Emporia Living Sallie Edition 2015

Three Emporia women love to hunt, each in their own way

Fall 2015

INSIDE

For the Love of the Hunt Ranch Life

Farmhouse Flip

Shab is Chic

Raising a family and running a ranch is the way of life for Amber Griffin

Mandi and Ryan Higgins turn their farmhouse into their dreamhouse

The owners of Rhinestones and Rust turn junk finds into functional art

1

2

Spotlights Area businesses and professionals present an in-depth look at the services they offer.

10 Food

SPONSORED BY BOBBY D’S MERCHANT ST. BBQ

Features the Love 12 For of the Hunt

Three Emporia women love to hunt, each in their own way

24 Ranch Life

Raising a family and running a ranch is the way of life for Amber Griffin

32 Sallie Snapshots Who do you recognize?

40 Farmhouse Flip Mandi and Ryan Higgins turn their farmhouse into their dreamhouse

54 Shab is Chic

The owners of Rhinestones and Rust turn junk finds into functional art

64 Emporia Jet-Setter

Dr. Gonzalo Bruce logs thousands of air miles flying around the world to promote Emporia State University

74 The Gift of Art

Art comes in many forms and makes a local impact in different ways

Bobby Doudican’s love of BBQ has been driving his restaurant for 13 years

84 Private to Public

Two Emporia women are among the many who take their writing talents to the internet

22 Auctions

SPONSORED BY UNITED COUNTRY REAL ESTATE/ GREAT PLAINS AUCTION

The excitement of auctions drew Lance Fullerton to pursue his passion

38 Home

SPONSORED BY EMPORIA REALTY GROUP

Protect your biggest investment

92 Chalk Perfect

Find a chalkboard sign with a colorful, intricate, charming design, and you have probably discovered a Mishler original

the 102 Going Extra Mile

Trudi Sells has earned both the devotion of her customers as well as corporate recognition

Fuerte Women 108 Britanie Ramirez and countless other women in Emporia are redefining strong

116 Talented Kid

Council Grove native Macey Hensley is the country’s youngest expert on Presidential trivia

Sallie’s 122 In Kitchen

52 Antiques

SPONSORED BY PAPER MOON ANTIQUES

Legends live on at local antique store

63 Education

SPONSORED BY EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Emporia State University is defined by the people who create its community

72 Physical Therapy

SPONSORED BY PT ASSOCIATES

PT Associates works towards one simple goal - changing people’s lives

82 Dentistry

SPONSORED BY BENNETT DENTAL GROUP

Michelle Malone, DDS finds fulfillment in her family and her work

90 Finance

SPONSORED BY ESB FINANCIAL

Deciding When to Retire: When Timing Becomes Critical

100 Health and Technology

SPONSORED BY INTERNAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATES, LLC

Technological advances have changed the way doctors do their jobs

82 Osteopathic Health

SPONSORED BY FLINT HILLS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

A healing touch helps Dr. Amanda Ruton’s patients find pain relief

Recipes from the kitchen of the White Family 3

Hello, Friend!

editor’s note

Three years into the publication of Sallie I feel like we are getting well-acquainted, don’t you? In fact, it’s been exciting this year to hear from you – our readers – offering suggestions on women you know who have interesting stories to tell.

Inside, you’ll meet many of them!

It’s one of my favorite things – no wait, it is my favorite thing – about publishing Sallie: The joy that comes with sharing stories about women in the area whose lives, on the surface, may seem pretty “normal” to you and me: A mother who lives down the road; a clerk who rings up our lipstick at the drugstore; a stylist we sit with for an hour or so every couple months. If we linger long enough, though, chat a bit more, we find out more. We find out what makes her tick; what makes her, her. We discover the good stuff! And this year’s edition of Sallie is full of them!

You may notice that this year’s issue has a little different feel than last year. Besides the fact that, yes, we are even larger than last year, our story budget this year has a bit of a “country” or “rural” feel to it.

I suppose the Sallie crew should take credit for planning it that way, but we can’t. Because it just kind of happened. It’s funny how each year the magazine takes on it’s own personality with the stories that shape it. So this year you’ll meet girls who hunt, a mom who ranches, a stylist who uses her gift of design to turn a plain farmhouse into something beautiful. Also, make sure to check our “Ranch Dressing” clothing feature tucked in near the story on Amber Griffin.

Of course, there are some other great stories inside as well, including our standard “men’s feature,” a profile on a 5-year-old girl from our area who’s getting national recognition for an unusual talent and a group of ladies who share their own stories of strength and faith through the simple design of a t-shirt.

I know you are eager to start turning the pages, but I can’t introduce this issue of Sallie without mentioning another reason this edition is so exciting for us. You may have already heard….but Sallie received an award this year of which we are very proud: Best Magazine in Kansas by the Kansas Press Association. The best magazine in Kansas! We do agree that Sallie is a pretty special publication, beautiful to read and look at, thanks to a creative, passionate, hardworking staff. But what truly makes Sallie stand out, in our opinion, are the women featured inside. Every year I’m reminded that our corner of Kansas is home to some pretty amazing people.

Now…. sit back, relax and enjoy this year’s edition of Sallie. It’s nice to see you again.

Ashley Knecht Walker, Editor/Publisher P.S. By the way, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at sallie@emporiagazette.com

4

STAGE THE PERFECT EVENT.

Contact Susan or Kelly at the Emporia Convention

CVB LOGO VARIATIONS & Visitors Bureau to get started planning your perfect event, meeting or conference. Whether it’s finding the right space, locating a caterer, or looking for exciting things to do while your group is in town, we are here to help you, and see that your entire group will be made to feel special.

Call 620-342-1600 or visitemporia.com

ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH THE ARTS The Emporia Arts Center has been providing meaningful art experiences for Emporians and their families for 40 years. We believe the arts have the ability to create vibrant communities and inspire people to excel.

We are engaging children and providing opportunities for learning through the arts.

We are here to create a more vibrant Emproria.

emporiaksarts.org 815 Commercial, Emporia 6

the crew

We definitely couldn’t be named “Best Magazine in Kansas” without those listed on this page. Whether they are producing or selling ads, writing stories, shooting photos, designing pages or coordinating the distribution of Sallie to your doorsteps, they always bring their best. Below a few of them share their favorite “selfie” and a little about themselves with readers.

MORGAN CHILSON Contributing Writer

With us from the launch of all of our EL magazines, in many ways Morgan is the heartbeat behind Sallie, crafting stories that inspire and capture What makes me “tick:” An insatiable quest to “know” things. It’s why I was drawn to journalism; to explore and ask questions and learn things. I’m always curious -- I research (and dare I say overresearch) everything, and my kids flinch when they hear me say, “Well, there was this study that found. . . “ A nice way to put it is “I love learning,” but it could just as easily be phrased “I’m nosy.”

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

A shley W alker MARKETING DIRECTOR

B riana J ulo

JUSTIN OGLEBY Art Director

Another “veteran” to Emporia Living, Justin’s ability to take all the parts and pieces we give him and design a stunning publication for our readers to enjoy is unmatched.

What makes me “tick:” Getting the job done, then relaxing with my family.

ART DIRECTOR

J ustin O gleby CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

M organ C hilson M elissa L owery R egina M urphy J essie W agoner CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

K evin A nderson S tu M ullenberg J akub S tepanovic D E S I G N L AY O U T

IM D esign G roup

BRIANA JULO Marketing Director

Her passion for getting to know her clients and believing that good marketing really does work, is one big reason why Sallie is so much bigger yet again this year. Great job leading your department this year, Bri! What makes me “tick:” I love the feeling of doing my job well. That’s what keeps me ticking.

SAUNDRA HUTCHISON Marketing Associate

It often takes thick-skin and a lot of tenacity to be in sales. Saundra sets the bar high on both!

What make me “tick:” My son, good friends, and laughter. If I’m not laughing I’m not living!

M A R K E T I N G S TA F F

S aundra H utchison C assi E llis -O linger L eann S anchez ADVERTISING DESIGNERS

K elsey B arker , D an F errell M argie M c H aley , P hillip M iller K atie P otter , B radley R ice C I R C U L AT I O N M A N A G E R

CASSI ELLIS-OLINGER Marketing Associate

Brand new to our marketing department this year, Cassi’s enthusiasm for sales quickly made up for any shortage she had on experience. She’s always “in it to win it!”

What makes me “tick:” Friends, family and fun! French fries and chocolate custard don’t hurt though!

D estin N ightingale EMAIL sallie @ emporiagazette . com

ONLINE emporiaksliving . com

FA C E B O O K . C O M / emporialiving

TWITTER

@ emporialiving For more information, please contact: 517 Merchant Street Emporia, KS 66801 620-342-4800 Sallie Magazine is a publication of

JAKUB STEPANOVIC Photographer

We’re sure a male photographer from Czech Republic never thought he’d be out on a ranch in the Flint Hills of Kansas shooting photographs for a women’s magazine. But we’re sure glad he is!

What makes me “tick:” I pursue a positive attitude towards my life. If I have a problem I’m trying to fix and it is above my abilities, then I don’t waste my energy with it. Rather I spend time with friends, family and myself. If I struggle, I go somewhere I haven’t been before with my camera. That’s the best therapy for me.

DAN FERRELL Graphic Designer

Everyone appreciates Dan’s advertising design capabilities, but it’s his office party-planning skills that we especially enjoy!

What makes me “tick:” I don’t start ticking until I am on my second cup of coffee in the morning.

Besides good coffee, I enjoy listening to a wide variety of music, looking at art, reading and keeping up to date on world events as well as current trends in design.

SHAWN HONEA IM Design Group

We’re really not sure what to do with this guy. When he’s not riding his bike he hangs around the office quite a bit and claims to know something about creative design and Irish kilts.

What makes me “tick:” I enjoy having fun. I love my studio and the people who make it function.

Mostly having fun!

7

707 Commercial St Emporia, KS 620-340-0640 Reader’s Choice Award 2014

Best Mexican Cuisine

Make your parties a hit!

advertiser’s index 96.1 The Wave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Amanda’s Bakery & Cafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Bennett Dental Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 83 Bluestem Farm & Ranch Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 78 BobbyD’s Merchant Street BBQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11 Broadview Towers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Carpet Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Casa Ramos Mexican Restaurant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Citizens State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 City of Emporia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Clint Bowyer Autoplex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Collision Body Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Commercial Street Diner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Council Grove & Morris County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Dan’s Hands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Edward Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Emporia Anesthesia Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Emporia Arts Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Emporia Community Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 51, 59 Emporia CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Emporia Dermatology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 The Emporia Gazette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Emporia Main Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Emporia Orthodontics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Emporia Realty Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 39 Emporia State University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 63 ESB Financial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90, 91, Back Cover E-Town App. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Farm and Home Real Estate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Farm Bureau Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Marlin Flanagin, DDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Flinthills Mall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Flint Hills Beverage, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Flint Hills Community Health Center. . . . . 29, 114, 115 Flint Hills Technical College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Food 4 Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 GeoTech, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Golden Living Center of Chase County. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Goodwill Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Grand Central Hotel, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Griffin Real Estate & Auction Service, LLC. . . . . . . . . . 50 Grove Gardens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Hannah Orthodontics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Holiday Resort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 IM Design Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56, 57 Innovative Vein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Internal Medicine Associates, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . 100, 101 JavaCat Coffeehouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 John North Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 King Liquor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 KISS 103.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Life Care Center of Burlington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Linhart Liquor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Longbine Autoplaza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Lore & Hagemann, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Lucky U Treasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Lyon County Historical Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Lyon County State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Lyon County Title LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 M-N Carpet Store Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Medical Arts Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 The Medicine Shoppe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Mental Heath Center of East Central Kansas. . . . . . . . . 80 The Midas Touch Golden Tans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Modern Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 46 Morris County Hospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Mr. G’s Carwash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Mulready’s Pub. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 National Teachers Hall of Fame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Newman Therapy Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Newman Regional Health Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Newman Regional Health . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Paper Moon Antiques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 53 Patton, Putnam & Dean LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Plumbing By Spellman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 PT Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72, 73 Regional Development Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 ReMax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Reynolds & Anliker Eye Physicians & Surgeons. . . . . . . 47 Rhinestones & Rust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Rich Door Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Salon Del5ive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sears. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Sole Mates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Staff Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Star Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 State Farm Pete Euler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Studio 11 Boutique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Studio 50•4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Subway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Tanner’s Carpet LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Thomas Property Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Thomas Transfer & Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Thompson Family Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Topeka Ear, Nose & Throat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Topeka Lawn & Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 United Country Real Estate/Great Plains Auction. . 22, 23 United Way of the Flint Hills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Valerie’s Gifts & Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 ValuNet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Wellnitz Tree Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Williams Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

9

sallie spotlight

food

BOBBY DOUDICAN’S LOVE OF BBQ HAS BEEN DRIVING HIS RESTAURANT FOR 13 YEARS Sponsored by Bobby D’s Merchant St. BBQ The tangy sweet smell of slow-cooked meats doused in barbeque sauce waft from Bobby D’s BBQ restaurant, creating hunger pangs in anyone lucky enough to drive near this Emporia eatery.

Owner Bobby Doudican knows all about the allure of barbeque – the smoked brisket, pulled pork and tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs. He’s been a barbeque lover most of his life, and he finally put his business where his love was about 13 years ago.

“I’ve loved barbeque all my life, and before I got in the restaurant business, I traveled all over the United States,” he said.

“I’d find myself eating barbeque everywhere that I went because I loved it. I started getting into smoking competitions, like the American Royal BBQ and local barbeque competitions.”

“Do what you love” is common advice for finding success in life. For Doudican, who finally left the corporate world to open his own restaurant, it was right on target.

“We’ve been very fortunate. The customer base in Emporia is good, and they’ve been very supportive of us,” he said, completely neglecting the fact that his award-winning barbeque sauces and meats are about more than luck. “We strive to give customers good barbeque at a fair and reasonable price, and remain very consistent on how we serve our products.”

It was scary to take that plunge into the restaurant business. Doudican and his wife, Debbie, have worked hard to make it successful. So hard that Doudican said he rarely gets to enter barbeque competitions anymore. Still, he gets plenty of praise and affirmation from customers.

“We’ve grown every year,” he said. “I do

10

the kitchen and the cooking, including the catering, and Debbie’s kind of behind the scenes, making sure everything’s clean and organized. We’ve also hired a manager.”

Clearly, whatever the couple is doing is working. Bobby D’s has won “Best of the Flint Hills Best BBQ,” sponsored by the Emporia Gazette, for 12 years running. While he’s not giving away any sauce secrets, Doudican is clear about what makes his restaurant’s food stand out from competitors – and it has a lot to do with the restaurant’s slogan, “It’s all about da meat.”

“The quality of the meats that we use make the difference – we only use highquality meats and we take the time to cook it right. In barbeque, it’s low and slow that imparts the smoked flavor into the meats, and you have to do that also without overcooking it,” he explained. “You learn to pull it off of your smoker at the right time, so that it has all the smoke that you need in it, but it’s not overcooked and the meats remain tender.”

Along with allowing him to work fulltime in the barbeque world he loves, Doudican said the restaurant has also let him connect with a lot of area customers.

“We have a lot of regular customers, and then the new people who come into town, they stop in,” he said.

“They’ve seen us on Trip Advisor on the internet, or they’ve heard of us. Our greatest joy is just seeing people happy with what we do.

I’ve got a great staff here. All of our employees are very happy and they radiate that to the customers, and they become friends with the customers also.

Everybody just really gets a long really well.”

It’s difficult for him to brag about his restaurant’s food and talk about himself.

Doudican smiled. “I’m quiet about it; I let the food do the talking.”

Talk it does. Loudly. Even reading the menu is enough to get your mouth watering.

Check out the Smoked Chicken Dinner.

“Our healthy version of fried chicken. Fresh premium chicken marinated using our special dry rub then smoked until crispy brown.”

Or Bobby D’s Hawaiian Club – “Fresh smoked turkey, bacon, sliced pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato with a homemade honey citrus mayonnaise served on Hawaiian sweet bread.”

Bobby D’s caters numerous Emporia area events, and Doudican said it didn’t matter how big or small the event was. For customers who may not love barbeque, Doudican has added a variety of menu items over the years, including grilled fish and even a special smoked meatloaf.

Hungry yet?

(620) 342-1990 607 Merchant St. bobbydsbbq.com

Bobby Doudican checks on the slabs of meat he has on the smoker.

Not only can you enjoy Bobby’s BBQ in the restaurant, he also will cater any area event.

11

Love Hunt FOR THE

OF THE

by morgan chilson & jessie wagoner | photos by jakub stepanovic

E

SU assistant track coaches Connie Vantuyl and Jacquelyne Leffler are at home encouraging students to excel at track and field sports.

But for these women, “field” might have a different meaning altogether. They both have found some of their happiest times are when they’re trudging through trees and prairielands, shouldering a bow and arrow or a rifle and searching for that perfect shot.

