August 2016 Connection

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art of faith

Local artist creates from the heart

Ernte-Fest

The great beer fest is on its way

teaching lessons

Retiring principal talks education

great growlers

Tiger sanctuary holds the big cats

Summer FUN

before Back to SCHOOL

A magazine dedicated to Southwest Missourians

AUGUST 2016

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 1

August 27 - 28, 2016

Sat. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. • Sun. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Downtown Monett

Vendor booths available!

Featuring Original Art, Antiques, Clothing, Jewelry, Handmade Treasures, Furniture, Home Décor, & Outdoor Furnishings.

Repurpose ANYTHING for your chance to win!

$500 PRIZE!

Car Show

FLEA MARKET FLIP CONTEST

Sun. 11:00 a.m.

Check Facebook For Contest Entry Rules.

Sponsored by

Plymouth Junction Antiques & Flea Market

Saturday night CRUISE-IN!

FEATURING FYI GUY Jeremy Rabe Sat. 10:00 - 2:00

For more information contact Ann Saunders at (417) 235-2007 or asaunders@drury.edu Volunteers needed for the Repurposed Faire.

is having a

Camp meeting Join us for great preaching, singing, fellowship, and food.

810 13th Street, Monett, MO • 417-235-5351

Pastor Ronnie Howerton • August 11th – 14th Thursday 11Th

Friday 12Th

saTurday 13Th

sunday 14Th

6:30pm – Special singing by 11th Hour

8:00am - Breakfast 9:30am – Special singing by 11th Hour 10:00am – Bro. Jason Hutsell 10:45am – Bro. Derek terry 11:30am - Lunch 1:00pm – Special singing by 11th Hour 2:00pm – Bro. grant Ledbetter 3:15pm – Bro. Clark Snow 5:00pm - Dinner 6:30pm – Special singing by 11th Hour 7:15pm – Bro. Lonnie Burks

8:00am - Breakfast 9:30am – Special singing

by The marks Family 10:00am – Bro. mike Tharp 10:45am – Bro. Wyatt Howerton 11:30am - Lunch 1:00pm – Special singing

by The marks Family 2:00pm – Bro. Craig Villines 3:15pm – Bro. Doyle Williamson 5:00pm - Dinner 6:30pm – Special singing by the marks Family 7:15pm – Bro. mike Hutsell

8:30am - Breakfast 10:30am – Special singing by The marks Family 11:00pm – Bro. Derek Stinnet 12:00pm - Lunch 1:30pm – Special singing

by The marks Family 2:00pm – Bro. Derek Stinnet

7:15pm – Bro. allen eppinette

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The WORLD’S OnLy hOpe iS The WORD, tHe Atoning blood of tHe CHRist of tHe CRoss And tHe RetuRn of tHe loRd Jesus CHRist in gloRy. CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 3

The Crane Broiler Festival

• • • •

Barbecued chicken dinner More vendor & craft booths Carnival Rides & Games Live dance bands Friday and Saturday nights • Gospel tent all day Saturday

Friday, August 19th and Saturday, August 20th, 2016 Crane City Park • Hwy. 413, Downtown Crane, Missouri

4 | AUGUST 2016

www.edwardjones.com A magazine dedicated to Southwest Missourians

PUBLISHER Jacob Brower connection@monett-times.com EDITOR Kyle Troutman editor@cassville-democrat.com Marketing director Lisa Craft community@monett-times.com ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Sheila Harris James Craig Marion Chrysler CONTRIBUTORS Murray Bishoff Meagan Ruffing Nancy Ridgley Shawn Hayden Darlene Wierman Melonie Roberts Sheila Harris Susan Funkhouser Pam Wormington Brad Stillwell Jared Lankford Julia Kilmer Jennifer Conner Anne Angle Dionne Zebert Jane Severson Verna Fry Angie Judd Cheryl Williams Sierra Gunter

Shane A Boyd

802 West Street Cassville, MO 65625 417-847-5238

Financial Advisor 1418 South Elliott Aurora, MO 65605 417-678-0277 1-866-678-0277

Jim Haston

Nathan Roetto AAMS®

Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor

7 East Broadway Monett, MO 65708 417-235-8216

594 North Spring Park Blvd Mt. Vernon, MO 65712 417-466-4620

Donald E Weber

Nicole Weber

Financial Advisor

PHOTOGRAPHERS Chuck Nickle Brad Stillwell Jamie Brownlee Amy Sampson DISTRIBUTION Greg Gilliam Kevin Funcannon

Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor

100 Chapel Drive, Suite B Monett, MO 65708 417-236-2819

603 Dairy St. Monett, MO 65708 417-235-7465

TO ADVERTISE 417-847-2610 - Cassville 417-235-3135 - Monett Send email inquiries to connection@monett-times.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 40, Monett, MO 65708 Connection is published monthly and distributed free in Cassville, Monett, Exeter, Washburn, Pierce City, Mt. Vernon, Aurora, Verona, Roaring River, Eagle Rock, Shell Knob, Purdy, Wheaton, Freistatt, Marionville, Seligman, Golden and other surrounding areas.

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

Jeramie Grosenbacher, CFP®

Scott Young Financial Advisor

1418 S. Elliott Aurora, MO 65605 417-678-2102

MKT-1926A-A

Member SIPC

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 5

F

ohn

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Cassville, Missouri 417-847-2141 or 417-847-2157 Shell Knob, Missouri 417-858-3151 McQueen Funeral Home Wheaton, Missouri 417-652-7268 6 | AUGUST 2016

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features 11 | Supplies and staples Getting ready for school has never been so practical 16 | Inspiring art Dianne Baum expresses her connection with faith through paint and ink 26 | Ernte-Fest in the making A historical account of the humble roots of a Southwest Missouri favorite 35 | Beyond the board Skilled woodworker from Purdy creates fine pieces

August 2016 41 | Library Connection Take your pick of the best summer reading 43 | What matters most Intermediate principal Peg Winfrey reflects on the highlights of a meaningful career in education 49 | All for the wild The National Tiger Sanctuary of Chestnutridge opens its doors to explore 56 | A step back in time Whitley Pharmacy’s soda fountain continues to please for going on 50 years

This photo was recently captured by Valerie Miller.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 7

contents 9 | Proud Parent contest

15 | Healthy Connection: Pasta is a thing of the past 23 | Recipes: Fill up those lunch boxes with love 33 | Bottles & Brews 39 | Cutest Pet contest 55 | Community Calendar 59 | Submitted Photos 67 | Familiar Faces 79 | My Connection 82 | Parting Shot

This photo was recently captured by Cathy Lewis.

See more submitted photos on page 59.

This photo was recently captured by Valerie Miller.

Cover photo courtesy of Spencer House and Eric Greek.

Have an idea for a story you would like to see in Connection Magazine?

Email it to connection@monett-times.com

JOIN US ONLINE: Facebook.com/MyConnectionMo Twitter.com/MyConnection_Mo

8 | AUGUST 2016

proud parent

Congratulations,

Avery Jade!

Avery Jade is the 5-month-old daughter of Spencer House and Eric Greek.

Avery Jade is August’s cutest kid.

A r e y o u a p r o u d pa r e n t ?

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

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 9

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Thursday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Tuesday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Friday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Wednesday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Sunday - Closed Gift Cards, Mugs, Sweatshirts, and Consignment Items.

10 | AUGUST 2016

ShELL Knob CASSVILLE 97 S. Main Street 24828 Hwy 39 417-846-1719 417-858-3136 SELIGMAn GoLdEn WILLARd 36042 Hwy 86 502 S. State Hwy AB Hwy 37 S. 417-742-1776 417-271-3814 417-662-7000

Parenting column

Tackling the school supply list I’m new to this school thing. My oldest is going in to second grade so I’ve only had one year of buying school supplies under my belt. I will tell you, I was on it the first year. Waiting for that school supply list was like Christmas morning for me. I couldn’t wait to tackle the necessities needed for my son’s first year of school. I bought the best of the best and even tucked in a few sheets of “Bravo!” stickers for his teacher. Oh, you too?

Fast forward to the summer before his second-grade school year and I’m already finding ways to save on his long list of supplies. Here’s a few clever ways to save on your kids’ pencils and erasers, pencil box and crayons and yes, even those pricey dry erase markers.

1. Shop early.

2. Stock up.

3. Reuse.

Most, if not all, of your kids’ supplies are on sale during the summer. Stores are trying to get rid of old inventory to make room for the new, hot-off-thepress products. I didn’t know this until I started paying attention to those clearance items while doing my weekly grocery trips. I started picking up post-it notes that somehow found their way onto to the shelves with $1 price stickers. The only difference between those and the $3-4 post-it notes were the colors.

Light blue over neon blue? Sure, I’ll take the light blue for more than half the price.

I’m not one to keep an inventory in my closet of “just in case” gifts or “ooh, someone might like this someday” trinkets, but I know a good deal when I see one. Toward the end of the school year last year, I found those superexpensive Trapper Keeper-type things on sale for $3. Prior shopping trips with friends who had older children and were way more versed in this area than me at the time had balked at the cost of these things. They were upward of $13-15, and with multiple kids… Well, you get the point. I had no clue if my son would, in fact, need one of these. But I thought, heck, he can always use it at home for some sort of activity. So in the cart it went.

Remember how I told you that I bought the best of the best that first year? Once I saw how many pencils came back with my son at the end of the school year, I thought, there’s no way I’m buying another 24 pencils when I have somehow accumulated more than 50. We spent an afternoon sharpening all of these pencils during quiet time and put them nicely in his new 50-cent pencil box. Old with the new…

I like that.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 11

4. Buy generic when you can.

I usually leave the name brand stuff alone if I know the off-brand works just as well. I will also shop around if I’m already out and about running other errands. I don’t make special trips to find better prices, but just the other day I found myself at Office Max getting some things printed when I saw a great sale on crayons.

I picked up a few boxes and thought the cashier had actually rung them up wrong; they were even cheaper than what the sign advertised. Score!

5. Resale shops.

I never thought to scope out the local resale shops for backto-school items, but I was super excited when I found not one but two backpacks that were in pristine condition for less than $5 each. Once I saw how beat up my son’s got after just one year of school (not to mention I had paid more than $20 on this specific superhero backpack), I quickly bought those and they are now ready to go for his second-grade year and his sister’s second year of preschool. Now I won’t feel so bad when my kids come home with broken zippers and rips and tears from being at school all day.

6. Donate if you can.

I like saving money. But if I do find school supplies at a good price, I like to buy a few more and donate them to my kids’ teachers just in case there are any kids who can’t afford school supplies or maybe forgot theirs on the first day of school.

7. Dry erase markers.

Don’t you wish you could just erase some of those high prices from the packaging of these super expensive school supplies? Why are these markers so expensive?

I don’t know the answer to that question but I do know how to save a little bit on these. First, always stock up if you see them on sale (summertime), and second, buy in bulk. It will be more money up front but cheaper per marker.

Or, you can always split the package with a friend whose kids need the markers as well.

Learning, one year at a time

Your kids are ready to head back to school and with the help of this neat little list, you can feel good about supplying them with just what they need to start the school year off right. Grab a friend, load your kids in the car, and head out early for your school supplies this year. If you’re late to the game, no worries, they’ll be another school year starting before you know it.

Meagan Ruffing is ready to send her two older children off to school with shiny new things. When she’s not out shopping for a good deal, you can find her at the computer writing about all things parenting-related. Visit her at MeaganRuffing.com where you can sign up for her free newsletter.

12 | AUGUST 2016

Images by cirodelia | fotolia.com

New, State-Of-The-Art Dental Office

Back to School Watch for Kids!

