Teaching Resident” by the first-year class.

In his senior year, the UAMS Obstetrics and Gynecology Department faculty selected Dr. Nelson for three different awards, including “Best Senior Resident for Consistently Exceeding the Obstetrics/ Maternal Fetal Medicine Mission,” “Best Senior Resident for Consistently Exceeding in the Field of Gynecology,” and “Best Senior Resident for Consistently Exceeding the Obstetrics/ANGELS Mission.”

Dr. Vickie Henderson is a board-certified Ob/Gyn, and has been on staff with Millard Henry Clinic and Saint Mary’s for over 15 years. “The residency program at UAMS is very competitive and intense,” she said. “That David received these awards, out of a residency class of just four, is a real statement to his professionalism and personal character.”

Dr. Paul Wendel is the Obstetrics/ Gynecology Residency Program Director and an Associate Professor with UAMS, who worked very closely with and served as a mentor for Dr. Nelson throughout his training.

“David is just one of those young doctors who ‘gets it,’” said Dr. Wendel. “He’s a great

Dr. David Nelson, M.D.

clinician, he’s compassionate, he’s hardworking, and he truly knows and cares deeply about what he’s doing. He also has a tremendous amount of self-confidence, which only grows from experience.”

Dr. Wendel not only spoke highly of Dr. Nelson, but of the Millard Henry Obstetrics and Gynecology practice as a whole.

“Russellville has cornered the market,” he said. “You really have some world-class physicians there.”

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from the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, ANGELS provides guidelines for obstetric and neonatal care.

Using interactive video, weekly telemedicine conferences allow local physicians to confer with specialists at UAMS in real-time about individual cases. These telemedicine consultations allow patients, local physicians, and UAMS physicians to talk together and see each other, bringing specialty support directly to hometowns.

This innovative program is already in use in Saint Mary’s nursery, which offers the pediatric medical staff immediate access to neonatologists and specialists with UAMS. The technology for the ANGELS telemedicine program is currently being installed in the Millard Henry Clinic Obstetrics and Gynecology practice, and will be in place this fall.

Dr. Nelson’s involvement and exceptional success with the ANGELS program during his residency has helped prepare him to care for complex obstetric cases. “Coming out of my residency, I feel I’ve seen just about everything,” he said.

“The medical center sees most of the high-risk referrals from around the state.

These are moms with complications such

as high blood pressure or diabetes, and those carrying twins or triplets or more.

Some are seen at the medical center in Little Rock, but many of these pregnancies are managed through telemedicine.”

According to Nelson, higher-risk obstetric patients from outlying or rural communities are more likely to comply with their physician’s recommendations for healthier pregnancies when they have access to programs such as this.

“This will certainly break down a geographical barrier for some patients in receiving the level of obstetric care they need,” explained Dr. Nelson. “We can manage their care here at home, while still being connected to the specialists and resources of an academic institution.”

Dedicated to Women’s Care Meeting the unique health care needs of women requires having both physicians and services committed to these patients. The skilled and experienced team of women’s healthcare professionals with Saint Mary’s and Millard Henry Clinic includes: Drs. Joe Cloud and Jody Callaway, Gynecology; Drs. Michael Escue, Vickie Henderson, Stephen Lefler, Dean Papageorge, and David Nelson, Obstetrics/Gynecology.

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The ANGELS telemedicine unit in Saint Mary's nursery.

This same type of equipment is currently being set up in the Millard Henry Obstetrics/Gynecology practice.

With comforting environments, advanced medical treatments, and state-of-theart technologies, these physicians offer women the level of quality care needed to help maintain good health through every stage of life. For an appointment call (479) 968-2345. n

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 29

old times

Story and Photos by Jane Barnes

the Bottomless Cup

T

he Brown Derby was a little “Route 66-style” café that sprang up on Highway 64 West in Russellville by the 1970s. It was the sole beacon of food service on the west end of town, thus attracting the local senior coffee and newspaper crowd in the mornings. The Brown Derby was complimented on the east side of town by the Old South Restaurant (rumored to be an Elvis stopover en route to various music gigs in western Arkansas and Oklahoma.) Perhaps he never came through town early enough for a pile of bacon and a plate of biscuits slathered in butter or the Blue Plate special, which was the fare served up at the Derby.