Vantuyl and Leffler, who know each other but don’t hunt together, have a lot in common. They both grew up around hunters, and they’ve fallen in love with a sport that gets them outdoors, pushes them to achieve new skills, and also puts food on the table.

13

BOW HUNTER CONNIE VANTUYL Vantuyl, 29, started hunting when she began dating her husband, Michael, about nine years ago; they’ve been married two years now, and just had their first baby.

But she’s not a gun lover, although that sport is growing on her and she’s shooting skeet some; instead, her interest in the sport spiked when her husband started.

“My husband got his first bow a couple of years before I got into it, and he was having so much fun and it looked challenging, and I’m like, I could do this. I think I could really do

14

this,” Vantuyl said.

Turns out, she was right. She got a bow and started target practicing, and persistence paid off.

“It’s just day after day, you start at short distances. You get comfortable with your bow and sight it in. and you just shoot a target,” she explained. The sport became so much a part of the couple’s lives that Michael proposed at a 3D archery shoot, the Rinehart 100.

“I had made a really good shot on a turkey target, which is very, very hard,” Vantuyl recalled. “I ran up to the target looking at it and I was about to turn back to him and a

couple of our buddies who were there, and he was right behind me down on one knee. I don’t remember a word that he said. I looked down, like ‘what are you doing?’”

The memory still makes Vantuyl laugh, and she added, “I will say, he was shooting horribly before that happened, and I was actually shooting really good. As soon as that happened, he was shooting good and I was horrible the rest of the day.”

Such 3D shoots have helped Vantuyl hone her archery skills. “They make you better because they put the targets at different angles, up hill, down hill, the wind’s blowing.

It’s fun. It’s a lot of fun.”

When she’s out in the field, Vantuyl said she hunts deer, turkey, and other small animals like rabbits.

She’s attracted to archery, rather than guns for several reasons. “I like the stealth factor of it, how close you actually are to your target. It’s definitely the stealth factor of being in their element and actually outsmarting something that overall, is smarter than me.

If I didn’t have all the tools that I have, the deer is way smarter than I am. To be in their element, that’s what I like. For a good deer shot, I definitely won’t shoot anything over 40 yards, just ‘cause I don’t want to take that risk (of wounding and not killing the deer).”

One experience with wounding an animal was enough for Vantuyl.

“The first deer I ever did shoot, I wounded it; I hit it in the leg,” she said. “We found just a few drops of blood, and that was the worst feeling. All night long we were looking for this deer. My husband and my brother-inlaw tried to convince me that we weren’t finding enough blood that it was going to die. ‘It’s going to be okay, because it’s not bleeding out,’ but I had a feeling like someone has kicked me in the gut. I never wanted to wound and injure an animal ever again.”

Hunting has given Vantuyl a respect for nature – “I’ve got Instagram pictures of

sunsets and sunrises” – and for animals.

“I usually hunt from a tree stand. This past year, I hunted from a blind, and I got my deer from a blind,” she said. “Being up in a tree, for some reason, is really cool. A lot of things don’t know you’re there, just to see everything in their natural habitat. I’ve had bobcats walk in front of me. It’s kind of cool because everybody can’t say that they’ve had a bobcat yards from them and they don’t know you’re there.”

As for current hunting goals,Vantuyl is clear.

“I still have yet to get a turkey. I hate those stupid birds,” she said, laughing. “They’re the stupidest smart bird ever, and then they’re

15

the prettiest ugly bird when they’re out there in the field strutting. I want to hit a stinkin’ turkey. I really would like to get a turkey and for once, to shoot a bigger buck than my husband. I don’t say that around him, but that’s just a little secret I keep to myself.”

Even without bagging her turkey, Vantuyl just loves the opportunity to be outside, and archery offers her a way to relax.

“I can go out there by myself. It’s relatively safe as long as everybody is informed of how to shoot. It’s something I know I can do on my own. I don’t need someone else’s help,” she said. “It’s also stress relieving at the same time, something I have to completely focus on. I can’t be worried about anything else. I have to put everything into what I’m doing right then.”

LIFELONG HUNTER JACQUELYNE LEFFLER Leffler, 25, grew up on a family farm and ranch operation around Americus, and although her mom and dad didn’t hunt, she tagged along on hunts with neighbors.

“I started hunting turkeys when I was younger because you don’t have to have the patience and it’s a little bit easier,” she said,

16

unaware that Vantuyl would not agree with that assessment. “I started deer hunting more in high school and college, and that’s what I like to do more now that I’m home all the time. That makes deer hunting a lot more feasible to me.”

Leffler told a story about her first time hunting that would no doubt aggravate Vantuyl: “The first thing that comes to mind is my neighbor was taking me turkey hunting for the first time, and I was maybe 10, and we sat up and we got everything ready to go, and we both fell asleep – and the next thing I knew, we woke up, I shot my turkey and we went home. It was like the easiest hunt in the world. For the longest time, I was like, hunting is so easy. We just got lucky that first time.

We can just fall asleep and shoot a turkey like it’s nothing. . .”

Leffler attended K-State and ran track there, never really making a conscious decision to move back home. But when the opportunity presented itself, she recently was drawn back to the countryside she knew and loved. With a degree in kinesiology, family studies and human services, she didn’t expect to end up back on the family farm.

“No, I kind of always thought I’d still be competing and training, but my body told me

otherwise, and our rental house opened up, and I couldn’t imagine not living in the country, so everything just fell into place,” she said.

And it offered her the opportunity to more easily pursue her hunting hobby, both with guns and with a bow and arrow.

“I have a Remington shotgun, and then I use my grandpa’s M1 rifle, if I want to shoot a short shot on a deer,” Leffler said. “Just this year I decided to buy my own rifle, so it’s kind of my all-around coyotes and deer and everything gun; I shoot a .308 rifle now also. I like the challenge of bow hunting, but I really like the convenience of rifle hunting. It kind of depends on what I’m doing that day and what else I have to get done.

“It’s kind of nice to be able to switch it up between different tools to use,” she said, adding that she just started bow hunting in 2012 and hasn’t brought in a deer with it. Yet. “So far, everything that I’ve done is mainly with guns, for successful hunts.”

In the last four years or so, Leffler said she’s also started hunting geese and ducks in the winter, though it can be tough to balance work and that sport. “I’ll be honest – some days I’ll wake up and I’ll think it’s just not worth it today,” she said with a laugh.

Between coaching at ESU and farming

17

with her father and grandfather, Leffler said she just steals away to hunt whenever she can. “It limits my time on getting out there and hunting as much as I would like.That’s the nice part about farming for an occupation,” she said. “When I’m in the tractor working ground, I can scout where the turkeys are, where the deer are, pick up patterns.”

Along with putting her back in easy access to hunting grounds, Leffler is glad she made the decision to join her family’s business.

“I think just getting to work with several generations of my family at one time – it’s kind of an uncommon thing in today’s society to be able to do that. I think it’s taught me and my sister both so many values and just deep roots that a lot of my generation doesn’t seem to have anymore,” she said. “The community in farming is just great. Most of our neighbors farm, and it’s just something you have in common with them. . . it forms a little community in itself.”

18

Hunting also forms a community, and Leffler said she duck hunts with friends, explaining, “With that, it’s always better to have more than one gun. They come in big groups and you can only shoot so many times before you have to reload your guns.

When it’s so early in the morning, it’s nice to have coffee and talk, and remind yourself why you’re there.”

For deer hunting, Leffler usually goes by herself, although even in her mid-20s, her mom makes her call and check in when she leaves and gets home.

“My best friend in high school was killed hunting. I’m very cautious,” she said, “which is probably why I like more of a reflective time to disconnect from the world a little bit.”

She loves everything about hunting, but, like Vantuyl, said she doesn’t like hunters who shoot for the sport and don’t eat what they shoot.

“I feel as if there’s a lot of people out there trophy hunting,” Leffler said. “Those

are the only things that really, I guess, bother me. We have a lot of road hunters – when people shoot from the road. That’s how my friend was killed. It happens a lot, and we’ve seen it happen four or five times.”

In memory of her friend, Leffler works with a local organization founded in his name, the Beau Arndt Foundation, to teach safe outdoor practices in all arenas, including fishing, hunting and hiking.

Her commitment to making a difference in safety in her friend’s honor is just one of the personality traits that make Leffler stand out. She described herself as “very driven”: “Everything I do, I’m always all in. And that’s just kind of how my parents raised me to be. They raised me to never quit anything; I think that’s why I was so successful in sports, and I think that’s why I’ve been successful in hunting too. It takes a lot of time and a lot of practice – when the moment comes that you actually pull the trigger, . . . it’s just as exciting

as winning a gold medal, really.

“The adrenalin rush of hunting is almost the same as sports,” she added. “I guess I’m a little bit of an adrenalin junkie in that sense.

When geese are on top of you or ducks, the sound is amazing, but the visual sight is even better. Your heart gets pumping. It’s indescribable really. You can’t really put it into words.”

It’s not always about the hunt, either.

“Patience – and that’s something that I’ve learned . . . You can’t expect to get something every time you go out. I learned that with duck hunting and goose hunting a lot this winter.Three of us went, super early.We made our hot chocolate, and put all of our decoys out and we waited and waited and waited.

But the conversation that we had while we waited made it worth not getting anything.

It was one of the most memorable hunts I’ll ever have, just because the conversations were so good.”

19

ELK HUNTER BRENDA DOUDICAN Brenda Doudican grew up in a family of hunters but didn’t take a strong interest in the sport until recently. A family friend encouraged her and gave her hunting tips and before long Doudican grew to love being outdoors, patiently waiting for the right harvest.

“Even if you don’t harvest a thing, it is just amazing sitting and seeing everything Mother Nature has to offer,” Doudican said.

Recently Doudican had a harvest that most hunters would envy — especially hunters in Kansas. In December 2014, Doudican harvested an elk in rural Lyon County, a rarity to say the least.

The elk harvest was months in the making.

20

Doudican began her hunt for a whitetail buck with muzzleloader season, then continued with bow season followed by rifle season.

She spent a great deal of time sitting and waiting, never seeing anything she wanted to harvest during those runs.

She had a shot on a great buck earlier in the season but overshot with her bow. In hindsight, she realizes the wait was worth it.

After hours waiting in her blind for the right buck she caught a glimpse of the elk for the first time.

“It was this mass, huge,” said Doudican.

“I had to really look hard and do a doubletake.”

Though her husband was doubtful her hunting friend and encourager believed her.

He encouraged her to get an elk permit and continue to wait. She ended up sitting

two more times, waiting for the elk to make another appearance.

“It was a little bit of luck and a lot of sitting out there waiting,” Doudican said.

Harvesting the elk was thrilling and filling for Doudican. She had the meat processed so it would not go to waste. The elk was estimated to weigh between 900 and 1,000 pounds.

Even though the harvest was plentiful Doudican says that all of her experiences outside in nature are rewarding. She is excited to see more women involved in hunting and encourages others to focus on the experience.

“Even with our daughter trying to get her more out in the outdoors,” Doudican said. “I think that is huge. I love that more women are getting in the outdoors and hunting and doing everything as well.” 

za,

R E M O CUST N O I T C A F S I T !

SA Y T I R O I R P 1 # R U O IS

At

o Pla t u A e n i b Long

to From sales want service, we especially everyone, to our ladies, d have a worl rience. class expe d feel Come in an the like one of are your family! We proud, small town od store! neighborho

Angie Schreiber

Jelinda Watts

Gloria Schneider

50

th

ANNIVERSARY

A U T O P L A Z A Locally owned and operated

CHEVY

BUICK

New and pre-owned vehicles Certified vehicle service

longbineauto.com | 620-342-2744 | 3012 W. Hwy 50, Emporia

sallie spotlight

auctions

Lance Fullerton and his wife Trisha work with their clients with a variety of approaches to auctions to personalize the customer’s auction.

THE EXCITEMENT OF AUCTIONS DREW LANCE FULLERTON TO PURSUE HIS PASSION Sponsored by United Country Great Plains Auction & Real Estate Lance Fullerton was drawn to the drama and excitement of auctions when he attended auctions as a young boy with his parents.

Today, owning Great Plains Auction & Real Estate, a United Country Real Estate franchise office, allows Fullerton to pursue his passion.

“I actually started working around auctions when I was 11 or 12 years old, working as a general helper to the auction owner,” he said. “It progressed from there to where I was working as a bid spotter and bid assistant, which inevitably led to me attending auctioneer school to become an auctioneer. The auction industry has always been a big part of my life; I’m very passionate about it, I thoroughly enjoy it, and I’m very committed to it.

22

“I really enjoy working with people and helping them solve their problems and achieve their goals,” Fullerton added. “We might be working with them during very difficult times in their lives, such as with the assets they received as a result of a family member passing. It’s very rewarding to help people in those situations to be able to move on with their lives.”

Now, with more than 24 years in the business, Fullerton brings a wealth of experience to his clients, helping them to successfully sell real estate and personal property at auction. In order to provide the highest level of quality professional care and service to their clients and customers, in addition to partnering with United Country, he is assembling a top-notch team of auctioneers and real estate agents.

He recently added two-time Kansas State Champion and 2011 World Champion Livestock Auctioneer Charly Cummings and his wife, Carrie, from Yates Center, to the Great Plains team.

While working with some of the largest auction firms in the Wichita area, Lance always had the goal of owning his own firm.

In 2014, he and his wife, Trisha, decided the timing was right for them to open their own auction and real estate company under the United Country banner.

Fullerton said he made the decision to become a United Country affiliate after talking with friends and business associates who had excellent experiences with the international company. It was that decision which brought his family to the Emporia area, where a franchise was available.

“The move to Emporia has been fantastic for us,” he said. “We always liked the town of Emporia and we really liked the area and knew it would be a great place to settle and call home. Our business now covers east central and southeast Kansas, although we will go anywhere in Kansas that the business takes us. We sell all types of real estate including agricultural, commercial, and residential and we conduct estate, farm, and business liquidation auctions as well.” Having grown up in the horse industry and with an agricultural background, Fullerton said he especially enjoys working auctions of farm and ranch land.

Great Plains works with customers with a variety of approaches to auctions.

For instance, if clients live out of state and inherit real estate and personal property they need to liquidate, Fullerton’s company can take care of the entire auction. Or if customers wish to take care of some of the sorting, boxing, and set up, they certainly have that option. “It’s up to the client how many of our services they wish to employ,” Fullerton said.

When asked what the benefit of selling proper ty at auction is, Fuller ton replied, “The great thing about the auction method of marketing is that it gives you true market value and true price discovery, and in an expedited timeframe. If you list a proper ty and you put a price on it – in most cases, you’ve put a cap on its selling price. When you take a proper ty to auction, we are doing an accelerated 30- to 60-day marketing campaign and we create a sense of urgency for those buyers.

By getting all the potential buyers together at one time and with a short window of oppor tunity to purchase we are creating a spirit of competition, and, in some cases, the sky is the limit on what we can achieve at auction.”

Industry experience in selling different types of properties, along with tapping into the expertise available from United Country, the oldest real estate franchise in the United States, allows Fullerton to excel in his work.

“United Country is the largest seller of land and specialty or lifestyle properties

Two-time Kansas State Champion and 2011 World Champion Livestock Auctioneer Charly Cummings and his wife, Carrie, have recently joined the Great Plains team. in the U.S.,” he said. “They are also the only large real estate franchise that has an auction division and that truly embraces the auction method of marketing. Besides that being very attractive to us to partner with

them, the level of support they provide their offices in the way of tools, technology and resources is phenomenal and allows us to better serve our clients and customers in Emporia and east-central Kansas.”

(620) 412-9693 2810 W U.S. Hwy 50 ucgreatplains.com

23

RANCH LIFE by morgan chilson | photos by jakub stepanovic

24

25

T

he slim silhouette of Amber Griffin is pasted against a blue sky as she traipses through mud left by recent rains, her one-yearold daughter on her hip and a cell phone tucked against her shoulder, to lock gates and corral cows.

Amber, 33, and her husband, Dave Griffin, live in Chase County, and the two spend seven days a week working together as cattle ranchers, juggling hundreds of heads of cattle, three children, ranch crews, tight schedules, long hours, and lots of laughter.

It’s not a lifestyle everyone would want – it’s hard physical labor that at times seems never-ending. Vacations.

Pshaw. Who needs vacations? Amber just laughed when asked about any time away from the ranching life – “I don’t remember the last time we

26

went on vacation. If you do go on a vacation, it’s guaranteed something’s going to come up.”

For people used to the 40-hour work week, an annual two-week vacation and sick days, the work of the Griffin family that starts at sunrise and often doesn’t end until after dark sounds . . . different, at least, stressful, at most. But a day spent on the Pioneer Ranch, in the sunshine with the lowing and stomping feet of cattle nearby, family dogs Tank and Betsy running among human and animal legs, is a reminder of the pleasures of life outside the urban world most of us inhabit.

Amber loves it. She didn’t grow up on a farm or in an ag setting, but spent many, many hours on her grandfather’s farm, hanging with horses, which remain one of her true loves. “That’s where I always wanted to be,” she recalled.