Children’s & Family Dentistry We offer digital X-rays, ortho, crowns, bridges and root canals.

We accept most dental plans Missouri Medicaid providers up to age 21.

JACK NICKOLS Designated Broker

417-342-1506 jacknickols@yahoo.com

LARRY DANIELS Realtor

417-846-7306 ldaniels@mo-net.com

Thomas ALMS Jr., D.D.S.

155 W. Patterson • Mt. Vernon, Mo. • 466-3443 HOURS: Mon. - Thur: 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 5 p.m.

BILL HILL

Broker/Sales Person

417-847-3241 billhill.realtor@hotmail.com

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LEA HILL Realtor

417-847-0156 lea.hill@hotmail.com

JEAN NICKOLS Broker/Sales Person

417-880-5446 Join us for worship!

jeannickols@yahoo.com

1613 N. 17th Street Monett, Missouri 65708

Sunday Morning Bible Study - 9:30 a.m.

Worship - 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship - 6 p.m.

Wednesday Evening Bible Study - 7 p.m. www.monettchurchofchrist.com

RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL FARMS | LAND 87 Main Street • Cassville, Mo.

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CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 13

Ava Belle’s

ANTIQUES & FLEA MARKET Vintage furniture • Used appliances Antiques • Collectibles Home decor items

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Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Sun. 1 - 5 p.m.

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138 E Church Street, Aurora (417) 678-8361

100 E Broadway, Monett (417) 235-3200

503 Main Street, Cassville (417) 846-1500

24832 State Hwy 39, Shell Knob (417) 858-0226

Available for use with checking accounts only; Deposit Agreement Addendum must be signed by parent or guardian if under the age of 18 years; $50 minimum deposit required to open account; Existing customers will be charged a $7.50 replacement fee.

14 | AUGUST 2016

Member FDIC

Healthy connection

Have ‘zoodles’ of fun this summer A new form of pasta is in – it’s the zoodle! Zoodles, or zucchini noodles, are created using a kitchen tool called the spiralizer. Spiralizers come in a simple hand-held form or as a countertop crank. They work like a large pencil sharpener, creating long, gently curled noodles. Some come with different blades that allow you to adjust the size and shape of your zoodles. Spiralizers typically range from $10 to $30 and can be purchased at most home goods stores or online. You can prepare zoodles using any type of summer squash, with or without the skin. They can be eaten either raw or sautéed and topped with a sauce or fresh herbs and spices.

Summer Zucchini Noodles Ingredients 1 large yellow zucchini 1½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely minced ½ teaspoon fennel seeds ¼ teaspoon chili flakes 1½ teaspoon packed fresh oregano, finely minced Sea salt, to taste Freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 handful fresh feta 1 handful finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions 1. Using a julienne peeler or spiralizer, cut zucchini into thin ribbons. Stop peeling once you get to the seeds. Set the peeled zucchini strands aside.

2. Heat olive oil in sauté pan over mediumlow heat. Add garlic, fennel seeds and chili flakes. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add zucchini ribbons and freshly minced oregano to sauté pan. It should sizzle in the pan. If not, increase heat to medium.

Stir to combine. Add a generous pinch sea salt and ground pepper.

Health benefits of summer squash: Summer squash is a good source of Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. One cup of summer squash contains only 20 calories. The low calories and high fiber content of squash can aid in weight loss, helping to keep you full longer.

For those who are diabetic, replacing traditional pastas with either zoodles or spaghetti squash is a great way to cut back on the calories and carbs, and keep your blood sugars in control.

4. Sauté another 2 to 3 minutes until zucchini is tender, being careful not to overcook. Once zucchini is tender, turn off the heat and toss in a handful of feta and grated Parmesan. Stir to combine.

Season with additional sea salt and pepper, to taste.

5. Use a large fork to twirl the pasta onto a large spoon and serve in little pasta mounds. Serves 2.

Recipe source: Selva Wohlgemuth, MS, RDN; http://www.foodandnutrition.org/Stone-Soup/September-2015/ Summer-Squash-Noodles/

LISA BUCK, R.D., LD is a registered dietitian at the Center for Health Improvement at Cox Monett Hospital. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in dietetics and Spanish from Missouri State University and is working on a master’s degree in public health. Lisa is passionate about international development work and has volunteered throughout Central America working in the area of health education and promotion.

In her free time, Lisa enjoys biking, running and all things outdoors.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 15

With a few simple brush strokes, artist Dianne Baum created a miniature sunset against a backdrop of palm trees.

Faith, hope and love color local artist’s world

Artist Dianne Baum points out various elements in her watercolor, “Plow, Plant, Harvest.”

This painting lacks some of the whimsy her other works incorporate, but is a stark reminder of the foundational elements of artist Dianne Baum’s faith. Utilizing Bible scriptures from Matthew and Luke, Baum created a stark reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for all mankind.

Dianne Baum finds inspiration in Bible, faith Local artist Dianne Baum doesn’t have to look far for inspiration for her watercolor art — just as far as her Bible, faith and family.

“I like for my art to have meaning,” Baum said. “I want it to express part of myself, while at the same time allowing people to see how God has touched me through my work.”

Baum, a former librarian at Monett High School, dedicated much of her life to the educational field, which still allowed her to express her creativity through bulletin boards and other projects. However, it wasn’t until she retired in 2006 that she picked up a couple of classes and a paintbrush to fully explore her talent.

“I decided before I retired that I was going to be an artist,” she said. “I took classes. I wanted to do all that flowing watercolor thing, but that’s not what comes out.”

What does come out is her own unique and whimsical style, highlighted by vivid colors and illustrated with scriptures or poetry.

“My paintings are kind of like parables,” she said. “I hope my art tells a story and glorifies God.” While some artists can slap paint on a canvas, watercolor is not an easy medium with which to work. It tends to be a kind of “managed chaos.”

“You have to let the water do the work,” she said. “The trick is knowing how much or how little water to use. The color only goes where the water does. You don’t do the blending, the water does the blending. A lot of people try to ‘paint’ with watercolor like it’s an acrylic. That doesn’t work. That’s something you have to learn.”

Somewhat of a perfectionist, Baum doesn’t put brush to paper until she is satisfied with the design.

Story and photos by Melonie Roberts

“True Grit of Faith”

“Irish Blessing”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 17

Art does not come easy to some, and for Dianne Baum, an idea may go through several revisions before finding itself transformed into the watercolor rendering of what started as an abstract idea.

Her painting, “Sisters,” went through five such revisions.

“The longest part of the process is the design,” she said.

“Sometimes I have five drawings of the same subject, drawn over and over, until I get it right. The design is traced onto the paper and then outlined in black. The watercolor is the last step. Watercolor is an art form where you have to be patient, but I love to do it. Nothing is more fun.”

“All of my art is so personal. It expresses the joy of God within. I’ve felt that spirit my whole life.”

18 | AUGUST 2016

Baum also loves words, finding them both a source of inspiration and something she can incorporate into her work.

“Words, phrases or scripture is secondary to the art,” she said. “They’re woven into the painting, just waiting to be discovered. My style is elements designed in small spaces.

Even there, you have to let the water decide to do what it wants. It becomes its own thing. You can’t manage that. I never know how a piece will turn out when I start.”

What is important, though, is in designing each piece of art, Baum creates the images to please herself.

“That I end up marketing it isn’t my primary goal,” she said. “All of my art is so personal. It expresses the joy of God within. I’ve felt that spirit my whole life. My strongest desire is to grow closer to God.”

“Journey of the Heart,” a watercolor by artist Dianne Baum, illustrates a path guided by a voice within, the Holy Spirit, which leads us closer to God. With every crossroad comes a choice. The art incorporates the elements of the journey, the crossroads and the Trinity.

“My strongest desire is to grow closer to God.” CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 19

Standing Strong to Care for Your Loved One

Breakfast is served!

Jump start your day at The Jane Store!

Grill orders served for breakfast & lunch.

THE JANE STORE A unique Ozarks experience

2980 Rains Rd., Jane, Mo. • 417-226-1234

Tuesday - Saturday • 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cassville Health Care & Rehab

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1300 County Farm Road Cassville, Missouri 65625 Ph: 417-847-3386 Fax: 417-847-5449 melissa.miller@platinumhc.net

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Scott Thrasher GOSPEL SINGING Friday, aUG. 12 • 6:30 p.m.

CHURCH SERVICES:

Sunday School: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Service: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

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20 | AUGUST 2016

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One of the few commissioned pieces of art Dianne Baum agreed to create was for an optometrist. His profession inspired the piece, “Anatomy and Parable of the Eye.” Among the colorful elements of the work are messages, such as, “When life gets blurry, adjust your focus,” and “Lend me your eyes and I will change what you see.”

When the well of creativity dries up a bit, Baum schedules a class or retreat to fellowship with other artists.

“I just went to a retreat at Imogene’s Farmstead in Cape Fair,” she said. “It’s set on 40 acres. There were 20 women there. We tried a lot of things, like putting our brush on the end of a stick and painting that way. I love being inspired and always come back with ideas to incorporate new techniques into my art. You always learn something you can use, new ways to approach things.”

Baum will be traveling to St. Louis to teach a fourthgrade class some art fundamentals.

“I plan on having them write a haiku and illustrate it,” she said. “It’s just for a day, but I think it’s a worthwhile project.”

In addition, Baum has been asked to design a Christmas card for Safe to Sleep, a women’s shelter for the homeless.

“They plan to use it as a fundraiser to support their program,” she said. “I’m really excited to work on it.”

Baum’s work is on display at Fresh Gallery, located on Walnut Street in Springfield, where the first Friday of each month the Art Walk is held from 7 to 8 p.m.

“I have both originals and prints available there, as well as cards,” she said. “There are some people who are now collecting my art. To know someone collects your stuff, that’s awesome.” 

“Fruits of the Spirit”

Artist Dianne Baum at work on “Fruits of the Spirit,” based on a clipping she kept in her Bible as a reminder to surrender to the Spirit of God. Although she experienced challenges in completing the original piece, Baum finally finished the work, which illustrates the blessings of faithfulness, joy, peace, kindness, joy, goodness, gentleness and self-control.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 21

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22 | AUGUST 2016

To learn more, call LACOBA HOMES 417-235-7895.

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Recipes

Make your special little guy or gal the envy of the lunchroom with these delicious and easy school lunches!

Lunch Box Pita Pockets Kids can assemble these pita meals themselves, right there at the lunch table.

Granola Bars

Ingredients 1/2 cup deli ham, chopped 1/2 cup shredded lettuce 1/4 cup shredded carrot 1/4 cup Ranch dressing 1 pita bread round, cut in half

Ingredients 2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions n Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish. n Spread the oats and coconut evenly across a baking sheet. n Toast oats and coconut in preheated oven until browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to a large mixing bowl. n Mix honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour the honey mixture over the oats and coconut; stir to coat. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. n Bake in preheated oven until beginning to dry, about 15 minutes for crunchy granola bars, less if you like them chewy.

Cool completely before cutting.

Directions

Easy Snack Wraps Ingredients 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 head lettuce 1 (6 ounce) package sliced deli-style turkey 2 cups shredded carrots 2 cups minced tomato

Directions n Spread cream cheese evenly over the tortillas. Top the cream cheese with lettuce leaves. Arrange the turkey slices in even layers on top of the lettuce.

Sprinkle the carrots and tomato over the turkey slices. Roll the tortillas into wraps.

