Lovely County Citizen Dec. 19, 2013

Wedding Winter Wonderland

Access tragedy Firefighters can’t get to burning home, forced to watch it burn down

Snow derails nuptials – till the Crescent came through

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Visit us online: www.lovelycitizen.com

Your Community newspaper

VOLUME 15 NUMBER 2

DECEMBER 19, 2013

Getting, and giving, back Angel Tree program reaps holiday joy for children, donors, volunteers, too n Page 3

n Stricter rules for

n Residents protest n Citizen of Year

city event funding

cell-tower proposal nominees named

CAPC fine-tunes rules; OKs funds for 4 events

AT&T plans near Busch have some up in arms

Help us pick the winner by voting online today!

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Page 2 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Dispatch Desk The Citizen is published weekly on Thursdays in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

by Rust Publishing MOAR L.L.C. Copyright 2013 This paper is printed with soy ink on recycled paper.

Subscription rate: $57.50/year EDITOR: Kristal Kuykendall EDITORIAL STAFF: Jennifer Jackson, Kathryn Lucariello, Landon Reeves, Catherine Krummey DESIGN DIRECTOR: Melody Rust PHOTOGRAPHERS: Charles Henry Ford II, David Bell ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES: Karen ‘Ma Dank’ Horst, Jim Sexton, Diane Newcomb, Margo Elliott CLASSIFIEDS/RECEPTIONIST: Margo Elliott CONTRIBUTORS: Beth Bartlett, Jim Fain, Mary Flood, Alison Taylor-Brown CIRCULATION: Dwayne Richards Office Hours: Monday–Tuesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

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FREE CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER P.O. Box 679 • 3022-H East Van Buren Eureka Springs, AR 72632 (479) 253-0070 • Fax (479) 253-0080

www.lovelycitizen.com

Dec. 9 11:04 a.m. – A caller reported medication stolen from her vehicle “sometime in the last 10 days.” An officer took a report. Maybe she should take a memory supplement.

9:24 p.m. – Interface Security advised of an alarm sounding due to front door activation at a local discount store. An officer responded and checked the building – all was secure. Perhaps Santa was looking for some

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Dec. 10 11:13 a.m. – A caller reported a semi stuck on Bridge and Hillside. An officer and Public Works were able to assist the truck from its predicament. While the officer was on scene, another vehicle became stuck on Bridge, and the officer assisted her also. Sounds like people should invest in some tire chains if they’re going down Bridge Street in the winter.

12:38 p.m. – A caller requested an officer to take a theft report at a local inn. The caller had money stolen from her apartment nearby. The officer was on scene taking the report and meanwhile discovered an outstanding Washington County warrant for Ed Brown for probation violation. Brown was arrested on the warrant. But who stole the money?

Dec. 11 10:12 a.m. – A caller reported a vehicle in the red zone on Ridgeway. An officer responded and made contact with the owner and arrangements were made to move the disabled vehicle.

11:40 a.m. – A women was traveling in her car down Owen and slid into a parked car.

An officer responded and took an accident report. Damn that slippery ice and snow!

12:08 p.m. – A caller reported a vehicle going down Alexander and slamming into his parked truck. An officer responded and took a report. When the roads are icy, sometimes it’s best to just stay at home – unless you have to park your car on a busy street, apparently.

3:32 p.m. – The manager at at local hotel said someone tried to break in to the downSee Dispatch, page 21

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

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Giving, and getting, back

Angel Tree program reaps benefits for kids, donors, volunteers ued. “Yes, I am a little embarrassed to need the help, but I’m very thankful for it, and the Last Friday, Debbie (not her real name) kids are as well.” cried – but they were tears of gratitude.

Her 18-year-old daughter has helped with The Eureka Springs unmarried mother the Angel Tree program the last two years, of four spent the morning volunteering for Debbie said, and this year her 14-year-old the Angel Tree program, wrapping donated daughter tagged along to do what she could, Christmas gifts for needy children in the city like her mother. who otherwise wouldn’t.

“This is all I can do to give back to my The Angel Tree program this year is pro- community,” Debbie explained, “because I viding Christmas presents to 155 Eureka don’t have the money to adopt an angel and Springs underprivileged students and their donate gifts. But because I’m on both sides siblings – more than ever before. of this program, it fills me with joy.”

Debbie and her teenage daughter, whom The children who receive the gifts are we shall call Angela, showed up at the Po- often a little embarrassed to be labeled as lice Department to help Rachal Hyatt and “needy,” but they are very appreciative as the other dozen or so well. Their wish lists? volunteers get the gifts Most are for basic huready for distribution to “This program makes a man needs such as the recipients’ parents. huge difference in our lives, clothing, coats and Some of those gifts, however, didn’t have and we are so grateful. Yes, shoes.