The mystery was in the name. There never was a brown bowler derby or a “Derby” sign at the café. It was simply printed on the menu that was slid into clear plastic covers.

The “Brown” could only have referred to the fine dust from the unpaved parking lot that sifted in with the customers, and that caked the tops of the plastic ivy leaves in the window boxes outsides.

But the Brown Derby, not a cousin to the one in Hollywood of 1934 Vintage, nor with reference to any particular color or to any manner of head covering, had its faithful clutch of coffee drinkers who didn’t care about fussy hats, color-matched décor, or designer coffee. It became the favorite coffee hangout for Bob Breeden and other retirees who loved the bottomless cup, a morning newspaper and the sharing of local news and weather. Bob and his wife Cookie, had moved from Oklahoma to Russellville to spend the retirement years near family, and to make a new set of friends. They played Bridge, too, but morning coffee at the Derby served up friends and conversation, opportunities every day. There was only one kind of coffee served; no latte or espresso,

30 | ABOUT...the River Valley

just hot! Starbucks was decades in the future and light years away in ambience.

The “rustic charm” of the Derby was in its attention to pure café functionality, such as the metal napkin holders with racks for salt and pepper, ketchup and hot sauce. You could sit at the oil cloth-covered tables, or at the counter and be closer to the friendly waitress, (the Philipino wife of the owner/ grill cook) with her winning smile and coffee pot in her hand. The real “charm” was that the Derby attracted any customers at all.

But prices were rock bottom and breakfast would have appealed to the Southerners’ favorite diet of all things flavored with butter and bacon. The Derby attracted Bob (or Granddaddy as we all called him) because of the relaxed atmosphere, fewer people, easy parking and lack of glaring background music. Even the hearing-impaired seniors could hear each other talk.

leaning politician types, a businessman with blue jeans that were starched and creased from the cleaners, and a retired athletic director of gigantic proportions. Blue and white collared all mingled together in a loose-knit kind of coffee fraternity of guys.

Gary Barnes, who was both honored and harassed for being a Professor at Arkansas Tech, sometimes joined bob and the others as an apprentice who was a welcomed “working guy,” just easing toward retirement activities. Coffee klatching, a 50s catch phrase for a casual gathering for coffee and conversation, suited both Bob and Gary and they become bonded friends even after the days of the Brown Derby, and well into Bob’s 97th year. (The observed Bob’s 97th Birthday with a bottomless cup!”)

At the Derby, all subjects were open to discussion or criticism, including local politics, past professions or employers,

“Just enough to warm it up, but not enough to charge me!”

Bob loved to linger with friends over his coffee and newspaper as he had done in Oklahoma in the 1930s, related to his weekly newspaper business, and later in the 50s when he met with constituents as an Oklahoma State Senator. His favorite line to waitresses in Oklahoma (about coffee refills) was “just enough to warm it up, but not enough to charge me!” To his delight, the Derby served a coffee-lover’s dream, the Bottomless Cup. Others enjoyed “rusticating” at the Derby with Bob. They included a teller of legendary gator stories from Mississippi affectionately known as “Mississippi,” an outspoken retired mail carrier, several right-

road construction, (West Main was being enlarged to four lanes,) rural water systems, sports, the weather, price of coffee, and the State of the Union. They hashed over problems as they sipped coffee and munched fried potatoes.

In the 1990s, the Derby closed and simply slipped into history with a retirement decision or a lease problem on the property.

To reunite, the group found solace in the coffee at Hardees down the street. It was a change of venue, change to Styrofoam cups, change from smiling waitress with pot of coffee, to “serve yourself,” and charges for refills. But the conversations continued with most of the same crew.