Cut the wraps diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Secure with toothpicks.

n Place ham, lettuce, and carrot in a resealable plastic bag. Pour Ranch dressing into a small resealable container. Wrap the pita bread in plastic wrap. Pack the ham mixture, Ranch dressing, and pita bread along with a spoon in a lunch box or bag until lunch time. n Assemble pita pocket by spooning the ham mixture into each pita half and drizzling the Ranch dressing on top.

Note: Ingredient variations include chopped pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce; chopped bacon, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and Ranch dressing; or sliced apples and peanut butter.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 23

Animal Crackers Ingredients 1/2 cup rolled oats 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup butter 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions n Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grind oats until fine using a blender or food processor.

Fruit Leather Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice 4 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple 4 cups peeled, cored and chopped pears

Directions n Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with a layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper.

n In a medium bowl, stir together the blended oats, flour, baking soda and salt.

Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the butter lumps are smaller than peas. Stir in the buttermilk and honey to form a stiff dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets. n Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are lightly browned.

Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

n In the container of a blender, combine the sugar, lemon juice, apple and pear.

Cover and puree until smooth. Spread evenly on the prepared pan. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven. n Bake for 5 to 6 hours, leaving the door to the oven partway open. Fruit is dry when the surface is no longer tacky and you can tear it like leather. Roll up on the plastic wrap and store in an airtight jar.

Apple Chips Ingredients 2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and thinly sliced 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions n Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. n Arrange apples slices on a metal baking sheet. n Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl; sprinkle over apple slices. n Bake in the preheated until apples are dried and edges curl up, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer apple chips, using a metal spatula, to a wire rack until cooled and crispy.

Source: AllRecipes.com

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In the boys’ division of the costume contest at the first Ernte-Fest in 1974, from left, were: master of ceremonies Floyd Stewart, John Kleiboeker, Darron Schoen, Ray Crabtree and Joe Paul Crabtree.

File photos | The Monett Times

The 4-decade-long

harvest

celebration

Freistatt Lions’ gift to southwest Missouri coming again 26 | AUGUST 2016

In the second weekend in August, the Freistatt Lions Club will host its 43rd annual Ernte-Fest, or harvest festival, on the Ernte-Fest grounds on the north end of Freistatt. Thousands of visitors will pour into the German community of less than 200 during the two-day event.

Over the years, the Ernte-Fest has grown and evolved. At its height, the festival raised more than $100,000 a year for Lions charities. While smaller these days, the festivities nonetheless remain a must-stop summer event for the area. The German dinner, the polka band, the chicken dance, rock and country music from a second stage, rides and games for kids, and of course, a varied menu of beers served on tap, keeps the crowds coming year after year.

Story by Murrary Bishoff

The women’s costume contest at the first Ernte-Fest in 1974 featured 10 entries offering authentic German apparel.

Pictured, from left, are: Susan Schoen, Helen Washburn, Mrs. Don Kleiboeker, Karen Langer, Susan Quade, Walli Bader, Mrs. Herman Lehde, Jr., Peggy Schoen, Kris Olson and Mrs. Henry Fries.

Even small children love the Chicken Dance.

(Alternately called the Ducky Dance, all sing along: La la LAH la la-la-lah, La la LAH la la-la-lah, La la LAH la la-la-lah. Quack quack quack quack) Every event has humble beginnings and Ernte Fest is no different. Joe Crabtree, one of three charter members of the Freistatt Lions remaining, recalls the whole affair started simply.

“Our club had been chartered in 1972,” said Crabtree. “The Monett club was our sponsor. Oren Fritz and Sinclair Rogers helped us a great deal. Our fundraising project was selling light bulbs and utility brooms. You can imagine how well that went over with Freistatt farmers. We decided to have a ‘harvest festival,’ or Ernte-Fest in German.”

The Freistatt church and school, Trinity Lutheran, had held a community picnic since the 1890s.

Making a festival didn’t seem that much harder. Plus they could make it a German festival, celebrating the culture of the mostly German community. It seemed like a natural fit.

But it was a small club, in a town of around 150 people. The Lions would have to appeal to a wider audience and use all the people power they could muster.

“For the first three years we used the Freistatt Community Building,” Crabtree said. “We also used the kitchen at the school. People would take home 10 pounds of potatoes to peel and bake eight to 10 loaves each.”

The first festival was held Aug. 16-17 in 1974.

More than 2,000 people came the first night. Organizers closed Fourth Street in front of the Community Building and set up a flatbed trailer in the street for a stage. The city well, located west of the Community Building, was not there yet, leaving open

Pictured getting their meal on the second night of the first Ernte-Fest in 1974 are Mr. and Mrs. Herbert V. Matthews of Carthage, former Freistatt residents, and Mr. and Mrs. Valgene Matthews, also of Carthage, at right.

Serving at left were Mrs. David Bracht and Mrs. Herbert Weiforth, wives of Freistatt Lions members.

ground for activities.

More than 3,400 traditional German meals of bratwurst, German potato salad, sauerkraut, green beans, tomatoes, homemade bread and beverages were served. Much of the cooking was done in the Community Building itself. Crabtree credited Florence Voskamp for organizing the wives of club members and family to assemble and serve the meal.

Loren Barnes later carried the mantle for years.

“Ernte-Fest was geared toward families, to bringing in kids,” said Stephen Schoen, another charter member of the club. “We had lots of games set up all over the lawn west of the Community Building and on the yard to the north where Alvin Holle kept his trucks to grind feed. We had a lot of big prizes, like three-foot-high stuffed animals. We had more games than the Freistatt picnic. We didn’t care if the games made any money. It was all to get families there to eat the German meal.”

Another big draw from the beginning was to have a biergarten, where people could gather, drink beer and socialize. A beer garden, enclosed by cattle panels, was set up on the south side of Fourth Street, across the street from where the Freistatt mailboxes are now, on an open lot owned by Alvin Biermann, who owned the local restaurant.

“There was a lot of controversy over if we should have beer or not,” Crabtree said. “We decided it wouldn’t be a German festival without beer.”

“If we were going to have a German festival like what they have in Hermann [Missouri], we didn’t think it would go over if it didn’t have beer,” Schoen said. “For the first years, we took pitchers of beer to the tables.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 27

Ernte Fest can be a family affair. Wearing their Alpine hats and out for a night of fun in 2011 was the group from Mt. Vernon, from left: Makenzie McIntyre, Grace and Emma Dunn and their mother, Jennifer Dunn.

The setting sun at the 2010 Ernte-Fest provided a picturesque backdrop for dancing to the Sauerkrauts, from San Antonio, Texas. (bottom right_ Monica Senniger modeled the 2007 Ernte-Fest T-shirt and the outrageous chicken hat that provided a truly memorable memento from the festival.

For several years there were contests for the best traditional German costumes. The first year even had a “Miss Wienerschnitzel” contest, for men dressing as German women, promising to qualify the winner to appear in the Missouri State Fair. Monett’s Floyd Stewart, dressed in his full German costume, and Lederhosen and an Alpine hat, served as master of ceremonies. James Fertig, appearing as “Jamie Fertigson,” won the title.

The first year had a variety of music, from the Aurora Rinky Dinks and the Darktown Dixieland Dukes to square dancing called by Wilbur Claude.

Attendance in the second year, Aug. 15-16, 1975, was estimated at more than 7,000. More than 4,000 dinners were sold. Getting a better feel for how to run a festival, the Lions recruited the Water28 | AUGUST 2016

loo German Band from Illinois to play traditional oom-pah music. The band was a great hit and returned for decades.

The Monett Times reported the club made more use of a second concession stand to sell snacks, in addition to the full dinner.

Expanding on activities for children, the festival had a horse-drawn merry-goround, a unique balanced contraption with wood benches suspended on ropes from a center pole, pushed by a horse walking at the center. Crabtree said the Freistatt picnic had a similar model years earlier than had been lost in a fire. Frank Engle at his machine shop recreated it. A newer version still makes an appearance at the festival.

In the third year, Aug. 20-21, 1976, organizers sold 5,068 meals, putting crowd estimates at about 10,000. Join-

ing the Waterloo German Band was Die Freistatt Spieler, a vocal group that organized for the U.S. Bicentennial to sing traditional songs. Die Spieler proved so popular that they performed for more than a decade, returning for an encore in 2004. The Polka Kings from Lawson, Okla., and the Purdy Brass provided additional music.

“Arlen Holle used to count all the money, before we had beer tokens,” Crabtree said. “A lot of it had beer spilled

Playing games while dressed for the occasion at the 2011 Ernte-Fest.

August 12-13

2016

Looking out from the bandstand at the crowd and the full dance floor doing the “Chicken Dance” in 2014.

Friendly alpacas from the nearby Morning Moon Alpaca Farm provided petting opportunities for young and old alike at the 2010 Ernte-Fest.

on it. By Monday, it was a stinking mess.

When we changed to beer tokens, it was a big improvement. We added a ticket booth later for the games that helped us track which attractions were more popular.”

Operating in an open area also had its risks. Schoen recalled on the second night of the first Ernte-Fest, a big storm blew in. Organizers helped Schoen grab the game prizes and tossed them in the big metal box on the back of Arno Doss’s truck, where Steve jumped in with the prizes and rode out the siege, rocking back and forth. The wind was so powerful that it blew the piano off the flatbed stage. Surprisingly, the piano only needed a tuning later to return to service.

It was apparent the tiny facilities in

downtown Freistatt simply could not accommodate such crowds. The first service project of the Lions was to build public bathrooms in the Freistatt Community Building. Early festivals used outhouses, as the school had done into the early 1960s.

Theodore Kaiser, who owned the land north of what was then Schoen Equipment, now Larson Farm and Lawn, approached the Schoens about buying his 40 acres. Steve Schoen recalled passing the offer on to the Lions Club, which secured the grounds. The summer of 1977 proved very busy for club members. David Bracht, his brother Walter Bracht, and Orville Mattlage labored on the site at length to erect a Bavarian-style structure, known as the Ernte-Fest Building,

that could serve as both a year-round meeting hall and for serving dinners.

Steve Schoen recalled using his company’s boom to set the rafters.

“It was a gamble,” Schoen said. “We went into debt building it, but it paid off,” The fourth Ernte-Fest, Aug. 19-20, 1977, had 6,100 German dinners sold and 3,500 snack plates — the largest food sales in the event’s history. The crowd was the biggest yet. A separate fenced-off area to the west accommodated the biergarten and a concrete slab was poured in front of a bandstand for dancing. A Bavarian building bandstand was initially built on the west side of the dance area. Over time, the festival area expanded and the bandstand was moved to the north side.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 29

After a few years, the snack shack concession area expanded. Crabtree felt that simplified the traffic flow, but Schoen felt it detracted from the German meal, which has sold about 1,400 a year for the past decade.

“We used a lot of area Lions clubs to help,” Crabtree said. “We would collect the money and share a percentage with them. For a number of years I had Monett High School kids come in to help run the games. If we used others, we paid them.

“We added bingo and we’d get prizes donated to give away. People wanted money instead of prizes. We had Springfield groups who worked with the blind that we invited. We’d try to figure out who we could help. We helped a lot of needy families, families of school kids, anyone we knew of that needed our help. That included a lot of scholarships to Boys State and Girls State.

“Our income got up to more than $100,000 a year from the festival. It was not uncommon for us to give away $50,000 to $60,000 a year. The Freistatt Lions have donated well over $500,000.”

In the last 10 years, organizers have tried a variety of innovations to broaden the event’s appeal. The biergarten expanded. A second stage was added to provide rock and country music to appeal to a younger audience. Games have been expanded with carnival rides. An attempt to expand into a “family night” with just rides for kids prior to the real festival was tried and abandoned. For several years, the skydiving team from Firefall Express, operating from the Mt. Vernon airport, demonstrated precision landings on the grounds, offering an additional spectacle for the audience.

