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Deck the halls 9 Decorating for Christmas is a family tradition

A dream worth catching 17

Little Flat Creek Ranch partners with national program

A magazine dedicated to Southwest Missourians DECEMBER 2012

DECEMBER 2012

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CONTENTS

contents CONNECTION MAGAZINE

December 2012 9 | Deck the halls

Decorating for Christmas is a family tradition

17 | A dream worth catching Little Flat Creek Ranch partners with national program

22 | Boy, that’s a daisy Nearby museum celebrates the world’s most popular BB gun

27 | Hitting all the right notes Josh Jennings is getting gigs and selling songs

33 | Feather trees A collection that tickles the imagination

38 | A soaring sight Bald eagles make their winter home at Roaring River

42 | Ziggy Jack Rabbit A story by Susan Funkhouser

47 | Holiday Gift Guide Shop locally this Christmas

52 | Dream vacation Cassville couples explore Alaska

56 | Christmas memories From the hearts of Connection’s contributors

IN EVERY ISSUE 7

EDITOR’S NOTE

68

MY CONNECTION

13

BOOK REVIEW

71

HEALTHY CONNECTION

45

PROUD PARENT CONTEST

73

LOVIN’ LIFE AFTER 55

51

CONNECTION’S CUTEST PET

74

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

55

UNCORKED

81

STAY CONNECTED

60

FROM THE RECIPE BOX

82

ADVERTISING INDEX

63

DINING DIRECTORY

83

PARTING SHOT

67

FAVE FIVE

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 5

Connection

A MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO SOUTHWEST MISOURIANS

PUBLISHERS Mike and Lisa Schlichtman EDITOR Lisa Schlichtman editor@monett-times.com ART DIRECTOR Veronica Zucca connection@monett-times.com ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Robyn Blankenship Greg Gilliam Sheila Harris Marion Chrysler Cassie Brewer Annie George GRAPHIC ARTISTS Melody Rust

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Connection is a publication of the Cassville Democrat, The Monett Times and Rust Communications.

DECEMBER 2012

EDITOR’SNOTE

A

Send your Connection story ideas to me at editor@monett-times.com. Story ideas and photo submissions are always welcome.

I

am a magazine junkie and always have been. At the University of S A WRITER, I am given insider’s access I think it is especially fitting Missouri School of Journalism where I received my degree, magazine to explore new programs and places I that the Catch-A-Dream article was my chosen sequence. So when we decided to launch would never had known about if I were not is running in our Christmas Connection almost three years ago, I returned to my journalistic constantly on the search for interesting stories to share with our readers. issue. It is my hope that the roots and rekindled my passion for magazines.

Last fall, I received a call from a friend asking me if I knew about an article inspires you to cherish Just like a child can’t resist drooling over the candy display, I incredible program that was taking place right here in Barry County at Bill life in a fresh way as you are find myself eagerly flipping through the pages of the magazines that and Peggy Roller’s Little Flat Creek Ranch. She acquainted me with the reminded of God’s unwavering fill the racks on either side of the checkout aisle. I rarely come Catch-A-Dream program, and I immediately knew it was a story I wanted to love for each of us. Connection’s home from the grocery store without at least one new magazine in pursue personally for Connection.

In honor of the my sack. I love Living by Martha Stewart, More and Self, and I also It took another year to get schedules to mesh and permissions holiday season, the pages subscribe to several regional magazines, such as Inside Columbia and granted, but when I arrived at the ranch in mid-September for the of Connection are full 5280, Denver’s premiere lifestyles magazine. interview, I was welcomed with open arms and given full access to of Christmas cheer and And while the ability to access these magazines online is convenient, I’m old interview the children, families and volunteers. I spent a wonderful inspiration. There is an article fashioned in my love for the actual physical publications that I can hold in my hands. afternoon at the Rollers’ ranch and was introduced to an amazing group of about a Monett woman who collects antique Nothing can replace the pure pleasure I get from flipping through the gorgeous glossy courageous young people and given a glimpse into the huge hearts of our humble feather trees and a Cassville resident who fills pages and earmarking my favorite articles and photos. I also love the option of tearing hosts. her home with an ever-growing collection of out the most inspirational pages and posting them on my refrigerator or mirror. Right I was deeply touched by the children and parents I interviewed. Their spirits seemed Christmas decorations. We have also included now, I have an inspirational photo and quote about the benefits of running hanging on to be soaring as they spoke about their time at Little Flat Creek Ranch. They described the three pages of delicious Christmas cookie my refrigerator that I saved from last month’s Self magazine. thrill of downing a trophy deer and sharing the experience as a family - far away from the recipes as well as a feature on the Daisy Airgun It is my hope that from time to time you have been inspired to clip out a recipe J A N UA R Y sterile world of hospitals and doctors’ offices.

Museum in Rogers, Arkansas, that features or a photo from an issue of Connection. I know some of you also collect past issues of The basic mission of Catch-A-Dream is to provide once-in-a-lifetime dream hunting memorabilia from “A Christmas Story.” I Connection, and several of you have shared with me that you have complete sets of all and fishing experiences to children age 18 and younger who suffer from life-threatening also asked our Connection contributors the issues we’ve printed since our inaugural issue in December of 2009. That is a huge illnesses. The purpose of these adventures is to instill a message of encouragement and to share a favorite Christmas memory or compliment to us, and we greatly appreciate the fact that you value Connection enough Do way you know s hope at a time when these kids need it the most. tradition. I thought this would be a nice to save past copies of the magazine.

From what I witnessed at Little Flat Creek Ranch, Catch-A-Dream is fulfilling its for our readers to connect with the talented who deserves a As I read other regional magazines, I am pleased to report that Connection’s design mission while also touching the lives of the children’s families and the hearts of the individuals who are involved in putting out the and content stack up quite nicely with magazines published in cities far larger than our’s.

If so, email me at ed volunteers who give of their time to support the program. The Rollers have fully embraced magazine each month.

I continue to be very proud of the talented group we’ve assembled who contribute to the Catch-A-Dream message and are giving generously of their resources to promote the With the writing of thistimes.com column, with the p the success of Connection each month -- from the advertising sales representatives who promise found in Isaiah 40:31 -- “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Connection turns 4 years old, and weand arewhy you th photo work hard to make sure we generate the revenue we need to support a free magazine They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not publishing our largest issue ever. This to my incredibly talented art director Veronica Zucca who makes the pages of a new look. Individ be faint.” month’s publication is our Christmas gift to Connection “pop” each month. You guys are the best and make my job easy, and oh invited to nominate Seeing Catch-A-Dream in action was like seeing this message of hope come alive. you, our readers. We wish you a very Merry so, enjoyable.

The and winner I watched children who were coping with life-threatening diseases smile and laugh and Christmas and a Happy New Year, as will recei And while I am pleased with the positive reception Connection continues to makeover enjoy the beauty of the outdoors that surrounded them. For a short time, they were just we head into 2013, we are thankful that to be fea receive, I never want to rest on our laurels. I hope you, our valued readers, will always normal kids, free from diagnoses and doctors, enjoying an afternoon of fishing with the sun Connection is still as wildly popular as it was January 2013 issue o feel free to dialogue with me about stories you’d like to see in upcoming issues of on their faces. when we first launched it back in 2009.

Connection and ways we can continue to grow and expand the magazine. Feedback is always welcome.

NEW Y

new y

MAKEO

CONT

Coming

Send your Connection story ideas to me at editor@monett-times.com.

Story ideas and photo submissions are always welcome.

Keep connecting,

Lisa Schlichtman editor@monett-times.com CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 7

DECEMBER 2012 OCTOBER 2012

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CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY at the Ledgerwood home.

Before the family gathers together for Thanksgiving, Dennis and Charli Jo Ledgerwood have already decorated every room in their charming Cassville home with pieces of an ever-expanding collection of Christmas decorations.

Lighted garlands, accented with gold bows and covered in hundreds of colored Christmas bulbs, wind along the grand staircase in the two-story entryway, and Charli Jo’s Nutcracker collection lines the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Special Christmas China is displayed in the breakfront, and a collection of Possible Dreams Santas decorate the top of the kitchen cabinets.

Touches of Christmas can be discovered throughout the Ledgerwood home.

There’s a collection of vintage Christmas cups sitting side by side on the mantle and a GI Joe Santa that makes it home underneath a small silver Christmas tree decorated in red, white and blue ornaments.

Although there are some constants from year to year, Charli Jo likes to mix up her design scheme each Christmas season.

Deck the Halls

DECEMBER DECEMBER 2012 2012

STORY BY LISA SCHLICHTMAN PHOTOS BY KERRY HAYS

CONNECTION CONNECTION MAGAZINE MAGAZINE || 99

“I like to change things around,” said Charli Jo. “The gold tree (a tree decorated entirely in gold ornaments and garlands) has reprised itself this year, but the Nutcrackers always seem to march themselves right up the stairs year after year.”

Other “regulars” include Dennis’ golf-themed tree, which can always be found in the basement “man cave,” and the family Christmas tree with its branches covered in ornaments collected from family vacations and gifted to Dennis and Charli Jo from friends and family.

“Decorating for Christmas is about memories,” said Charli Jo. “I can put up an ornament, and I can remember where I got it and when I got it. Some of what we have is from my grandmothers or from Dennis’ grandparents and aunt and

ABOVE: The Ledgerwoods’ dining room table stays decorated with Christmas China all season long. “I think it’s so inviting to have a set table,” said Charli Jo.

BELOW: The golf-themed tree in Dennis’ man cave.

ABOVE: A reproduction 1950s-era TV set with an animated picture display.

LEFT: GI Joe Santa stands underneath a silver tree decorated with red, white and blue Christmas bulbs.

The Santa was purchased when the Ledgerwoods’ son, Matt, was serving in Afghanistan.

BELOW: Vintage wind-up toys that Charli Jo’s father, Charlie Thompson, collects.

10 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

uncle. It’s like bringing back all the family members when we put everything out.

“There’s a lot of family attachment to our collection,” added Charli Jo. The Ledgerwoods’ passion for decking the halls

has been inherited by their two sons, Matt and Nate, and their families. Charli Jo is also passing on the love of all things Christmas to her grandchildren by buying them a Christopher Radko blown-glass ornament each year.

ABOVE: A St. Louis Cardinals nativity scene.

LEFT: A collection of Putz cardboard houses decorate one tree in the Ledgerwoods’ home.

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 11

“The joke is I buy them but don’t let them take them home,” laughs Charli Jo. “I keep them and display them each year on a tree on the top of the China cabinet. They will get them one day . . . I promise.”

The Ledgerwoods’ Christmas tradition dates back almost 40 years to their first year as a married couple when Charli Jo bought a box of ornaments from Johnston’s in Cassville.

“I took lace scraps and decorated each ornament,” said Charli Jo. “We started with one tree, and when we moved to our next house on West Street, we graduated to two trees and it grew from there.”

The Ledgerwoods currently have seven decorated trees in their home. Some years, they’ve displayed as many as 10.

This year, Charli Jo and Dennis are putting up a tree that is new to their collection. It’s an aluminum tree from the 1950s.

“The tree was a gift from the kids last year,” said Charli Jo. “It has 61 branches, and each branch was covered in a piece of cellophane.”

The majority of the Ledgerwoods’ Christmas decorations were purchased by scrounging through flea markets and attending estate sales -another hobby the couple enjoys together.

“Christmas is a big deal for us, and it’s something we like doing together,” said Charli Jo. “He’s as into it as I am.

“It’s a tradition. We’re all like this,” said Charli Jo, referring to her parents and sisters. “It’s kind of a family sickness. Christmas is a big deal to all of us.”

12 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

BOOKREVIEW

BY GILLIAN FLYNN

Jo Anne Ellis lives in Cassville and is a member of the Crowe’s Cronies book club. She is a retired English teacher and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In addition to being an avid reader, Jo Anne loves to travel and spend time with her grandchildren.

Reviewed by Jo Anne Ellis

Jo Anne Ellis lives in Cassville and is a member of the Crowe’s Cronies book club. She is a retired English teacher and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In addition to being an avid reader, Jo Anne loves to travel and spend time with her grandchildren.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker “GONE GIRL” BY GILLIAN FLYNN IS A love story with a dark side -- a psychological suspense novel with twists and turns that had me hooked from page one. I had a “couldn’t-put-it-down” experience until I finished it.

The story begins innocently on Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary with RAmy E V making IEWED B Y forJ Obreakfast.

A N N ENick ELLIS crepes heads to work, and while he is gone, Amy “The New Mormon disappears intoYork thin Regional air, leaving behind Singles Halloween Dance” is the debut blood and signs of a struggle. The police memoir of Elna Baker, a writer, actress and TV audience think the husband did it, and stand-up comedian sometimes especially when the always likeablecalled Nick the Mormon Tina Fey. smiles briefly while on camera.

Written when she was for 27,Nick Elnaappear tells of The “nails in the coffin” her own “coming of age as a Mormon when the police learn he has bought life in New York” on story, with herheabrupt insurance Amy,starting and, after lying, finally U-turn in choosing NYU (New York admits to having an affair. We find that lying University) and an actingforcareer overand BYU seems to be a problem both Nick Amy. (Brigham University). to Nick’s stay TheYoung chapters alternateVowing between true to her and Amy’s remaindisappearance, a virgin until account of faith life after marriage, Elna setsentries out toleading find a up Mormon and Amy’s diary to the husband. event. And what better place than at the Halloween party planned the church to A seemingly perfectby couple, Nick and encourage toinmeet Amy wereMormon magazinesingles writers New (and York marry) other. with aeach fun life until the print media crisis Herand Queen began, theyBee bothcostume, lost theircomplete jobs. They with stinger, a man.