“Elliott’s my favorite horse,” she said, gesturing toward a pen. “My grandpa taught me to rope -- was team roping with him when I was in high school. He found Elliott for me.”

Each part of the ranch has some connection to family, and for Amber, that’s her favorite part of the whole deal.

“I think being able to work with my family – I love the work and all that, but it’s being able to work with my family that’s my favorite,” she said.

“And with a good crew who are like family.”

Working hours and hours with her husband might raise concerns for some, and Amber laughed about the idea of the challenges that presents.

“Yea, sometimes,” she admitted. “I’ve been working with him since 2004.”

Although Amber and Dave went to high school together, they didn’t date then. But the summer after Amber graduated, the two started seeing each other in a group of friends, and he proposed months later. Amber laughed about their ages – he was 20 and she was 18 – but the glow she still has 14 years later tells its own story, as does the fact that her favorite part of living a ranch life is working with family, which she reiterated more than once.

27

“I really do just love everything about it,” she said. “Working with family, our crew – I get to ride my horse and work at the same time, and have my kids with me. I don’t think I’d change anything about it. I kind of like hard work, to be busy doing something.”

Amber said her mother-in-law tells the story of how she knew her son had found his wife. “The first time I met my in-laws, I came to their house at 5 in the morning to help Dave ship cattle that day,” Amber related. “She said, ‘I looked out the window and you both were smiling at 5 in the morning in the rain.’ ” Dave and Amber have three children, Brock, 9, Wyatt, 7, and Hannah, 1, and all have grown up around cattle and learning

28

about that concept of hard work.

It’s been a special joy to raise the kids in the outdoors, around animals, and seeing their personalities develop in the setting of a hard-working ranch. The crew dotes on the kids – Hannah gets passed around regularly and goes easily into any of their arms. As Amber weighed cattle one day in preparation to move herds to grass, she tracked Hannah and kept her near the scales, but when they began giving shots and assessing each animal, everyone kept an eye on the quick-moving little girl.

In between corralling cattle, squishing through mud and chasing Hannah, the crew laugh and talk.

“You have to be fluent in sarcasm for this

job,” Amber said, after taking some ribbing about watching TV. She also said they’re quick to remind her of her clumsiness and some of the mistakes she made as she learned how to work on a ranch.

“About two days after I started working here, I jack-knifed a trailer into my fatherin-law’s truck, and put a hole in the side (of the box truck),” she recalled one incident, adding that when the guys pulled the box truck off, they left it near the house with the dented side facing the house. Even though they swear it wasn’t a poke at her for adding the dent, Amber said she’s not so sure.

Those days of jack-knifing trailers are probably long over. Amber said she forgets how unusual her life seems to many people

until she runs into someone who points it out.

“At a bull sale not too long ago, we bought two bulls.

I was holding Hannah and pulled the truck up to back it up to the chute,” she recounted. “It was a four-door truck with a 28-foot trailer.Two girls that I know saw me, and said, ‘You just backed that trailer up holding a baby.’ ” Amber dismissed the idea that what she does is different than other moms. “I think for all moms it’s a juggling act,” she said, although she did add, “I think some people probably think I am a stay-at-home mom.”

Instead, Amber works outside the home, a part of the team that is required to keep the ranch running.

Teamwork. A life on a ranch doesn’t happen – at least not well – without teamwork. And “work” may be the key part of that phrase. There’s little down time and virtually no time alone.

29

“I’ve never been one that has to have that,” Amber said. She sneaks away to go running sometimes, but basically spends her days outdoors on the ranch, and then cooks to feed her family (and any of the crew who would like to join them) in the evening. And the ranch crew knows that an open-invitation to join the Griffin family for supper always exists, she said.

It’s more, she said, about catching those little moments. Time on the trampoline with the kids. A horseback ride.

It is, of course, a tough life, even if you love it. Amber said she’s not a fan of driving tractors, although she will if she has to, and absolutely hates the cold. It’s challenging to do the daily work and then keep up on all the records that must be kept, and new innovations in ranching.

She’s always enjoyed cooking but preparing meals for a large ranch crew was a different story. She’s thankful to her mother-in-law for helping her learn how to handle that part of the operation.

Still.

“We spend a lot of time together and I sure like that,” once again, she said of Dave.

The two bring different styles to the ranch.

“He’s more particular, I would say, on different levels,” Amber said. “Like the business side of stuff, buying bulls, he’s a lot more particular and worries more about that stuff, when I tend to

30

worry more is about the day-to-day stuff.

For shipping – I usually get the trucks scheduled, make sure I’ve got enough help, call the owners and line out days. I’ll have dreams during the middle of shipping that I sent the trucks to the wrong place.”

As Amber is talking, she’s always working and moving. In from spending the morning with the cattle, she sets Hannah in her high chair and feeds her lunch, all the while warming up beef-nnoodles and corn muffins she fixed the night before for the crew. They swarm in for their meal and fill the kitchen with laughter and chatter.

Although Amber admitted that April and May are the times “we’re all kind of running on empty” and referred to “organized chaos” as an integral part of their lives, it’s clear there’s not anything she would change.

From the outside, it looks hard and there’s that cold weather, and long hours, and vacations that rarely happen, and holidays where the cattle still need to be fed . . .

Still. 

Family owned over 60 years.

Since 1945

Ask about Our Lower Rates...

• FREE Visual Estimates • Packing and Crating • Electronic Moving Specialists • Local and Long Distance Moves

• Office Moves • Industrial Moves • International Moves • Long or Short Term Storage

www.thomasunited.com

620-342-1163 • 800-835-3509 906 E. 6th Ave. • Emporia, KS • ICC # 67234 31

Sallie Snapshots

32

33

RANCH DRESSING

Studio 50•4 504 Commercial St, Emporia • (815) 403-1830 White denim capris, $24.99 ; White cami, $6.99; Black crochet top, $38.99; Belt, $10.99; Purse, $55.99; Scarves, Always only $12.99; Jewelry set, $28.99

Soul Mates

805 Commercial St, Emporia Black Heel by Delicious Shoes, $27.99; Black Sequined Sandal by Yellowbox, $63.00

34

Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply

2611 US-50, Emporia • (620) 342-5502 Western Boots by Old West; Ivory Clutch with fringe by Blazin Roxx; Necklace, bangles and bracelet by Silver Strike; Denim Jeans by Wrangler; Coral Cardigan by Keren hart; Sheer white top by Roper

35

Studio 11 606 Commercial St, Emporia • (620) 343-3011 With the addition of boutique clothing to the eclectic offerings at Studio 11, we take pride in keeping your wardrobe uniquely yours. Mixing fun vintage boots & one-of-a-kind handmade belt buckles and jewelry with the latest fashions are always a great way to keep your style Funky, Junky & Unique.

36

• Amy Delgado

Owner, Stylist, Nail Tech

Feel Beautiful

From Head to Toe

Because Looking

This Great Never Felt

So Good!

• Evy Lopez

Stylist, Nail Tech

• Val Steavenson

Stylist, Licensed Body Piercer

• Shanon Fletcher Stylist

723 Commercial St. • Emporia, KS 66801 (620) 343-7242 • www.salondelfive.com

Massage & Bodywork

DAN’S HANDS (620) 794-4921

902 Commercial St. ~ Emporia

GET R EA DY

for

SUNatFUN

ALTER IMAGE Salon & Spa

4 Levels of Tanning Starting at $18.88/Month Rejuvenating Red Light Skin Enhancements 4 Levels of Sunless Spray Tanning 620.340.1011 ~ 2918 W. Hwy 50 midastouchtans.com @mgoldentans

F U L L S E RV I C E S A LO N • WA L K- I N S W E LCO M E 620.343.0942 • 526 OAK • EMPORIA , KS

37

sallie spotlight

home

PROTECT YOUR BIGGEST INVESTMENT Sponsored by Emporia Realty Group Owning a home is one of the biggest investments in most people’s lives. And while this statement carries a lot of weight, most homeowners don’t really know what to do to keep their major investment in tiptop shape. After all, your home doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Because

the Emporia Realty Group professionals understand just what a difference taking care of your home makes, they have put together a home maintenance checklist for you. By breaking these down in bite-size portions, it will make things easier to keep up on them.

QUARTERLY  Test smoke/carbon dioxide detectors.  Test garage door autoreverse feature.  Run water and flush toilets in unused spaces.

Watch for details on a special ladies-only “Sallie Social” at Emporia Realty Group coming this fall!

38

MONTHLY  Inspect and possibly change out HVAC filters.  Clean kitchen sink disposal.  Clean range hood filters.  Inspect your fire extinguisher(s).

BIANNUALLY  Test your water heater’s pressure relief valve.  Give your house a deep clean.  Replace batteries in smoke/carbon dioxide detectors.  Vacuum your refrigerator coils.

ANNUALLY

SPRING  Check the exterior drainage. Will rain water flow away from the house?  Clean out gutters. They’ve likely accumulated leaves from the fall and grime/sediment from the winter snows and/or rains.  Inspect the exterior of your home. Look for paint chipping, siding damage, or other areas that may need attention.

FALL  Winterize air conditioning systems.  Get heating system ready for winter.  Check for any leaks in windows or doors.  Turn off and flush outdoor water faucets. Also flush hoses and store them.

Winterize sprinkler systems as well, if you have one.  Get chimney cleaned, if you have one.  Test sump pump.  Check driveway/pavement for cracks.

 Get your air conditioning system ready for summer; consider having it serviced.  Repair/replace damaged window screens.  Clear dead plants/shrubs from the house.  Check trees for interference with electric lines.  Inspect roofing for damage, leaks, etc.

Repair as needed.

SUMMER  Check grout in bathrooms, kitchen, etc.; repair as needed.  Inspect plumbing for leaks, clean aerators on faucets.  Take care of any insect problems you may have.  Clean and repair deck/patio as needed.  Clean out window wells of debris.  Check and clean dryer vent, other exhaust vents to exterior of home.  Clean garage.

WINTER  Tighten any handles, knobs, racks, hinges.

Go through the house and inspect anything that could have a loose screw.  Check all locks and deadbolts on your doors and windows. If anything doesn’t work right, replace.  Check caulking around showers and bathtubs; repair as needed.  Remove showerheads and clean sediment.  Deep clean and inspect the basement.

(620) 412-9850 608 Commercial St. emporiarealtygroup.com

39

40

FARM HOUSE FLIP photos by kevin anderson and jakub stepanovic by morgan chilson

Before

During

42

After

E

ntering the world of a fixerupper home is one that requires patience, perseverance and the ability to envision what you want and not get bogged down in the hours and hours of work it will take to get there.

For Mandi and Ryan Higgins, the rebirth of their small farmhouse into their dream home has taken all of those skills, but the end result will be worth it. Assuming there is an end, because in the midst of tearing out kitchens, building additions, and finding unique farmhouse touches to create a unique home, it feels as if it might never end.

43

But the end is in sight, and Mandi is eager to start adding decorating touches that will make the home a haven for the couple and their two young boys, Braxton, 12, and Skyler, 10.

“I have a stash of stuff in my garage just sitting, waiting to be put out,” Mandi said.

Despite the aggravation of a year-long project and doing much of it themselves, although a contractor did the bulk of the addition and is building a shop for Ryan, Mandi is happy with their decision to stay in the older home, near Americus.

For one thing, it’s right next door to her parents, which is why they bought it in the first place six years ago.

“The location is perfect,” Mandi said. “The two boys – we really wanted to get them in the country.

I fell in love with the character of the house.”

But even with its character, Mandi said they knew when they bought it that at some point they’d have to take on a massive remodel or move again.

Massive remodel was the choice, and it’s turning out beautifully. The modern farmhouse feeling is everywhere, or “farmhouse glamour” as Mandi called it, showing up in white-planked walls in a shiplap style and a glittery rectangular light hanging

44

Before

During

45

During

After

46

over a vessel-style sink that sits atop an old dresser Mandi refinished. Personal, unique touches are everywhere: An old door made into a coffee table sits in the living room, kitchen pendant lamps are waiting to be made from old tin funnels that Mandi plans to paint gloss white and leave the natural tin on the inside. The bathroom door, an antique door with carved wood and an oval glass window will be hung to slide like a barn door.

Ryan is currently building the range hood for the kitchen out of old barn wood, and then Mandi plans to use white subway tiles for the backsplash.

“I love old but with a little bit of spark with it,” Mandi said.

Such touches are everywhere – a sign “Let whatever you do today be enough” -- and are either complete or awaiting their place on the long construction to-do list.

The care and attention to detail the couple has put into creating their home is evident everywhere. The addition on the back of the house almost doubled its size, Mandi said, and added a large living room, as well as a first-floor master bedroom with a bath.

“We knew what we wanted,” Mandi said. “I think living here helped. There was no storage, no organization. No anything.”

The addition created a lot of natural light in the living area, where the kitchen opens directly off the new living room. French doors with windows are flanked by two more long windows, letting in streams of light.

The details of the house, including numerous reclaimed doors, have clearly taken time for Mandi to collect, but each time she found a treasure,

R

k

EYE

er

n y e

s & An d l o li

Physicians & Surgeons

State of the Art No Stitch Cataract Surgery Glaucoma • Laser Surgery Retinal Diseases Consultation & Surgery Eyelid Surgery • Botox Satellite offices in Chanute, Iola, Burlington, Council Grove, Eureka, Herington, Hillsboro, Marion, Osage City, Manhattan, and Parsons 1602 W. 15th Ave., Ste B Emporia, KS 66801 620-342-6989 or 800-794-1209 Michael G. Reynolds, MD

Wayne L. Anliker, MD

47

Mandi’s tips for Farmhouse Glam

they worked to find a way to include it in their home design. French doors that close off the washer and dryer were intended to be the wide doors on the new construction at the back of the house. But Mandi said they didn’t realize the doors were interior doors, and they had to make a quick change, which worked out perfectly.

Happy accidents, as any artist will tell you.

Working on a slow schedule to complete their home can get frustrating. Living in the mess has been hard, Mandi said. And now that it’s starting to come together, she’s getting anxious to hang things up but it’s still too soon.

Still, even with the challenging times, Mandi said watching it come together and being able to design things that work perfectly for them – like building in a space for the dog crates under the stairs – has been a wonderful experience.

Living next door to her parents and seeing her boys’ relationship with them grow makes every bit of dust and construction drama worthwhile, she said.

“I lost my grandpa when I was in 6th grade,” Mandi said. “It shaped me. My dad is extremely close to my children. The thought of moving them away just made me sick, physically sick, to my stomach.” 

 White! I love white as a neutral background and it allows you to throw in any pop of color and decorate easily for any season. I love a crisp white wall with distressed white through out!  Shiplap! Lots and lots of shiplap! Wall treatments are fun and can add a huge impact! Adds texture to a space. My shiplap had lots of texture and knots which I love!  When adding a glam or rustic touch to a space less is more. Make a glam piece the focal point, like a sparky chandelier in a room of rustic barn wood. I love the mixture of new and old, wood and metal. It makes a space unique and allows for fun pieces to be added in.  Barnwood! Use as shelves or custom made pieces to add to the farmhouse feel.

We made a custom range hood and shelves out of Barnwood that we salvaged from our barn. Adds character!  Take time to find pieces that really fit your space. Adding pieces that mean something to you are worth the wait. Might be old or new but you will know it fits when you find it!

Overall my idea of farmhouse glam is rustic with a bit of sparkle! Custom made pieces are the best. I love white shiplap walls, they make the background!

curb appeal Add lasting beauty to your home with decorative concrete • • • • • • •

Concrete staining and stamping Get the look of slate, antique brick, or cobblestone Long lasting and low maintenance Perfect for patios, walkways, and drives Increase your home value Locally owned and operated by Tracy & Jeff Herrick Also featuring Pyramid Stone natural limestone

620.343.1184 439 S Prairie St. Emporia starco@seamless.net starconstructionks.com

Make your home beautiful inside and out!