More musical acts perform now, offering different music each night, though traditional German bands still dish up the favorites, including sing-alongs and the Chicken Dance from the main bandstand.

Crowds still clamor for their opportunity to join in. Concessions have expanded

30 | AUGUST 2016

Die Freistatt Spieler, a vocal ensemble that started as a bicentennial project in 1976, became fixtures for years at the Freistatt Lions’ Ernte-Fest. Founding members, pictured in 1980 in traditional German costumes used in performance, were Judy Lehde, Ethel Helmkamp, Leigh Dust, Dorothy Davis, Clara Whaley, Fae Gliedt, Orba Holle, Kenneth Tipton, Jim Helmkamp, Ted Dust, Oren Fritz, Herman Lehde, Adolph Leimer

The Waterloo German Band, in a promotional photo from the 1970s, made traditional German music an essential feature at the Freistatt Ernte-Fest. Their commitment to playing “The Chicken Dance” helped endear them to audience members of all ages.

from simple T-shirts and Alpine hats to even elaborate chicken hats to celebrate the dance.

Although it’s more of an adult party today, Schoen remains nostalgic for the early days when the emphasis was more on families, when banks would buy tickets to give away to their customers, and the food and German culture took more of a center stage role.

“In a way, the success surprised me,” Crabtree said, who stayed active with the club until three years ago, when he decided it was time to pass the baton to the next generation of Lions. “It grew so much and got to be a big thing. I always felt we served our follow man and helped those less fortunate. That was a cause I believed in, and that’s why I stayed in it.” 

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St. Pauli’s Girl

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A blended scotch whisky owned by Bacardi, Dewar’s White Label is the top-selling blended scotch in the U.S., and has won more than 500 medals in international competitions. The brand dates back to 1846, originating in Scotland. Dewar’s is best served on the rocks with a splash of club soda.

Avoid dropping in a splash of tap water, as the fluoride may affect the scent and taste of the scotch.

A German classic, St. Pauli’s Girl is crafted within the Beck’s Brewery in Bremen, Germany. The name derives from the St. Paul’s Friary, which was located next to the original brewery in 1857.

The girl on the label is wearing traditional German garb, sketched by a local artist’s inspiration from a waitress.

On BeerAdvocate.com, the beer has a 68 out of 100 score from 404 reviewers, and a 70 score from the site owners.

Spaten Optimator

Brewed by SpatenFranziskaner-Brau in Germany, Spaten Optimator is a high-gravity dopplebock with a taste as strong as its alcohol content. Sporting a 7.6 percent abv, Optimator is a dark beer with a rich, roasted malt flavor.

On BeerAdvocate.com, the brew has earned an 87 out of 100 score from 1,315 reviewers, and an 86 score from the site admins.

Core Leghound Lager

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Boasted as its most popular brew, Core uses German pilsner, Munich and caramunich malts to create a smooth taste with a touch of caramel. The name was the result of a Facebook voting campaign.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 33

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Scott Redshaw, a Purdy woodworker, uses thin sheets of mahogany crotch wood to use as inlay on other projects. The sheets were cut from a section of mahogany tree where the trunk separated into two branches, adding incredible depth and texture to a project.

A thing of beauty: Simple projects highlight the wonder of wood

S

cott Redshaw of Purdy has a way with wood.

Redshaw, a firefighter with the Joplin Fire Department, spends much of his time off in a wood shop, creating practical items that could well serve as works of art.

“I took every woodworking class in high school and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Redshaw said. “Jerry Harter was my first woodworking instructor and my first cutting board from the wood recovered from the Purdy High School gym floor when it was replaced.”

Redshaw has been refining his craft for 25 years, moving from simple projects to those incorporating two or more kinds of wood in complex patterns and designs he first envisioned in his head.

“I’ve donated items for the past eight years to the Whitetails Unlimited

Story and photos by Melonie Roberts

banquet to benefit Catch a Dream,” Redshaw said. “I’ve also made butcher blocks, cutting boards, rolling pins, TV stands, a cedar bed, jewelry boxes, hope chests, toy boxes, coffee and end tables, and night stands. The sky’s the limit as far as patterns are concerned.

Pretty much, if I can picture it, I can make it.”

And a majority of the items he creates are works of blended wood art, almost too beautiful to use and risk scar-

ring with a kitchen knife or careless nick of a vacuum cleaner.

“A lot of people call it counter art and hang it on the wall or just place it on the counter,” Redshaw said. “People have asked for specialty patterns and products, and I started putting photos of them on my Facebook page and have had constant orders ever since.”

Redshaw came by his interest in woodworking naturally, passed down to his father from his grandfather and to

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 35

Woodworker Scott Redshaw of Purdy has an inventory of cutting boards crafted from exotic and native woods. Some of the most popular patterns include the Chevron, checkerboard, random checkerboard, brick wall and those that appear three-dimensional.

him from his father.

“In our family, if you couldn’t find it or buy it, you made it,” Redshaw said.

“It’s just natural to me. I’ve always been creative, and wood is easy to manipulate to the form you want to make.”

Redshaw can, indeed, make wood seem to flow and curl like water, as evidenced in some of the stands and platforms he has created for Shannon Ostertag’s Reflections Taxidermy in rural Monett, such as the Steinbok table top pedestal and the double pedestal, among several others.

“Some people are better at working with their hands,” Redshaw said.

“Someone might be able to design something on a computer but not be able to translate that to a product.”

Redshaw doesn’t limit his creations to native woods such as cherry, walnut, pine, maple and hedge. He incorpo36 | AUGUST 2016

rates exotics such as the African species Jatoba, purple heart, wenge, and zebra wood.

“I especially like working with hedge,” he said. “The yellow really stands out. Maple is almost pure white and it makes a nice contrast to hedge. I also like maple and the exotics, although they are harder to work with.

“The growth of exotic woods is very different than the growth patterns of native woods. Their growth rings are very close together, they receive very little water, and as a result, they splinter easily.

“I get most of my stock from Schaller Hardwoods in Marionville. They have most of this in stock all the time. They also have the veneers or inlays that I use on some pieces.”

Redshaw usually starts with one or more pieces of wood, free-handing a pattern on the surface, and runs it through

the saw. He then turns the two pieces and cuts through them again, making a jigsaw puzzle of pieces to mix together, creating two unique pieces which reverse-mirror each other.

“I made some cheese boards for The Bayou in Monett,” he said. “The shapes were of a wine carafe and a wine glass.

They turned out very nicely.”

Some woods bear unusual color variations that have simple explanations.

“Many things can color wood,” Redshaw said, “including nails pounded into the tree as it was growing, insect activity and soil content.”

This unusual woods make for particularly beautiful pieces that are showcases with only a simple application of mineral oil.

One thing Redshaw has learned it to save all scrap pieces of wood.

“I make a lot of cutting boards with

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Cutting boards and rolling pins are just a few of the wooden items crafted by Scott Redshaw of Purdy.

Redshaw uses a number of exotic and native woods to handcraft these utilitarian works of art.

Scott Redshaw, a Purdy woodworker, explained there are many elements that can color native wood, including nails pounded into the tree as it was growing, insect activity and soil content.

scrap wood,” he said. “I glue pieces together that may be three or four feet long and then cut them to the width I want. Then I put all of the pieces together to make the cutting board. It usually takes four hours or less to make one, not counting time for the glue to dry.”

Redshaw’s son, Dalton, who is 5, is already elbow-deep in the art, as well.

“He’s my glue guy,” Redshaw said.

“He helps me here in the shop sometimes.”

Finished boards are then smoothed down and given an application of 38 | AUGUST 2016

Each handcrafted wood project by Scott Redshaw of Purdy bears a personalized logo burned onto the surface.

mineral oil to seal and protect the wood.

For those using their decorative cutting boards or rolling pins, if they become scratched through use, Redshaw recommends smoothing the surface with 400-grit sandpaper and sealing it with another coat of mineral oil.

For novice woodworkers, Redshaw has one bit of advice.

“YouTube is a wonderful thing,” he

said. “I get a lot of ideas from there. Just remember basic shop safety.”

Redshaw plans to continue working with wood and developing new projects full time after he retires from the Joplin Fire Department.

Items are currently listed under Scott Redshaw on Facebook. Samples of current and specialty products can be found under the link “Scott’s photos.” 

Cutest pet

Meet Snickers!

Snickers is a 10-year-old Yorkiepoo who belongs to Aileen Stevens of Crane.

August’s winner!

If you think your furry or feathered friend is the cutest in the area, let us know!

We invite you to share a photo of your pet to be featured in Connection’s Cutest Pet contest.

Email your pet’s photo to connection@monett-times.com. Photos should be sent in the original JPG format at the highest resolution possible. Remember to include your pet’s name, city of residence and your contact information.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 39

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Library connection

Something for everyone

The following recommended titles are available on the shelves of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library system or as e-books through Missouri Libraries 2 Go. A new school year is about to begin.

Don’t forget that one of the most important school supplies a student needs (and it is free) is a library card. Many educational resources are available at your library. There are computers and printers, high speed Wi-Fi, research and educational resource databases, as well as The Learning Express Library, which

has an elementary, intermediate and high school center, college prep center, a college center and a high school equivalency center. Plus, as an added attraction, there are librarians who can help you. The hours of operation have recently changed in the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library system, be sure to check with your local branch for their new hours.

A Man Called Ove

by Fredrick Backman (adult fiction)

“He’d been a grumpy old man since he started elementary school”, they said of Ove. A short-fused curmudgeon having strict principles and thinking everyone around him is an idiot, his well-ordered routine is interrupted when a chatty young family knocks down his mail box with their moving van. What follows is a humorous story to warm your heart as Ove deals with new neighbors, old friends, a grungy cat and one profound loss. A New York Times best seller, this read was also a No. 1 best seller in the author’s native Sweden. I can’t wait to immerse myself in Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry and Britt-Marie is Here.

— Verna Fry

Cross Kill: An Alex Cross Story (BookShots)

by James Patterson (adult fiction)

No time to read? Try James Patterson’s new creation, BookShots. According to their slogan these are stories at the speed of life. Each book is an all new original story that is only 150 pages long. Patterson is trying to entice nonreaders to read. Each story is plot-driven and fast, like reading a movie. While on vacation, I thought I’d try one. I’ve been an Alex Cross fan since book one of the series and was looking forward to a new story. The story was a quick read, too quick for me, I wanted more. This book finished with a cliff hanger and I have no idea when or if there will be another installment of this particular story. That being said, it was an enjoyable story. BookShots are a good choice for when you are sitting in a waiting room, airport, or any other place biding your time.

— Cheryl Williams

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 41

The Tournament

by Matthew Reilly (adult fiction)

Suleiman the Magnificent has invited the best chess players from all over the known world to participate in a tournament. The setting is Constantinople in the year 1546 the height of the Ottoman empire. Mr. Giles is the player invited to represent the court of Henry the VIII. Mr. Ascham, his very good friend and tutor to the young Elizabeth (later to become Elizabeth I), is part of the entourage and arranges to take the princess allegedly as an instructive trip. He is more concerned for her safety as the plague rages in England and as she is third in line for the throne could conveniently “succumb to the disease” and thus be no more threat to the succession. The story is largely told by the princess. I found the history, intrigue, murder, mystery and story of the match captivating. This was an unusual story and a good read.