So with thena move to didn’t Northattract Carthage, Missouri, a on nonexistent life and needing the banks dating of the Mississippi River,a job, Elna usesNick herplans actingtoskills where help to hisencourage terminally little to “adopt” creepy, expensive sickgirls mother and uses the last of Amy’sdolls attrust FAOfund Schwarz. to buy a bar with his twin sister, Later, she sees herself in a carnival Margo. “thin” mirror, has an “aha” moment and Amy, The quieter lifestyle does not suit begins the determined questpersonality to lose 80 a Harvard grad and Type-A pounds.

A streamlined Elnaasgains much who is described

by Nick needing to more attention at the next year’s annualto be “fueled by competition: She needed dazzle men and jealous-ify women. ” Elna Halloween Dance and elsewhere, and marriageher starts unraveling after cleverlyTheir documents encounters with the move as perfectionist loseswhen her drawings and maps outliningAmy where, identity.

But did she and everkisses. have one? and who she meets, Her helpful charts start with her first kiss at age 22, and continue as she remains unmarried DECEMBER 2012 and a virgin by choice.

A newly confident, svelte Elna sets her goal of winning the most eligible and

When Amy was young, her parents became successful by writing novels starring Amazing Amy who handled things perfectly, an idealized version of their daughter as the heroine. As her fame grew, Amy occasionally had devoted fans who were stalkers, which was flattering but a little scary.

Amy, herself, always wrote out the psychological quizzes for the reader to “isfigure like out a Heather only she’s what Amazing Amy would attacking your spiritual do. Each year, Amy made up elaborate worthiness your dressto find his scavenger and hunts for Nick size at the same time.”

Buton anniversary gift, including Elna gets him -the their ominous fifth anniversary, perfect guy --Now the dayMormon she vanished. only to have New York Nick must figure out Amy’s friends, who should twisted clues to findknow, his gift and say, “But he’s he?” perhaps solvegay, thisisn’t crime before While working as a he is arrested. page for David Thisthe is not your standard Letterman Show, Elna crime story.

Mrs. Flynn meets Matt, cleverly usesa asmart, “he said-she handsome, wonderful guy. said” in which Nick’s chapters She hard, butentries he is tell andfalls Amy’s diary not Mormonstories. and never will conflicting be. The lowGirl blow is finding Gone is this author’s out Matt is an atheist.

The third novel, after “Sharp reader feels painPlaces. as ” Objects” andher “Dark Elna between Bothstruggles books were considered wanting Matt and Girl” her faith, good, but “Gone has been even him to breakcalledchallenging Flynn’s “dazzling search his by soul and It pray through” critics. is a to subtly God for portrait an answer. layered of a failing Her talents bold, of marriage, aboutlead the nature educated, quirky Elna,terrible the identity and keeping funny one, intowell-imagined stand-up comedy, where secrets, with she is a tongue-in-cheek characters, written with acritic of her compelling church, and prose also tostyle.

Yaddo, an Artists Born in Kansas City, Colony where she first begins writing her Missouri, Flynn attended soul-searching memoir.

Kansas and got her AndUniversity how do Mormons react to this book? One Mormon reader recommended the memoir, stating, “If you are a Mormon, get it and read it. If you are a Mormon worried about the Satanic influences of the world corrupting our youth, get it, read it

master’s at Northwestern. She now lives in Chicago, Illinois. “Gone Girl,” released in June 2012, has been in the Top 10 of USA Today’s Bestselling Books for 17 weeks, competing with such blockbusters as “Fifty Shades of Gray.”

So, where has “gone girl” gone? And why? Did personality plus, good guy Nick do it? Settle in with a cup of tea and see if you can figure out the plot’s twists and turns.

Contrary to critics who wanted another ending, I found it not predictable -- both surprising and satisfying.

Latter-day Saints, just get it, read it and learn a vast amount of the real truth about what real Mormons are like, and how they think.”

I recommend this book because it is enchanting, entertaining, and, yes, even educational. It is a “frank and selfdeprecating memoir” about dating unlike any other -- a “tell all” by a witty 27-yearCONNECTION old Mormon who has MAGAZINE never had sex. | 13 Hopefully, the popularity of her book gets Elna on “The Bachelorette” with 24

BOOKREVIEW

GONE GIRL

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DECEMBER 2012

A dream

worth

catching Little Flat Creek Ranch partners with national program

Story by Lisa Schlichtman • Photos by Kerry Hays

LAUGHTER AND THE HAPPY SOUND OF CHILDREN PLAYING tag welcomed me to Little Flat Creek Ranch on a sunny midSeptember day. It was my first visit to the peaceful hunting preserve located between East Purdy and McDowell, and I was invited there to learn more about the Catch-A-Dream program.

On this particular afternoon, the ranch, which is owned by Bill and Peggy Roller, was hosting three Catch-A-Dream families. The group of fathers and mothers and daughters and sons had gathered around a large spring-fed lake, and they were busy casting into the clear, cold water and reeling in fish after fish -- largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish and perch. The chance to enjoy a stressfree afternoon in the gorgeous Ozarks outdoors was a welcome reprieve for these youngsters who spend far too much time in doctors’ offices and hospital beds.

Thanks to the Catch-A-Dream program, which connects terminally ill children with outdoor adventure, Trey Ward, a 12-year-old from Montana, Syd Loper, a 15-year-old from Mississippi, and Tony Dobratz, a 10-year-old from Wisconsin, were getting the chance to “just be kids” for a few days. For all three, hunting is a passion and their opportunities to participate in the sport have been limited due to their illnesses.

Trey grew up hunting, but since losing his sight at the age of 5 due to Batten’s disease, his hopes of bagging a big buck seemed out of reach until the Ward family heard about Catch-A-Dream.

Accompanied by his mom and dad and four younger brothers, Trey was able to fulfill his wish by bringing down a 14-point buck on the second morning of his visit to Little Flat Creek Ranch.

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 17

With the assistance of an experienced guide, a special gun and a video screen, Trey achieved his dream and bagged a large trophy Whitetail.

“Trey was clapping and excited,” said Trey’s father, Hal Ward.

“He lifted the deer up, and we took some cool pictures. He’s all about the outdoors.

“Trey has a life expectancy of 16 or 17, and we’re trying to make the best of his remaining years,” said Hal. “For Trey, this is a dream come true, and it’s nothing we could have ever organized with five boys.”

Trey’s hunt was witnessed by his entire family who joined Trey in a deer stand that Bill Roller designed specifically for his CatchA-Dream kids. There are four Catch-A-Dream blinds at Little Flat Creek Ranch, and each is customized to serve children who cannot amble up a ladder into a traditional tower blind or tree stand. The blinds are handicap accessible and wired for heat and electricity.

These special blinds are just one of the many ways the Rollers have adapted their hunting ranch to serve the Catch-A-Dream program. Since 2004, Little Flat Creek Ranch has been an official outfitter and sponsor for Catch-A-Dream. In that role, the ranch has provided 110 child hunts and fishing trips, which represents one-fourth of all the experiences granted since Catch-A-Dream was established in January of 2001.

“We’ve put in place here something we can’t replicate anywhere else in the country,” said Marty Brunson, Catch-A-Dream’s executive director who also served as my guide during my visit to the ranch.

“We don’t have a single outfitter who truly understands our mission and vision and buys into it more fully than Bill Roller.”

During the recent three-day trip to Little Flat Creek Ranch, Syd and Tony also had successful hunts, and all three youngsters and families were photographed with their deer. The photos were framed and sent home with the families as keepsakes of their outdoor adventure.

A TRUE INSPIRATION For Syd, hunting is a hobby that allows her to spend time with her dad.

“I’ve always hunted,” said Syd. “I fell in love with it, and I love being with my daddy when I hunt. I wanted to go kill a big buck, and you can’t find ones like these in Mississippi.”

It’s hard to imagine that this petite blond with an engaging smile and irresistible southern accent is terminally ill.

Syd has cystic fibrosis, a disease that is usually fatal by age 18 to 20, but she is not defined by her illness.

“I don’t let it get to me,” said Syd. “I cheer and do show choir.

“My disease has made me a stronger person,” explained the high school freshman. “I don’t let anything drag me down, and if it does, I don’t let it show. No one knows when they are going to die. You just keep your head held high and go on.”

For Syd’s mom, Johnna, the time spent at Little Flat Creek Ranch is a chance for her and her husband to spend quality time with their daughter.

“This is an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Johnna. “Syd is loving every minute of it, and this gives us an opportunity to do something for her that we would not be able to afford. Because of medical

18 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

expenses and travel expenses, we wouldn’t be able to do something for her like this.”

The Lopers have learned to live with Syd’s diagnosis, but they do not dwell on the disease.

“There are days she’s very sick and it’s never far from my mind, but we don’t talk about it all the time,” said Johnna. “We try to make sure she is happy and that’s she’s living her life.

We don’t believe the odds. We believe Sydney will beat them.

“Syd never complains; she has such a positive outlook,” added Johnna. “She’s a miracle and a blessing.”

CATCH THE VISION Giving children who have been diagnosed with terminal diseases an opportunity to hunt and fish is what Catch-A-Dream is all about. The organization’s mission is based on Isaiah 40:31 -- “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

“There’s a promise of hope there,” said Marty. “Their bodies don’t work like yours and mine.

Their hope is that one day they will run and not grow weary. All the good and bad things in life DECEMBER 2012

“Bill Roller is an innovator and a visionary,” said Marty. “His heart and passion are in what we do.”

In celebration of the 100th child trip to their ranch, Bill and Peggy were presented with a blanket created by “Our purpose is to a master quilter who happens to be instill hope and build relationships; our tool to the grandmother of one of the accomplish our purpose Catch-A-Dream kids. The king-size is hunting and fishing quilt was covered experiences.” in photographs of accomplish our mission. We’re the children who have hunted or fished at Little Flat Creek -- 109 convinced this is therapy as of September.

-- positive and appropriate Bill hesitated to talk about therapy. We show them that his personal involvement in if they trust in God, He will the program. Instead, in his renew their strength and typically humble way, he was they’ll soar like eagles.” more interested in making This fall, the Rollers’ sure Connection readers were commitment to the national introduced to the Catch-ACatch-A-Dream program was Dream program, and as a result, honored during a gathering of inspired to support its mission. family, friends and sponsors at “We’re pretty dedicated to the lodge at Little Flat Creek Catch-A-Dream,” said Bill. “It’s an Ranch. Marty used the getarea where we can be a help. It’s together as a way to thank the about the kids and their special Rollers for their support. are temporary, but there is one eternal Hope with a capital ‘H.’ “Catch-A-Dream is not just a hook ‘em and shoot ‘em thing,” explained Marty.

“The big deer and big fish are just the tools we use to

Catchthe

vision “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

- Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Who is eligible for a dream?

Any child, 18 years or younger who is a United States or Canadian citizen and has a qualifying physician-certified, life-threatening illness. Life-threatening is defined as “any progressive, degenerative or malignant disease or condition, resulting in a significant threat, liklihood or certainty that the child’s life expentancy will not extend past his or her 19th birtdhay unless the course of the disease is interrupted or otherwise abated.”

What kind of costs are incurred by the family of a dream child?

Families incur no expense. All dream expenses, including travel, meals, lodging, clothing, gear, licenses, fees, taxidermy and meat processing, is fully covered by Catch-A-Dream.

How is Catch-A-Dream funded?

Catch-A-Dream is supported by individual contributions, corporate donations and planned gifts. A significant portion of the cost of each dream comes from in-kind donations from many partner outfitters, organizations, companies and outdoor enthusiasts who become a part of each child’s dream experience. All contributions are taxdeductible.

needs. It’s healing for the kids and the caregivers. I’d like to think we can give them a break.

We also want to give a special thanks to Little Flat Creek/ Catch -A-Dream sponsors as well as our Little Flat Creek staff,” added Bill. “Without both of these groups of people, the effort could not succeed.”

DECEMBER 2012

In addition to hosting Catch-A-Dream hunts, Little Flat Creek Ranch can provide similar hunts for adults and older people who may have disabilities that could keep them from hunting. The 1,800-acre ranch is also set up for guided trophy whitetail hunts with a lodge that can sleep 18 comfortably.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 19

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS The trips to Little Flat Creek Ranch always begin with a visit to Bass Pro Shops and an overnight stay in a Springfield hotel.

Bass Pro Shops provide all the clothing the kids need for the hunt, and Bill makes sure it’s all personalized. Catch-A-Dream ensures all needed gear and gadgets are also provided. When the families arrive at the hunting lodge, their gear is waiting for them in their rooms.

“They get settled in and then go to the range,” said Marty. “We have special equipment with a little video screen so the kids can see the crosshairs, and we also have devices so the kids can manipulate the trigger.”

After lunch, the families relax, do a little fishing and then attend a pre-hunt meeting where safety and hunting rules are reviewed. The kids are in the deer stands by 4 p.m. on that first day with their own guides and hopefully they down a deer within the next few hours. If the evening hunt is unsuccessful, the kids who did not get their deer return to the stands the next morning.

“Out of 417 trips across the nation, we’ve only had four or five where the child didn’t consummate what we took them to do,” said Marty. “It’s our job to make sure the hunting and fishing go well.”

In the evenings, the families enjoy delicious meals of According to Marty, Catch-A-Dream produces a ripple effect that touches the child and their family and others who become involved with the program. And at Little Flat Creek Ranch, the ripple seems to be reaching wave status.

“This is the only place we can do what we do as perfectly as we do it,” said Marty. “Bill Roller and this ranch have helped us change the face of Catch-A-Dream and our mode of doing business.

“When we created Catch-A-Dream, we wanted it to be more than a wish-granting organization that serves as a travel agency,” explained Marty. “There’s nothing wrong with that but we wanted something different. We hope to send the families home with changed minds and changed perspectives. We want to provide some blessing to the kids, and the blessings are returned back to us.

This is a program that will change your life.”

GET INVOLVED

bratwurst, hot dogs and hamburgers all grilled outside on the lodge’s back deck, and on the last night, an outdoor celebration and catfish dinner are held by the lake where special presentations are made to the Catch-A-Dream kids, their parents and siblings.