September 2010

Shortly afterward, the Derby location was reinvented as the Time Out Café. The cooking was more creative, but it had a short run. The owner had been rumored to own a café in Dardanelle where several people had suffered food poisioning. This seemed to turn off potential diners!

In the waning days of the Time Out Café, a lunch order of navy beans was sent back to the kitchen for the cook to taste. He agreed that they were definitely spoiled. The embarrassesd waitress promised a slice of pecan pie in substitute. After a long wait, she sheepishly appeared, saying she didn’t know what to do because the pie was burned on the bottom. Two strikes and this diner was not coming back! Finally, a rougher biker crowd began hanging around the café, and it was finally closed down in a police raid.

More than mere food was being “cooked” in the kitchen. It was a meth lab, right under our noses, requiring years to clean up. Perhaps that explains why the cook was distracted from regular food service.

The last incarnation of a café that tried to make a go of the location served Mango Smoothies and Bistro sandwiches with alfalfa sprouts, etc. Their cute beach motif, hula skirts and bamboo decorations lasted a season or two. But they closed for lack of customers and left a bright yellow and white exterior with green trim sitting vacant and hopeful on Hwy. 64 West. An abandoned surfboard mural is a ghostly reminder of the fun in surf and sand that frolics no more inside the location.

Conversely, the Old South Restaurant on Hwy. 64 East, frozen in time and now smoke-free, continues to spit out KC Sizzling Steaks (according to the red neon signs) and to wait for Elvis to return.

Bob and most of the seniors have passed on but leave a legacy of another era when life lingered over coffee and people spent time in conversations face to face. The experience can be recaptured for an evening in Hot Springs at the Arlington Hotel, a vintage 1875 hotel. One can listen or dance to live jazz music in the Art Deco Lounge/Lobby and sip coffee in a chunky café mug. The only kind of coffee is hot! That’s the way they serve it.

The old Brown Derby of Russellville, that once served eggs, toast, coffee and conversations to the Early Birds, burgers and Blue Plates to the bikers, and smoothies to the next generation now sits vacant and sad again, in it’s lovely yellow and greentrimmed lollipop paint job, waiting for whatever the new year will bring. Could it soar to new heights and offer coffee and even tea? How about a “Route 64” diner with real onion rings and a great soup du jour? Or could they feature a great turkey or chicken sandwich spotlighting our local poultry industry? For now, the old Derby place is a lonely lady, waiting... waiting.

There may be solace in a cup! n September 2010

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ABOUT...the River Valley | 31

Aquatic Conservation Camp Youth ages 10-13 are invited to take part in two fun-filled days and one night of nonstop adventure with the aquatic environment at Lake Dardanelle State Park.

The park will host Aquatic Conservation Experience (ACE) Camp Sept. 10-11.

Participants will develop an understanding and appreciation for the unique aquatic environment at Lake Dardanelle through outdoor adventure and activities.

Friday’s events will begin at 4:30 p.m. and introduce ACE campers to the inner workings of the park aquariums through a behind-the-scenes tour. We will also get to know each other through some fun activities, fishing, and dinner around the campfire. There will many fun-filled activities to explore the diverse aquatic

environment at Lake Dardanelle and ways to conserve this precious resource. After dinner and activities we will retire into the visitor center to “sleep with the fish.”

Saturday will begin bright and early as participants take to the water in the kayaks.

There will be fun, games and a unique aquatic obstacle course, wrapping up with a slide show and awards ceremony at 3 p.m.

This camp is unlike any camp ever offered at Lake Dardanelle State Park. The cost is $65 per camper and includes all meals, activities and an ACE t-shirt. Space is limited.

For information about the Aquatic Conservation Experience Camp or any park n events call (479) 967-5516.