— Jane Severson

We Are All Stardust

by Stefan Klein (adult nonfiction)

Author Stefan Klein sat down with 18 different natural and social scientists over the past several years to talk about their work, their inspirations, and their views on life, love, happiness, and other various topics. Ranging from cosmologist Martin Rees to physicist Steven Weinberg to anthropologist Sarah Hardy, the candid conversations steered by Klein truly show that their ardent curiosity is what sets scientists apart from the rest of us. This collection of interviews is an incredibly fascinating read for any person who likes science or is interested in the great minds of our time who work diligently to try to gain an understanding of our world. While science may seem daunting for some, these interviews are easy to digest and give a quick look into the personalities of some of the brilliant thinkers out there.

— Angie Judd

Snow Like Ashes

by Sara Raasch (young adult fantasy)

It’s been 16 years since the fall of the kingdom of Winter. The king of Spring, Angra, has enslaved the surviving Winterians, forcing them to live in work camps in his kingdom. That is, all but eight, which are all that remain of the original 25 that escaped Angra’s wrath. All Meira, one of the eight, wants to do with her life is prove that she is valuable to Winter, to help restore the kingdom she barely remembers. Through the escapees’ journey to find the two halves of Winter’s magic conduit and find allies to aid them, Meira discovers plots, secrets, and ultimately herself. I was thoroughly entranced by the world and characters of Snow Like Ashes. I enjoyed it so much I hardly wanted to stop reading it, and will no doubt soon be on to the second book. A fantastic read!

— Sierra Gunter

42 | AUGUST 2016

A career of discoveries in education

F

or 31 years, Peg [Bryan] Winfrey has gone to school, not as a student, but as an educator. For the past 18 years, she served as principal for Monett Intermediate School students, one step below the middle school.

First it was fourth, fifth and sixthgraders at the Forest Park school, now Central Park Elementary. Since 2008, that took her to the campus between the middle school and Burl Fowler Stadium to direct the fifth and sixthgraders.

Veteran principal looks back on her ‘aha’ moments at retirement Story by Murray Bishoff

As the summer school session closed in the 2015-16 school year, Peg cleaned out her office and formally retired from education. Married last year, she finds herself in a new role, raising a grandchild in a home new to her in Pierce City. The “new life” will perhaps make it easier to distance herself from her old routine. A life long lived is not easily forgotten.

“The work was really hard, but so rewarding,” Peg said, after packing up her office, sorting memorabilia. “You could see the impact all these people have on each other and on the community.”

A lot of memories flashed back for Peg as she looked back on her school days. The screwy experiences immediately surfaced, like the time in 2000 when students met her challenge to increase their average reading

One of Peg Bryan Winfrey’s proudest accomplishments during her 18 years at the Monett school district was to help instill patriotism and caring in the students. Students are pictured saying the Pledge of Allegiance at Burl Fowler Stadium.

level. In response, she spent 24 hours on the roof of the school that April in a lawn chair with some purple and gold helium balloons and three books selected by students for her to read: “The Phantom Toll Booth,” “Charley and the Chocolate Factory“ and “Miracles on Maple Hill.” She issued the challenge a second time in 2008 for students to do well on their MAP tests, then spending 41 hours on the roof.

Many of these experiences brought “aha” moments, revelations Peg had not anticipated.

“My ‘aha’ experience [from spending time on the roof ] was I’m not going to do that again,” Peg laughed. “I never really liked grape slush drinks.

While I was up on the roof, someone brought me one and I thought it was just the most wonderful thing.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 43

A “high” point in her education career, Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] at right and fellow principal Deborah Swarens became human ice cream sundaes to reward students for a fundraising effort. The event in November 2001 still brings vivid memories for Peg, including recollections of sprinkles that stuck to her hair even after three showers.

In November 2001, she and her mentor, Monett Elementary Principal Deborah Swarens, agreed to become human ice cream sundaes if the students at Monett Elementary and Monett Intermediate could raise $20,000 for the Home and School organization in a fundraiser. The students raised $26,000.

Students dumped gallons of ice cream, syrup, caramel, whipping cream and toppings onto both principals as they sat in a wading pool — ooey gooey messes that looked more like statues than people.

“I remember I showered three times after that, and I still couldn’t get all the sprinkles out of my hair,” Peg said.

Activities were planned to intrigue the children, to stimulate and reward them.

Walk To School Day, reintroduced in the latest wellness effort, was something Peg started 10 years ago. Students would take the bus to North Park and walk back their campus. She organized a 9/11 Remembrance Day in 2002 and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance a regular practice.

The innovative Cardiac Kids program started under her watch in 2006 as an experiment in 2006, and has now been spread throughout southwest Missouri as an ongoing project of CoxHealth Systems. She has fond memories of the Watch DOGS [Dads of Great Students] program that started in 2001, sponsored locally by Tyson Foods to get fathers more active in their children’s school life, and to provide positive role models. Seeing those fathers in public today rekindles the bonding they shared, Peg said.

Peg annually held chicken dance contests between the classes, even a flash mob and lip sync components, or having the kids out on the practice field, singing along to a Black Eyed Peas song to the 44 | AUGUST 2016

words “Got to keep reading.”

“All the kids had fun with it,” Peg recalled. “I wanted the kids to love themselves, to feel good.

“As an administrator, I felt like my big ‘aha’ moment was to rely on God. The people that I was able to recommend to be hired, those I was able to bring in, I always knew that came from God. I think about the wonderful teachers that came in. What happened at the intermediate school, the magic, it was really them. I was blessed to surround myself with amazing people, teachers with their heart and soul going into the kids. The people you surround yourself with really make the difference.”

Those were the people who also made the fun happen. Peg recalled a few years ago, the sixth grade teachers decided to create and wear turkey T-shirts for Thanksgiving. No one told the fifth

grade teachers, but they found out.

“They all came dressed as hunters with turkey tags,” Peg said. “It’s just those kinds of things teachers do to make it fun.

“I learned how really important it is to work with a really good superintendent.

When you have a superintendent and board that really know their jobs, then you can do your job as an administrator, and the teachers can do their jobs. If the board members have their own agendas, then you can’t do your job.

“What I’ll miss most is the kids. I learned kids will reach your expectations.

If you teach them how, they’ll do what it takes to get there. Learning and helping kids meet their goals and expectations is really fun. When they know they’ve done it, they really appreciate that.”

Peg cautioned against making the school experience, or childhood, too easy.

“Sometimes we’re trying so hard to protect them from frustrations that we do them a disservice,” Peg said. “They need hard times. Kids really don’t know what to do. By the time they get older and face these issues, they’re too old to have a parent take them back to face a store manager for shoplifting. By the time they’re older, the ramifications and the price are too high. I’m glad I had some of my teachers and parents around to help me through them.

“We learn the most from our mistakes.

I know there were some people I maybe shouldn’t have hired. Learning doesn’t really happen when you do it right. It happens when you’re smart enough to not do it again.”

Some lessons also need reminders. Peg recalled everything had gone so well on previous trips taking students to Springfield to roller skate as a reward for their academic success. They went this spring and returned with three broken bones.

As Summer School was ending, Peg led the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom. She was feeling the fatigue of the year, of emptying her office and trying to tie all the loose ends together one last time. As she approached the end, she heard herself saying, “From sea to shining sea,” mixing in the lyrics from “America

In April 2008, Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] fulfilled her pledge to spend 41 hours on the room of Monett Intermediate School if students did well on their state standardized tests that month. Peg waved at onlookers as she settled in on the school roof with her lawn chair, her second stint on the school roof as the result of a challenge. (right) Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] smiled as she was hoisted to the roof of Monett Intermediate School for the first time in May 2000, rewarding students for raising their average reading scores.

the Beautiful.” Fortunately her building secretary, Susan Henderson, rescued her, piping up her recital to cover the error.

The moment offered a reminder that even the simple things don’t run on autopilot.

“A very important ‘aha’ for me was learning not to judge, or judging based on physical appearance,” Peg said.

“Whether it’s a kid or the parent, we’re all just people. We’re all fighting for what’s best for our kids. I think we can be pretty quick to judge, in our personal and our school lives.

“I learned that if I could just listen with a caring heart, it was rare that we couldn’t come to an agreement and connect with a common interest. It’s easy to be quick to be offended and not thinking of what brought them to that point.

I tried to understand more. I think that sometimes when you’re young and new in it, you can get so busy trying to follow the rules. Along with it comes justice and mercy.”

Peg recalled that the learning never stops, even for her. She had taken students on field trips to art museums, both to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.

‘AHA’ moment: I learned that if I could just listen with a caring heart, it was rare that we couldn’t come to an agreement and connect with a common interest.

-Peg Winfrey

Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] in her office at the Monett Intermediate School in 2006.

(Right) Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] wore a reindeer nose and antlers to help spread holiday cheer at Monett Intermediate School.

The Monett R-1 Board of Education makes a regular practice of having administrators bring students to its meetings so they can honor outstanding achievement. At the February 2010 meeting, Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] brought Amelia McEntire, the school’s 2009-2010 spelling bee champion for the third consecutive year, and Dario Rodriguez, the 2009-2010 geography champion.

“Many kids have never been outside our little area, or outside the county,” Peg said. “It was so much fun to watch them seeing the world outside of their little world. Some had never been to a restaurant and did not know how to order from a menu, something we take for granted.

It was a wonderful thing to show them other places.

“I have never felt strongly about art museums. I’d look at art and I’d either like it or not. When we went to Crystal Bridges, they offered presentations about

46 | AUGUST 2016

the art and talked to the students about art and water, and another on ‘writing on the wall,’ the story behind how the artists created their works. I learned to have an ‘aha’ moment about art. I was finally getting it. After hearing the story about one abstract piece, I thought, ‘Yeah, I never thought I’d put that in my house, but when I could see the stories, it’s different.’ I guess life is a story, the art and the kids.”

A 31-year career follows a winding course. Peg thought back to how far she

had come from working as a special education teacher in Exeter in 1985. Her classroom was a trailer. At some point before the trailer came to the school, a skunk had sprayed the underside of it.

Every day the skunk odor presented itself, a memory that lingered strongly in Peg’s memory, reminding her where she started.

In that first year, Peg worked with students with a full spectrum of learning disabilities. One teen was very confident and full of himself, as teens often are. In

In the 2014-15 school year, Monett Intermediate School was one of only 15 schools in Missouri to receive the Missouri Professional Learning Community Exemplary School honor. Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] praised her staff for earning 183 out of 184 points in the evaluation at the end of a six-year process. Accepting the award at a conference hosted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in January 2015, from left, were: teachers, Melissa Powers, Sonya Kew, Amber Bledsoe, Cindy Carden, principal Peg Bryan, and teachers, Kari Cox and Deb Hamilton.

a writing assignment, he declared, “I am a stub,” meaning to write “stud” but not quite getting there.

“I still think, just a flip of a letter can take you from the top to a stub,” Peg said, a lesson she never forgot.

“When the Monett school board asked me if I had any advice before I retired, I said you spend a couple hours talking about the latest gadgets and gizmos. Even the poorest of our kids have some of those. It’s really about the people. Don’t forget that.” 

In 2006, at the first day when teachers returned to prepare for the new school year, Monett has a tradition of a rally in part to introduce new teachers. Peg Bryan [now Winfrey] wore a number of hats to introduce the intermediate school’s theme of “Sailing the High Seas.” The shark hat cautioned staff to stick together during the challenges ahead. She had another hat of a crab, to send the message, “Don’t be crabby.”

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 47

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Listen

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I

n the rolling hills of the Ozarks near Branson, a tiger’s roar echoes off the valley walls and reverberates through the thick forest of the National Tiger Sanctuary, located at Chestnutridge.