“It’s usually a very emotional time when they realize what Catch-A-Dream is really about,” said Marty. “We tell them that there is a Creator who gives you an eternal promise. Who says ‘it’s okay, because if you trust in Me, you will renew your strength and you’ll soar like an eagle. It is the Creator who put the deer here and the ranch here.”

Catch-A-Dream uses hunting and fishing to encourage terminally ill children and their families by exposing them to the magnificence of God’s Creation, Marty explained. The experience also provides a healthy escape from the sterile world of medical facilities.

20 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Catch-A-Dream, a charitable, non-profit foundation, covers all the costs associated with the trips, including travel expenses.

The hunts on the Roller ranch are subsidized in part through the sale of an Missouri Whitetail Bucks calendar, featuring Little Flat Creek Ranch’s trophy bucks, which was a fundraising idea of Bill’s. These calendars are sold at Bass Pro Shops and other retailers and are used to promote the Catch-A-Dream program. To date, the calendars

have raised $150,000 for Catch-A-Dream and one out of 10 Catch-A-Dream families have learned about the program through information provided with the calendar.

For more information about Catch-A-Dream, to make a contribution or to refer a child, contact Catch-A-Dream at 662-325-8149 or visit www. catchadream.org.

If you wish to learn more about the hunting opportunities available at Little Flat Creek Ranch, visit www. littleflatcreekranch.com.

DECEMBER 2012

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CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 21

Boy, that’s a Daisy STORY BY SHEILA HARRIS PHOTOS BY SARAH LEE

Nearby museum celebrates the world’s most popular BB gun “FUN FOR THE BOYS, DEATH for the sparrows” is the rather graphic slogan found on a vintage poster advertising BB guns in the Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers, Arkansas.

While the slogan may make modern mothers squeamish, many fathers view a boy’s first BB gun as a type of preliminary initiation into the grown-up world.

22 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

“Becoming the owner of a BB gun is one of a boy’s first milestones toward manhood,” declared 6-year-old Haden Holland’s father, caught by his son in the act of purchasing

said gun at the museum. “It’s sort of a rite of passage. By giving my son a gun, I’m letting him know that I think he’s responsible enough to own one.”

Just as with Haden, a Daisy airgun has been the first gun owned by several generations of men throughout the United States, not unusual when the company that makes them, Daisy Manufacturing, is marking its 126th year of operation. When visiting the Daisy Airgun Museum, Ed Martin, of Overland Park, Kansas, recalled his first gun fondly.

“It was a Daisy Model #11,” he stated. “I can still remember my grandmother warning me I’d put somebody’s eye out.”

Located in the refurbished, century-old former Rexall Drug building on the southwest corner of Second and Walnut Streets in the historic district of

DECEMBER 2012

downtown Rogers, the Daisy Airgun Museum has become a favorite stop for visitors from all over the United States, especially those who have cherished memories of a Daisy.

DECEMBER 2012

From the bricks that line the streets in front of the building, to the vintage-style paintings on the large plateglass windows, the exterior of the museum presents an invitation to enter and visit the past. Inside, large displays of antique guns (almost every model made

by Daisy Manufacturing throughout its continuing years of production) are mingled with vintage advertising posters, movie memorabilia and newspaper clippings, which provide a timeline of Daisy’s colorful history.

Daisy actually traces its corporate history to the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company, founded in Plymouth, Michigan, in 1882.

Another Plymouth company, the Markham Manufacturing Company, manufactured wooden buckets in 1885 and made their first wooden

All I want for Christmas . . .

BY SHEILA HARRIS

The 1983 movie, “A Christmas Story,” has become not only a Christmas classic loved by children and adults alike but has also forever made the Red Ryder BB gun a household name.

“You’ll shoot your eye out” was the dire prediction of disaster made by all of the key figures in his life, but the warning was not enough to convince 9-year-old Ralphie Parker that he did not want a “200-shot, Red Ryder range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time.”

By 1983, the Daisy Manufacturing Company, now located in Rogers, Arkansas, had sold millions of Red Ryder model BB guns since they were first introduced in the spring of 1940. They had not, however, produced a model exactly like the one Ralphie described in “A Christmas Story.”

Happy to be of service to a movie production company that promoted its name, Daisy quickly geared up to manufacture three special made-to-order models to fit Ralphie’s description for use as movie props.

Ralphie did receive his gun, and although he met with a slight mishap that led to the loss of his family’s turkey dinner, he did not shoot his eye out. His heartwarming story, however, captured the hearts of millions, and in the process, boosted the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun to icon status.

Memorabilia from “A Christmas Story,” along with Red Ryder BB guns available for purchase, can be found in the Daisy Airgun Museum at the corner of Second and Walnut Streets in Rogers, Arkansas.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 23

airgun in 1886. A member of the board of the windmill company invented a steel airgun to compete with the Markham Company and proposed to the board that it be given, as a premium, to farmers who purchased a windmill.

Lewis Cass Hough, general manager of Plymouth Iron Windmill Co., was so impressed when he first shot the prototype gun that he cried in the vernacular of the day, “Boy, that’s a daisy!” The earliest “Daisy” model guns, therefore, were marked PIWCO, Plymouth, Mich., Patent applied for, “Daisy.”

Production of the metal airguns immediately began and were such an instant success that 50,000 were sold within the first year. The following year, windmill production ceased and the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company devoted itself solely to producing airguns, changing its name to Daisy Manufacturing Company in 1895.

Since then, over 200 different models of airguns have been produced, according to Joe Murfin, vice president of marketing for Daisy. One of the top sellers has been the Model #25 pump action with over 8,000,000 sold between 1914 and 1979.

“Probably our most popular model, though, has been the Red Ryder,” said Murfin. “It was first introduced in 1940, after a licensing agreement was signed with the owner of the Red Ryder comic strip series featuring the western hero.”

24 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

for youth, and in 1965 began sponsoring the Daisy National BB Gun Championship Match, now an annual event that takes place on the weekend before the Fourth of July. The 2013 event will be held June 28, 29 and 30 in Rogers, Arkansas.

In 2000, a non-profit organization initially comprised of retired Daisy employees was formed to establish a museum to house Daisy’s collection of historic guns and memorabilia. The result is the Daisy Airgun Museum, which is supported solely by donations and the sale of Daisy guns and collectibles from the gift shop.

For a unique holiday experience, treat yourself and your family to a tour of this intriguing museum, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Admission is minimal at $2 per person, and visitors may either listen to a guided tour by telephone or meander through at their own pace. For more information, or to join Friends of the Museum, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the museum, visit www. daisymuseum.com.

During World War II, metal airgun manufacturing ceased as all metal was channeled toward filling military contracts, but after the war, Red Ryder production resumed with over a million sold in a oneyear period.

In 1958, Daisy Manufacturing moved its production from Plymouth, Michigan, to Rogers, Arkansas, becoming an integral part of the area and establishing itself not only as a gun manufacturer but as a teacher of responsible gun-ownership.

In 1948, Daisy began a shooting education program

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 25

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hitting all the right notes

josh jennings is getting gigs and selling songs Story by Melonie Roberts | Photos by Patti Richardson DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 27

m

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE hearing a Josh Jennings performance was a tribute song to an old car he didn’t want to sell. The vehicle contained memories in each dent as he drove it through farm fields with a new love at his side.

“Oh, I’m drivin’ farther than I’ve ever drove away…”

Jennings, of Neosho, is a prolific songwriter and draws inspiration for his lyrics through his own personal life, painting a verbal portrait of a moment in time. Miracles,

28 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

tragedies and everyday occurrences all provide fodder for the lyrics that Jennings spills from some magic well deep inside his soul.

“Each song is like a page

from my journal,” Jennings said.

“Personal experiences, good or bad, are the basis of each song.

When people ask me what happened in my life to inspire this song or set of lyrics, I turn it around and ask them what the song means to them, because that’s the important thing -how it resonates in their own life.”

Jennings, a self-taught musician, has been writing songs for about 15 years, but it wasn’t until he teamed up with Bob Alexander, of Pierce City, that the music and lyrics jelled into a cohesive sound, and within a matter of weeks, the duo was booked at Joplin’s hot spot, the Kitchen Pass.

Word of their unique Americana sound soon spread through the musical community, and they found themselves booked again and again by clubs, such as JB’s Piano Bar in Joplin, Webb City’s Farmers Market, Patton Alley Pub in Springfield and the Undercliff in Joplin, where fans were requesting performances.

“It’s nice to be able to play some of these venues and get our music out to

DECEMBER 2012

BOB ALEXANDER AND JOSH JENNINGS

a new audience,” Jennings said.

Their combination of flat-picking and finger-picking styles mesh into an energetic, down-home sound that runs through their brains even when the microphones are shutdown and the lights turned off. Occasionally, the duo is accompanied by Kris Hurt on upright bass.

Catchy lyrics seep into the soul and each listener finds his own message.

DECEMBER 2012

“It’s been so long since I have found the certain kind of love that comes once in your life, but it’s lost in time tonight.”

Jennings and Alexander initially met on the banks of Shoal Creek at a “coyote camp” near Jolly Mill, where musicians gather for regular jam sessions.

“It’s a party place for musicians to jam,” said Alexander. “We met last fall when a friend of mine introduced me to Josh.

After awhile, we broke off from the main group and played together, developing a connection, and within a few months, we nailed down this sound that has become

something special.”

Before the two had practiced together long, they went to Ozark Syndicate Records, a recording studio in Granby, and laid down what they thought were going to be demo tracks for a future CD. Studio owner Terry Weaver tweaked the mix and then uploaded the songs to such sites as Spotify, ReverbNation, iTunes and Amazon.

“We did everything backwards,” Alexander said,

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 29

“but it has worked for us.

“Josh is such an amazing songwriter,” Alexander continued. “That’s what makes performing with him so much fun. He’s even taken a couple of songs I have written and worked on them and brought them into the style we’ve developed and made them better.”

The Josh Jennings band plays all original music, opting not to cover other artists’ work.

And today’s digital technology makes getting the musical compilations out into the public’s ear much easier than 10 years ago.

“The world of the independent artist has really opened up,” Weaver said.

“Technology has given the opportunity for the average singer/songwriter to get their stuff out into the world.

Ten or 15 years ago, that wouldn’t have happened.

You’d have to be backed by a major label.”

“We’re excited about the doors that are opening to us,” added Alexander.

The bulk of song downloads from the Internet have so far tracked in the fourstate region.

“After that, they are being heard in California and Florida,” Alexander said. “What’s amazing is they’re being heard in Japan, Australia, the Netherlands and Israel as well.”

“That could change,” added Weaver. “You never know.

They may submit material to South by Southwest or Austin, Texas, and have their work showcased.”

The duo has also been chosen to play on Pandora, a free Internet radio program that allows users to craft their own libraries of musical interests.

So far, the duo is managing most of the particulars concerning their careers themselves, but it’s getting more difficult as their booking schedule fills.

“It’s hard to find time to write,” Jennings said.

“Managing all of the Internet stuff is time consuming, too,” added Alexander. “Making phone calls, sending e-mails. Promoting and booking is a new challenge for me. Terry has given us a lot of pointers, but we still don’t have enough time.

“And playing is really what we do,” Alexander said.

“I love to play. When you get out and play in front of an audience, it’s like building a racecar and finally getting it on the track. The audience elevates you.

“When we’re being booked to perform three or four times a week, it’s becoming apparent that this could become real,” Alexander said.

Their first CD, Ol’ Car, sold out its first run, and a second run has been ordered.

The duo is currently working to develop material for a second, yet unnamed album.

For more information on Josh Jennings, visit www. joshjenningsmusic/facebook.com.

“This is the first time in my life I feel like I am where I want to be.

I’m happy to be right where we’re at right now. I’m ready to cash in all my chips on this.”

-- Josh Jennings

[Original lyrics reprinted with the permission of Josh Jennings] 30 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

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Feather trees Tickle the I magination

Story and photos by Melonie Roberts IT LOOKS LIKE THE SPINDLY little scrap of a tree from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Sparse branches clearly reveal the wooden spindle “trunk” of the tree, placed in its wooden painted stand.

DECEMBER 2012

The tree is unique in that it is nearly 100 years old, came from Germany and has goose feathers wrapped around wire serving as the foliage on the branches.

“The people of Germany brought their feather trees

with them as they immigrated to America,” said Maxine Korte, of Monett. Korte is a collector of antique feather trees and enjoys sharing information about their history.

“I had a friend who brought this one back from Germany in the early 1900s and gave it to me,” Korte said. “People call these the Charlie Brown trees, but I like them. They show off the ornaments.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 33

Korte decorates her trees with a variety of old ornaments, both glass and handmade, many dating back to the pre-World War II era.

“I love old stuff,” Korte said.

“I started collecting 20 or 30 years ago.”

The first artificial trees became popular in Germany around the end of the 19th Century. The popularity of the Christmas tree had grown so much that the country was in danger of deforestation of its indigenous evergreen population. Christmas tree farming had not yet evolved.

“The Germans took goose feathers and dyed them green.

When you wrap the feather around the wire branch, the [barbs] separate and spring out, resembling the needles of a pine tree,” Korte said. “Making the trees became a cottage industry in Germany.”

Typically, feather trees were made to sit atop a table and usually measured two and a half to three feet in height. The branches collapsed to the trunk of the tree and made for easy storage and transportation.

Taller trees were also made, ranging in height from 17 inches to 55 inches. While some of the tree manufacturers kept the spindly branch patterns commonly associated with the Nordman fir, some companies manufactured trees with as many as a branch per inch of tree height.

In 1913, department stores were offering feather trees through mail order catalog service.

The popularity of feather trees continued through the 1930s, with slight variations in the details surrounding branches and wooden tree stands.

34 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

In the 1940s, consumers could even get white trees, as well as royal blue and the traditional green.

“It’s amazing how they wrapped them,” Korte said.

“They have to be secured with wire.

“I tried my hand at making one from a kit,” she continued.