Photos courtesy of Sasha Bowles

Fishing Workshop at State Park Come and enjoy a fun day of fishing with State Park staff on Lake Dardanelle from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2. During this four hour workshop, participants will discuss sport fish identification, local fishing hotspots, and the most popular techniques anglers use to catch the LUNKERS. They will put skills and luck to the test aboard Lake Dardanelle State Park’s new catch and release barge. All fishing tackle will be provided.

Meet the Park Ranger in the classroom of the visitor center. Registration is $25.

Make reservations in advance as seating is limited. To register call the visitor center at (479) 967-5516.

32 | ABOUT...the River Valley

September 2010

Recipes cont. from page 35 Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about three-fourths full.

Sprinkle the remaining crystallized ginger evenly over the tops.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 2 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and let cool completely. Serve warm. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.

- Recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com

RUSTIC PEAR TART 1 large ripe but firm pear, peeled and thinly sliced 1 tsp. plus 1/3 c. all-purpose flour, divided, plus additional for dusting 2 T. sugar, divided ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg 1/8 tsp. salt 1/3 c. whole-wheat pastry flour 1 T. cold unsalted butter 2 T. walnut oil, or canola oil 1-2 T. cold water Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss pear slices, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl.

Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle oil over the mixture and stir with a fork until evenly combined. Add 1 tablespoon water and stir until the dough just stays together when pressed with a fork; add up to 1 additional tablespoon of water if the dough seems too dry.

Line a work surface with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, generously dust with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Form the dough into a small patty, dust the top with flour and roll into a rustic 10inch circle, adding more flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Transfer the crust to a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat in place.

Lay the pear slices in decorative, overlapping circles on top of the crust, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.

Spoon any remaining pear juice over the slices. Pick up the edges of the crust using a spatula and fold over the pears. The crust will not meet in the center.

Bake the tart until lightly browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

- Recipe from Eatingwell.com September 2010

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3521 West Main Street Russellville • 479-967-4107 ABOUT...the River Valley | 33

engagements

Calendar listings of engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements on the pages of each issue of ABOUT … the River Valley are available at no charge. They may be mailed to: ABOUT Magazine, P.O. Box 10176, Russellville AR 72812 or sent via email to: editor@aboutrvmag.com.

(A phone number must be included for verification.)

– Fall wedding (TBA) –

– November 20 –

Ashley Driver and Robert Younger

Hannah Steffy and Robert Pruitt

–September 5–

– December 3–

Ashley Graham and Brad Donaldson

Dakota Dorney and Matthew Cates

–September 18–

–December 11–

Garyn Burton and Sam Hugen Katie Magness and James Austin

Elizabeth Kimbrough and Donny Gill Kelsey Whitlock and Zach Watson

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–September 25–

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Jenna Estes and Josh Rogers

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Audrey Anna Harrell and Jack Mortenson

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–October 9– Whitney Webb and Brock Boozer

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Kayla Avery and Zachary Lynch Elizabeth Lopez and Maverick Dunn Becca Timmons and Ray Conn

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–October 10– Kristin Carr and Aaron Squyers

–October 16– Kalie Knight and Chance Wright Katie Souto and Joe Davidson

–January 1– Brigid Godbold and John Thames Stacey Lee Owens and John Patrick “Bo” Whitaker

– January 8– Melissa Delgado and Justin Singleton

– May 7– Jilliann Jacimore and Matt Johnston Registry listings courtesy of Gifts on Parkway/Gifts on Rogers, Millyn’s of Dardanelle, Copper Pig - Russellville and Bethany’s Design Center

To have your engagement or wedding published in a future issue of ABOUT Magazine, send your information, photo* and a check for $57.50 to: ABOUT Magazine, PO Box 10176, Russellville AR 72812. Word count is limited to 225 words. Deadline is the 15th of the month preceding publication. For additional information, call (479) 970-6628. *Digital files are accepted and will be published upon receipt of payment.

Danielle’s Bridal New Homecoming & Wedding Dresses Arriving Daily!