Standing close to the cage where the King of Beasts has unleashed that mighty roar, staffer Jacob Main told guests the ground vibrates under his feet and the loud repercussion makes vital organs quiver.

“Our nearest neighbor is about a mile away, and we occasionally get calls telling us he hears Judah at night,” Main said. “Judah has a very distinctive roar. On a clear night, our interns, who are housed about three miles from us, can also hear him.”

Story and photos by Melonie Roberts

Main said the lion’s call is typically swallowed up in their native African veldt, but in the Ozarks, the sound carries and echoes for miles.

Judah, sharing an enclosure with his girlfriend, Matula, are just two of the six African lions housed at the sanctuary.

“We don’t allow our animals to breed,” Main said. “We are not a breeding program. Our goal is to rescue animals from private owners, pay-for-play businesses, other sanctuaries or other facilities no longer able to house them and zoos that are culling their cats that are no longer able to breed.”

National Tiger Sanctuary is home to 28 exotic felines For more information, visit NationalTigerSanctuary.org.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 49

Banshee,

a mountain lion, was once a household pet.

Her owner was killed in an automobile accident in 2008. Banshee is about 10 years old and loves attention. Staffers at the National Tiger Sanctuary, located in Chestnutridge, do not interact with the large cats, since an injury would lead to the demise of the animal.

Midnight,

a black leopard, is another former household pet who was relinquished to the National Tiger Sanctuary after her owners had a child. Midnight has been de-clawed, which is particularly hard on large cats, and staffers at the sanctuary have outfitted her enclosure with stepping stones and bridges so she doesn’t have to jump.

Did you know?

• Every single tiger in the world has their own distinct pattern of stripes, like human fingerprints.

• There are six subspecies of tigers left in the world and three more are known to be extinct. All are classified as endangered species.

• Tigers are loners with exception of when they are courting, mating, or raising their offspring.

• White tigers are the result of a genetic mutation. White tigers are extremely rare in the wild.

Both parents must have a mutated gene in order for this coloring to occur. They are often bred for this coloring in zoos, but the result is a great deal of inbreeding resulting in health problems and deformities.

• Tigers do not purr.

Willie, the white tiger hybrid, anxiously awaits his chicken treat as tour guide Jacob Main explained the rare recessive gene in Bengal tigers that cause the white coat and expressive blue eyes. According to Main, all white tigers in captivity today are hybrid crosses between Bengals and Siberian tigers, and therefore pulled from zoo populations to prevent breeding. The National Tiger Sanctuary is home to 17 tigers in all.

50 | AUGUST 2016

Sierra,

one of the 17 tigers housed at the National Tiger Sanctuary, was rescued from a facility where she and her sister were forced to share an 8x8 dog pen with concrete floors. When the duo first arrived at the sanctuary in 2008, they were afraid of grass and dirt, having never set foot on either. Now, they spend long hours rolling in the grass and playing with enrichment toys provided by the staffers at the sanctuary.

Merlin,

one of six African lions at the sanctuary, whose earth-trembling roars echo off the surrounding hills when they are communicating. An angry Merlin lets his displeasure be known as he protests the actions of an aggressive guest who thought it amusing to taunt the big cat.

• Tigers can swim. Tigers can often be found during the day relaxing in ponds, streams, and rivers. They seek out water to cool off during hot days.

• Tigers mainly eat deer, wild pigs, water buffalo and antelope.

• A tiger marks its territory by spraying surrounding trees and bushes with urine, dropping prominently placed scat, and leaving deep scratch marks on tree trunks.

Located on 100 acres, the sanctuary is home to 28 large cats: 17 tigers, three leopards, two mountain lions and six African lions. Each has a large enclosure to share with siblings or other pride members. The staff provides new enrichment toys every few weeks, as items such a 55-gallon plastic drums and tires are shredded quickly.

“In the summer, the cats like to play with watermelons,” Main said. “They don’t eat them, but they enjoy smashing them up. And in the fall, we give them pumpkins.”

Each enclosure also has a “swimming pool” for the cats to play or lounge in.

“Many of these cats love to play in their pools, even in the wintertime,” Main said. “We also provide balls and other toys, climbing or jumping areas, and Banshee [a mountain lion] even has a tree house she likes to hang out in during the summertime.”

The sanctuary is run on private donations and money raised through tours and merchandise sales. Much of the food for the 28 cats is donated by area grocery stores and other suppliers.

“During the holidays, we had several turkeys donated,” Main said. “But, typically, these cats are fed pork, beef or chicken with the bone in. That helps keep the plaque knocked off their teeth and is more like their natural diet.”

Each animal receives carefully weighed and portioned meals, ranging from seven to 10 pounds a day. During tours, staffers offer tasty chicken snacks to entice the big cats to their fenced boundaries.

“Banshee doesn’t get a treat today,” Main said. “She started refusing to come out of her room for less than two treats.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 51

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Everyone thought they were the only one having to give her two treats until we started talking among ourselves and found out we were all giving her two treats. She got a little chubby.”

Banshee and Midnight, a black leopard, were former house pets relinquished to the sanctuary after family circumstances changed for both. Banshee’s owner was killed in a car crash in 2008, and his wife decided she no longer wanted to be responsible for the big cat. Midnight was surrendered when her owner had a child and they no longer wanted the responsibility of an exotic animal.

Midnight had been de-clawed to the second knuckle on all four paws and is unable to jump or climb. Staffers at the sanctuary have built log “ramps” for climbing ease, so she won’t have to land on the joints that were never meant to bear weight.

When she is lying in the sun, guests can often see the dappled spots in her coat, characteristic of lighter colored leopards.

The sanctuary is also home to several white tigers, although they are not the fullblooded Bengal tigers, but a hybrid mix of Bengal and Siberian. The same recessive gene that causes the white coat also causes crossed eyes due to incorrectly routed visual pathways in the brains of white tigers.

“The older a white tiger gets, the more his stripes fade,” Main said. “If you were to shave a tiger, the stripes would still be on his skin. Each tiger’s stripes and facial spots are unique to that individual, much like a human’s fingerprints.”

This holds true for leopards as well.

“We actually have facial recognition to identify animals in the wild,” Main said.

“Game cameras capture images and we can compare their facial markings to determine which animal it is and then track how far it ranges.”

Tigers, once native to Asia, are no longer roaming wild on that continent.

“Most are on tiger farms,” Main said.

“They are used as tourist attractions and bred for parts for Chinese medicine. The wild population is in crisis. It has been decimated due to poaching, habitat loss and tiger parts trade.”

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Toby is one of two brothers who share an enclosure at the National Tiger Sanctuary. The pair roughhouse and mock fight, making tufts of fur fly, but their claws are never unsheathed.

All tiger subspecies put together amount to fewer than 3,000 endangered tigers remaining in the wild.

“Tigers are an apex animal,” Main said. “They are at the top of the food chain. They play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.”

Unfortunately, big cats mean big money in the entertainment industry.

“There are a lot of pay-for-play businesses we are trying to combat,” Main said. “These businesses over-breed their females to provide a steady supply of cubs to be used in photo opportunities.

They pull the cubs from their mothers at about two weeks of age and put them on replacement formula. The cubs don’t get the nutrition they need.

“Missouri law says cubs can only be handled by the public between the ages of eight and 12 weeks. Cubs require about 20 hours of sleep a day, and with pay-for-play, they typically get about 11 hours. Not to mention all of the disease and illness they are exposed to from the public.

“A large majority of these cubs do not survive the pay-for-play business. If they do, after 12 weeks, they are of no further use to the owners and discarded.”

Sanctuary officials have worked closely with the Missouri Legislature to ban these pay-for-play operations in the state.

The sanctuary has an on-call veterinarian for the large cats in the event of illness or injury. The on-call vet spends two full days each week at the sanctuary, providing the opportunity for her to have a relationship with each animal, making care less stressful for the cats.

The sanctuary’s staffers monitor ill or injured animals 24 hours a day until they are fully recovered.

Future plans at the sanctuary include building a vet clinic on site.

“Now that we have a permanent home here, we have greater opportunities to provide safe, stress free, forever homes for our animals,” Main said. “With the acquisition of this 1,200 acres, we have plenty of room to expand.” 

The sanctuary is located at 518 State Highway BB, Chestnutridge.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and all federal holidays falling on Monday.

Tours are available at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

AUGUST 2016 Community Support Groups  The Parkinson’s Support Group meets at 2 p.m.

at the First United Methodist Church, 1600 N. Central in Monett on the second Thursday of every month. No charge to attend. Call 417-269-3616 or 888-354-3618 to register.

 Celebrate Recovery meets at 7 p.m. at the Golden

Baptist Church on Highway J in Golden every Monday of each month. Dinner is served at 6:15 p.m.

This is for anyone with hurts, habit or hangups.

 The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Group of

Cassville meets at 8 p.m. at 1308 Harold Street in Cassville on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays every month.

 The Turning Point AA Group meets at 7 p.m. at

the west corner of Mitchell Plaza on Hwy. 86 in Eagle Rock on Mondays and Tuesday every month.

 DivorceCare divorce recovery seminar and support

group meets at the First Baptist Church, 602 West Street in Cassville at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Call for more information, 417847-2965.

 Cassville Al-Anon Family Group meets at 8 p.m.

at the United Methodist Church in Cassville every Thursday of each month.

 Narcotics Anonymous meets at 8 p.m. the first

Tuesday of every month in the basement of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, located at the corner of Seven and Cale streets in Monett, 417-442-3706.

 Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous

group meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month at the First Baptist Church Activity Center, 618 Second Street in Washburn. 417-489-7662.

Central Crossing Senior Center

Shell Knob, 417-858-6952

Community calendar

Aug. 1

n Nell’s Nails (by appointment or walk-in) beginning at 9 a.m. at the Cassville Senior Center.

n The Monett Senior Center will host a dance at 7 p.m. There is a $3 cover charge and snacks are welcome.

Aug. 25

Aug. 3

n The Pierce City Senior Center, 104 Locust St., will host a dance from 7-10 p.m. Admission is $3. Finger foods are welcome.

For more information, call 417-4765800 or 737-4900.

n The Monett Farmers’ Market will be held every Saturday in August.

n Ozark Methodist Manor Blood Pressure Check starts at 10:30 p.m. at the Cassville Senior Center.

Aug. 4

n Cassville’s annual Fall Sidewalk Sale will be held.

n The Seligman Chamber of Commerce weekly dance will feature Classic Country.

n Grace’s Foot Care (by appointment) starts at 9 a.m. at the Cassville Senior Center.

n Paint class at the Cassville Senior Center at 9 a.m.

n The Monett Senior Center will have Nell’s Nails beginning at 9 a.m.

Aug. 10

n Grace’s Foot Care (by appointment) starts at 9 a.m. at the Cassville Senior Center.

Aug. 12

Aug. 26

n This is the second day for Cassville’s Sidewalk Sale. n Monthly Birthday Lunch at the Cassville Senior Center at 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

n Ernte Fest will be held Aug. 12 and 13 in Freistatt, sponsored by the Freistatt Lions Club. For more information, call 417669-1912.

Aug. 27

n The Old Town Pharmacy in Monett will buy lunch for any seniors who would like a meal at the Monett Senior Center.

n Repurposed Faire in Monett will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. sponsored by the Monett Main Street Association.

Aug. 13

Aug. 28

n Second night of Ernte Fest in Freistatt. n The annual Kings Prairie Community Benefit Concert will be held at the historic Kings Prairie Schoolhouse, located on FR 2015 east of Monett on Hwy. 60, turn on Z, go one mile, turn right on FR 2015. Music starts at 6 p.m. Bring lawn chairs. For more information, call 417442-7910.