48

Declutter with a storage unit • • • •

Multiple sizes: 10x10, 10x15, 10x20 Fenced with security lighting 24/7 access locally owned by Tracy & Jeff Herrick

7th Avenue Storage 620.343.1184 2301 W 7th, Emporia • starco@seamless.net

Residential & Commercial Complete Lawn Care and Maintenance Landscape Design Irrigation Patios and Driveways Lighting Fire Pits and much more

785- 232- 8873

We service the Emporia Area 49

chase county schedule of fall events August

Every Friday Night 7:30pm “Music at the Emma” in Cottonwood Falls August 1 1:30pm Ranching Heritage Prairie Talk at Pioneer Bluffs August 7-9 Summer in Cottonwood Falls at Cottonwood Falls Collectables August 8 Cattle Drive at Flying W Ranch August 8 Opening Reception at The Gallery at Pioneer Bluffs for Jon Scott Anderson and Justin Marable August 8 Opening Reception at The Gallery at Pioneer Bluffs for Jose Alvarado August 8 Film Screening “Farmer John” with farmer John in Matfield Green August 15 1:00pm WSU Professor Dreifort at CC Historical Museum August 29 Full Moon Ride at Flying W Ranch

September Every Friday Night 7:30pm

September 5

September 6

September 7 September 17 12:00pm

September 19

September 19 September 19 12:00pm September 19 September 19-26 September 27

“Music at the Emma” in Cottonwood Falls Trail Ride at Clover Cliff Ranch B&B Trail Ride at Flying W Ranch Trail Ride at Flying W Ranch ChamberConnect meeting Dirty Kanza “Race The Chase” in Cottonwood Falls Cattle Drive at Flying W Ranch Vintage Baseball Game Emporia vs. Strong City Late Afternoon Trail Ride at Flying W Ranch Plein Air Plein Air Art Sale

September 25-27 The Dream Ride September 26 Joyful Noise at Camp Wood YMCA

Every Friday Night 7:30pm “Music at the Emma” in Cottonwood Falls October 3 Pioneer Bluffs Fall Festival at Pioneer Bluffs October 3 Opening Reception at The Gallery at Pioneer Bluffs for Yoonmi Nam and a juried show of Plein Air artists October 3 Opening Reception at The Bank for Chyoko Myose October 9-11 Autumn in Cottonwood Falls at Cottonwood Falls Collectables October 10 Cattle Drive at Flying W Ranch October 24 Trail Ride at Flying W Ranch B&B

October

November

Every Friday Night 7:30pm “Music at the Emma” in Cottonwood Falls November 11 Veteran’s Day Ceremony by Charlie Rayl in CWF November 14 Cattle Drive at Flying W Ranch November 28 Strong City Seasonal Express in Strong City November 29 Chase County Country Christmas in Cottonwood Falls

December

Every Friday Night 7:30pm “Music at the Emma” in Cottonwood Falls December 17 12:00pm ChamberConnect meeting

“Built on the Past — Banking for the Future” www.bankcsb.biz

Griffin Real Estate & Auction Service LC “Your Satisfaction is our top Priority, and we look forward to serving your Real Estate & Auction needs.”

Rick Griffin, Broker & Auctioneer - Office: 620-273-6421 Cell: 620-343-0473 Chuck Maggard, Sales & Auctioneer - Cell: 620-794-8824 Heidi Maggard, Sales - 620-794-8813 www.GriffinRealEstateAuction.com - 305 Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845

50

EMPORIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Your One Stop Donation Location

20 YEARS Connecting Caring People with Community Causes Visit us at: www.emporiacf.org

527 Commercial St., Suite 501 • Emporia 620-342-9304|emporiacf@emporiacf.org www.emporiacf.org 51

sallie spotlight

antiques

LIVING HISTORY

Remember when life was grand? The legends live on at Paper Moon Antiques.

Where old is new again. Where the past & the future come together.

Sponsored by Paper Moon Antiques John Doan became intrigued with the past – holding an old tool and imagining the hands that used it to build during the 1800s or studying antique photos and creating a story about the people – when he was in college in the late 60s.

John took some of his student loan money and invested in antiques; when he re-sold those, he made money, and so began a love affair that is part practicality and part a fondness for times when life was grand.

Adding to the romance of antiques was a romance of another sort. John met and married Becky, his wife, who grew up in Emporia. It’s her attachment to the town that encouraged the Doans to move their Wichita store to Emporia.

The couple opened Paper Moon Antiques in December 2014, choosing the former Odd Fellows (IOOF) building that brings with it a unique atmosphere perfect

52

for their wares. The building was built in 1880, John said, and during the years the main floor served as the “New York Variety Store.” It was perfect for Paper Moon.

But while the building’s beautiful classic features may set off the Doans’ wares, it’s really the love, attention to detail and knowledge of antiques that draws customers from across the country.

John owned and operated a business for more than 20 years organizing, promoting and managing antique shows nationwide, and he took the opportunity to talk to all the dealers who came to those shows and learn as much as he could about the business. Combined with his genuine love and interest in antiques, John’s knowledge makes walking through Paper Moon almost like a history lesson. He adds that it is not a collection, however, but an extensive inventory of antiques.

“We specialize in authentic antiques, and we hear from people stopping here all

the time that there are no stores like this anywhere close anymore,” John said, adding that many stores prefer vintage items or have business models that involve buying and turning an inventory quickly. While John and Becky have no problem with that, it is not what their store is about.

“The knowledgeable dealers are few and far between anymore,” John said. “Many people are collecting what they call midcentury now, 1950 and 1960 things, and we also have things in our store from that time period. But our merchandise is the quality items from that time period – the things

that were made with attention to detail and quality materials.”

As with any true antique lover, John laments the way that merchandise has become more cheaply made over the years. “People don’t really make furniture the way they used to,” he said. “The wood isn’t available like it was; the craftsmen who made it aren’t around. Most of what people buy now when they go to a furniture store is really not wood.”

That is not the case in John and Becky’s store. Real wood, much hand-carved, vies with hand-blown art glass from years past, an homage to the craftspeople who lived decades and even centuries ago.

“There’s just nothing like the feel and the ambiance that can be created from having antiques in your home,” John said.

“As an antique dealer, you’re almost like a matching service. You’re buying stuff you know is quality, that you know has lasting

value, and you put that in your shop and you wait for the person who walks in and says, ‘That’s what I’ve been looking for, that is so exquisite that I just have to have it. I’ve never seen one like this before in my life.’ That’s who we sell to, that discriminating person who really and truly wants something that they can’t go down the street and get somewhere else.”

Paper Moon features an inventory of those hard-to-find, easy-to-love items, and although John and Becky may feel a little

pang in their hearts to see much-loved things go out the door, they enjoy matching customers with antiques they’ll treasure.

For John, it’s a little bit about history, too.

“History led me to antiques, and the more you know about history, the more you know that people tend to do the same things, and make the same mistakes, over and over and over again,” he said.

“Some people complain these days that our younger generations are not interested in history, that they want things simple. But the world is not all that simple.” Recently, we have found that the younger people ARE interested in history and interesting things from the past. Romance from previous times lives on.

The sweetheart hankies in Paper Moon, for instance, tell the stories of sweethearts and mothers who gave embroidered hankies, often with a message, to soldiers going to fight in World War I.That is a lesson about war and love made real by a piece of linen.

“You need to know as much about the past as you can so that you live a better life in the present and the future,” John said.

(620) 412-2759 317 Commercial St paper-moon-antiques.com 53

54

SHAB IS CHIC The owners of Rhinestones and Rust turn junk finds into functional art

T

by morgan chilson | photos by kevin anderson

he mix of merchandise in Emporia’s newest store, Rhinestones & Rust, is as eclectic and diverse as the store’s name.

From a collection of things awaiting beautification in what the owners call the “Boneyard” to antique linens, chalk-painted furniture and creative spins on everyday items, the new store at 618 Merchant is hard to pigeon-hole.

Rustic glam? Vintage? There are endless adjectives that would work, but whatever you settle on, the store makes its statement through the creativity of its three owners – Megan Broyles, Danielle Albert and Amy McClelland.

55

The store, which moved from its first location in Madison, was born because Danielle and Megan were pursuing their passion on the side. That passion? Junkin’.

“When we first started, we were just painting in our barn,” Danielle said. “My mom took us on our first junkin’ trip to an old dump, and we found some neat pieces of furniture and started painting them.”

When they posted the results of those first efforts to Facebook, the interest was so positive that they eventually started a Facebook business page, she said, which was when the name Rhinestones & Rust was born. They did a couple of craft shows, but everything was leading toward opening a store.

Amy, who is Megan’s sister (and Danielle is married to their brother, making for a mix of family relationships), saw their success and came to them with the idea of creating a retail location.

They found a building in Madison that 56

they fully restored and opened in 2012.

Megan was the first to work there full-time, and now Amy is also a fulltime employee.

Danielle continues to teach full-time and spend her off hours in the store.

The store is fun – and they offer workshops on painting with milk and chalk paints – but the three women find their real love is “junkin,’ ” as they say.

“I guess, for all of us, really, growing up, our moms got us started,” Danielle said.“My mom always loved antiques; our house was full of them as a kid. She likes to go salvage old houses, and find dumps, and find old treasures. I know for Amy and Megan, their mom was a major yard-sale queen. We were always around our moms who were looking for cool things and finding deals, and loved antiques that way. Megan and I would always go antiquing together, and we’d always talk about someday, we’d like to have an antique store.”

Amy, who all three admit brings the hard business skills to Rhinestones & Rust, said she’d seen Megan and Danielle painting furniture and really wanted to do that full-time. When she began the process of making her dream come true, she researched online and found the Annie Sloan paints, which are part of a popular home décor trend toward chalk and milk paints. The three took classes and became certified retailers of the paint.

Their painting skills have been a matter of “trial and error,” Amy said. “We’ll pull a piece from the Boneyard and we’ll say, ‘I’m going to try this color on it.’ I think, hopefully we’ve gotten better at it.”

“The nice thing about having all three of us is we have a variety of styles and taste, so we reach a broader customer base that way,” Danielle said. Her profile on their website identifies her as the “orphan girl” who “picks up the stuff that we think

should stay at the dump. It is amazing the vision she has for these items. She is the sewing, embroidering, jewelry making and staging girl!”

“I think one thing that is pretty unique for us is the repurposing,” Megan chimed in.

“That’s probably what makes me the most proud is the way we repurpose. It sticks in my mind the first piece that Danielle did as far as repurposing or refinishing was an old washing machine tub, and she put casters on it and an upholstered top on it. She had that vision for it and it was so unique, it sold right away. We also have a chair base from an office chair that we put a side table top on. It was a roll around side table.They took a lot of time, but it was just a lot of vision.”

Danielle added, “Either one of those pieces would have probably been thrown away by anybody else; they weren’t complete. Mixing up things, I think, is fun.”

57

As the business has grown, Amy pointed out that it’s more difficult to spend a lot of time on projects like those because there’s such a demand for more inventory.

“In the business, time is money, and you kind of have to think these things through,” she said. “You can’t buy something that’s going to take so much time that you have to price yourself out of the market.”

On the other hand, their unique vision is what makes the store successful. Determining that fine line is part of what they’ve worked on to grow and still be creative. That’s one thing they like about the Annie Sloan paints – very little prep time.

“Honestly, when we started, we weren’t even going to sell this paint. We just wanted to get the paint and use it; we realized that if we became retailers, we could probably save more money on our paint,” Amy said. “We sell quite a bit of it now.”

58

Danielle, who has an art minor from Emporia State University, was a teacher, and she enjoys doing the classes that teach people how to work with the specialized paints.

“It has been a lot of fun. It brings people into our store and gives them hands-on experience to paint, to be more comfortable with the paints,” Danielle said.

Pinterest, all three said, has caused an explosion of do-ityourselfers, and many have seen the chalk and milk paints used online, which has helped to grow their business.

It may be fun to see the success of their store, to see the enjoyment people get from their creative vision and to teach others to use chalk and milk paints – but all three women laughed and talked most easily over their junkin’ trips. The stories and conversation just flow.

TANNER’S Carpet LLC We sell and install quality hardwoor flooring Guaranteed Low Prices Check out facebook for our past and recent jobs

· Over 30 years of flooring experience · Locally Owned · Installed by owner · Quality Area Rugs Available • Warehouse prices on flooring

Confidence with every Smile

Carpet · Ceramic Tile · Hardwood Linoleum Luxury Vinyl/Tile Carpet Binding · Hardwood Refinishing NeW Pet PROOf CaRPets-LIfetIme Of staINs & Pet uRINe

329 Commercial St., Emporia Call for appointments • 620-342-3022 or 620-794-1096 tannserc arpetllc@gmail.com • w w w.tannerc arpetllc.com

Call Today! 620-343-3000 3021 Eaglecrest Dr., Suite A, Emporia • hannahbraces.com

SAVE THE DATE

M ONDAY, NOVEM B E R 16TH

FLINTHILLS MALL 9 AM – 7 PM It’s a day of giving for 20 chariable organizations in the Emporia area.

The more you give, the more your favorite charities get from our $37,500 Match Pool.

Donations accepted only on the day of the event.

For more information: Call – 620-342-9304 Visit the ECF Website: emporiacf.org Brought to you by: • Hopkins Foundation • Reeble Foundation • Clint Bowyer’s 79 Fund

• Trusler Foundation • Emporia Community Foundation

• WS & EC Jones Testamentary Trust, Bank of America, N.A. Trustee

59

AMY: I will never forget, one time, the girls had me take my truck out to a city dump out

by Hamilton, Kansas. Little did I know it was in the middle of the pasture that had cattle, and as I’m driving through, they think it’s the feed truck and they were stampeding us. We couldn’t even get out of the truck.

Another time, we went dumpster diving. These people had taken all the pillars off their porch. It was a huge dumpster.

‘Oh, we’ve got some windows if you want to salvage them.’ We literally dove in this dumpster; it was crazy. We found an old pair of boots in the bottom of the dumpster, so Danielle put them on because she had flip flops.

Megan’s fallen through a floor when we were salvaging a house.

MEGAN: They said I should have worn jeans – like that was going to help me not fall through the floor.

AMY: We went to this one place, this little town like an abandoned town and it’s full of drug people.

So we had permission to go to this old house from a relative of Danielle’s. It was very, very abandoned. Right next door is a trailer house that we’re pretty sure was a meth house. We’re trying to get this stuff out of the house; we didn’t have a saw and we wanted to get this one piece out from upstairs. Danielle and Megan walked over to this house and asked for a saw.

AMY: We had this big cabinet that Danielle had to have; we shoved it down and pushed it down the stairway. It got stuck in the stairway. That cabinet’s still there, I’m sure of it.

DANIELLE: 60

Probably

the

hardest work we ever did was restoring the building in Madison.

MEGAN: I got electrocuted.

AMY: We had water all over the floor, and she was about to fall and went to grab the outlet and it didn’t have a cover. We all laughed at her and she got mad.

They could probably go on in that vein for hours. But despite their laughter and clear love for each other, the three know running a business is serious business.

“I’m the oldest one, so I’m like the biggest sister, I guess.

There have been ups and downs, but I think with all three of us being different enough that it’s kind of unique,” Megan said. “For the most part, I think we’re pretty honest with each other. If we have an issue, we just kind of say something and figure it out. Danielle, she works fulltime at school, so it’s hard for her to come in after she’s worked all day and kind of know what’s going on. We have a role and we kind of know how to fill it, and we know what needs to be done.”

“I think the bottom line is we’ve said this over and over, is that we’re family, and we love each other and business is second, family is first,” Danielle said.

Between juggling kids and outside work and the business, the three stay moving constantly.

When they aren’t at the store, which requires 40 to 50 hours every week, they’re updating their online sites on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as their online store.

And, of course, they must make time to slip away for junkin’ trips. You gotta do what you gotta do. 

featuring Water Wizard touch-free washing other services offered • fast service • drive through • auto dryers •self-service available three convinent locations

• 1901 W. 6th Avenue

(across from Long John Silvers)

• 716 E. 12th Avenue (next to Do B’s)

• 101 S. Commercial Street (across from Casey’s)

Car Wash

Car Wash

Car Wash

Car Wash

Car Wash

Car Wash

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

702 COMMERCIAL ST. • 620-340-0620 61

sallie spotlight

education

EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY IS DEFINED BY THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE ITS COMMUNITY a little more often. You watch them grow.”

Lutz said the energy and atmosphere on campus – coming from 20 years in Emporia State University is not defined manufacturing environments – makes her by its campus boundaries. Instead, with a network of students and faculty that stretch glad to be at work every day, and it impacts around the world, the university is defined her own attitude.

“It’s really refreshing. It’s so nice to come by the community it has created.

That community encompasses Emporia in and see people who are happy to be here, and all the people who live in the area as surely and they’re excited, and they’re doing great as it does the students who show up in classes things,” she said. “When they’re interning or they’re doing volunteer every day, the professors who teach, and the hundreds ‘It’s so nice to come in work, it’s just a really great feeling. The students, with of employees who make sure and see people who their positive attitudes, I the school runs smoothly and achieves its goals. are happy to be here, think they help me with my positive attitude.”

It is people like Jackie and they’re excited, In almost 19 years at Lutz, a senior administrative ESU, Landwehr finds the specialist in the Career and they’re doing same inspiration from Services office, and Kathy students. She began her great things.’

Landwehr, assistant director ESU career in career at the Student Advising — Jackie Lutz services, working with Center, who create ESU’s seniors looking for jobs feeling of family. and companies interviewing on campus.

Landwehr received the Unclassified Professional Outstanding Employee of Now, she works primarily with incoming the Year award, while Lutz received the freshmen, helping students in education University Support Staff Outstanding majors, but also those who are undecided Employee of the Year award. The awards on their careers.