“It has dyed goose feathers.”

The invention of cellophane heralded the end of an era for the feather tree’s popularity. Manufacturers started making artificial trees with wired crepe or Visca, a rayon fiber, to replicate pine needles.

Korte has four feather trees of varying heights, colors and dimensions. A small feather tree, from England, adorns the mantle. A white tree in the corner is 10 years old and features cotton batting and handmade ornaments. A green tree, about five feet tall, sits to one side of the mantle place, and a small tree, about three feet high, is the one she crafted from a kit.

“One year, I set up a Frasier fir for Christmas,” Korte said, “but the following year, I went back to the feather trees.”

Korte also haunts flea markets and antique shops to find vintage ornaments to decorate her trees.

“I collect old figural light bulbs and tinsel ornaments to decorate my trees,” Korte said.

“Figural bulbs are hand-painted light bulbs and come in many shapes, from Santa to smiling girls’ faces and birds.”

The tinsel ornaments

DECEMBER 2012

harken back to a struggling nation in the midst of war.

“All the metal was being scrapped for the war effort,” Korte said. “Instead of bell

clappers, they stuffed tinsel inside the ornaments.”

Underneath the trees are vintage toys and boxes, which also reflect a simpler

era when wooden blocks and cast metal trains, and an active imagination, could provide hours of entertainment.

Korte, who decorates for every season, said it takes as long as a week to unpack and set up her cherished feather trees and ornaments.

“It’s a lot of work,” she said, “but I love doing it.”

Other adornments include live holly strung along the mantle, an old world Santa astride a wooly stuffed sheep, a pewter tea set on a sideboard with an accompanying kerosene lamp, and a wooden rocking horse that features a real horse-hair mane and tail.

“I have these old Christmas boxes with the holly leaf pattern,” Korte said. “I remember making them as a child.”

Feather trees made a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s when the American folk art trend took hold. Today, vintage feather trees are scarce, a rarity to find in good condition, and come at a premium price. A 30-inch 1920s tree on e-Bay sells for nearly $300, and a 45-inch replica feather tree manufactured to order in Wisconsin sells for $145.

The average cost of a true feather tree is about $100 per foot.

Korte once had six of the rare and simple trees but has gifted some of them to others.

“I’m getting older and don’t need all of this stuff,” she said.

“I enjoy passing them along to others who will enjoy them as much as I do.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 35

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A soaring si Bald eagles make their winter home in Roaring River State Park S TO R Y B Y L I N D S AY R E E D

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THE AMERICAN EAGLE IS one of the most majestic species that can be seen in captivity, but viewing the predatory bird in the wild is even more breathtaking.

The bald eagle, also known as an American eagle, was a favorite with early settlers in the New World, and was formally adopted as the national emblem of the United States in 1782. At that time, there were as many

persecution. At its lowest point, the number of nesting pairs dropped to 3,000 in the lower 48 states.

Although nesting bald eagles were once common in Missouri, nesters were nearly eliminated by 1890. A project conducted by the Missouri Department of Conservation, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and

as 20,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the country.

Over the last two centuries, the number of bald eagles in the U.S. has dwindled due to human encroachment, habitat destruction, environmental contamination and open

the Dickerson Park Zoo of Springfield, helped restore nesting birds in the state in the 1980s.

“They used what they called a hacking program,” said Tim Smith, Roaring River State Park naturalist. “They brought

38 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

young eagles into the state and placed them in hacking towers on platforms in trees.

They fed them by hand, so that they would imprint on the area in the hopes that they would go back and breed

in the same area.”

The program was conducted at different locations across the state.

“The program was very successful,” said Smith. “Now, the estimate is that there are

DECEMBER 2012

ight around 175 eagle nests in the state and the population is well over 3,000. Missouri is one of the best states to see bald eagles in the lower 48.”

Most of the eagles seen during the state’s 2011 annual winter eagle count were counted near Table Rock Lake, the Mississippi River and the Osage River.

Roaring River State Park’s proximity to Table Rock Lake makes it a prime location for wintering bald eagles. The birds are known to roost on the hillside west of Campground #3 in the park.

“The open water draws the eagles to Roaring River,” said Smith. “They like to eat fish. They will occasionally catch trout out of the stream, but that has not been a big issue.

“The lack of development in the park also draws them to Roaring River,” continued Smith.

Although no known nests are located in Roaring River State Park at this time, nesting birds have made their homes in the park in the past.

“That’s how Eagle Nest Trail got its name,” said Smith. “That is still where the eagles roost in the evenings. The trail closes at 3 p.m. due to the eagles roosting

DECEMBER 2012

on the hillside.”

Area residents have the opportunity to learn about and view eagles at Roaring River State Park’s annual eagle viewing events, which are held on the third Saturday of December, January and February. This year’s events will be held on Dec. 15, Jan. 19, 2013, and Feb. 16, 2013.

“These are fairly popular events,” said Smith. “It is the

only program we traditionally offer to the public in the winter months.

“We offer education about bald eagles, information on the history and recovery in the state of Missouri and an opportunity to see eagles,” said Smith. “I would say 98 percent of the time we see at least one eagle, but even if we don’t see one, they are still wonderful programs.”

Eagle viewing events traditionally attract a group of around 20 individuals, but the number of attendees is highly dependent on the weather, said Smith.

“We may have two or three people here if it is really cold and wet, but sometimes we have 60 people attend,” said Smith. “When it is nice, the groups really want to come out.

People love to see eagles.”

Each eagle viewing event starts with a short video that offers an overview on the bald eagle’s life cycle and information on how they were reintroduced in Missouri.

“The staff follows with information on what has been done to protect eagles in the last few years, the history of eagles at Roaring River and good locations to see them,” said Smith.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 39

but didn’t see. To be able to see them and present a program that allows others to see them for the first time is wonderful.”

The eagle viewing events are held rain or shine in the sleet or snow. The programs are conducted at the Ozark Chinquapin Nature Center on Highway F, across from campground #3, in Roaring River State Park. The events begin at 3 p.m.

For more information on the eagle viewing programs, call the nature center at 417-8473742.

Advanced registration is not required, but calls offering information on the number of individuals planning to attend an event are appreciated.

Staff members also take time to answer questions.

“Most of the common questions are, ‘When can I see eagles? Can we get close enough to get pictures? Do they take fish out of the hatchery?’” said Smith. “The answer to that one is no. They also want to know what to do if they find a dead eagle, and we tell them that they should leave it alone.

“It is illegal to have even a feather from an eagle,” said Smith. “You should always call a conservation agent, because you must have permission just to have an eagle or any part of an eagle in your possession.”

Individuals and families planning to attend an eagle viewing program at Roaring River State Park should dress for the weather. Even though a portion of the program is conducted indoors, the majority of the event will be held outside.

“Bring binoculars, spotting scopes and cameras with high power zoom lens,” said Smith.

“We don’t get very close to the

eagles, so a regular camera cannot do them justice.

“Come planning to have a great time,” Smith added.

The nature center will have one high powered scope available for attendees to use during the event.

“I hope those who attend the eagle viewing events learn that we did positive and negative to influence the bald eagle,” said Smith. “I also hope they take the time to experience Roaring River State Park during the winter. The park is not just about trout fishing March through October.”

In addition to bald eagles, program attendees often have the opportunity to see other wintering birds, including blue herons.

Smith estimates that around a dozen eagles roost in the park during the winter months. Annual counts have ranged from five eagles to 70 eagles.

“I love seeing them,” said Smith. “Growing up, eagles were something I heard about

40 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

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CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 41

Merry Christmas Zigg “Jennifer

Michelle

Wilks,

age 49, of Monett, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012, at her home after a long illness. She was comforted by her family at her side. Jennifer was born on March 6, 1963, in Monett, the daughter of Mike and Patsy (Walton) Wilks.

She attended and graduated from Oakview State School in Monett.

Jennifer had a great passion for music,

rabbits

and

watching

Wheel of Fortune.”

-- Monett Times obituary

Dear Ziggy Jack Rabbit,

It’s almost Christmas, and as I decorate the house, listen to Christmas music and watch Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, I find my thoughts turning to you. Some of my most magical Christmas moments were spent with you and your mom and dad at Jack Rabbit Cleaners. Do you remember when we decorated the front windows of the dry cleaners with scenes from the nativity and Santa’s workshop, starring . . . of course . . . rabbits? I’ll never forget watching you stride back and forth between the holiday scenes, grinning from ear to ear. As always, you gave me a hug and we wrinkled our noses together and said, “We’re jolly good rabbits, we certainly are!”

42 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

By now, my faithful Connection readers are probably wondering why I chose to share with them my Christmas letter to you in lieu of a holiday article. They don’t realize just yet that I’m giving them an incredible gift, one I’m so grateful to have received myself -- you.

While many of them probably knew Jennifer Michelle Wilks (after all, your passion for rabbits and Wheel of Fortune is legendary in this part of the country), I want them to know Ziggy Jack Rabbit and the profound lessons your life taught me. So while I talk to you and share things with you that I shared a hundred times when you were still with us, please know that once again you are touching and changing hearts simply by being you.

Speaking of simple, that’s a word the casual observer might choose to describe your life. By the world’s definition you were mentally retarded. You couldn’t grasp complex tasks, achieve a high level of education or function independently, so your days were filled with simplicity. You spent time with family, found joy in the world around you and shared your love with all. In my humble opinion, your life was

simply beautiful and far superior to the rat race most of us “normal” folks choose for ourselves.

As I reflect on the way you spent your time on earth, I see eternal wisdom in your actions.

You blessed those in your sphere of influence with three precious gifts. I am honored to have been one of the recipients, and now that you’re with Jesus, I am determined to pass along the treasures you gave.

Anyone with even a passing acquaintance with Jennifer Wilks knew exactly what you were doing at 6:30 p.m. each weeknight. Whether at home with your plethora of stuffed rabbits, at my apartment for dinner and dominoes, or enjoying a Branson vacation with your mom and dad, at 6:30 p.m. life came to a screeching halt while you watched Wheel of Fortune.

Good day or bad, happy or sad, in sickness and in health, you were faithful to Pat and Vanna. Absolutely nothing deterred you from watching Wheel of Fortune.

Nothing separated you from your passion.

While those of us who knew you best found ourselves amused by your dedication, we DECEMBER 2012

gy Jack Rabbit

BY SUSAN FUNKHOUSER

also saw a beautiful picture of faithfulness.

How different might our lives, our families and our world be if we all succumbed to a pure and simple passion for God? What might happen if we let nothing deter us from spending time with Him in prayer and worship each day?

Thank you, Ziggy Jack Rabbit, for the gift of faithfulness.

As I mentioned earlier, you are also well-known for your love of all things rabbit. Big, small, flop-eared, brown, white, old or new, you loved them all. You also shared that indiscriminate love with people.

Whether we were fluffy or skinny, rich or poor, homely or pretty, you loved us, and you made sure we knew it. Of all the things I miss about you, I long most for one of your hugs. You gave me a hug each time I saw you, both when saying hello and goodbye, and we shared a familiar dialogue.

“I love you, Susan Henderson.”

“I love you, too Jennifer Wilks.”

One of my favorite memories of our “I love you” conversations occurred after we rode a particularly terrifying ride at the Ozark Empire Fair. Oh, how you loved those rides! As the contraption slung us to and fro and lifted us to dizzying heights, I prayed for deliverance while you giggled with delight.

After exiting the ride, while my world was spinning out of control, you grabbed me in a bear hug and whispered, “I love you, Susan Henderson.”

One of the most difficult quandaries we highly intelligent “normal” people face is knowing what to say or do when a loved one’s life is spinning out of control. We would do well to emulate you. Most of the time people simply need to know they are loved. Thank you, Ziggy Jack Rabbit, for the gift of love.

To a world that values snide remarks, rude behavior, disrespectful language, cynicism and sarcasm you brought simple kindness. You also expected it of others. Hateful words such as “stupid, ugly, dumb or worthless” were not allowed to be spoken in your

DECEMBER 2012

presence. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been on the receiving end of a Jennifer Wilks’ kindness reprimand on more than one occasion. You always waggled your finger and shook your head simultaneously and then scolded, “Now Susan Henderson, we don’t say dumb.”

Even as you lay dying, you reminded me to be kind. Your mom and I were talking by your bedside when a political advertisement came on television. I rolled my eyes and remarked on the stupidity of the featured candidate. You pointed a weak, trembling finger in my direction, slowly turned your head from side to side and whispered, “Now Susan Henderson, we don’t say stupid.” I can’t begin to imagine the impact on our world if we all adopted your commitment to gentleness, respect and acceptance.

Thank you, Ziggy Jack Rabbit, for the gift of kindness.

When we said our temporary goodbyes to you at the cemetery, I heard someone remark about how happy he was that you’d received a new body without seizures and a new mind without limitations. While I agree wholeheartedly with the first part, I’m not so sure about the second.

As I prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ here on earth and you get ready to sing “O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” to Him in person, I am reminded how completely your life on earth reflected His. He came to bring love, joy, kindness, faithfulness, acceptance and peace to a frazzled world.

You brought the same. Your “simple” life epitomized God’s grace.

Enjoy your first of an eternity of Christmases with Jesus. Someday I plan to join you, and I fully expect to discover in that world where all things are made new that instead of you being more like me, I will be more like you. I love you, Jennifer Wilks.

You’re a jolly good rabbit. You certainly are.

Merry Christmas Ziggy Jack Rabbit!

Love, Susan CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 43

“I wish I had known about hospice earlier” (The most frequent comment by our hospice families)

DID YOU KNOW?

Call or Email to Order: Maria Barger Independent Distributor 417-236-0772 ternurita7777@hotmail.com Maria Luz Najar 479-233-0333

Coffee Ternurita

• Hospice is about living, not dying.

• Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurances have a Hospice Benefit that you are entitled to use if you meet criteria.

• With Hospice Compassus, YOU are in charge.