Regular events:  Domino Poker, every day from 12:45 p.m.  Mah Jongg, every Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Paint Classes, every second and fourth Monday of each month.  Line Dancing, every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 10:30 a.m.  Quilting for Charity, every Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Pinochle, every Thursday from 12:30 to 3 p.m.  Cards Galore, every Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Wood Carvers, every Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Bingo on the First and Third Mondays 12:45 to 2 p.m.  Dominos is cancelled for the summer.

n The Seligman Chamber of Commerce weekly dance will feature 3 Hits & A Miss beginning at 7 p.m.

Cassville Senior Center  Dominos, every Friday at noon.

n Roaring River State Park will host its annual fall Kids Fishing Day.

n The Shell Knob Chamber of Commerce will sponsor an Open Air Market at the Chamber Park beginning at 8 a.m.

n The Repurposed Faire in Monett will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by the Monett Main Street Association.

Aug. 17

n The Seligman Chamber of Commerce weekly dance will feature Cheyenne beginning at 7 p.m.

Aug. 18

n The Cassville Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours will be held at the Cassville Democrat office, 600 Main Street, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. n Paint class at the Cassville Senior Center at 9 a.m.

Aug. 20

Aug. 24

n The Seligman Chamber of Commerce weekly dance will feature 3 Hits & A Miss beginning at 7 p.m.

Farmers’ Market The Cassville Farmers’ Market is held on the Cassville Square every Saturday running through the month of October, 8 a.m. till noon, AND every Tuesday at the Sale Barn Road location from 2-6 p.m.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 55

Whitley’s draws traffic Fountain still popular

hangout

The soda fountain has been open under Blake Whitley’s management for 30 years, and is thought to have been used in the building for at least 50 years previous to that.

56 | AUGUST 2016

L

ong before a can or even a bottle of Coca-Cola was the real thing, the

soda fountain was.

In the 1950s and 1960s, teenagers could be found sipping on a soda, malt, or float socializing with friends after school.

In 2016, they still do in Cassville, at the soda fountain inside of Whitley Pharmacy & Gift Shop.

Unlike many rural towns that have long since closed their soda-fountaindrug-store-establishments—once a common fixture in small-town America— Whitley’s has kept their fountain flowing for more than 30 years.

“It’s been here ever since the store’s been here,” said Cindy Ray, buyer for the gift shop just a few feet away. “So for at least 30 years. It was a hang out after school.”

“There was some semblance of it in the building 30 years ago, and had been there 50 years before that,” said Blake Whitley, who has owned the business for the last 30 years. “It goes back at least to the 1900s, and the days before prohibition because you couldn’t buy an alcoholic drink, but docs could write scripts for them, and that’s why so many drug stores had liquor stores in them.

“It could be filled in the pharmacy legally. And I think that process evolved into a soda fountain where they began to sell soft drinks and ice cream. I was raised in a small town that had a Rexall drug store with a big soda fountain area in it. We’d Story and photos by Julia Kilmer

Fountain attendant Tawna Phinney serves Cassville student Abby Rose her favorite menu item — an old-fashioned chocolate shake. Rose said she likes the company just as much as the shake.

go to the doctor, then the drug store, and if you were a good boy, you got a Coke.”

Recently, the fountain was remodeled, with new counter tops, extended work space, and a stove and refrigerator to enable staff to put their creative culinary talents to work making home-made meals.

“We just kind of gave it a face lift and modernized it a bit,” Ray said.

“I actually used to come in here when I was a kid,” said Charlotte Olson, who works at the fountain as an attendant.

“My siblings and I would get a strawberry pop and a bag of peanuts after school, and that was our treat. I think it was about 50 cents.”

Olson said teenagers are probably their best customers, and just like teenagers liked to hang out 30 years ago, they still do today at the soda fountain.

“I think kids now really enjoy it,” Olson said. “We make a lot of hamburgers.

One of our kids’ favorite drinks is a shark attack, which is sprite and blue-raspberry flavoring. So we’ve usually got kids until they go to their games or activities. We get a lot of the basketball and baseball kids who come in and we’ll feed them and get them something to drink.”

Old-fashioned sodas and malts are by far the most popular items, Olson said.

“Our hand-stirred Dr. Pepper is a favorite,” she said. “We use Dr. Pepper syrup out of the box and mix it with soda water. That is our No. 1 drink. Kids love it.”

Classic root beer floats and malts are also high on the list.

“We’ve also got our malts and signature malts,” Olson said. “We’ll pretty much do whatever our customers ask us

to do. And we also do daily specials now, which we didn’t have in the past, which includes home-cooked meals.”

“Their specials are incredible,” Ray said. “The girls will make meatloaf or spaghetti, beef-tips and noodles, lasagna and other delicious meals. We try to post on Facebook what the special is for the day.”

Whitley believes allowing people to use their personal talents helps the businesses within the building to thrive.

“I think if you get people who like to cook and turn them loose, they are a lot more apt to be useful than to say, ‘Here’s the menu, do it this way,’ I did the same with the gift ware side. I let them design everything and what they order in and sell. You have to do something that sells, so if it doesn’t sell, they don’t have a job.

They want it to be successful, too.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 57

Fountain attendant Charlotte Olson shares a laugh with customers at the soda fountain inside Whitley Pharmacy and Gift Shop in Cassville while making them an old-fashioned float.

“The whole idea is to create traffic in the store and it not just be one-dimensional.

It’s [the soda fountain] advertisement, but also creates goodwill and rapport with customers.”

Tropical Snow, a popular shaved ice treat, is also now available in 12 different flavors.

Just as good as the sodas, malts, hearty meals, burgers, salads and snow cones is the company—an added value customers get when visiting the soda fountain.

“It’s the company and more of a personal relationship I have with them,” said Cassville student Abby Rose, who came in for her favorite, a chocolate shake.

Standing on the other side of the counter, fountain attendant and Exeter student Baili Resz, agrees.

“The environment is really nice,” she said. “They should have kept more places like this around.”

While visiting the fountain, custom-

ers can find a birthday gift, a new outfit, or pick up a prescription at the pharmacy without ever having to leave town.

“It creates a lot of walk-in traffic,” Whitley said. “Customers sit around and stay a while, even if just for a Coke, or while the wife shops, the husband gets something to eat or drink, or after school, kids come in.”

“We get people in from other states,” Resz said. “Most of the time, they’re camp-

ing at Roaring River and hear about it and have to come see it.”

Whitley Pharmacy & Gift Shop is located at 101 West Eighth Street in Cassville, on the north side of the square. To inquire about the daily specials or other menu items, they can be reached at 417847-2717. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. 

Come to Whitley’s for ALL your

B ac k to S ch oo l

Apparel and Accessories!

Whitley Pharmacy 101 West 8th, Cassville, “on the Square” 417-847-2722 or 417-847-2717

Where every customer is special

58 | AUGUST 2016

These photos at Branson’s new Ferris wheel were recently captured by Linda Sue Sparkman.

P HOTO SUBMISSIONS Do you have a photo you would like to see published in Connection Magazine?

Email it to connection@monett-times.com for consideration.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 59

These photos were recently captured by Cathy Lewis locally, as well as at Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Mackinaw Island.

60 | AUGUST 2016

These photos were recently captured by Joseph Wiley Miller.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 61

Diana Cope of Butterfield recently captured this photo at the Butterfield Feed Mill.

Della Mae Stouder of Cassville recently captured these photos.

These photos were recently captured by Valerie Miller.

62 | AUGUST 2016

a valerie miller photo is featured on page 8 of the Contents section, Connection August 2016

These photos were recently captured by Tammie Tyndall of Pierce City.

Sara Ticknor recently captured this photo of the sunset on the farm of her father, Hershel Worm, before wheat harvest.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 63

These photos were recently captured by Esther Hightower.

Fireworks were at the Monett Fourth of July celebration at South Park.

64 | AUGUST 2016

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 65

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Have Connection delivered right to your doorstep for $40 a year.

Call: 417-847-2610 Cassville

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Please ďŹ ll out this form. Send the form along with your chosen form of payment to The Mone Times, PO Box 40, Mone , MO 65708 or PO Box 486, Cassville, MO 65625.

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Card No. Exp. Date

Familiar faces

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Area residents enjoyed music, food and fun at the annual

Stones Prairie Picnic, held Friday, July 15,

on the grounds of St. John’s Lutheran Church, located northwest of Purdy.

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Jimmy Hendrix and Margaret Rose Kris and Rod Roller Ronna Duncan and Jayne Bittle Aubrey Schoon and Nigel Schoon Bo Prock with nephew, Alex Bennett Laurie Spinks, William Spinks and Gene Newman

7. Kaitlyn Lucke, Leann McCallister and Kelli McCallister 8. Glenn Seufert, Wilma Seufert, Mary Ann Buchannan, K.C. Caldwell, Bo Rose, Donald Trump and George Ballay.

9. Stephanie, Abagail and Billy Keener 10. Dorothy Gibbons and Tammy Starchman

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 67

The annual Trinity Lutheran Picnic in Freistatt was held on June 10.

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Mary Williams, Marcus Williams and Marsha Bennett Pam and Wayne Rupp Larry Moennig, Amber Carr, Abel Carr, Seth Carr (in front), Jonelle Moennig, Noah Carr and Will Carr Rachel Mais and Elaine Greimann Glen and Roy Obermann Tricia Horn and Janice Meyer Carolyn Schad, Helen Rupp and Nancy Kielblock Joe and Loretta Pennington Melinda Caldwell and Beverly and Dennis Childress

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10. Cara and Matt Ticknor 11. Bentlie Moennig, Karlea McBlair and Shirley Doss 12. Emily Heseman and Heath Erwin

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annual ice cream social

on June 30 on the church grounds.

PO Box 37 • 816 Broadway Monett, MO 65708 jjfloor@suddenlinkmail.com

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“A Little Store With Big Savings” Residential & Commercial Owned & Operated by Jim & Jayne Terry

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1. Leah Aldridge, Glen Aldridge and Kent Arnaud 2. Madry McCrackin, Anna Arnaud, Ellen Fogle and Marianne McCrackin 3. Steve and Joyce Williams 4. Steve Wise and Kris Johnson 5. Jennifer McCrackin and Linda and Harold Schelin 6. Front: Zurich and Zella Zahn. Back: Dale and Gail Ellis, Frederick and Laura Zahn and Mary K. Scott 7. Carla and Gary Mulvaney and Lucille Avondet 8. Debbie and Jim Moore 9. Judy Hudson, Geri Schmitz and Linda Schad

Bus. (417) 235-0016 Fax (417) 235-6364 Res. (417) 442-7974 CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 69

Dr. Andres and Natividad Apostol celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary

in a gala public party on July 9 at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church fellowship hall in Monett.

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Sergio Cruz and Lisa Balmas Schoon Mark Bourey and Sammy Clapper Rex Kay and Mike Brownsberger Sonie Probstfield and Jim Apostol Lawrence Gripka and Rita Cartmell Cindy Bourey, Julie Clapper and Shelly Stellwagen

70 | AUGUST 2016

7. Jami and John Apostol with son Mason in front; Jennie Apostol Denea and Jason Denea 8. Fannie Suva, Flora Dimalanta and Corazon T. Suva 9. Efraim and Lirio Reyes 10. Art and Josie Raborar 11. Linda Esparrago and Lita Cruz

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The annual Verona Sacred Heart Summer Fest was held on June 12 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Verona.