“Most of the time, if you want to be an emphasize both women’s dedication to ESU, but also to the Emporia community. elementary education major, you’ve been Lutz has worked in Career Services for dreaming of that since you were a kid,” she eight years, but she learned to be a Hornet said. “I have students who come in and have at her father’s knee. Willard Stibal, Ph.D., everything color-coordinated and planned. I was a professor at ESU for 25 years, and go from that to the student who doesn’t Lutz grew up visiting campus and active in know what they want to do with their life. university and community events. But she That was me. I had no clue what I wanted has carved her own niche on campus now, to do at all. I came from a really small town, and Lutz loves the opportunity to work really small high school. I didn’t even know with students, faculty and alumni. academic advising was a career path.”

“Working with students is one of the greatest things,” she said. “You see them come in as freshmen, you get to know them or some of them who come into the office

Sponsored by Emporia State University

62

Thankfully, for ESU and students, Landwehr found her passion. Signs hang behind her desk: “Happiness: Liking what you do. Freedom: Doing what you like.”

“I encourage them to discover what they truly enjoy doing, and I truly believe your career will follow,” she said. “I call it my ESU work family. I’ve worked here long enough that I know a lot of people, and truly I would say my best friends are people that are on campus, that I’ve met over the years.”

Both women talked about ESU’s community connections and how important working with Emporia business people, individuals and organizations is. Landwehr talked about ESU opening residence halls to help with rooms during the Dirty Kanza 200, and how proud she was to be part of a university that responds to needs in that way.

“To me, that’s a perfect example of how the community gives to us and we can give back to the community,” she said.

Both Lutz and Landwehr talked about how joyful it is to get up daily and want to go to work.

The commitment of Lutz, Landwehr and hundreds of others is what drew ESU to receive a 2014 award from The Chronicle of Higher Education honoring the school as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for. ESU was the only four-year school in Kansas to receive the honor.

“It’s just a great, energetic environment to be in; there’s always something going on,” Lutz said. “This is probably the first time in my life that I look forward to coming to work every day. Over eight years, there’s not a day that I just dreaded coming to work. I absolutely love it.”

emporia.edu

Employees of the Year, Kathy Landwehr and Jackie Lutz.

Photograph by Will Austin 63

EMPORIA JET-SETTER:

BRINGING THE WORLD TO EMPORIA by morgan chilson | photos by kevin anderson

Editor’s Note: The “Men’s Feature” has become a popular part of Sallie Magazine.

We know it’s not just women who pick up Sallie to read, so we’ve tried to carve out a piece of the magazine each year to showcase a man in town who has an interesting story to tell. This year we introduce you to Gonzalo Bruce, a real jet-setter and a man whose fast-paced, international life brings people from all over the world to small-town Emporia.

D

r. Gonzalo Bruce logs thousands of air miles flying around the world to promote Emporia State University as a top-notch school for international students.

The position of dean of International Education is tailor-made for a man who grew up with one foot, so to speak, in Chile and the other in the United States.

65

“I didn’t look for this career; the career sort of found me,” he said. “Many years ago, I felt that it all makes sense – the way that I grew up between countries, the languages that I speak, my own experience that’s been very helpful to understand where students come from, the moments that they’re going through. It was kind of like a really great epiphany.”

Bruce relates to the challenges international students face as they travel to the United States to study. In addition to working with individual students, he and other staff members coordinate with universities worldwide to create partnerships, including dual degree programs, with ESU and to increase the enrollment of international students.

Although the world travel may sound glamorous, Bruce 66

said his favorite part of the job is working with students on campus and seeing what he calls “magical moments.”

“One of them is when you meet the student in another country and they’ve never heard of Emporia or Emporia State or maybe even Kansas. Then you’re trying to tell them what it is, and you have photos and you make a presentation, but then if that kid makes the decision of coming, that is sort of like a magical moment,” he explained. “Then when they come to campus, that’s another magical moment.

We met thousands of miles away – and then they come here.”

Despite his clear love for his work, Bruce said it can be challenging to leave his family and to find balance in all parts of his life. His wife, Joanna, has been a Spanish teacher in the

Your vehicle gets the treatment it needs from the people who know it best!

Locally Owned Family Business for over 50 Years.

3002 W. Hwy 50 Emporia, KS

620-343-1700 877-296-9871

www.jnford.com www.johnnorthnissan.com 67

local school system, although she’s been at home since having a baby about eight months ago.

“The challenge typically is harmonizing all of the things going on with the kids’ life, and knowing that at a point, I’m going to miss some of these activities,” he explained. “The kids understand, I understand, and my wife understands (the job), but inevitably, sometimes it’s more or less disappointing than others. The day that I 68

need to leave is when all of these things are happening. I have missed birthdays, I have missed important music recitals, but I try to make it up to them, by either celebrating in advance or right after whenever I come back, all of their accomplishments.”

Technology helps. Bruce said his oldest daughter, Clare, 12, is pretty techsavvy, and she helps him Facetime with her and his other children, Vincent, 8, and Andrew, 8 months.

69

Bruce said he tries not to schedule trips away longer than 12 days or so at a time, which helps him be more available to his family.

It also helps that he and his family love the Emporia community and are forging connections here; they relocated when he came to Emporia State in June 2010.

“We were looking for a community where we could raise our kids and have a strong family oriented community. It was perfect for us,” he said. “One of the first few weeks that we were here, we put our kids in soccer practice.

My daughter left her soccer ball back on the field, and she had written her last name on the ball.

On Monday, somebody came to my office with the ball, making the connection to my last name.

That illustrates a little bit about the community and the close-knit (feeling).” 

Smiles Start Here Children & adults welcome Complementary consultations No referral necessary Highly trained and friendly team

603 COMMERCIAL ST. • 620-342-5871 MON-WED 8-6 FRI 8-6

THURS 8-7 SAT 8-5:30

SERVING EMPORIA AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES WITH QUALITY SERVICE AND FOOTWEAR FOR OVER 60 YEARS!

Enjoy a Beverage Today Dr. Stephen Haught Dr. Jeff Kohlmeier 620-343-7275 • emporiaorthodontics.com 919 W 12 Ave. Emporia, KS 70

OPEN SUNDAYS

From wine and beer to liquors and mixers, we have it all

200 Bree Dr. (right off I-35 Lebo exit) 620-256-5888

HOLIDAY RESORT’S MISSION: “HELPING ELDERS WITH ATTENTIVE, RESPECTFUL AND TIMELY SERVICE.”

But don’t take our word for it...

“It’s a nice place to be. The help is friendly, and we have plenty of activities to keep us busy.”

Lynn Jacob “I really feel like Holiday Resort is my home.”

Evelyn Murphy

2700 W. 30TH AVENUE • EMPORIA, KS 66801 www.HOLIDAYRESORTS.net 620-343-9285

sallie spotlight

physical therapy

PT ASSOCIATES WORKS TOWARDS ONE SIMPLE GOAL - CHANGING PEOPLE’S LIVES Sponsored by PT Associates Since 1988, Greg and Karen Bachman, and the staff at PT Associates of Emporia, have been working in Emporia to help their clients attain optimal health.

That simple goal doesn’t cover the reality of what they are doing – changing lives of people who are challenged by health conditions, whether temporary or permanent challenges, so they can function at the highest level possible. For owner Greg Bachman, one of the most critical parts of what PT Associates does is to educate clients.

“Helping our patients to understand the true, underlying source of their problem is a key component in our practice,” Bachman said.

“Patient activity outside of the therapy setting is integral to their progress. So we work with them to talk about information on activity limitations or modifications, home exercise routines and safety awareness. Prevention of re-injury during healing and recovery is essential to a good outcome.”

What she has learned through physical therapy made a difference for Vicki Rosine.

“I feel one of the most beneficial aspects of physical therapy is being shown how to exercise correctly; I also appreciate the daily encouragement,” she said. “I needed someone to tell me what was realistic to expect after my surgery and give me input about how to limit my daily activity to control my pain and swelling.”

PT Associates of Emporia sees a variety of conditions, working with patients ranging in age from birth through geriatric.

“We provide treatment with the goal of assisting patients to achieve their highest level of function,” Bachman said. “This is accomplished through the improvement of mobility, strength and balance.”

Pain management is, of course, an important part of the business, but Bachman cautioned that pain management means more than temporarily alleviating pain. “Longterm relief cannot be accomplished without

72

addressing the underlying cause or causes of the pain,” he explained. “Each patient receives an initial examination by a licensed physical therapist to determine individual needs and establish an individual treatment plan with customized goals.”

For clients of PT Associates, that personalization is critical.

Tirsten Henrikson has been taking her son, Harry Henrikson, to PT Associates to help with hypotonia, a condition that causes decreased muscle tone and strength.

“As a parent of a child with hypotonia,

my concern is that the therapy sessions are positive, playful experiences. It shouldn’t seem like work,” she explained. “Every week my son is greeted with smiles and high-fives from the staff. New equipment and toys have been purchased to make therapy fun. His therapist, Miss Rachael (Correll) has done a tremendous job of motivating my son to work hard and to give him self-confidence. She is one of Harry’s biggest cheerleaders, and we are fortunate to have her in our lives.”

Bachman said the dedicated staff who work at PT Associates of Emporia are an

important part of the business’s success. All are from the Emporia area and appreciate the opportunity to help the people in their community. Bachman and his staff bring decades of experience to the business, and experience in physical therapy can make a tremendous difference in recognizing and treating different conditions.

Following are services provided by PT Associates:  Before and after care for patients who have orthopedic surgeries including total joint replacement  Treatment of acute and chronic spine conditions including headaches  Treatment of neuromuscular conditions including MS, Parkinson’s and post stroke  Vestibular/Dizziness evaluation and treatment  Safety and fall prevention programs  Balance training and strengthening programs  Pediatric Care  On-site functional capacity evaluations, injury prevention and education programs, work hardening as well as preemployment screening.  Custom orthotic fitting  Sport injury prevention programs  On-site certified athletic trainer

ASSOCIATES OF EMPORIA

(620) 208-7878 2812 W 12th Ave ptemporia.com 73

THE GIFT OF ART

by jessie wagoner

A

rt comes in many forms and impacts lives in different ways.

Beautiful paintings pull people into a far-away world; art classes inspire children and adults to uncover their creative side and music soothes the soul. The Emporia Arts Council has gifted the community with the power of art for 40 years — impacting countless lives with inspiration and beauty.

Art experiences at the Emporia Arts Council have provided a place for every community member to belong. A safe and creative space that has provided a form of therapy for many over the years. Peaceful strolls through the gallery and painting classes with friends have become common.

74

photo by kevin anderson

photos courtesy of EAC “There have been children who have come in here when their parents have been very sick,” Melissa Windsor, former director of the Emporia Arts Council reminisced. “They came here as a safe haven and place where they could work through some of the challenges they were facing through art.”

Melissa Windsor, who served as director of the Emporia Arts Council from 2005 to 2015, says that she has heard countless stories of how lives have been changed by the arts.

More than 120,000 people have attended the performing arts series offered over the last 40 years. Many of those filling the seats include children that otherwise would not have access to the arts.

76

Audiences have been dazzled from the first show in 1976 featuring the Rajko Hungarian Gypsy Orchestra and Dancers. EAC has sponsored over 200 shows of a wide variety.

Comedians like Paula Poundstone, numerous productions by the Missoula Children’s Theatre and numerous acrobatic and dance troupes have entertained the people of Emporia.

Over the years, five women have served as the executive directors of the Emporia Arts Council — Gail Milton, Sharon Benson, Suzy Meredith, Catherine Rickbone and Windsor. The women, with their love of the arts helped the Emporia Arts Council to grow and flourish. Five years ago, thanks to generous donations the Emporia Arts

photo by kevin anderson 77

Council was able to make a big move into a beautiful new home.

“We have been really lucky to garner so much support from a lot of local people,” Windsor said. “I think that through the local involvement in the campaign to build the new arts center we built a lot of pride and affinity for building this legacy.”

The community’s love of the arts and the Emporia Arts Center is often shown through generous financial gifts that are relied upon to maintain the center and services it provides.

Each gift, from $5 to $5000 helps keep the center open to everyone. The center is fully funded through donations since state grant funds ended in 2011.

“This is a place where people come to be renewed and reenergized and creative,” Windsor said.“What we do here really impacts lives and can lead to economic growth and it can impact leadership in a really positive way.”

The Emporia Arts Council is preparing to photos courtesy of EAC

Brian Filinger

1015 Industrial, Ste B | Emporia, KS | 620-342-2500 | www.brianfilinger.com

78

wow audiences as it enters its 40th season: • Six Appeal performs at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 • Cantus at 7:30 p.m. on Nov.1 • Celtic Nights at 7:30 p.m. Mar. 26 • Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 • Dates for the Missoula Children’s Theatre have not yet been announced.

Tickets for all performances can be purchased at the Emporia Arts Council, The Sweet Granada, Granada Coffee Company and Emporia Fitness.

Six Appeal is a vocal ensemble infused with comedic timing and the energy and vitality of a rock band. The award winning vocal band takes you a journey that spans decades of music completely a cappella.

Cantus is acclaimed as “the premier men’s vocal ensemble in the United States.” Cantus combines nine talented male singers founded on a strong belief in collaborative music

photo by kevin anderson

come see us at cLINt BoWYeR autoPLeX,

YouR LocaLLY oWNed deaLeRshIP foR aLL of YouR automotIve Needs.

6 2 0 . 3 4 3 . 6 7 2 3

W W W . C L I N T B O W Y E R A U T O . C O M 79

making.The ensemble works together to reach new levels of artistic excellence, innovation and audience engagement.

Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars are comprised of remarkable young artists on the cusp of extraordinary careers. For more than 125 years, the Metropolitan Opera has been the artistic home of the greatest singers in the world. But the Met is also the launching pad for the opera stars of the future. Some of today’s leading artists got their first big break by winning the company’s national auditions, as members of the young artist program, or by catching the attention of Met talent scouts.

Celtic Nights is a celebration of the Irish culture — Celtic people are drawn to music and song. Scattered around the world like seeds on the wind, they are propelled by the powerful rhythms and motifs of a mysterious and exuberant ancient culture. Music is the soul, the very lifeblood of their tradition. It binds them together, even as it sets them apart.

This driving passion for music and dance is the keystone of Celtic identity.

Voted

B EST B R E AKFAST

5 years in a row!

photos courtesy of EAC

HO MESTYL E B RE AK FAST & L UNC H SP E CIAL S DAILY Made to order Breakfast from Scratch

O P E N T U E S DAY- S U N DAY 6 A M - 2 P M

6 1 4 CO MMERCIAL ST. 6 2 0 .3 4 3 .9 8 6 6

“Serving up the freshest roast in Emporia”

608 Commercial St. • Emporia, KS 66801

620-343-3919 • www.javacatcoffeehouse.com

80

Aspire to change lives tomorrow

Starting Today Together, we can work to build a vibrant community by focusing on the building blocks for a good life: education, income, and health.

Please consider a gift to this year’s United Way campaign and change thousands of lives.

Quality Service You Deserve

easier quicker smarter

hometown store

* Short Term Rehab * Inhouse Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy * Wound Care * IV Therapy * Respite Care * 24 Hr Nursing Care * Specialized Alzheimer’s/Dementia Unit

Has moved to 511 Commercial St. Emporia, KS 66801 (620) 342-2874 Mon-Fri 9:00 - 7:00 pm Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Sun 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

www.searshometownstores.com

601 Cross Street, Burlington • (620) 364-2117 81

sallie spotlight

dentistr y

MICHELLE MALONE FINDS FULFILLMENT IN HER FAMILY AND HER WORK Sponsored by Bennett Dental Group Dr. Michelle Malone is a dentist in Emporia and like most busy parents, she admits that she doesn’t have a lot of time to pursue hobbies. Between chasing three kids, spending time with her husband, and working in a busy dental practice, there is not a lot of time left over.

But luckily, Dr. Malone finds tremendous fulfillment in all of those roles, and she is excited to be living back in the town where she grew up and thrilled to be working with the Bennett Dental Group.

She and her husband, Dustin Malone, were both born and raised in Emporia, and both left to attend college at Kansas State University. Knowing she wanted to pursue something in the healthcare field, Dr. Malone got a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, with the consideration that she might become a physical therapist.

“Through college, I would come back to Emporia to go to the dentist at Dr. Bennett’s office. He was, and is still, very excited about dentistry. Keeping dentistry in mind, I looked into several career opportunities in healthcare, and found that dentistry was a great fit.”

Not only did Dr. Bennett help Dr. Malone choose her career, but he eventually helped her and Dustin make the decision to return to Emporia in 2010. The Bennett family has been providing dental care to the Emporia and surrounding areas for over 100 years.

When the opportunity to work in such an established practice arose, it was one that Dr. Malone was not going to pass up. Working in a practice with multiple doctors was exactly what Dr. Malone envisioned herself doing after graduation. Being able to practice with respected dentists, Drs. Richard and Brenton Bennett, was a tremendous benefit to a new graduate.