You have a team of highly trained professionals ready to provide excellence in COMFORT CARE. • Hospice Compassus patients CAN retain their personal physician and pharmacy.

• Hospice patients CAN go to the hospital.

• ANYONE can refer a patient to hospice.

• Nursing Home patients CAN have Hospice.

• Hospice Compassus patients receive I-to-I care from a TEAM including a doctor, nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain, and volunteers.

vice denied ser No one isof age, race, because l orientation, ua sex , es. sex diagnos religion or

www.hospicecompassus.com To schedule an informational meeting or a patient/home evaluation, please contact Hospice Compassus: 417-235-9097 • 845 Hwy 60, Suite A, Monett, MO 65708 (c) Hospice Compassus 2011

44 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

CUTEKID

Connection’s

proud parent cutest kid contest

Harper Rhea

C o n g ra tu la th e 3 -y e a r-

ti o n s to H a

o ld d a u g h te

Tra cy R h e a ,

rp e r R h e a ,

r of Ed and

o f M o n e tt .

C H U C K N IC K LE P H OTO G R A PHY

Are you a proud parent? If so, take this opportunity to show off that cute kid of yours.

We invite you to share a photo of your child to be featured in Connection’s very own proud parent cutest kid contest.

Email your child’s photo to editor@ monett-times.com. Photos should be sent in the original JPG format at the highest resolution possible.

Remember to include your child’s name, parent’s name, age, city and your contact information. The contest is open to children ages 10 and under.

The photos submitted will be used for the sole purpose of this contest.

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 45

Aaron’s Storm shelters walker and wheelchair accessible

stronger. better. safer.

Aaron’s F5 Storm Shelters

Embrace the Freedom

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GOT DIRT?

With our Soft Touch and Touch Free Automatic car wash, you will be sparkling clean and dirt-free in no time.

of Southern Missouri

www.freedombk.com 1060 Old Exeter Rd. • Cassville Hwy. 76/112 • Cassville

417-846-3711

46 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Cassville 97 S. Main Street 417-846-1719

Seligman Hwy 37 S. 417-662-7000

Willard 432 W. Jackson 417-742-1776 DECEMBER 2012

Holiday GIFT GUIDE Purty pair Corky’s faux leather cowboy boots.

Starla K Fashions, Monett

Sock it to me Sock monkey with Santa mug.

Sater Pharmacy, Cassville

Deck the halls Christmas wreathes in golds, browns and blues.

Carey’s Cassville Florist, Cassville

Handcrafted Shoulder snug and rose pendant by Designs by Donna - Dewberry Ridge.

Old Town Pharmacy, Monett

Fashion forward Faux suede fingerless gloves perfect for texting on cold days.

Gussied Up Boutique, Cassville

What’s old is new again Refinished chair that is part of a table and four chair set.

Pitiful to Posh, Monett

Scentsational Holiday-scented Zum soy candles, aromatherapy room mist and goat’s milk soap.

Snootie Flea, Shell Knob

DECEMBER 2012

Room for everything Large shoulder bag by Sparkling in vivid blue.

Ila Bohm’s, Aurora

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 47

Solid gold stunner Medallion and chain in 18-karat gold.

Tomblin’s Jewelry, Cassville

Vroom!!!!!!

Replica classic cars like the Ford Thunderbird and 1957 Chevy Belaire.

Broadway Treasures, Monett

Conversation starters Gently used coffee table picture books.

Bookmarks, Pierce City

Cowgirl chic Cripple Creek women’s leather jacket.

Race Brothers, Monett

Holiday hero This collectible Santa is making a list and checking it twice.

Whitley Pharmacy, Cassville

Winter warmth Snoozie’s premium plush slipper booties.

Ila Bohm’s, Aurora

Style setter Black sling strap purse with metal and beaded embellishments.

Peppers and Co., Monett

48 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

Make a statement Fashion jewelry, including watch and a cocktail ring Red Barn Antiques, Shell Knob

Rustic charm

Off the cuff

Handmade reclaimed wood frame with pencil drawing.

The Hornet’s Nest, Crane

One-of-a-kind calfskin and metal Rustic Cuff.

Tomblin’s Jewelry, Cassville

Puddle splashers

Woo-pig-sooie University of Arkansas Razorbacks frame and decorative plaque.

Whitley Pharmacy, Cassville

Colorful waterproof boots by Bogs.

Race Brothers, Monett

Gold and glittery Sequined knit tunic, animal print scarf with scarf “bling.”

Starla K Fashions, Monett

All dolled up Leggings with tutu and coordinating shirt and doll clothes to match.

The Trunk, Monett

Mouthwatering goodness Chocolate cupcake with peppermint frosting.

Cup Cakes and Cream (inside Red Barn Antiques), Shell Knob

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 49

Seasons greetings Christmas wreath in traditional red and green colors.

Carey’s Cassville Florist, Cassville

Giddy up girl!

Western-inspired leather belt with lots of bling.

Gussied Up Boutique, Cassville

Vintage value Antique gypsy willow rocker with fabric doll.

Uncle Doc’s Flea Market, Aurora

Sparkle and shine

Colorful coat

Derek Heart shimmery pink cardigan and sequined cami with soft black scarf.

Brownsberger’s, Monett

Red wool coat with animal print cuffs and soft ruffled scarf.

Peppers and Co., Monett

Prayerful pose “On Bended Knee” by Montana Silversmiths.

Feed and More Country Store, Mt. Vernon

For the little cowboy Bull, cow and calf set by Little Buster Toys and Farm Fun book for preschoolers.

The Trunk, Monett

50 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Toasty toes Incredibly comfy women’s slippers by Woolrich.

Brownsberger’s, Monett.

DECEMBER 2012

The winner of each month’s Connection’s Cutest Pet contest receives a $25 gift certificate from Preferred Pet Supply in

December’s Winner

Monett. Submit your entries for next month’s contest to editor@monett-times.com.

Don’t forget your

four-legged friends for

Christmas!

Molly the cat inspects the arrival of Christmas poinsettias. Molly is owned by Charles and Ruth Thompson, of Cassville.

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 51

CUTESTPET

Connecton’s Cutest PET CONTEST WINNER

STORY BY LISA SCHLICHTMAN ✖ PHOTOS BY DIANNE SHIVELEY

Dream vacat Cassville couples explore Alaska TRAVELING TO ALASKA was a dream vacation for Bill and Dianne Shiveley. The couple enjoyed the journey with friends, Jerri and Danny Heupel. The Shiveleys were making the trek for the first time, while the Heupels were returning for a fifth time. The Heupels’ daughter, Cassie, makes her home in Anchorage, Alaska, where the couples from Cassville began their exploration of “The Land of the Midnight Sun.” In expectation of the visit, Cassie scheduled a number of

unusual sightseeing activities to fulfill the Shiveleys’ wishes to “see whales, a glacier and bears.” During their 10 days of touring Alaska, highlights included:

✖

A 300-mile drive from Anchorage to Valdez to see the Alaskan pipeline and oil terminous, which included a visit to the Valdez Harbor, where the silver salmon were starting to run. “The water was black with fish,” Dianne said. The harbor was also home to black bears and sea lions.

52 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

tion ✖

An airplane ride to a remote tidal flat 120 miles from Homer, Alaska, to view grizzly bears, which are also known as Kodiak or brown coastal bears. In all, the Shiveleys and Heupels counted 36 bears. “Our guide Jesse said he’s never seen so many in one spot,” said Dianne.

Another pinnacle of the trip for Dianne was a visit to Calvary Baptist Church in Anchorage, which her aunt and uncle, Alene and Bill Miller, helped start in the 1950s.

✖

A day’s cruise in the Prince William Sound that took the couples past the Columbia and Mears glaciers. During their trip, they saw three humpback whales and hundreds of harbor seals and sea otters.

DECEMBER 2012

✖

A stay in Fairbanks, including a two-hour drive to Denali State Park where they enjoyed a fourwheeling adventure along a 10-mile trail through the wilderness.

“Just being able to walk in the old part of Anchorage where my aunt and uncle lived was so special; it made me cry,” added Dianne. “I’ve heard about Alaska my whole life and always wanted to go.”

The Shiveleys said they were incredibly impressed with the people they encountered in Alaska.

“They were absolutely fabulous,” said Dianne. “We never got a cross word, and they were all very helpful. They were the friendliest people I’ve ever met.”

As she looks back on her trip, Dianne is overwhelmed with her vivid memories of the “glorious” scenery and breathtaking views.

“I don’t have words to describe how beautiful it is,” said Dianne. “There’s something for everyone. Men love it, women love it. We enjoyed seeing things we have never seen before.”

And because a picture is worth a thousand words, please enjoy the accompanying photos, which reveal the pure beauty of Alaska.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 53

RUBY’S DINER

Homemade Pizza Steaks • Burgers Sandwiches • Desserts Sit down and enjoy y our meal with a flavor of homestyle cooking.

Stop by or call to hear our Special of the day.

Ruby’s Diner (next to Ruby’s Liquor) Hwy 37 • Seligman • 417-662-0067

54 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

UNCORKED

RUBY’S

LIQUOR Ring in the holidays with some bubbly.

LARGE WINE SELECTION

BALLATORE ROSSO SPUMANTI $7.49 TASTING NOTES: With inviting blackberry and citrus aromas and a vibrant ruby color, Ballatore Rosso Spumanti is a truly captivating sparkling wine. Rich in character, it offers well-balanced flavors of raspberries and cherries with a crisp, clean finish.

FREIXENET CORDON NEGRO BRUT $11.49 TASTING NOTES: Cordon Negro Brut is crisp, clean and well balanced. It is medium-bodied with a palate of apple, pear and bright citrus flavors with a moderately long finish and a crisp touch of ginger. Cordon Negro Brut is often referred to as the “Black Bottle Bubbly.”

2,000 DIFFERENT WINES IN STOCK

T h e big s p lu rg e

L’ERMITAGE BRUT ROSE

$77.49

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Wine is a Beautiful Gift DECEMBER 2012

F Y I:

TASTING NOTES: Roederer Estate’s L’Ermitage Rosé brings complexity and smoothness to a higher level. The delicate salmon colors enhance the tiny bubbles and creamy mouthfeel. Notes of bread crust, baked apples and caramelized hazelnut create an elegant and complex wine. The wine is crisp with great acid on notes of quince jelly and anise.

Champagne and sparkling wine are the same. Only wines produced in the Champagne region of France can truly be called champagne. Wines produced in other countries are referred to as sparkling wines.

Bubbles in sparkling wines are formed during a second fermentation process when the winemaker takes still wine and adds a few grams of sugar and a few grams of yeast. This yeast and sugar convert to carbon dioxide or “bubbles.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 55

Christmas M E M O R I E S “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”

--Laura Ingalls Wilder In honor of Connection’s fourth birthday, we have asked those who contribute to the magazine’s success each month to share their favorite Christmas memory or tradition.

ENJOY.

“One of the more memorable experiences of Christmas I had growing up was going to the State Hospital in East Moline, Illnois, where my father was the chaplain for 24 years. On some weekday evening in the weeks before Christmas, a group of volunteers and higher functioning patients would form a singing troupe and go from building to building on the sprawling facility that dated back to the 1890s and sing carols. It was one of the few times I saw my father in action in his job and got to witness the odd world of institutional living that has largely disappeared. Everyone enjoyed our singing, which wasn’t special, but it was the warmth of the occasion, the camaraderie and reaching out to people who really had no family that made the time special.”

MURRAY BISHOFF, WRITER

“My favorite childhood Christmas memory involves staring for hours at my grandma’s lighted nativity scene. She bought the piece, which plays music and features a rotating wheel that brings the Three Wise Men into the stable to see Jesus, for my two uncles when they were little boys. She spent her entire paycheck on the gift, which thrilled her young sons and continues to bring joy to my heart and precious memories to my mind each Christmas when I display it in my own home.

My most treasured Christmas memory as an adult occurred at the Little Town of Bethlehem light display in the Monett City Park in December 2008, where the love of my life asked me to marry him. That memory is topped only by our wedding on Dec. 5, 2009. Love truly is the greatest gift of all.”

SUSAN FUNKHOUSER, WRITER “My favorite Christmas memory is waking up Christmas morning to my oldest son ready to wake up the rest of the house to run to the tree to see what Santa left for them.

The children would spend the rest of the day playing with new toys and games. I love to bake bubble nut bread every Christmas morning for breakfast.”

NANCY RIDGLEY, COLUMNIST

“Growing up, my family tree was topped with an angel that my parents purchased the year I was born. Even though she was a little worn and outdated, it was neat to know that she and I were welcomed into our family the same year. After my husband and I were married, we decided to wait to purchase an angel topper for our tree until we had children.

Due to the fact that it took some time for us to start our family, I considered buying an angel several times but my husband always said I should wait. Two years ago, we were able to bring home not one but two little angels for the holidays after our daughter was born.”

LINDSAY REED, WRITER

56 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

“The Christmas memory that stands out for me was not a warm and fuzzy sweet memory but actually a very scary and stressful one -- with a good ending.

I picked up my husband, Joe Ellis, after his treatment at Cox Dialysis Center in Monett.

He had received a new heart in 1991, and by 2001, he needed kidney dialysis. I loaded him in his wheelchair and headed to Christmas at my daughter’s in Ozark, south of Springfield. It was snowing hard. With white knuckles I arrived, looking for help to get Joe in the house.

No one was home. The note said they had all gone to see Santa at Bass Pro. The light snow was becoming a blizzard. Giving it my all, I dragged Joe and his wheelchair up some stairs and made it inside.

Everyone in my family was stuck or in a traffic tie up somewhere. Son Dean with grandson, Ethan, was struggling in from Kansas City. Laura and kids were trying first one route then another to make it back.

Many cars were in the ditches, and all I could do was pray.

Miraculously, one by one, everyone arrived with amazing stories of sliding and avoiding traffic problems. With the snow still coming down, we all got in the hot tub, relaxed and declared it the best Christmas Eve ever -- with all of us together safely.”