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www.daniellesbridalshop.com 34 | ABOUT...the River Valley

J shua’s Fine Jewelry

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968-3117 September 2010

Souto, Davidson to Wed

Webb and Boozer to Marry Whitney Brooke Webb and William Brock Boozer, both of Fayetteville, are engaged.

Whitney is the daughter of Mark and Nancy Webb of Fort Smith. She is the granddaughter of Mary Goldie Ross of Ozark, and the late Homer and Bernell Webb. The bride-elect is a 2004 graduate of Southside High School and a 2010 graduate of the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith. She is employed by Washington Regional Hospital as a Registered Nurse.

Brock is the son of Terry and Cristy Boozer of Russellville. He is the grandson of Kay Hazelbaker of Richardson, Texas, and the late Bob Hazelbaker, and John and Barbara Boozer of Granbury, Texas. The groom-to-be is a 2006 graduate of Russellville High School and attended the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Brock is employed by Wal-Mart Pharmacy as a Pharmacy Tech and plans to continue his education at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

The wedding will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010, at Eastside Baptist Church in Fort Smith, with a reception to follow in the fellowship hall. All friends and family are invited to attend. After a honeymoon in Memphis, Nashville, Gatlinburg, and the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, the couple will make their home in Fayetteville.

September 2010

Together with their parents, Katie Souto and Joe Davidson, both of Nashville, Tenn., announce their engagement and approaching marriage.

Katie is the daughter of Jon and Betsy Souto of Russellville. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Virginia Rives of North Carolina and the late Luke Darnell, and the stepgranddaughter of the late Jack Rives. Katie, a 2002 graduate of Russellville High School, completed a master’s degree in accounting at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She is employed as a CPA with Crowe Horwath accounting firm in Nashville.

Joe is the son and step-son of Angel and Charles Durham of Atlanta, and Phillip and Teresa Davidson of Newbern, N.C. His grandmother is Barbara Williams of Knoxville, Tenn.

Joe is a 1998 graduate of North Cobb High School in Atlanta, Ga., and earned a master’s in accounting degree from the University of Tennessee. He is employed as a consultant with KPMG of Nashville.

The wedding is planned for 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 16, at Holstein Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.

Friends and family are invited to attend. Following a honeymoon in Jamaica, the couple will reside in Nashville.

Miller, Fink Wed Katelyn (Katie) Cecile Miller of Russellville and James Matthew (Matt) Fink of North Little Rock were married in an afternoon ceremony at First Baptist Church in Russellville on June 19, 2010.

Dr. Stephen Davis, the bride’s long-time pastor, conducted the ceremony.

Katie is the daughter of Cristy L. Miller of Russellville and the late John N. (Jay) Miller. She is the granddaughter of Donald and Claudette Owens of Russellville, formerly of Fayetteville, and Jack and Jo Anne Miller of Fayetteville.

Matt is the son of Jim and Lisa Fink of North Little Rock. He is the grandson of Audrey White of North Little Rock, and Jimmy and Dixie Fink of Scott.

Amanda Bearden and Jill Sanden, sisters of the groom, served as Matrons of Honor. Bridesmaids included Cassi Krieger, Megan Souto, Summer Russell, Hannah Cuppett and Ashley Wilson, friends of the bride. Presley Harvey was flower girl.

Rusty Wilson, cousin of the groom, served as Best Man. Groomsmen included Josh Bearden and Alan Sanden, brothers-in-law of the groom; Ryan Miller, brother of the bride; and Mason Seelinger, Payton Seelinger and Drew Keathley, friends of the groom.

Following a reception at in the church’s fellowship hall, the newlyweds vacationed at the El Dorado Royal on the Mayan Riveria The couple makes their home in Conway where Katie is employed as a Health and Fitness Specialist with Conway Regional Medical Center and Matt is employed with Rasmussen Tax Group.

ABOUT...the River Valley | 35

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