Dr. Malone believes the decision to move back to Emporia was a great one. “I get to

82

work with a great group of people, and we have wonderful patients! I especially enjoy building relationships with my patients while providing them with comprehensive quality care.”

The work remains interesting, with every day bringing different patients, different procedures and different challenges. In the 5 years that Dr. Malone has been practicing

with the Bennett Dental Group, she has continued to learn and grow in the dental profession. “The technology we have available in our office today greatly improves patient comfort and overall experience. It enables me to completely change someone’s smile, often in one visit. I love showing patients before and after photographs, and seeing their reactions.”

photo courtesy of MLG Photography When she’s not fixing smiles, Dr. Malone and her husband, Dustin, are chasing after their three children, Braxton, 8, Brock, 6, and Addelynn, 5. Dustin Malone is a special education teacher at EHS, as well as the head wrestling coach.

Dr. Malone just grinned about the chaotic schedules the family sometimes has with wrestling, other sports and busy work schedules. When things slow down a little

in the warmer months, the couple enjoys spending time outdoors and working on their farm.

“We spend a lot of time with my family and with his,” Dr. Malone beamed about the benefits of being close to family, and added they enjoy the Emporia community.

“We like the idea that it’s not a big city, but has lots to do and it’s a great place to raise a family!”

Bennett Dental Group (620) 343-9220 909 Commercial St. bennettdentalgroup.net

83

84

Private to Public Sharing their lives through blogging

by morgan chilson | photos by jakub stepanovic

85

Blogs hold an inexplicable place in the social community of the internet. Companies, rock stars, athletes, universities, hobbyists and non-profit organizations all post their thoughts, ideas and events online for public consumption.

But many individuals also choose to share their lives online through blogs, sometimes comically (have you checked out The Bloggess?), sometimes in times of difficulty, and sometimes to make even the smallest difference in the world. To connect. To relate.

Two Emporia women are among the many who take their writing talents to the internet, pushing themselves to blog consistently and to build an online following.

Jessie Wagoner launched her blog, “thenilaughed.com” about four years ago, although she had been blogging off and on for years. This blog, though, has been about sharing a very special part of her life, the parenting of her adopted and much-loved son who has what she calls an “alphabet soup of challenges” – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

Readers who are challenged by the issues Wagoner and her son face are giving her blog 40,000 hits a week. For those not versed in “blog language,” that means 40,000 times a week, someone comes to her blog. In the past, she said, it had reached 75,000 weekly hits when she wrote a bit more actively.

“It’s a huge commitment, and it’s exhausting sometimes,” Wagoner, who works fulltime for the Emporia Gazette as a reporter, said of blogging. “Especially when it’s a personal blog, and it’s really about you and your life.

Sometimes, you just don’t want to put things out there. You know when you put things

86

I think part of why I love blogging is I really believe we all have a story to tell, and I really think everybody’s story is really important.

— Jessie Wagoner out there, there’s going to be some people who are going to be your cheerleader, and there’s going to be other people that are horrified. You have to develop enough of a thick skin that you can take both sides of it and understand that everyone has a different perspective.”

But her success, and that of most bloggers, Wagoner believes, is built on being “authentic and dependable” for readers.

The blog has been a blessing in her life. In fact, it brought her to her work as a reporter.

A social worker for 14 years, Wagoner dreamed of writing full-time and focused her energies on her blog. Then she connected with another Emporia Gazette reporter, who let her know there was a job open. She got that job using clips from her blog.

“I think part of why I love blogging is I really believe we all have a story to tell, and I really think everybody’s story is really important,” she said. “I share other people’s stories every day now; that’s pretty amazing to me. My dad is still blown away. He’s always thought my blog is pretty ridiculous. He started getting really shocked when I started making money on the blog.”

Like Wagoner, Melissa Lowery has had several blogs in the past, but it’s her

87

You have to be personal if you’re writing about personal stuff. I’m also a very private person. Where do you draw the line?

Everybody has to figure it out for themselves. That’s tricky.

— Melissa Lowery Melifornia, Land of Mel, blog that’s been doing well. She began working as a freelance writer two years ago, but before that she worked in office administration. It was then she started blogging because she needed the outlet to write.

“I kept starting blogs, thinking I would do this theme or that theme, thinking I had some sort of niche,” she said. “I just never kept up with them. I’d shut them down and focus on other projects.”

But her Melfornia blog, found at melifornia.com, was different. It took getting laid off from work to give her the push to begin freelance writing and to tackle the blog. She didn’t follow a strict theme, but just put personal thoughts out there.

“Then, I wanted it to be a place where friends and family could keep up with what was going on, and you could be a little more in-depth than you are on Facebook or social media,” Lowery said.

“Right before I was laid off, I was diagnosed with depression, which was a real relief to

88

be honest, to know what was going on there. It took me quite a while to actually talk about that with my family and friends.

Once I did, I found out that a lot of people around me had struggled with that as well, and I never knew.”

It was the inspiration Lowery needed to tackle that tough subject in her blog.

“If people would have talked to me, if there wasn’t such a stigma about this, and if they had felt like they could talk to me about it, I would have recognized what was going on so much sooner,” she said. “I decided that on this blog, I’m going to talk about this. It’s a significant part of my life, and something I’d been struggling with since puberty; I just didn’t know what it was.”

Lowery said she’s careful to address depression only from her own experience, because she is not a doctor or an expert on the subject.

Putting such personal feelings and observations out there could be tough. Like Wagoner, Lowery made the decision to be real in her online interactions.

“I just decided I want to be really open about this. It took me several months to actually do it, to strike up the nerve,” she said.

“Once I did, I felt really good about it, and I got a lot of really positive feedback.”

Still, it was difficult.

“It was a challenge for me,” Lowery admitted. “You have to be personal if you’re writing about personal stuff. I’m also a very private person. Where do you draw the line?

Everybody has to figure it out for themselves.

That’s tricky.” 

Here's to Strong Women May we know them May we be them May we raise them As a woman, you are a creator, a defender, a leader, a nurturer, and a caretaker. You are the backbone of your family and your community. You are the force that provides for the future.

Women have a strong voice in the health and philanthropic decisions of their families. Strong women help build strong communities. Newman Regional Health is a cornerstone of the community, offering new and innovative medical services. Become involved in the life of Newman Regional Health so it can continue to provide high quality health care locally, now and into the future. Please help the legacy of strong women live on through a gift to Newman Regional Health Foundation.

Newman Regional Health Foundation

620-341-7781 1201 W. 12th Avenue, Emporia, KS 66801 www.newmanrh.org Newman Regional Health Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that exists for the benefit of Newman Regional Health.

Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

89

sallie spotlight

finance

DECIDING WHEN TO RETIRE: WHEN TIMING BECOMES CRITICAL Provided By: Fred Harder, ESB Insurance & Financial Services Deciding when to retire may not be one decision but a series of decisions and calculations. For example, you’ll need to estimate not only your anticipated expenses, but also what sources of retirement income you’ll have and how long you’ll need your retirement savings to last. You’ll need to take into account your life expectancy and health as well as when you want to start receiving Social Security or pension benefits, and when you’ll start to tap your retirement savings.

Each of these factors may affect the others as part of an overall retirement income plan.

Thinking about early retirement?

Retiring early means fewer earning years and less accumulated savings. Also, the earlier you retire, the more years you’ll need your retirement savings to produce income. And your retirement could last quite a while.

According to a National Vital Statistics Report, people today can expect to live more than 30 years longer than they did a century ago. Not only will you need your retirement savings to last longer, but inflation will have more time to eat away at your purchasing power.

If inflation is 3% a year—its historical average since 1914--it will cut the purchasing power of a fixed annual income in half in roughly 23 years. Factoring inflation into the retirement equation, you’ll probably need your retirement income to increase each year just to cover the same expenses. Be sure to take this into account when considering how long you expect (or can afford) to be in retirement.

Current Life Expectancy Estimate

At birth At age 65

Men

Women

76.4 82.9

81.2 85.5

Source: NCHS Data Brief, Number 168, October 2014

90

There are other considerations as well.

For example, if you expect to receive pension payments, early retirement may adversely affect them.Why? Because the greatest accrual of benefits generally occurs during your final years of employment, when your earning power is presumably highest. Early retirement could reduce your monthly benefits. It will affect your Social Security benefits too.

Also, don’t forget that if you hope to retire before you turn 59½ and plan to start using your 401(k) or IRA savings right away, you’ll generally pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty plus any regular income tax due (with some exceptions, including disability payments and distributions from employer plans such as 401(k)s after you reach age 55 and terminate employment).Finally, you’re not eligible for Medicare until you turn 65. Unless you’ll be eligible for retiree health benefits through your employer or take a job that offers health insurance, you’ll need to calculate the cost of paying for insurance or health care out-ofpocket, at least until you can receive Medicare coverage.

Delaying retirement Postponing retirement lets you continue

to add to your retirement savings. That’s especially advantageous if you’re saving in tax-deferred accounts, and if you’re receiving employer contributions. For example, if you retire at age 65 instead of age 55, and manage to save an additional $20,000 per year at an 8% rate of return during that time, you can add an extra $312,909 to your retirement fund. (This is a hypothetical example and is not intended to reflect the actual performance of any specific investment.) Even if you’re no longer adding to your retirement savings, delaying retirement postpones the date that you’ll need to start withdrawing from them.

That could enhance your nest egg’s ability to last throughout your lifetime. Postponing full retirement also gives you more transition time. If you hope to trade a full-time job for running your own small business or launching a new career after you “retire,” you might be able to lay the groundwork for a new life by taking classes at night or trying out your new role part-time. Testing your plans while you’re still employed can help you anticipate the challenges of your post-retirement role.

Doing a reality check before relying on a new endeavor for retirement income can help you see how much income you can realistically

expect from it. Also, you’ll learn whether it’s something you really want to do before you spend what might be a significant portion of your retirement savings on it.

Phased retirement: the best of both worlds Some employers have begun to offer phased retirement programs, which allow you to receive all or part of your pension benefit once you’ve reached retirement age, while you continue to work parttime for the same employer. Phased retirement programs are getting more attention as the baby boomer generation ages. In the past, pension law for private sector employers encouraged workers to retire early. Traditional pension plans generally weren’t allowed to pay benefits until an employee either stopped working completely or reached the plan’s normal retirement age (typically age 65). This frequently encouraged employees who wanted a reduced workload but hadn’t yet reached normal retirement age to take early retirement and go to work elsewhere (often for a competitor), allowing them to collect both a pension from the prior employer and a salary from the new employer. However, pension plans now are allowed to pay benefits when an employee reaches age 62, even if the employee is still working and hasn’t yet reached the plan’s normal retirement age. Phased retirement can benefit both prospective retirees, who can enjoy a more flexible work schedule and a smoother transition into full retirement; and employers, who are able to retain an experienced worker. Employers aren’t required to offer a phased retirement program, but if yours does, it’s worth at least a review to see how it might affect your plans.

Key Decision Points Age

Don’t forget…

Eligible to tap tax-deferred savings without penalty for early withdrawal

59 1/2 *

Federal income taxes will be due on pretax contributions and earnings

Eligible for early Social Security benefits

62

Eligible for Medicare

65

Full retirement age for Social Security

65 to 67, depending on when you were born

Taking benefits before full retirement age reduces each monthly payment Contact Medicare 3 months before your 65th birthday After full retirement age, earned income no longer affects Social Security benefits

*Age 55 for distributions from employer plans upon termination of employment

Check your assumptions The sooner you start to plan the timing of your retirement, the more time you’ll have to make adjustments that can help ensure those years are everything you hope for. If you’ve already made some tentative assumptions or choices, you may need to revisit them, especially if you’re considering taking retirement in stages. And as you move into retirement, you’ll want to monitor your retirement income plan to ensure that your initial assumptions are still valid, that new laws and regulations haven’t affected your situation, and that your savings and investments are performing as you need them to.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. does not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. The information presented here is not specific to any individual’s personal circumstances.To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties

that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances.

These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable—we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice Securities and investment advisory services offered through SagePoint Financial, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Certain insurance products offered through ESB Insurance & Financial Services which is not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. ESB Insurance & Financial Services and ESB Financial are not affiliated with SagePoint Financial, Inc. Securities are not FDIC insured, not guaranteed

by ESB Financial and may lose value.

801 Merchant Street, Emporia, KS 66801 • 620-342-3454

Fred Harder

Registered Representative* Located at ESB Financial, 801 Merchant Street Emporia, KS • 620-342-3454

*Securities through SagePoint Financial, Inc. • Member FINRA • SIPC ESB is not affilated with SagePoint

Serving Investors Needs for 18 Years

91

92

nal o i t ns en g i v s n co l de n u u f i n ses beaut erso u d n t a in rtis reate a kev y b d r s to c hoto Wo p | m ry diu owe l e a s m elis by m

93

I

f you spend any time in downtown Emporia, chances are you have seen Becky Lynn Mishler’s artwork. Find a chalkboard sign with a colorful, intricate, charming design, and you have probably discovered a Mishler original.

Born and raised in Iowa, Mishler’s family moved to Kansas when she was 13, following her pastor father as he served various congregations. She arrived in Emporia for school a few years later, and it quickly became home.

94

“After moving around for so long and having small towns as my home, Emporia was the perfect size,” she said. “It’s not too big, not too small, and I have been able to put my own roots down here.”

Interested in art from a young age, Mishler is primarily self-taught. Her mother bought her a pottery wheel and clay so she could learn to throw pots; she dabbled in watercolors and colored pencils; but creating word art is what stuck.

Mishler took penmanship in fourth grade, with a “strict, very old-school” teacher who taught her students cursive. The class quickly became her favorite, leading to Mishler’s discovery of an unknown talent.

“I loved that class,” she recalled. “I so looked forward to being able to learn how to write perfectly. I’d always been a drawer and a doodler, then it changed to writing words instead of drawing pictures.”

Her next experience with formal art training was not until her Junior year of high school when she took a calligraphy class.

“That was excellent fun, just copying and learning how to manipulate your tool to make it do what you want with the least amount of effort.”

Being a word artist means Mishler has given a lot of thought to what many take for granted, such as letters and fonts. She has committed dozens of fonts to memory for fun, admitting to a preference for serif fonts with their extra decorative “tails” and flourishes. She recently designed a sign for a performance byThe People’s Punk Band, delighted at the opportunity to use a font she loved but had never had occasion to use before. “[The font] is really messy, all capitals all jumbled together, but you could still read what it was,” she recalled. “I love that font. Where other than a punk show are you going to be able to use it?”

95

Her least favorite letter is the lowercase ‘r’, a character she says is the most awkward in the entire alphabet.

“In calligraphy, in cursive, it’s such an awkward letter,” she mused. “It’s so choppy. Everything else is one stop, maybe two, but that ‘r’...it’s the worst.”

(In case you were wondering, Mishler substitutes an uppercase “R” for the lowercase version in her own handwriting.)

Mishler finds inspiration for her designs in a variety of places, but more often than not, it comes from a specific decade – the aesthetic of a span of years is reflected in the popular fonts and flourishes of the time, sparking her imagination.

“If you look at fonts of the 1940’s or 1960’s or 1970’s, they look different from other decades,” she said. “I usually go by decade to find a font that was popular at the time which will add nostalgia to something that is apropos. I created a birthday chalkboard for someone who

96

was turning 60. I thought, ‘Well, I could get some ‘60s fonts, that would be fun,’ but I went back to the decade that he was born, which happened to be in the ‘40s, and found some really cool nostalgic fonts to use and it ended up looking like a board in a diner.”

She often uses decades to inspire the cocktail boards she designs for Mulready’s Pub, creating a retro 1950’s board or evoking the 2000’s with leaves and owls and a minimalist font.

“If someone knows exactly what they want, then I can copy that for them.

But in a lot of cases, especially with the Mulready’s Pub cocktail signs and things of that nature, Rick [Becker] really just tells me what information needs to be on there and gives me free rein.”

Mishler’s work is frequently on display at Mulready’s Pub where she is a bartender, but she is seeing an increase in commissions from other local businesses and individuals. From wedding invitations

TEG Local news you can’t get anywhere else.

C E L E B R AT I N G

1 2 0

Y E A R S

O F

S E R V I C E

PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE • FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM

Subscribe to our print or online edition today!

620.342.4800 • 517 Merchant St., Emporia, KS www.emporiagazet te.com 97

to logos to creative sign boards, Mishler’s art is in demand. She recently recreated the Dirty Kanza logo on the giant chalkboard at JavaCat Coffeeshop for owner Angie Baker, a frequent client.

“We have some awesome graphic designers and printers in Emporia who do jobs for us,” said Baker. “But the handmade, DIY part of me really loves the Old School sign painting that Becky is so well known for; it’s not a trade that is often seen in mine and younger generations. She’s extremely talented, precise and always gives me exactly what I’ve asked for. It’s exciting to see her work in other local businesses as well. She’s such an asset to our community, and I think I speak for several others when I say I’m glad she’s a part of our Little Main Street.“ For her next big project, Mishler is recreating a logo she designed for Rod and Heather Russell into a 10-foot tall mural on the side of their barn at Russell Ranch.