JOANNE ELLIS, BOOK REVIEWER AND WRITER

“I remember asking my parents for the new En Vogue cassette tape for Christmas.

They told me I wasn’t getting it, so when I found it in my stocking on Christmas morning, I started crying and fell off the couch because I was so surprised and happy. I still remember most of their songs word for word.”

MEAGAN RUFFING, WRITER

“When I was about 9 years old, my babysitter, Mrs. Kapelski, used to display a very old nativity scene that had been in her family for years, which she would set out on her table every year at Christmas and I would sit and stare at all the details of it for hours. I had never seen a nativity set where the baby Jesus wasn’t attached to the manger. This one even had its own hay! One Saturday afternoon at home, we heard a knock at the door and it was Mrs. Kapelski and she was asking for me. This scared me to death. I thought I was in big trouble. Why else would SHE be coming to MY house?

Then, I noticed she had a box. Now I was really curious. Mrs. Kapelski began telling my mom how I always sat and stared at her nativity scene. I immediately thought, ‘Oh no!

That’s it! She must think I broke something on it!’ She then smiled at me, opened the box, and there was the nativity set! Mrs. Kapelski was giving ME the nativity set! To this day, I still can’t believe she gave me such a treasure. Every year when I put the set out at Christmas, I always think about Mrs. Kapelski. After all these years and among all the Barbies and doll houses through the years, her gift has been the most precious to me.”

LEANNE PFEIFFER, PHOTOGRAPHER

“Some folks may not recall the practice of putting a lump of coal in Christmas stockings, but since my dad owned a coal business, I could always count on receiving this special show of affection.

Of course, he assured me that it wasn’t because I had been a “bad” little girl that year. No matter how carefully the gifts were hidden, I always managed to find them and shake the boxes to detect the contents. I really think my mom knew about my discovery and just let me enjoy the moment. In addition to uncovering the gifts, there was the additional delight of cookie baking, which we enjoyed long after the Christmas season.”

SALLY REINHARDT, COLUMNIST

DECEMBER 2012

“My favorite Christmas tradition is going to my grandparents’ house with all my family. All of our huge family gathers together in one house, and everyone brings a dish and dessert. We eat and then everyone opens pajamas from Santa and we listen to the scanner for the sighting of Santa as he travels through Barry County.”

ROBYN BLANKENSHIP, MARKETING DIRECTOR

“My Christmas tradition involves matching jammies. My mom finds the silliest, and sometimes tackiest, pajamas and buys a set for everyone who is celebrating Christmas morning with us. We all put on these very comfortable (and usually very unflattering) gifts, open presents and eat a huge breakfast as one big, flannelly family. Pink flannel pajamas with cupcakes all over them, Smurf pants with a Smurf T-shirt and a purple sateen muumuu with gold embroidery are just a few examples of the pajamas we’ve worn on Christmas mornings.”

VERONICA ZUCCA, ART DIRECTOR

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 57

“I have had some amazing Christmas memories with friends and family, so choosing just one is hard to do. The memory that sticks out most in my mind is when my sister and I were younger we would wake up every hour on the hour trying to catch Santa putting presents under the tree.

In all of the years we did this, we somehow never caught him. To this day, I am still not sure how this happened.

Once we finally did wake up for good (by 6 a.m.), we had to patiently wait for our parents to get out of bed.”

CASSIE BREWER, ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

“Tacky as it may sound, as a kid growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, we had one of those tinsel trees with the silver aluminum branches. My dad set up the tree before my sister, mother and I tried our hands at getting the decorations just right. Then my dad would meticulously set the color wheel, and we would turn off all the lights and watch the colors changing on the tree. We would often have treats of oranges and mixed nuts as a snack right before being hustled off to bed. Tree night was always a special occasion for us as a family, and the tradition continued into my own family when Chuck and I would set up our (blue spruce) tree for the holidays. It seems as if there is something special about tree night that can’t be replicated throughout the rest of the holiday season.”

MELONIE ROBERTS, WRITER

“Growing up in Wisconsin, one of my fondest memories as a child is setting out stockings in anticipation of St. Nicholas Day on December 6. I believe this tradition was passed down from the German side of my mother’s family. There wasn’t much in the stocking, usually candy and a small toy. I always remember this event as being a way to heighten the anticipation and herald the arrival of the Christmas season. Of course, where to hang the stockings created somewhat of a problem. One year, my parents brought home a cardboard fireplace. It had red bricks, a black mantle and a motorized three-color wheel. It was almost as if you could see real flames coming off the fake cardboard logs.”

KERRY HAYS, PHOTOGRAPHER

“Wow….favorite Christmas memory. That is a tough one!

Some of the very best memories I have, take me back to my childhood. I can remember going to my grandparents.

The house was full of family --brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces -- and so much food. I can remember going to my grandparents to pick and cut our Christmas tree. Keep in mind that these were cedar trees, not the perfectly shaped pines like we have from Christmas tree farms today. They sure didn’t look as good as the trees we have today, but the smell was something that I still remember and at the time we thought they were absolutely beautiful.

Or is it the time when we jump to having my own family and children. To be able to experience the magic of Christmas with my wife and kids has to rank up there as the all-time favorite without a doubt. Or could it be more recent years, as our kids have grown and gone to create homes of their own, and we add a grandbaby to the mix.

With so many memories, it gets confusing to think of just one favorite, but the common theme to my favorite Christmas memories surrounds family.”

JEFF TERRY, PHOTOGRAPHER

58 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

“Having lived on a dairy farm, I remember the many years before and after Andrea and I were married when we would arrive at the farm early for chores on Christmas day and then the entire family would enjoy a big breakfast followed by opening gifts. My daughter and my nieces and nephew were all a part of that as well as many of their children. Even though my parents are no longer around, those memories have not faded at all.”

CHUCK NICKLE, PHOTOGRAPHER

DECEMBER 2012

“My favorite Christmas tradition was trying to be creative and sneaky in ways to make sure my daughter continued to believe -- like having people dress up like Santa and letting my daughter sneak to the end of the hall to see him putting presents under the tree.”

MARION CHRYSLER, ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

“When I was little, my family would come to Missouri and all the aunts and uncles and cousins would gather at our grandparents’ house. People scattered everywhere. On this particular Christmas, I asked Santa for ‘a bunch of little surprises.’

It was unusual for me not to have specific wants, but sure enough, Santa came through for me again. This Christmas morning, I woke up with chicken pox.

Imagine the surprise on everyone’s face.”

PAM WORMINGTON, COLUMNIST

“I can remember coming home for Christmas and my step-father (from Bulgaria) and mother had cooked some very traditional dishes from his country. They celebrate holidays in a big way with a big spread of amazing food. We eat, drink and be merry, all while dancing around the kitchen listening to Bulgarian traditional music.”

PATTI RICHARDSON, PHOTOGRAPHER

“One of my favorite Christmas traditions is shopping with my dad. There’s nothing quite like watching my chicken farmer father debating over which Dooney and Bourke purse my mom would like most.”

KATIE BARTON, COLUMNIST

“One of my favorite memories is when I was young we would always go to dinner at my grandma’s house, and it was packed with family and children. Grandma’s house was huge and old, so we always thought it was a bit scary upstairs and haunted. The younger girls, including me, wanted to get away from the boys, so we snuck upstairs and went into the master bedroom. My dad overheard the boys plotting to sneak upstairs to scare us. My dad snuck upstairs from the back staircase, which was located down a long dark hallway. He sat in a rocker with a cover on him and waited for the boys to arrive. They quietly snuck up the front staircase, and when they reached the entrance to the long hallway, my dad began to rock slowly back and forth, and of course to make matters worse, the rocker would creak with each rock. The boys were so scared that they kept tripping over each other and almost fell down the staircase to get away. The girls never knew what happened until later. What great revenge.”

LISA CRAFT, WRITER

“My grandma hasn’t known my name for many years now, but one of my favorite memories is of her devotion to the tradition of making Christmas candy and cookies, even though my family didn’t celebrate Christmas. I now realize that her homemade goodies were her offering of love to those of us who were often undeserving of it. Her recipes for Santa’s whiskers, date pinwheels and almond butter crunch will be revered as family heirlooms.”

SHEILA HARRIS, WRITER

“Every year for as long as I can remember we would get up Christmas morning and all meet at my Grandma and Grandpa George’s in Pierce City. We cook breakfast and open gifts and spend time as a family. These are just some of the great memories I have made in the past and will continue to make in the future.”

ANNIE GEORGE, ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 59

from the

recipe box

RECIPES COLLECTED

FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS

peppermint chocolate chip cookies

peanut blossoms 1-3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed.

1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 egg 2 tbsp. milk 1 tsp. vanilla 48 milk chocolate candy kisses

Combine all ingredients except candy in a large mixing bowl. Beat on lowest speed of mixer until dough forms. Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful for each ball. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375˚ for 10-12 minutes. Top each cookie immediately with a candy kiss and press down firmly so cookie cracks around edge. Return to oven for another minute or two.

1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup butter, softened 1/3 cup shortening 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg 1-1/2 cup flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/3 cup crushed peppermint candies 1 6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips Heat oven to 375˚. Mix sugar, butter, shortening and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

orange slice cookies 1-1/2 cup brown sugar Mix all ingredients together, except 1/2 2/3 cup oil cup flour, nuts and orange slices. Mix 2 eggs last three ingredients, coating orange 2 cups flour slices and nuts with flour. Add to the first 1 tsp. soda mixture. Drop by teaspoon on a lightly 1/2 tsp. salt greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325˚ for 8 1/2 cup nuts to 10 minutes.

1/2 cup flour 1 lb. orange slices, cut into small pieces

coconut lace cookies 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup quick cooking oats 1 cup coconut 1 cup chopped nuts dash of salt 2 tsp. butter 1 tsp. vanilla Beat eggs and add sugar. Mix well. Add oats, coconut, nuts, salt, butter and vanilla. Mix well. Drop by teaspoons on foil-lined cookie sheet.

Press down with back of spoon. Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool and peel off foil.

60 60 || CONNECTION CONNECTION MAGAZINE MAGAZINE

gooey butter cookies 1 stick butter 1/4 tsp. vanilla 1 egg 1 8-oz pkg. of cream cheese 1 box butter-recipe yellow cake mix bowl of powdered sugar

Beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add the cake mix to the mixture and mix well. Chill for 30 min.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Drop dough by teaspoon in a bowl of powdered sugar and roll into balls. Place on cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.

DECEMBER DECEMBER 2012 2012

refrigerator date pinwheels 2-1/4 cups chopped dates 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Combine in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thick, about 10 min. Add 1 cup chopped nuts and cool.

2 cups brown sugar 1 cup shortening 3 eggs, well beaten 4 cups flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking powder Cream sugar and shortening. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill thoroughly. Divide mixture into two parts and roll out separately into rectangles a little less than 1/4 inch thick. spread each with the date filling and roll as for a jelly roll. Chill thoroughly. Cut with a sharp knife into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 400˚ for 10 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen.

very light sugar cookies 1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered sugar 1 cup butter 1 cup oil 2 eggs 1 tsp. soda 1 tsp. cream of tarter 4 cups flour

Combine first four ingredients and beat well.

Add eggs and beat again.

Add the rest and mix well.

Make balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375˚ for 10 minutes.

soft oatmeal apple cookies 1/2 cup oil 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1/3 cup molasses 1-3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 cups quick oats 1 cup shredded apples 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix the oil, sugar, eggs and molasses. Sift together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Add dry mixture to oil mixture and stir. Add oats, apples and nuts. Mix well and drop by teaspoons on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.

the best chocolate chip cookies 1-1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour mixture until blended. Fold in oats and chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease 2 baking sheets.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on cookie sheet two inches apart and flatten each cookie slightly. Bake until lightly browned around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool slightly and then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

NOTE: This dough may be frozen and used at a later date.

DECEMBER DECEMBER 2012 2012

CONNECTION CONNECTION MAGAZINE MAGAZINE || 61 61

from the

recipe box

RECIPES COLLECTED

FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS

cherry winks 1-1/4 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 tbsp. milk 1 tsp. vanilla

orange balls 1 cup pecans, chopped 1 cup dates, chopped 1/3 cup maraschino cherries, chopped 2-1/2 cups Frosted Flakes, crushed maraschino cherries, quartered.

Combine dry ingredients. Blend shortening and sugar; cream well. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Blend in dry ingredients gradually; mix thoroughly. Add pecans, dates and cherries; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into Frosted Flakes; toss lightly to coat. Form into balls. Top with 1/4 maraschino cherry.

Bake at 375Ëš on greased baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes.

christmas cookies

1 6-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed 1-lb. box vanilla wafers, crumbled 1 lb. box powdered sugar 1 stick butter, melted 1 cup nuts, chopped flaked coconut Combine all ingredients except coconut. When thoroughly mixed, make into balls about the size of a walnut and roll in the flaked coconut. Store in the refrigerator.

pumpkin cookies 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1 egg 1 cup canned pumpkin 2 tsp. vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup pecans, chopped Carmel frosting: 3 tbsp. brown sugar 2 tbsp. butter 3 tbsp. milk 2 cups powdered sugar

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Combine flour baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in pecans. Drop by rounded teaspoon a full 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350Ëš for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Frosting: In a small sauce pan, bring brown sugar and butter to a boil. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Beat in milk and enough powdered sugar to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cookies. Makes 5 dozen.

1 12-oz. pkg. chocolate chips 1 10.5-oz. pkg. colored miniature marshmallows 1 cup chopped nuts 1/2 cup butter 1 7-oz. pkg. coconut

Melt butter and chocolate chips together and cool. Add nuts and marshmallows. Divide into two parts and make two rolls. Then roll each one in coconut. Place on wax paper and put in refrigerator for 24 hours. Slice.