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6 1. Maria Villa, Jose Barrientos, Yasaira Barrientos, Mariana Barrientos and Mari Jose Barrientos 2. Sandy, Ashley, Courtney and Tina Freiburger 3. Brooklynn Lechner, Manuel Reyes, Kenna Freiburger, Luis Charqueno and Jesus Silva 4. Emily Heseman, Eli Spears and Heath Erwin 5. Ed Kristek, James Koehler and Jim Freiburger 6. Vivian Welters, Bob Litchy and Jerome Welters 7. Maria and Eduardo Gonzalez 8. Front row: Jessica Gonzalez, Sarai Trejo and Melanie Reyes. Back: Jimena Hernandez, Jasmine Lopez, Cecilia Reyes and Julie Gonzalez 9. Jenni Campbell, Asher Freiburger, Mary Campbell, Dillon Freiburger and Ryan Campbell 10. Helen Ruscha and Father Hank Grodecki 11. Virginia Rooney and Sally Welters

The Monett Freedom and Fireworks celebration was held on July 4 at Monett South Park.

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1. Front: Christy Hang, Alex Hang, Kimberly Hang and Jennifer Hang. Back: Collin Hang, Sam Thao and Fuchi Thao 2. Dustie and George Daoud 3. Hailey and Braxton Beaver 4. Harold Moncada and children Kevin, German and Ashley Moncada 5. Logan Wiseman, Derik Cox, Wesley Wiseman and John Moore 6. Sergio Hernandez, Alfredo Vizcaino and Jordi Mejia 7. Jeanne Altman and Dewayne Hopkins 8. Terry and Kay Campbell 9. Matt Houck, Misty Calhoun and Evelle Houck 10. Front: Emilee Johnson and Kennedi Elrod. Back: Savannah Elrod, Shayne Mills and Sydney Mills 11. Wilma Dodd and Jimmie Garner 12. Caleb Chrysler holding Broxten Chrysler; and Andrew Reinolds holding Lyle Chrysler 1. Hannah Woods, Addison McColloch, Jennifer McColloch and Kayla Maxey 2. Selena Ott and Zachariah and Zachary Kilpatrick 3. Wes Roller, Connor Henry and Karen Roller 4. Aaron Seidner, Sean Gregory Randall, Anthony Pacheco, Joe Rodriguez and Aaron Kling 5. Front: Michael Albig and Kanden Craker. Back: Allison Archer and Andrew Pruitt 6. Margaret and Jerry Moller 7. Brandy, Addy & Bree Burton 8. Tammy Fletcher and Sondra and Elijah Buckner

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4 5 9. Sharon Thompson, Beverly Gibbs and George Thompson 10. Alex, Oscar and Cesar Serrano 11. Janice Gimlen and Terry Miksell 12. Don Smith, Jeanie Smith Cash and Chere Snider

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New Site Baptist Church in rural Monett offered a summer festival and fireworks show on July 3 at the church.

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Ken Terry’s July 4 party and fireworks show for the Purdy community took place on July 4 on Highway C by the city park.

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74 | AUGUST 2016

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1. Addison, Melissa and Kylee Arivett 2. Terrell Shamblin, Lyla Wingo, Leeanne Wingo and Charley Joe Brown 3. Jesse and Rose Cooper 4. James Barnes and Sara Winzer 5. Chris and Carl Moore, and Tony and Sherry Bowman 6. Patty Duncan and Shirley Keeler 7. Gannon Clevenger, Joyce and Gary Hill and Travis Clevenger 8. Mark and Glenna Brown 9. Rysen, Nicole and Kymiron Preuss 10. Alexandra Efremidou and Terry Miller

The New Liberty Methodist Church on Kings Prairie held its

annual Ice Cream Social on June 11.

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Abigail Hile and Pamela Bennett Doris and Orville Meyer Everett and Edna Pendergrass Ronald and Tina Plummer Daniel Dodson, Jesse Shouse and Bernice Shouse Charles and Kathy Wallace Lee Chapman, Marisa Jones, Lucas Jones, Gayle Chapman and Bella Jones 8. Ruth Goad and Sandi and Larry McElhany 9. Robert and Louise Moore 10. Ron and Leatrice Strother 11. Mary Woodruff, Joy Johnson and Marilyn Layton 12. Ann Forrester and Joe and Betty Allen

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 75

The annual Red, White and Boom celebration of the nation’s birthday

was held on July 1 at the Spirit of 76 Park in Mt. Vernon.

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5 1. Front: Kinsley Hubert and Harper Rodenberg. Back: Emiley Huber and Abby and Nick Rodenberg.

4. Chad, Jasper, Teresa and Kelvin Ackerman 5. Sydney Sappington and Judy and Elizabeth McCullah 6. Front: Ethan Jobes, Dylan Felty and David and Diana Villeda. Second: Taylor Jobes and Jayne and Frankie Haralson. Back: Stephanie and Bethanie Ellis, Amanda Jobes, Rosa Villeda and Will Ellis 11. Front: Jaisa Brockman, Audrey Bittle, Ella Duwe, Rae Downing and Gavin Stark. Back: Jared and Sarah Brockman and Rusty Stark

76 | AUGUST 2016

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2 2. Dani Skaggs, Kyle Bowles, Amanda Newton — held by mom, Megan Newton — and Joel Newton 3. Avry, Oakly and Kim Andrews 7. Barry and Shana Brown, and Connie Irwin

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10 8. Autumn and Garrett Jones, Mikayla East and Leah Jones 9. John Millsap and Tom and Lisa Ferguson 10. Albert Mieswinkel and Larry Moore 12. Front: Alexis Gilmore. Second: Danielle Maness, Rilei and Archie Tabor, Kaitlynne Gilmore and Colton Johnson. Back: David, Ryleigh, Melissa and Jamison McMillan; and Corey, Ethan, Ashley and Leah Hinton

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CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 77

Barry ElECtriC

COOpErativE

1304 Bond Street Monett, MO. 65708

www.DougsProLube.com WE’LL MAKE SURE YOU ARE ROAD READY!

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Before you begin your family travels, let us do our part to keep your vehicle on the road and you safely moving to all your family destinations.

Cassville residents be aware of signing any service contracts! goBEC Fiber Network is close to completion in the Cassville area, please consider your local service provider before signing any contracts.

Exciting new services will be available this Summer with comparable pricing!

• Up to 1 gigabit internet speeds • No data caps!

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“Free To Do What’s Right For You”

Willis Insurance, Inc.

100 W. 7th Street, Cassville • 417-847-3300 | 800-556-2393 www.willisinsured.com Bridgeway Plaza, Shell Knob • 417-858-3747

78 | AUGUST 2016

MY CONNECTION Bob and Valeta Brown of Monett took in this view of Pike’s Peak while in Colorado Springs visiting their son and family.

A group of area residents took Connection Magazine with them during a recent trip to Destin, Fla. Front row: Sharon Burke, Leah Miller, Lori Cantrell and Mary Resz. Second row: Seth Starr, Dillon Welch and Eric Welch.

Back row: Stuart Grieb, Levi Miller and Larry Cantrell.

Ethan and Katelynn Couch took Connection Magazine with them on their honeymoon in Galveston, Texas.

CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 79

Richard and Mary Jones and Marguerite and Bill Butterword are pictured with Connection Magazine.

Jim and Ruthi Thomas of Cassville took a seven-day cruise to Alaska in June. Pictured is Ruthi, left, with another couple on the cruise, who are holding a copy of Connection Magazine, while touring Juneau.

Arnhart Baptist Mission Team took Connection Magazine with them to Thailand. Front row, left to right: Mary Richmiller, Naaman Cullers and Jennifer Duncan. Middle row: Kim Roller, Brittany Mareth and Addy Roller. Back row: Kaden Propps, Noah Cullers, Michelle Cullers and Bradley Lueckenhoff.

80 | AUGUST 2016

Pat Chapman and Ralph Kelley took a cruise and tour of Alaska and took a Connection Magazine along.

Dewayne and Margaret White took Connection Magazine with them to Yellowstone National Park.

Renee Veith and Rhonda Mattingly of Purdy took the Father’s Day edition of Connection Magazine with them as they traveled to Dresden, Ohio, and visited the Lonagaberger Homestead. They also went to Berlin, Ohio, to Amish Country.

Ad list Acambaro Mexican Restaurant. . . . . . . . 32 A-List Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Arvest Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Ava Belle’s Flea Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Barry Electric Coop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Bennett Wormington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Carl Pyper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Carolyn Hunter, DMD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cassville Health & Rehab. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 CJR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Coast to Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Community National Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cornerstone Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Country Dodge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Cox Medical Centers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Crane Broiler Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Crane Family Dentistry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Diet Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Doug’s Pro Lube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Eastside Church of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Edward Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Farm Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 First State Bank of Purdy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fohn Funeral Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Four Seasons Real Estate. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Four States Dental Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Freedom Bank of Southern Missouri. . . 10 Friendly Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Grace Independent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Grande Tire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Guanajuato Mexican Store. . . . . . . . . . . . 53 J&J Floor Covering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 J. Michael Riehn, Attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Ken’s Collision Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Lackey Body Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Lacoba Homes Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Les Jacobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mocha Jo’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Monett Main Street. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 34 Morton Buildings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Oak Point Assisted Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Old Town Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Ozark Methodist Manor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Peppers and Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Pitiful to Posh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Quality Archery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Race Brothers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Scott Regional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Second Chances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Security Bank of Southwest Missouri. . 83 Shelter Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Smile Designers Dentistry. . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Superior Spray Foam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Swartz Tractor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Taura Farms Greenhouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Jane Store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tomblin’s Jewelry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Trogdon Marshall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 VisionHealth Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Whitley Pharmacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Willis Insurance Agency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Youngsberg Chapel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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Margaret White recently captured this photo while on a trip to Powell, Wyo.

Parting shot

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

— John Dewey

82 | AUGUST 2016

SB

SECURITY BANK OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI

Your Locally Owned Independent Bank

Let All Our Friendly Faces Serve You At Any Of Our Three Locations:

Cassville

Jct. 37, 76 & 86 417-847-4794

Wheaton

302 Main Street 417-652-3204

Exeter

Bill Pay & Internet Banking at www.sbswmo.com

Why Assisted Living?

Front Street 417-835-8111 At Oak Pointe of Monett, support, relationships and comfort come together to create a community that residents proudly call home.

Private apartments and suites accommodate couples or individuals Freedom from home maintenance, cooking, and chores A quiet, residential location that is minutes from Monett’s commercial districts

CALL TO SCHEDULE A TOUR TODAY!

417-235-3500

OAK POINTE OF MONETT 1011 Old Airport Road, Monett, MO 65708

NOW OPEN! CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 83

TA I P S HO

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L L E W E LIV H T L A E H

ET N O M X O C

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REDUCED-COST LAB TESTS* Complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, full lipid profile (cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides), Hgb A1C (blood glucose) and TSH (thyroid) - $30 PSA test for men only (prostate cancer) - $15 *Cash or check only. Please fast 10-12 hours prior to the blood draw.

EDUCATION AND SAFETY Car seat safety checks Free bike helmets for kids (after trauma education and while supplies last) Stroke, heart and diabetes education Maternal-child and newborn education

coxhealth.com or 417-354-1448

NUAL 20 N A .

TH FOUR DAY, Aug MCA R Y SATU TT AREA .

E MON . – 1 P.M 7 A.M

Y T E F SA R I A F FREE HEALTH SCREENINGS Height Weight BMI Blood pressure Pulse oximetry Blood sugar Bone density EKG (electrical activity of heart) No appointment necessary.