“That’s going to be a very different experience, seeing one of my designs on the side of a barn,” she said with a chuckle. “But I’m looking forward to it!”

Mishler can be reached at beckylynn.mishler@ gmail.com. 

98

Select Realtors

WHY

109 W. 6th • Emporia, KS (620) 343-9800 • emporiakshomes.com

Download the RE/MAX MOBILE APP at getmobileremax.com or scan this QR code with your mobile device.

RE/MAX?

Outstanding Agents. Outstanding Results

Proudly serving buyers and sellers throughout the Flint Hills area with all their real estate needs.

Aaron B. Sewell*

Michael Phillips

Tasha Sailer

JJ Stutler

Broker/Owner

Sales Associate

Sales Associate

Sales Associate

620-366-0793 asewell@remax.net

620-803-9090 michaelp@remax.net

620-803-8333 tashasailer@remax.net

620-794-8378 jstutler@remax.net

* #4 Re/Max Agent in Kansas by Transactions 2014

Come see our friendly staff and check out our great selection of wines, liqueurs, and seasonal items.

507 S. Commercial St. Emporia, KS 620-343-3800

10 off %

COUPON

your order with coupon * Regularly priced items only

99

sallie spotlight

health and technology

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES HAVE CHANGED THE WAY DOCTORS DO THEIR JOBS Sponsored by Internal Medicine Associates Technological advances have impacted the way medical professionals do their jobs and how effective they can be at keeping their patients healthy. At Internal Medicine Associates, digital mammography and bone density screenings allow the staff to detect health problems efficiently and early – which can make all the difference when it comes to treatment.

Digital mammography incorporates revolutionary image technology that gives doctors extraordinarily clear, sharp images-A step forward in the fight against breast cancer, the second most common cancer that women are diagnosed with. IMA began using the new machine in 2010, and the business enjoys being able to offer radiologists the best possible images.

“The images are crisper, clearer, and offer better diagnostic quality,” said mammography technologist Kari Smith. “Radiologists are able to see more detail when they read the scans.

In addition, you take out the processing time for film needed by traditional mammography machines. It’s not a tremendous time difference, but combined with the better scans, it makes a difference.”

Digital mammography allows a radiologist to magnify the images, as well as decrease or increase the contrast, which allows them to focus in on anything that raises questions in a scan.

Smith said patients will notice a difference in digital mammography too.

“The digital mammography machine has a paddle that evenly compresses the breast; it has a small spring in it that bends with the breast,” she said. “It has a little give to it, which makes it more comfortable for our patients.”

Making mammograms more comfortable should increase women’s willingness to perform the test. “We want to do everything we can to help women get the recommended screenings because early detection gives

100

medical professionals the best chance of beating cancer,” Smith said.

Internal Medicine Associates is a certified “Pink Ribbon Facility”, which is an award given to an elite group of health facilities. We are proud to have maintained this certification each year.

In addition to offering high quality mammography scans for patients, IMA also works to educate patients on the importance of bone density scanning. This simple scan helps identify patients who have osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become more fragile and more likely to break.

Internal Medicine Associates is the only facility currently in Emporia that provides bone density scanning, and professionals there are committed to doing so because the information is so critical for medical providers to have.

“Your bones are going to age as you grow older, but there are things you can do to prevent that rate of deterioration,” Smith said.

“The more information your doctor has about your bone density, the better. It will enhance the accuracy of calculating how healthy your bones are and also help to determine your risk for broken bones.”

Before bone density testing, which uses X-rays to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a segment of bone, the only way to identify a bone density problem was to break a bone. By then, changes may have already occurred and caused bone weakening.

Both high-tech mammograms and bone density testing allow IMA to work with patients and other doctors to prevent health problems.

Internal Medicine Associate’s goal is to improve the health of everyone that we are in contact with.

“Our office definitely has a close-knit feeling to it,” Smith said. “We see a lot of the same patients, so we know them and they know us.

We love that they can come to one place and get their testing done, and we love being able to help them maintain their health.”

Dr. Scott Maley, MD

Kari Smith, RT (R) (M) (ARRT)— Radiology and Mammography certified since 2008

(620) 342-2521 1301 W 12th Ave # 202 internalmedicineemporia.com

Dr. Brock Kretsinger, DO

Brea Tetter, RT (R)(M) (ARRT)—Radiology certified since 2013 and Mammography certified since 2014

Dr. Rachel Duncan, MD

Dr. Ever Ponciano, MD

Dr. Tim Duncan, MD

Shari Kurtz, RT (R)(M) (ARRT)—Radiology certified since 1993 and Mammography certified since 1996

101

102

GOING THE EXTRA MILE by melissa lowery | photos by kevin anderson

Beloved beauty counter clerk “Treat the customer as you’d like to be treated yourself.” recognized for exceptional Trudi Sells lives by this customer service customer service golden rule, earning her both the devotion of her customers at Walgreens in Emporia as well as the prestigious Walgreens Beauty Advisor Award two years running.

Trudi began her career at Walgreens in 2007, after several years of being licensed in the insurance industry and working in the office at Big Lots. Initially placed in the pharmacy, she transferred to the beauty department within a few months and immediately knew she was where she belonged.

As a beauty advisor, Trudi is encouraged to build relationships with customers, something that comes naturally to her. Possessed of a ready smile and easy manner, she is adept at drawing others out and helping them find the right product.

103

104

“Trudi is like that big sister with the best kept secrets she’s happy to share with you,” said customer Sharae Crouch. “She always gives you her undivided attention and makes you feel special.”

A cheerful, approachable personality may be what draws people to ask for advice, but Trudi goes the extra mile to offer award-winning customer service. She samples many products herself so she can offer her honest opinion - “Don’t ask if you don’t want the truth!” she said with a chuckle – and attends annual training to stay up to date on the latest trends and products.

A few years ago she also discovered a more tangible way to help customers: visitors to her counter at Walgreens may notice three large boxes, each with named dividers, filled with coupons. Bring your order to her for checkout, and she will happily rifle through her collection to find savings just for you.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Trudi without a smile on her face,” said Emporian Ryann Brooks.“She’s always so genuinely happy to see her customers, and I can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard her greet by name whenever I’m at Walgreens. Plus, she seems to have a coupon for everything. I’m sure it takes a long time for her to clip all of them. She doesn’t have to do that, but you can tell she just loves helping people out everyday.”

She would only admit to spending “a few” hours each week on her days off cutting and organizing coupons to offer customers. Many are donated by people who know she will pass them on to others either in the store or send them to military families who can use them after they expire.

“The coupon thing just kind of grew,” she said. “I used to be

Thank You!

Thank you to the Emporia community for supporting Food For Students for the last four years. Currently, an average of 300 "to-go" bags of food are dispersed to 10 Emporia schools, preschool through high school.

For more information about Food For Students go to www.emporia.com/foodforstudents or call 620-342-4800.

105

a couponer, so I started taking mine in for the beauty products to share with customers.

Over the last couple of years, it’s grown from this little tin to three photo boxes full of coupons for health and beauty products as well as food items we stock at Walgreens.”

In 2013, Trudi received word from her district manager that she was a finalist for Walgreens’

Weekdays 8:30-5:30 & Saturday 9:00-4:00

1501 W 6th Ave •Carpetplus_emp@hotmail.com• Emporia, KS 66801

106

new Beauty Advisor Awards, recognizing individuals who excel in the role. Only 32 people are selected for the honor, out of approximately 27,000 associates across North America. She not only won in 2013, she followed up with a second win in 2014.

“I didn’t even know this was going on until I won,” she said. “I just go to work and do the job I love, helping my customers.” 

Quality and Experience you can trust, since 1989.

• Repairs & Maintenance • Collision/ Body Shop • 24 Hour Towing • Roadside Service

Work is guaranteed with a 24 month or 24,000 mile warranty on all repairs. (returned to our shop)

620-343-0086 | 3105 West 6th Avenue (Old Hwy 50) www.williamsautomotive.net

RICH Door Co. Sales & Service on all makes and models

439 S Prairie • Bill Redeker 620-343-1060

Fax 620-343-2667

Commercial & Residential Overhead Doors Midland Doors & Liftmaster Operators 107

S

trong is defined by the dictionary as “having the power to move heavy weights” or being “able to withstand great force or pressure.”

Britanie Ramirez and countless other women in Emporia are redefining strong — and they are wearing their strength on their shirts.

If you scroll through your Facebook feed or even take a trip down Commercial Street it is likely you will see a woman wearing a shirt with the word “fuerte” scrawled across the front. What does “fuerte” mean you may wonder —when designing the shirts Ramirez was hopeful people would ask just that question.

“Fuerte means strong in Spanish,” Ramirez said of the design.

“There was no rhyme or reason to say it in Spanish except to give an opening to somebody so when they see that shirt they have to say ‘what does that mean.’ It gives you more of an opening to share your message.”

For Ramirez, the shirt reminds her of the strength she finds through her relationship with Christ. She developed the Story 31 clothing line and the Fuerte shirt to help raise money to fund the mission trips she feels called to serve on. Based on Proverbs 31:25, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” — the shirts give all who wear

them a reminder that they too can gain strength through Christ.

“Our business is called Story 31,” Ramirez said. “Our tag line is ‘wear your story.’ Just to be proud of who you are and the scars that you have. The story behind how you are who you are. And to remember that my strength isn’t my own. I’m not strong because I’m strong. I’m strong because the Lord is strong in me.”

With each shirt that is purchased 15 percent of the proceeds go to fund missions work.

Ramirez traveled to India last year on a mission with missions.me and is going to the Dominican Republic this summer as part of the largest missions trip to ever leave the United States. She and over 2000 others will spend a week in the Dominican Republic providing medical care, street ministry and religious outreach in local schools.

Yet the shirts seem to have taken on a mission of their own.

As women wear their shirts they share their stories, often and proudly. #Fuerte and #mystory on Facebook and Instagram fill

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.

— Proverbs 31:25

by jessie wagoner | photos by mandy geifer

108

Wear your story

109

the feed with heartfelt stories of how women are finding strength in Christ each and every day.

Strength to work on failing marriages; strength to parent newborns; toddlers and testy teenagers; strength to pursue their dreams; and strength to be the person God desires them to be.

“I love that people are hash tagging it,” Ramirez said.“It has kind of evolved into this lifestyle that people are embracing and being proud of. A Fuerte woman is authentic and honest. Not scared or ashamed of where they came from because they know they are stronger for it. They are living out their testimony, unashamed of the scars earned along the way. It’s more than just a shirt” When a woman slips a Fuerte shirt on Ramirez hopes they step into the lifestyle and embrace it.

She passionately describes the lifestyle as one that is “authentic and honest.” She says that they serve as an encouragement to others as they journey in their own relationship with Christ.

While the shirts do not come with magical powers, some wearers have said they feel empowered when they are sporting their Fuerte shirt.

Empowered because they are living out their testimony unashamed of the scars earned along the way.

“We all have junk, we all have things we are walking through,” Ramirez says. “A lot of times we put on a mask of perfection and that isn’t true. I love that brokenness, I love to live in that place and have the story of redemption.”

Ramirez has recently added another two designs to the Story 31 line. Beauty from ashes and Dry Bones tanks are now available at www.story31.com. 

110

Britanie Ramirez “Have you ever been so tired, you know, the kind of tired that comes after you have been fighting so long and still no end in sight. The kind that says, ‘Lord, I just can’t do anything more.’ The kind when you find yourself laying at the bottom of a pit and defeat is shadowing over. I think it is fair to guess that all of us have been there at some point, maybe you are there now, maybe again. In that very moment, at my very weakest, God called me to conquer mountains that I was fully aware I didn’t have the strength to overcome.”

Brittany Partridge-Horting

“A strong woman knows she has the strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong. My strength comes from fighting for what I love and who I am, from life forcing me to live it and tackle things head on and having the strength within me to know I’ll always come out just fine no matter what.”

620.342.2662 • FAX 620.342.0411

pauldeanlawllc@hotmail.com

Marlin Flanagin,DDS Comfortable STATE OF THE ART

PAUL E. DEAN of

DENTISTRY

605 Lincoln • Emporia, KS

•CEREC: Single ViSit Porcelain Crowns •Snoring Appliances •individualized Care for All Ages neW PatientS WelCome

enhancing Smiles Since 1988

Providing Quality and Experienced Legal Services to the Lyon, Greenwood, Coffey, and Chase County Areas.

• Criminal Law • Divorce & Custody • Drunk Driving Law • Estate Planning & Probate

620-343-3171

• Litigation - General • Oil & Gas • Real Estate • Wills & Trusts

1200 C of E Drive • EMPORIA www.dentistsemporiaks.com VISIT US ON FACEBOOK

We have years of experience helping clients buy and sell homes in Emporia, KS John Flott

Tiffany Pike

Bruce Andrews

340-3920

803-8401

344-8808

Kristie Arndt

John Paul Sandstrom

David Goldsmith

366-3560

481-4317

Becky Baumgardner

Judy Turner

366-0048

344-6165

Gail Hancock

Karen Whitmore

757-3906

481-3342

RENTAL PROPERTY MANAGER

Barbara Burum

342-1040

340-5222 CLOSING AGENT

Greg Schwien

342-0022

OFFICE MANAGER

Jackie Wall

481-1122 34192503

Norma Watson

366-0875

Jerry Olmsted, Broker

757-8853

Broadview Towers ~110 W 6th Ave (620)342-7316

Lu Olmsted

342-1040

It would be our pleasure to assist you with all your real estate needs: Buying • Selling • Free Market Analysis

906 Commercial St. Emporia, KS 620.342.0022

www.farmandhomecompanies.com

Come see why we are proud of our apartment community • Rent based on income • Subsidized housing for 55-Older • All utilities paid • On-site manager, service coordinator and maintenance

• Fitness center • Covered parking • Conveniently located downtown near shopping, banking and post office 111

112

Sarah Jenek

“Motherhood is hard! And more often than not I feel weak and tired. But the fact that it is in my weakness that He is strong is all I need to remember! I would much rather Christ be the strength in me than me because lets be real honest. He is way way way more awesome than I could ever even dream of being.”

COLLISION BODY SHOP “we make friends by accident”

HOURS: Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm

• Rental Car Arrangements • Insurance Claims Assistance • Frame & Collision-Repair • Whindshield Replacement & Repair • Rhinopro Truck Bed Liners & Accessories

820 GRAHAM ST. • EMPORIA

WWW.COLLISIONBODYSHOP.NET

620-343-1590 113

sallie spotlight

osteopathic health

A HEALING TOUCH HELPS DR. AMANDA RUXTON’S PATIENTS FIND PAIN RELIEF Sponsored by Flint Hills Community Health Center The opportunity to be close to family brought Dr. Amanda Ruxton home, and helping to make the community healthier is keeping her here.

Ruxton returned to her hometown of Emporia last summer to practice medicine with the Flint Hills Community Health Center as a doctor of osteopathy.

Although the proximity of family drew her back to Kansas from the East Coast, Ruxton said she’s excited to be practicing in Emporia and to be raising her children in such a vibrant small town. And every day, she is able to help patients achieve their health objectives, which is exactly why she went into medicine.

The osteopathic specialty is about treating a patient’s entire health system, getting the body, muscle system and skeletal system in alignment to promote better healing and health, Ruxton said. Osteopaths like her, who specialize in neuromuscular medicine, encourage healing through manual adjustments within the musculoskeletal system. The specialty also focuses strongly on preventive care, as well.

“As an osteopath, I am board certified in family practice and neuromuscular medicine,” she said. “People relate our treatment of the body to massage and chiropractic care, but it really is much more complex than that. It’s better healing.”

Although some think of osteopathy as being holistic, Ruxton said she practices a blend of holistic medicine and traditional medicine.

“I sometimes talk about vitamin options and herbal options, and of course, I may do the osteopathic manipulation piece as opposed to pain meds; it’s a blend,” she explained. “I’m not a homeopath.”

At the health center, which offers medical, dental and behavioral health services all under the same roof, Ruxton’s brand of care rounds out the whole-person approach to healthcare it has offered for many years.

114

“Dr. Ruxton has a true family practice and sees patients of all ages, but with her additional training in neuromuscular medicine, she brings a little more to the table too,” said Jacque Ambrose, spokesperson for the health center.

“She really knows how interconnected the body’s systems are, how they work together, and how a kink in one system might be affecting another. Through Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Dr. Ruxton is providing a healthcare service unlike any other physicians in our area. It’s a gentle, hands-on method for diagnosis, treatment and prevention, and she has helped many patients find drug-free relief from chronic pain and illness. Some of our own staff members would attest to her ‘healing touch.’ ”

Ambrose said this adds to the integrated care the health center offers by recently introducing dental and behavioral health education, consultation and services during medical appointments.