62 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

DININGDIRECTORY

DINING

SPOTLIGHT

FEATURED

RESTAURANT SEAFOOD STEAK CHOPS PASTA

864 US Highway 60 • Monett 417-235-7800

Diners who have never tasted a homemade olive salad, salami, mortadella, ham and provolone-stuffed muffuletta sandwich should venture into The Bayou, an authentic cajun restaurant located at 864 E. Highway 60 in Monett. The restaurant serves creamy Creole red beans and rice, jalapeno cornbread muffins, Po-Boy Sandwiches and traditional spicy shrimp and sausage jambalaya. Diners can also try the cafe’s lasagna rolls florentine, a fried portobello mushroom or the half-pound Bayou burger.

The Bayou offers a variety of other southern-style seafood, steak and pasta dishes and an assortment of desserts, including bread pudding, custard pie and cherry cordial cheesecake. The Bayou is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours will be seasonal.

The restaurant bar offers late hours Tuesday through Sunday. Be sure to join us on NFL Sundays during football season for all of the games.

Dine

out

D I N I N G D I R E C TO RY ACAMBARO 505 Plaza Drive MONETT 417-354-8408 Mon-Thu 11am-9pm and Fri-Sun 6am-10pm

BAYOU 864 US Highway 60 MONETT 417-235-7800 Mon-Thu 11am-8pm and Fri-Sat 11am-9pm

BLACK BIRD BAR & GRILL 1321 S. Elliott Ave. AURORA 417-678-2100

DENALI DREAMS 316 Broadway MONETT 417-772-7092 Mon 6-9pm, Tue-Thu 7am-9pm, Fri 7am-10pm and Sat 8am-10pm

MOCHA JO'S 404 Broadway MONETT 417-635-1107

SPECIAL!

M, T, Th 8am-8pm, W 7am-3pm, F 8am-10pm

Fajita Tuesdays Chicken, Beef or Mixed

725

MONETT FAMILY RESTAURANT

$

W E N nterrey o M s a t u a Fl

Authe MEXICntic A

N F O OD

608 E. Broadway MONETT 417-235-3772 Open 7 days 6am-9pm

Designer fashionsBBQ RICHARD’S HAWGWILD

accessories, make-up and Downtown skin care AURORA 417-678-4294 Come in

and check out our merchandise.

Call for hours

UTOPIAN BEAN

Merry Christmas from 200 Washington Street PURDY Gussied Up Boutique 417-442-3014 NOW Accepting EBT cards

175 N. 3rd Street Verona • 417-498-6487

Open Tuesday through Saturday 9:00am - 8:00pm

52 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

• Mon-Thur 11am-8:30pm • Fri 10:30am-9:00pm • Sat 10am-9pm • Sun 10am-8:30pm DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 63

Dine

DININGDIRECTORY

417-678-2100

out

The

DENALI DREAMS 316 Broadway MONETT 417-772-7092

D I N I NG DIR E CTORY Mon 6-9pm, Tue-Thu 7am-9pm, Fri 7am-10pm and Sat 8am-10pm

MOCHA JO'S ACAMBARO

DINING

FAMILY

SPOTLIGHT

FEATURED

RESTAURANT

Room

404 Broadway 505 Plaza Drive MONETT 417-635-1107 417-354-8408 M, T, Th 8am-8pm, W 7am-3pm,and F 8am-10pm Mon-Thu 11am-9pm Fri-Sun

6am-10pm

T.J.’S B.B.Q.FAMILY RESTAURANT MONETT BAYOU 608 E.Mt.Vernon Broadway 864 US HighwayBlvd.

60 110W. MONETT MT.VERNON 417-366-2388 417-235-3772 417-235-7800 Tues.-Sat. a.m.

- 7 6am-9pm p.m.

Open 711 days Mon-Thu 11am-8pm and Fri-Sat 11am-9pm

We pick 641 W. Highway 60,up and return your vehicle in the Cassville area.

Monett, Mo. 417-772-7211 Mon - Wed: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Thu - Sat: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

RICHARD’S BBQ BLACK BIRDHAWGWILD BAR & GRILL The Family Room Steakhouse strives to give our guests the ultimate dining experience! We serve “home-cooked” favorites with the freshest ingredients. One can’t go wrong! From our hand-cut buffalo chicken bites to our mouth-watering prime rib. Not only do we cater outside of the restaurant, but our beautiful banquet room holds up to seventy. So come in today where good company is always welcome!

1321 S. Elliott Ave. Downtown AURORA 417-678-2100 417-678-4294 Call for hours

UTOPIAN BEAN DENALI DREAMS 200 Washington Street 316 Broadway PURDY MONETT 417-442-3014 417-772-7092 Open Tuesday through Saturday 9:00amand - 8:00pm Mon 6-9pm, Tue-Thu 7am-9pm, Fri 7am-10pm Sat 8am-10pm

MOCHA JO'S 52 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2012

New Patient Special

404 Broadway MONETT 417-635-1107

M, T, Th 8am-8pm, W 7am-3pm, F 8am-10pm

MONETT FAMILY RESTAURANT

We pick up and return your vehicle in the Cassville area.

Let Your Smile Shine Through

608 E. Broadway MONETT 417-235-3772

Open 7 days 6am-9pm

FREE

RICHARD’S HAWGWILD BBQ Downtown AURORA 417-678-4294 Call for hours

Upper Teeth Whitening**

With Complete exam and decay detecting x-rays for NEW patients.

**Bleaching is a non-specialty UTOPIAN BEAN interest area which is not recognized 200 Washington Street by the ADA or State of MO. PURDY 417-442-3014

Carolyn Hunter, DMD, PC ~ Caring For Your Smile ~ General Dentistry 2012 |77 CONNECTION SmithsonMAGAZINE Drive ~ Cassville, MO 65625 ~ (417) 847-2461 ~ (800)OCTOBER 639-4959 New Patients Welcome ~ We Offer Extended Evening Hours

Open Tuesday through Saturday 9:00am - 8:00pm

52

64 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

st Missouri’s e w h t Best Sou

www.cassville-democrat.com

Connection is now

online!

Custom Christmas Light Display November 21 - December 30 Dusk - 9:00 p.m.

Monett’s South Park • Jct. Hwys. 60&37

With just a click of your mouse, you can read the newest issue of the area’s most talked about publication.

Log on to www.cassvilledemocrat.com today!

For more information, please call 417.235.7919 www.monett-mo.com or facebook.com/MonettChamber.

FREE ADMISSION

You will also see local news updated daily, popular poll questions, local sports, and so much more!

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ONLY AT DIET CENTER When you enroll by 01-31-13

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DECEMBER 2012

A mag azin e ded icat ed to Sou thw est Miss our ians

hS oWm e EET hom e

pierc e city native histo ric frisco resto res home on stree t in mone tt

The hum as a canvasan body

MONETT MOULAG HAVE MASTERED E ARTISTS THEIR CRAFT

Unexpe treasurected s

GOLDEN PIONEER MUSEUM SHOWCASES A VARIETY OF COLLECTI ONS

APRI L 2011

26 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE| 65 CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Sw

Careys Cassville Florist

Careys Cassville Florist is committed to offering only the finest floral arrangements and gifts and is backed by friendly and prompt service. We deliver in Cassville and surrounding areas.

Come in and check out our “Theme Wreaths” pick one out or place an order 200 West 1st St, Cassville

Hours: Monday- Friday 8:30 a.m - 5 p.m.

Saturday 8:30 a.m-12 p.m.

417-847-2363

w w w. b e n n e t t w o r m i n g t o n . c o m

A NAME YOU CAN TRUST.

BW

FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1946

BENNETT-WORMINGTON FUNERAL HOME 216 Second St. • Monett, MO 65708 417-235-3141 • 800-743-9697 Rick Wormington ~ Owner

“WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A GENIUS….YOU JUST HAVE TO OWN ONE!” BURNS CALORIES AND REGULATES WEIGHT, • PROMOTES THE ADHESION AND OSMOSIS OF WATER MOLECULES BURNING UP TO 700 CALORIES SESSION! ACROSS THE CELLULAR MEMBRANE USING THE PHOTON-GENIUS IS BENEFICIAL • HEMORRHOIDS FOR: • DIABETES • SKIN PROBLEMS • INDIGESTION • STOMACH PROBLEMS • ASTHMA • EARACHE • INFLAMMATION AND SWELLING • COLDS, ETC. • GOUT • EXCESS ACID • ULCERS - GASTRIC AND DUODENAL • HEARTBURN • ABNORMAL NERVE FUNCTION • RELIEVES PAIN, MUSCLE TENSION AND • BRONCHITIS FATIGUE • ARTHRITIS • IMPROVES SKIN TONE AND ELIMINATES • HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ACNE • INSOMNIA • IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUT • NEURALGIA FOR • RHEUMATISM THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE • YOUR GENERAL CONDITION AND BE ABLE TO EXERCISE (THOSE IN HEALTH WHEELCHAIRS OR WITH HEART DISEASE) • CLEARS CELLULITE BY BREAKING DOWN THE FAT AND WASTE STORED IN POCKETS BELOW THE SKIN James L. Stephens N.D., Doctor of Naturopathy

“Touch for Health” Kinesiology Body Balance Nutrition www.lifeforce.net

417-847-9355 • 18947 State Hwy 37 • Cassville 66 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

FAVEFIVE

Katie Barton is a freelance writer from Springfield. She’s the editor of Springfield Lifestyle and the associate editor of The Lawyer’s Logbook. She graduated from College of the Ozarks in May 2011 with a bachelor of arts in journalism. Barton is originally from Berryville, Ark.

By Katie Barton

Christmas Stops BRANSON LANDING With the giant Christmas tree and chrome reindeer, the Branson Landing is one of my favorite spots to enjoy the holiday spirit with friends and family.

4

MEDIACOM ICE PARK You might not be able to glide over the ice like an Olympic figure skater, but it can still be fun to try. No one will judge you if you hang on to the wall the entire night, so lace up your skates and take a spin around the Springfield rink.

5

3 SILVER DOLLAR CITY There’s no place more magical this time of year than Silver Dollar City.

There are carols on the train, tons of lights and a parade to finish the day. The park has everything you could possibly want in a winter wonderland.

2

DIXIE STAMPEDE The Dixie Stampede Christmas show is my all-time favorite Branson show. The food, the horses and the North Pole vs. South Pole competition always fill my heart with an incredible amount of holiday cheer.

1 MONETT’S FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS A drive through Monett’s South Park to view over 75 lighting displays has become a Christmas tradition for hosts of families and friends from near and far. The Festival of Lights is open from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. nightly through Dec. 26. The attraction is free but donations are accepted as vehicles exit the park.

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 67

MYCONNECTION

Members of the Monett High School cheerleading squad pose with several issues of Connection at the recent Missouri Cheer Coaches Association’s state competition, which was held in the Hearnes Arena on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia.

The squad includes Melanie Zengotita, Whitney Jones, Alexis DiBell, Tara Hancock, Katie Kaiser, Stephanie Schumacher, Adriel Ridenour, Dominique Connnolly, Kristen Tilley, Torri Davis, Katie Rutherford and Emma Schupbach.

“My Connection” photos should be e-mailed to editor@monetttimes.com. Photos should be sent in the original JPG format at the highest resolution possible. A short explanation of who is in the photo and where the photo was taken should also be included.

my c

Danny and Jerri Heupel and Dianne and Bill Shiveley, all of Cassville, enjoyed a 10-day dream vacation to Alaska this summer.

In the photo below, the two couples pose with the August issue of Connection with the Homer Spit shown behind them.

68 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2012

Members of the 2012 Leadership Monett class and alumni from previous classes posed with a copy of Connection during a two-day retreat at Roaring River State Park. The event marked the start of the popular leadership program, which is sponsored by the Monett Chamber of Commerce.

connection

Diane Funcannon, of Cassville, and Stacy Utter, of Exeter, posed with Connection magazine during their trip to Riu Caribe in Cancun, Mexico.

Above: Richard and Marie Auernheimer, of Cassville, and son, David, of Eagle Rock, visited their other son, Mark, in Richmond, Virginia.

The Auernheimers posed with Connection along Monument Street near the statue of Robert E. Lee. Left: Jim DeSpain, Nema McCullah, Adriene Camille (TMZ tour guide), Renee Tichenor, Katrina DeSpain and Reece Steele took Connection along for a TMZ tour of Hollywood while visiting Renee’s brother in Hawthorne, California. TMZ stands for “Thirty Mile Zone.” Family members traveled to California to attend the graduation of Renee’s nephew from the Marines.

DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 69

www.monett-times.com

Connection is now

online!

With just a click of your mouse, you can read the newest issue of the area’s most talked about publication.

Log on to www.monetttimes.com today!

You will also see local news updated daily, popular poll questions, local sports, and so much more!

Denali Dreams

Coffee Shop and Art Gallery The Best Coffee, Pastries, Ice Cream, and Service Live Music most Fridays Free WiFi

417-772-7092 316 E Broadway, Monett www.denalidreamscoffee.com

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Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. -5 p.m. • Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR AN

Diesel Technology

Automotive Technology

FR EE A mag azin e ded icat ed to Sou thw est Miss our ians

hS oWm e EET hom e

pierc e city native histo ric frisco resto res home on stree t in mone tt

The hum as a canvasan body

MONETT MOULAG HAVE MASTERED E ARTISTS THEIR CRAFT

Unexpe treasurected s

GOLDEN PIONEER MUSEUM SHOWCASES A VARIETY OF COLLECTI ONS

APRI L 2011

70 | | CONNECTION CONNECTIONMAGAZINE MAGAZINE 56

Auto Collision Repair

A career in Transportation, Distribution or Logistics teaches you how to:

• Move people & products by driving or piloting different modes of transportation • Repair & maintain various modes of transportation • Work behind the scenes to ensure the timely delivery of people & products

For more information, please call

417-235-7022.

For more information about

Adult Education programs offered,

Please call

775 Chapel Drive, Suite F417-235-8356 • MONETT

or visit the Adult Education link at For more information call 417-235-4200 www.monett.schoolfusion.us Mon-Fri: 9-5 • Sat: 9-noon 2 David Sippy Drive, Monett DECEMBER OCTOBER 2012 2012

HEALTHYCONNECTION

Less sugar for Christmas

By Nancy Ridgley

“WHILE VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUMS danced in their heads” Americans consume 14.6 percent of their calories from sugar or sugary foods.

This percentage is likely much higher during the holidays. These sugary foods increase the risk of obesity because of their higher calorie content but lower diet quality. And we know that obesity in turn increases the risk for pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Overweight and obese individuals tend to gain on average 2 to 2.5 pounds during the holidays. The non-overweight person tends to gain less than half a pound. I find that the use of non-nutritive sweeteners helps people keep their weight within a healthy range and helps those who need to lose weight.

“A preference for sweet taste is innate and sweeteners, whether added or naturally occurring in food, can increase the pleasure of eating,” according to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You can still enjoy the sweet taste of foods with the use of low-calorie and no-calorie sweeteners.

The seven non-nutritive sweeteners that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration are: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucrolose, neotame, luo han guo fruit extract and stevia.

DECEMBER 2012

I would like to give you a couple of statistics that are proven by research and studies from The American Dietetic Association Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Evidence Analysis Project (2010).

1. The non-nutritive sweeteners do NOT affect appetite in adults.

2. The non-nutritive sweeteners do not increase food intake.

The sweeteners actually save you calories but still allow you to enjoy the sweet taste of foods.

For Christmas, try Truvia for sweetening your pumpkin pie. You’ll love it. Merry Christmas!

Pumpkin Pie

9” pie, 8 servings

Ingredients: Pastry for single-crust 9” pie 1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated fat-free milk 3 eggs 20 packets Truvia natural sweetener 1 tsp. vanilla 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice Light whipped topping (optional) Calories: 180 Total Carbohydrates: 22 grams

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pastry on floured surface 1” larger than inverted 9” pie pan. Ease pastry into pan; flute and trim edge. Mix pumpkin, evaporated milk and eggs on medium speed until well blended. Add additional ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack. Top with whipped topping, if desired.

Nancy Ridgley, RD, LD, CDE, is a registered and licensed dietitian, certified diabetes educator, a Mad Dogg-certified spinning instructor and director of community wellness at Cox Monett Hospital. She also holds certifications in adult weight management and childhood and adolescent weight management. The mother of three enjoys spinning, reading, Mizzou football, travel, spending time with children and extended family and having coffee with friends. For more information about wellness and living a healthy lifestyle, check out Cox Monett Hospital’s wellness blog at www.realwellnessforrealpeople.blogspot.com.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 71

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LOVIN’LIFE

Lovin’ life after 55 DELIGHT AND EXCITEMENT ECHO throughout the land this month as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Sometimes, we can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, bemoaning the bumper-to-bumper traffic or the search for a good parking spot. Even while these rituals are taking place, there is a certain joy and excitement in trying to find that perfect gift or special music being rehearsed for church services. It is known as The Spirit of Christmas.

Contemplating all the commercial happenings that transpire during the Christmas season, let us change direction for a moment and pause to reflect on the parents of Jesus -- Mary and Joseph. Their ordained harmony and faith would change the world.

The day seemed to start out like other days in Bethlehem. The shepherds tended their flock, women completed household chores and children played their games.

However, as the Bible describes, this was definitely not a usual day in the lives of His

DECEMBER 2012

By Sally Reinhardt

Sally Reinhardt is a transplant from the big city of St. Louis, who now lives in Monett with her hus.band. Sally said it was strictly by accident or fate that she ended up living in Monett. “I never imag.ined I would one day be living in the Ozarks, much less enjoy the opportunity to share my writings,” said Sally. “This, of course, just proves it is best to keep life’s options open. I have found here an entirely new outlook and a new set of sights, sounds and friendships.”

flock as the little town, and eventually the world, would discover.

In Luke 1:28, 30, we are told that an angel appeared and made known to Mary that she was “blessed among women” and then comforted her to “fear not.” Mary was at first confused by the angel’s greeting, and then the angel utters the words, “for with God nothing shall be impossible.”

The last mention of Mary is in Acts 1:14 when she was present with the disciples at Jesus’ Ascension. There is no recorded word that Jesus appeared to His mother separately after His resurrection, although the fact there is no record of such a meeting, does not mean it did not happen.

Mary’s obvious dedication and alliance to her son is without question. I like to believe that their relationship included a special time together.

Learning of Mary’s condition and wanting to protect her from public disgrace, Joseph must have been perplexed concerning what he should do. After the angel appeared and explained what was

sidecar-sally@juno.com happening, Joseph understood that his actions were ordained. To be chosen as the foster father of God’s own son would have required a good and exemplary man.

Very little is related concerning Joseph other than he was a carpenter and head of the family. He is mentioned at Jesus’ birth and on several other instances in Scripture; however, I have no doubt that his presence was inspirational in bringing up the Child.

No mention is made of his death. It is implied that he died before the crucifixion, otherwise why did Jesus commit the care of his mother to John?

When giving or getting a gift this Christmas, let it bring to mind the greatest gift ever given -- God’s only begotten Son. While exploring the role His parents had in His childhood, I received a special appreciation of the Gift orchestrated for our redemption. The Gift is ours -- make room and open wide your arms. May God’s peace and joy of the season be with each of you.

See ya down the road.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 73

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DECEMBER 2012

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Mt. Vernon hosted its popular Apple Butter Makin’ Days on October 12, 13 and 14 on the square.

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1. Tommy and Tracy Tate.

2. Karissa and Kelly Bariteau.

3. Kevin Kuhl, Susan Kuhl and Maddie Willmes.

4. Gideon Grant, Kasey Gauss, Brooklyn Phelan and Cheryl Williams.

5. Emily and Devanie O’Hagan and Marsha Williams.

6. Helyn Korpella, Kierce Horner, Elizabeth Horner, Bob Korpella and Brooklyn Horner.

7. Jen Sullivan, Bentlee Mathers and Autumn King.

8. Donna Jensen, Judy Lewis and Annie Lewis.

9. Dayton Jones, Mindy Chandler and Carson Jones.

10. Justin Lee and Dallas Mayshark.

11. Jeff and Kathy Culver.

12. Delores Vaughn and Linda Cavaneau.

13. Jerome and Vivian Welters.

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A dinner fundraiser for the Jenny Garner Student Memorial was held October 6 at the Pierce City Senior Center. The event was hosted by the Dacy Foundation and the United Methodist Church of Pierce City.

14. Evan Zebert, Sheila Zebert and Madison Yonker.

15. Missy and Kay Smith.

16. Larry and Valerie Eden.

17. Penny Dean and Kenny Smith.

18. Teresa Heeter and Dorothy Blinzler.

19. Richard and Judy Scheihing.

20. Casey, Robert and Ginger Leavitt.

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DECEMBER 2012

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COMMUNITYCONNECTION

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www.drury.edu/monett Classes Begin January 22, 2013

MONETT

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“Come create your personalized pieces.

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DECEMBER 2012

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The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Fall Festival and Chili and Salsa Cook-Off on the square in Cassville on October 27.

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DECEMBER 2012

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1. Jill McCulloch and Noelle Harmon.

2. Carmen Wolf and Lilly.

3. Penny and Phillip Bailey.

4. Renea Corn, Stacy Cornell, Jeffery Cornell, Jared Cornell, Jerri Heupel, Brad Pyle and Danny Heupel.

5. Melissa Vineyard and Gunther.

6. Sara Ledgerwood and Ashley Speer.

7. Carol Craig and Jean Sturgell.

8. Jolie Mattingly and Doc. 9. Della Stouder and Squeaky Doo. 10. Keisha Corn and Rosie.

11. Wyatt, Landyn and Addyson Moore and Marley.

12. Josie Bivens and Nugget.

The Show, sponsored by the Cassville Area of Chamber of Commerce and featuring HomeTown Sound and the RedHots, was held at the Crowder College Cassville Campus Community Building on October 26, 27 and 28.

13. Chelsea, Doug, Carol and Pete Landstad.

14. Courtney Stewart and Aubrey Abramovitz.

15. Bridges Madison, Madison Horner, Kaelin Roark, Jaci Evans and Brooke Cornell.

16. Sylvia and Red Phillips.

17. Levi Gautney and Jaeron Ganoung.

18. Cathy and Herb Primrose.

19. Emily Clinkenbeard, Tawnie Nelson, Brianna Wiertsema, Drew Henbest and Dean Tolbert.

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COMMUNITYCONNECTION

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Because when it’s the thought that counts, thinking about their financial well-being means a lot.

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The Newtonia Fall Festival and the 150th anniversary of the first Civil War battle of Newtonia were held on Saturday, September 28.

7. Ashley and Magnus Gassaway and Christi Thomas.

8. Nancy and John Eckhart, Maura Sparks and Stan and Janet Bell.

9. Breanna and Renee Lewis.

10. Jaedyn Cobb and Melissa and Grace Yerington.

11. Louis and Josephine Eby. 12. Shirley Brendel and Lois Klatt.

13. Tara Nelson and Carl Johns.

14. Teresa McCoy, Lauren Sullivan and Linda Eye. 15. Vanessa Jordon and Rosalie Petersen.

Trunk or Treat was held October 27 at the First United Methodist Church in Monett.

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1. Evangelina, Laura, Graciela, Lourdes and Cesar Morales and Chastelyn Medina.

2. Anali Torres, Ashli Moncada and Kevin Moncada.

3. Mariela Vizcaino.

4. Libia Ortega and Dene Nince.

5. Shari Halstenberg and Breinca Salas.

6. Nataly and Gabriela Garcia.

16. Brandy Jones and Sonja Leach.

17. Kaylee Lester, Grace, Sarah and Evona Harris.

18. Justine, Mason and Lexy Robar and Jacob King.

19. Ethan, Jesse, Lauren and Amy Blades.

20. Alexis Gilmore, LJ Pedersen and Kaitlynne Gilmore.

21. Paula, Brooklyn and Owen Baker.

22. Lea Periman and Daphne Jagears.

23. Dawn, Ruby and Lilly Hamm.

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COMMUNITYCONNECTION

The Hispanic Heritage Festival was held September 15 in downtown Monett.

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We will get your car looking like new.

Christmastime will soon be here, Bringing with it joy and cheer Along with our best wishes, too --

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With over 60 years of combined experience, our reputation speaks for itself. Our technicians receive the highest level of training to provide you with the quality service you deserve. We use the best computer technology to secure and better serve our customers by providing better information, faster service and more consistent quality.

For each and every one of you So to all of those who've stopped by here, Thanks for brightening up our year

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80 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

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DECEMBER 2012

JA N UA R Y E V E N T S

THE MONTH OF JANUARY The Stella Senior Citizens Center and the Aurora Senior Citizens Center hold weekly dances. The Stella dance is held every Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m. with music by the McDonald County Playboys and Frosty Garland and the Road Hogs on alternate Fridays. The Aurora dance is held the second, third and fourth Saturdays of the month from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring the Funtimers band.

JANUARY 3 The Seligman Lions Club is hosting a community dance at the Seligman Community Center from 7 to 10 p.m.

Frosty Garland and the Road Hogs is the featured band. There is a $4 cover charge with all proceeds benefitting the Seligman Lions Club.

JANUARY 4 The Cassville Chamber of Commerce will host the First Friday Coffee. For more information on the location, call the chamber at 417-847-2814.

JANUARY 7 The monthly dance at the Monett Senior Citizens Center will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the senior center on Dairy Street.

Admission is $3, and snack foods are welcome.

JANUARY 15 The Southern Beekeepers of Missouri will meet at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Monett. Anyone interested in bees is welcome to attend. For more information, call Leon Riggs at 417-2355053 or Kevin Young at 417-847-5464.

JANUARY 17 The Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett will be hosting “Focus on the Future” from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event will be a college day in combination with industries also attending. For more information, call 417-235-7022.

JANUARY 26 The Aurora Chamber of Commerce will host its annual banquet at 6 p.m. at the Aurora High School. Tickets can be purchased at the chamber for $20. For more information, call the chamber at 417678-4150.

The Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce will host Business Expo 2013 at the MARC. For more information, call the chamber at 417-466-7654.

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet will be held at 6 p.m. in the Cassville High School commons area. For more information, call the chamber office at 417-847-2814.

JANUARY 28 The Pierce City Senior Citizens will host a dance from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Pierce City Senior Center.

Come see our selection of Christmas Treasures

If you have an event you would like featured in our monthly events listing, please email the event information to Lisa Craft at community@monetttimes.com.

22768 Hwy 39 Suite B, Aurora Mo. .3 miles south of Hwy 60 DECEMBER 2012

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 81

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First State Bank of Purdy

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Peppers and Company

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Walmart Pharmacy

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Robyn Blankenship ADVERTISING DIRECTOR 417.342.3168 sales@cassville-democrat.com Sheila Harris ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 417.669.3667 mocassadv@gmail.com Marion Chrysler ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 479.244.7082 mchrysler@cassville-democrat.com

W B E F O P A E H

•UNIQUE ANTIQUE GIFT ITEMS •FINE ESTATE JEWELRY I Â?: H ­€, H ƒ

, T „ , W C •NAVAJO ‡ ZUNI TURQUOISE

Cassie Brewer ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 417.847.2610 cassvilleads@gmail.com Annie George ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 214.762.0414 connectionsales@gmail.com Greg Gilliam ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 417.489.1718 777caregiver@sbcglobal.net 82 | CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Highway 37

One mile north of Purdy Six miles south of Monett

417-442-9187 DECEMBER 2012

PARTINGSHOT

Parting Shot Fresh snowfall blankets Waldensian Presbyterian Church south of Monett.

P H OTO B Y J E F F T E R R Y

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year DECEMBER 2012

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DECEMBER 2012