Ruxton, who practiced in Maine before returning to Emporia, said she enjoys the opportunity to help patients become healthier and improve their lives.

“I’m a teacher by nature, so I think it’s really impor tant for patients to walk out of the room and understand their diagnosis and how their body’s being affected,” she said. “I enjoy watching patients understand why this affects my body, what’s important about this, and hopefully correlate actions to a better lifestyle and better health habits.”

FLINT HILLS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

YOUR HEALTH

MORE

(620) 342-4864 420 W 15th Ave flinthillshealth.org

That education aspect of her personality translates into pictures, and Ruxton said she draws a lot of pictures for patients to help them understand what’s happening in their bodies.

“I do a lot of art,” she said with a laugh. “My patients actually make fun of me, and my nurses joke that they actually try to guess what’s on the paper that’s left in the room when we’re done.”

Ruxton’s commitment to her patients appealed to the health center.

“As a Patient-Centered Medical Home, we place a high value on involving patients and their family in their care,” Ambrose said. “Dr. Ruxton personifies this idea, and her patients truly feel like they’re a member of the team when it comes to improving and managing their health.”

When Ruxton isn’t caring for patients, or acting as medical director and chief professional officer at work, she’s spending time with her husband, David (also an Emporia native), and three children – Andrew, 8; Torah, 4; and Zachary, 2. It’s a busy schedule, but one that allows Ruxton to thrive in her medical practice and with her family.

“I love the changes that have happened in downtown Emporia,” she said. “Moving from outside of Boston back to Kansas was challenging, but seeing what’s been happening in Emporia was helpful in making our decision to move home.

“I’m happy with the choice we made to raise our family here and the opportunity to practice medicine in this community.”

115

by melissa lowery

116

talented kid

5-year-old presidential expert Macey Hensley shows her knowledge on the Ellen Degeneres Show

M

ost five year olds spend their days thinking about friends and family and pets and playtime and school. Council Grove native Macey Hensley balances all of that plus burgeoning fame as the country's youngest expert on Presidential trivia.

A bright, talkative little girl, Macey prefers Wranglers and cowboy boots to princess dresses and sandals. She loves spending time with her

photo by michael rozman/warner bros

father, Matt Hensley, who is a cowboy on the family farm; riding her new pony, Derby; and playing with her dogs. But it is her interest in the Presidents that brought Macey to national attention.

When she was four, Macey's grandmother, Marsha Hensley, purchased a set of Presidential flash cards on a whim. Her granddaughter loved them, committing all of the information to memory. Soon she could recognize all of the Presidents on bills and coins, and began requesting books about them.

After a YouTube video of her giving a presentation about the Presidents to a group of 8th graders was submitted to 'Ellen' last December, the popular daytime talk show host invited Macey to appear as a guest. An immediate favorite, she 117

courtesy photo

has appeared on the show several more times and submitted reports from trips to the White House, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Mount Rushmore.

Bright lights and fame barely register with Macey, and nerves have never been an issue. The youngest of three children – she has an older brother, Tanner, 20, and sister, Riley, 16 – Macey is used to being the center of attention.

Producers on the show take care to put her at ease as well.

“The show is really good with her beforehand,” said Nichole. “They walk her out there and show her where she is going to come out and where she is going to sit and let her see the studio. Tracey, one of the producers that we Skype with frequently, is amazing with Macey. They created such a bond that they are best friends, and they are excited to see each other each time.”

Sharing her Presidential knowledge is fun for Macey, but her favorite part

of being on 'Ellen' is more in keeping with her age: “My favorite is the things Ellen gives me. She gave me a trip to the White House,” Macey said enthusiastically.

“And she told me that I could sit out with her when Luke Bryan was on the show and listen to him!”

Her private tour of the White House is a highlight for Macey, and the video footage shows a girl having the time of her life. The best part of her visit was the opportunity to see artifacts from her favorite President: Zachary Taylor.

“I got to see Zachary Taylor's sword.

It was in a glass case on the wall in the library. They even put a stepstool up for me and gave me pictures to bring home.”

Why is Taylor, the MexicanAmerican war hero, her favorite President? Because his uniform is blue, Macey's favorite color. She wore blue during her second appearance on Ellen and was delighted to see that Vice President Biden's office is painted blue during her White House trip.

Reserve Parks for Special Events like Wedding and Private Parties

Reserve Civic Auditorium/Little Theater for Events like Weddings or Private Parties

Lori Heavener, Administrative Assistant

Kevin Hanlin

Emporia Park Department

Emporia Civic Auditorium

David Traylor Zoo

PO Box 928

PO Box 928, 75 Soden Road

Emporia, KS 66801

Emporia, KS 66801

620-343-4295

620-341-4365

khanlin@emporia-kansas.gov

lheavner@emporia-kansas.gov

To get your-non-profit event or charity events on the White Auditorium marquee contact:

For information on Family Activities contact the Zoo

Sue G. Bryson, Executive Secretary

Lisa Keith, Director

City of Emporia City Manager’s Office

David Traylor Zoo of Emporia

PO Box 928

75 Soden Road

Emporia, KS 66801

Emporia, KS 66801

(620) 343-4251

lKeith@emporia-kansas.gov

sbryson@emporia-kansas.gov

620-341-4365

118

119

The viewer response to Macey's appearances has been quite positive.

She receives letters from people around the country, including someone who is distantly related to Zachary Taylor. Many people have also sent her gifts, such as books about the Presidents and a set of Presidential PEZ dispensers.

At preschool Macey's teacher let her bring in her plastic figurines of the Presidents and set up her own little center. During center times the kids could come over, pick out a President and Macey would tell them all about him.

They also watched her on 'Ellen' during an April appearance when Macey challenged actor Kevin Spacey to Presidential trivia. (Spacey plays a fictional President on the series 'House of Cards'.) This resulted in some frustration for the young expert, however.

“When we played the game, when Kevin Spacey was guessing Matt Lauer or John Boehner, the kids said, well,

120

they’re Presidents,” Macey recalled.

“And I’m like, 'No, they are not.' It’s hard for me to tell them they are not Presidents because the kids always said, 'Yes, they are.'”

At home, the family tries to keep things as normal as possible, but having a young celebrity in the family does come with some unique consequences.

“We are trying to just stay how we are – ourselves,” said Nichole. “Being from a small town, to go to the grocery store it takes us an hour to get through the store because everybody wants to stop and talk to Macey, which is great – it’s beautiful, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“They always want to ask me questions,” Macey said with a goodhumored sigh. “Lots and lots of questions.”

Answering questions from strangers may be preparing Macey for her future: her current career goal is to become President of the United States, unless she becomes a history teacher. She would study Zachary Taylor. 

courtesy photo

FREE

Screenings Monthly

Do you have these Symptoms in your Legs?

Restlessness • Heaviness Cramping • Spider Veins Varicose Veins • Swelling Fatigue • Aching Now Seeing Patients in Emporia at

2526 W. 15th Street Call Today for Your

FREE Screening

1-877-991-7980 Joe Baker, DO Paul Cheatum, MD www.mynewlegs.com • 1-877-991-7980 • 2526 W. 15th St.

Get An Expensive Look For A Low Price!

• Quality Carpet • Appliances • Vinyl • Hardwood • Tile Flooring

M-N CARPET STORE Inc.

Serving Emporia and the Surrounding Area Over 29 Years

2910 W. Hwy 50 • Emporia •

620-342-7900 121

In

Sallie’s Kitchen Recipes from the kitchen of the White Family

by regina murphy | photos by jakub stepanovic I have a wonderful 1928, seventh edition of a 1900 creation from New Orleans called The Picayune Creole Cook Book.

As it turns out, this book originally belonged to Sallie White. She passed it to her daughter-in-law, Kathrine, in 1933 and it passed to her daughter, Barbara, who gave it to family friend and assistant, Judy Price, in 1992.

When Judy retired from The Gazette in 2013, she gave it to me, knowing of my love for all things Creole.

As written in the Times-Picayune in 2011: “’The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book,’ first published at the turn of the century, became wildly popular by 1915. It was compiled to preserve for future generations the many Creole recipes and culinary traditions passed down from ‘the lips of the old Creole’ cooks.”

The post-civil war South saw major household restructuring. Hired cooks became rare and recipes were walking out the door. Eliza Jane Poitevent Nicholson, the first first woman to own and publish a major city newspaper (The Daily Picayune, 1876) is credited with seeing the need to preserve this unique culinary heritage and creating a culinary column for the paper called “Household Hints.”

No authorship is given to the cookbook, but there are indications a Picayune writer named Marie Louise Points and Tulane professor John Kendal hand a hand in it.

There were multiple editions, from 1900 (acc. to historian Rien Fertel, and quite rare) to the final edition in 1987, coinciding with the sesquicentennial of the newspaper (and reprinted in 1989).

The Picayune Creole Cook Book initially sold for 25 cents in New Orleans or 35 cents by mail. It is beloved today. Times-Picayune writer Judy Walker 122

wrote in 2011: “... it has such a special place in New Orleans homes. After Hurricane Katrina, I heard one heart-wrenching story after another from those whose hand-annotated mothers’ and grandmothers’ copies drowned.”

The sixth and seventh editions, interestingly enough, had a few chapters removed. It was prohibition, and all references to cocktail or alcoholic concoctions were expurgated and replaced with a chapter on “Iced Fruit Drinks” (p. 314).The recipes returned in the eighth edition.

As Sallie White was against excessive drinking she had no need of those chapters. There are no handannotations in the book or tell-tale spill marks to indicate which recipes she may have tried. However, Sallie’s granddaughter, Barbara Walker, has memories.

“My grandparents were especially fond of rich foods, which are not on most of our diets unless we doctor them a bit. The things I remember are fried chicken dinners, spoon bread and orange sponge cake. Of course a meat roast was the mainstay of the meal in their day.

“One recipe that I do remember both my grandmothers making is Lemon Pudding, and it is easy to make.”

Lemon Pudding

1 ½ Cups of Sugar 4 ½ Tablespoons of Flour 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch 1 ½ Cups Milk 3 Eggs, Yolks Separated from Whites Juice of 1 ½ Lemons and a Bit of Rind “Mix 1 1/2 cups of sugar with 4 1/2 Tablespoons of flour and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. Add 1 1/2 cups milk.

“Next, beat 3 egg yolks. Add the juice of 1 1/2 lemons and a bit of rind.

“Add these two mixtures and fold in 3 beaten stiff egg whites.

“Pour into buttered pyrex or porcelain dish and place in a pan of water. Bake 30 minutes at 350. You can make in morning and have for dinner.”

Although not in the Creole Cook Book, this recipe is very close to what is called “The Queen of All Puddings,” lacking only the addition of bread crumbs, currants and raisins.

This recipe worked quite well in ramekins prepared with non-stick spray. Fill eight ramekins two-thirds full, and place in a rectangular baking dish. Add hot water to half-way up the sides of the ramekin.

Towards the end of cook-time, watch the top of the pudding: the meringue will rise to the top and brown, so you don’t want it to burn.

Spoon breads are puddings, so I have two more likely recipes from this cookbook that could have easily met the White table. Learn more about this wonderful national treasure at www.creole-cookbook.com.

123

Indian Pudding

(Pouding à l’Indienne) 2 Cups of Indian Meal. ½ Cup Butter.

1 Cup Sugar.

2 Cups Milk. ½ Cup Molasses.

1 cup of Seeded Raisins.

“Pour sufficient boiling water on the meal to wet it thoroughly, and then beat in the butter. Add the sugar, beating thoroughly, and the salt. Then add the milk, stirring well, also the molasses with the raisins.

“Add one teaspoonful of extract of cinnamon and one-quarter of a grated nutmeg. Mix thoroughly. Bake for two and a half or three hours and serve cold with cream.”

The substitute for cinnamon extract is cinnamon oil, but not an equivalent amount of dry cinnamon.

McCormick spices advertises a cinnamon extract, or make your own by placing 3 or 4 fresh cinnamon sticks in ¾ cup vodka and allow it to sit somewhere dark for 4 months.

Modernize by using a half-teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a quarter-teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

“Indian Meal” is of course cornmeal; the finest cornmeal I know is masa. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees, testing for doneness and checking at ten-minute intervals if it’s not finished.

This is a surprising dish. I expected more of a cornbread, but instead this was closer to a holiday pumpkin bread. Great for dessert or breakfast, served warm with whipped cream and hot tea or coffee.

124

GEOTECH, INC. Steven S. Brosemer, Owner

by SPELLMAN

Celebrating over 30 years of Land Surveying to the Emporia and Flint Hills Area 1984-2015

620.342.7491

115 W. 5th Ave. • Emporia, Kansas geotech.emporia@gmail.com

YOU DO IT, WE’LL DO IT, OR WE’LL HELP YOU DO IT!

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL NEW CONSTRUCTION REPAIRS • REMODELING 821 Commercial • 620-342-2122 • www.plumbingbyspellmanks.com Mall Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm Sunday 12:30pm-6:00pm Individual store hours may vary

1632 Industrial Road • Emporia

(620) 342-4631

S t o r e D i r e c t o ry AT&T Bath & Body Works Buckle Claire’s Coaches Bar & Grill Crystal Nails DaVita Dialysis Encompass Home Health Flint Hills 8 Theater Movie Line Focus Industrial Workforce Flint Hills Learning Center GNC Hibbett Sports

340-0125 343-7763 342-4153 343-7734 343-6362 340-0063 340-8043 412-9630 342-0900 342-3400 340-8086 341-2250 342-6368 340-0414

JCPenney 342-5491 JCPenney Salon 342-5963 KS Drivers License (785) 296-6834 Kansas Works 342-3355 Maurices 343-3206 Newman Express Care 343-7828 Newman Medical Equipment 343-1800 Riddles Jewelry 341-9006 rue21 340-0075 Sherry’s Dance 343-2456 Shoe Sensation 340-8199 Sutherlands Lumber 343-6100 US Marines 342-6040

www.theflinthillsmall.com 125

Brown Betty Pudding

(Pouding à la Mulatresse) 1 Cup of Chopped Bread Crumbs.

2 Cups of Chopped Apples.

1 Cup of Sugar.

2 Tablespoonfuls of Butter.

1/4 Spoonful each of Ground Spices.

“Utilize stale bread crumbs for this pudding. Butter the bottom of a baking pan, and put in a layer of the apples which have been stewed well. Put over this a layer of bread crumbs, sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter. Sprinkle nicely with the spices.

“Continue this until you have sued up all the apples. Put a layer of bread crumbs on the top. Place in a moderate oven, and bake to a nice brown. Serve hot with Cream Sauce or Hard Sauce.”

I minced the apples and mixed them with the sugar and spices evenly, without stewing them. I chose cinnamon, nutmeg and clove with a dash of cayenne pepper. For the crumbs, I used wheat bread, toasted and crumbled by hand.

I sprayed a round casserole with non-stick spray and layered as the recipe suggested, dotting the bread crumbs with butter. I also dotted the top layer with bread crumbs.

To preserve moisture, I covered the dish before cooking 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. A creamy, homemade caramel sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

This pudding has all the soul of an apple cobbler with less of the sweetness. Delicious. 

Regina Murphy, a 13-year employee at The Emporia Gazette, is Features Editor.

Originally from Arkansas, she came to Emporia in 1998 with her partner Dr. Andrew Houchins, professor of music at Emporia State University.

Regina is a classically trained singer with 13 years of professional performance in the South and Southeast, followed by several years in administration and research.

She apprenticed with Fascinating Foods Catering in Memphis in the 1980s, hence the long love affair with food and cooking.

126

Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc

2101 W. 6th Avenue, Emporia, KS 66801 Proud to provide job opportunities to men & women in the Emporia area.

For Job Opportunities visit www.KansasWorks.com or www.TysonFoodsCareers.com Tyson is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, gender, national origin, color, religion, age, genetics, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status.

DR. WOOD IS CURRENTLY TAKING APPOINTMENTS Dr. Patricia A. Wood is an OB/GYN (obstetrics and gynecology)

physician who will be practicing full time at the Family Health Center in Council Grove.

Her special areas of training include: • Prenatal Care and Delivery • High Risk Pregnancy • Well Woman visits • Contraceptive Management • Hormone Therapy • Menopausal Care • Sexual Dysfunction • Pelvic Pain • Urinary Incontinence • Abnormal or Heavy Menstrual Cycles

F OR AP P OI N TMEN TS C ALL 620- 767- 5 1 2 6 127

Experience an authentic old trail town at the crossroads of the Santa Fe Trail & the Flint Hills Scenic Byway.

DISCOVER COUNCIL GROVE & MORRIS COUNTY Where History Happens!

128

When you need us...

Emergency Health Care 24/7

R E G IO N A L H EA LT H E M E R G E N C Y D E PA R T M ENT

NEWMAN REGIONAL HEALTH Emergency Department 1201 W. 12th Ave. • (Main Campus) Emporia, KS • 620-343-6800 • newmanrh.org/Services/Emergency