But one year that to go far, because three I am a little embarrassed to Debbie’s kids were on of Debbie’s children – need the help, but I’m very the Angel Tree list, a ages 9, 14 and 16 – are donor who chose their thankful for it, and the kids on the list to receive family not only gave a Angel Tree presents. are as well.” ton of children’s gifts Debbie was recent– “D ebbie” but also left a nice presly laid off, but even ent for the mother and when she was working, another for the entire she said, she made the family. Debbie says she equivalent of minimum wage at two jobs was surprised and ecstatic. and still could not afford Christmas gifts for “That year, (Angela) got a bicycle, her children. They have been on the Angel clothes, shoes and toys – they totally hooked Tree list for the past three years, she said, and it’s been a life-changing experience for her up! – and they also brought a TV for the whole family, and a digital camera and $50 her and her kids, too.

She wept as she described how the Angel clothing-store gift card for me, along with Tree gifts will literally be the only presents a local bookstore gift card,” she explained. under the tree this Christmas morning, and She says she “paid it forward” by giving how wonderful it is to have some peace of away the clothing gift card to someone else mind and know her children won’t have a who needed it.

“This is Christmas for me, too, even if I horrible holiday.

“As a parent, it makes me feel just awful don’t get anything myself,” Debbie said, knowing I can’t buy anything for my kids,” tearing up. “I don’t know what’s under that she said. “Even though Christmas is not all tree, I have no idea what they’re getting. So about presents, not working makes it very it’s a surprise for me too; I love that the most, difficult to have any under the tress – and it’s like Santa came even for me, when my children open those presents and I see their that is a big deal to children, regardless.

“This program makes a huge difference in faces. So I thank God for the Angel Tree proour lives, and we are so grateful,” she contin- gram.”

By Kristal Kuykendall

Citizen.Editor.Eureka@gmail.com

Photo by Chip Ford

The hallway of the Police Department’s basement was packed to the gills last week with donated gifts for Angel Tree recipient children.

Page 4 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Some residents protest Busch cell tower plans

By Kathryn Lucariello

CCNhi@cox-internet.com

BUSCH – Some citizens in the Eureka Springs West area are not happy with a 260foot cell tower AT&T is proposing to build at Busch. Their reasons have very much to do with the same concerns expressed over the last year by hundreds of people against the 150-foot electric transmission towers proposed to be built in the same area by SWEPCO. On Nov. 15, AT&T ran a notice in Carroll County News about a proposed lattice-type cell tower, to be located on property owned

by Fred Bartel of Beaver Lake Storage. The tower, if built, would have red and medium intensity white lights atop it.

AT&T, in its application to the Federal Communications Commission, said it had no plans to do an environmental assessment, but the public notice gave citizens until Dec. 15 to call for one.

As of Monday, 20 postings had been received on the FCC website. Most of them were filed by Luis Contreras, who provided

several pieces of information relevant to the SWEPCO project. Others were filed by Busch residents Kristine Kendrick and Mary Pat Boian, and Louis and Carla Short, who own Can U Canoe Riverview Cabins and are members of the Eureka Springs West Tourism Association.

“I was a little upset because 260 feet is huge,” said Contreras, who also has a home in the area, “almost twice the SWEPCO towers we have been fighting with so much effort.”

The decision on the SWEPCO transmission towers has yet to be made by the Arkansas Public Service Commission. A lengthy battle of hearings and public comments has taken place over the last year, with nearly 100 percent opposition to that project.

“I was concerned that SWEPCO would say, ‘Well, nobody complained about a 260foot tower – why are you concerned about 150 feet?’”

Contreras said that except for the CCN article about the cell tower, published in the

***CHARITY INSPIRED ESTATE SALE*** We would like to invite you to a CHARITY INSPIRED estate sale.

Your participation or donations will help benefit two of our local charities!

Event will take place regardless of weather (indoors, warm & dry).

Saturday & Sunday, Dec 21 & 22. 8AM - 4PM 37 Woodsdale Drive, Holiday Island, AR (old Arvest bank location) Green labels=100% donation; Pink labels=25% donation; Orange labels=10% donation Furniture (antiques, primitives, modern), desks, book cases, trunks, coffee tables, commercial/office furniture, art, frames, pottery, glassware (vases, stemware, etc), collectibles & decorative items, Pocket Watches, Pocket Knives, Firearms, silver coins, kitchenware, clothes, accessories & much more!

Refreshments & pastries: 100% of net proceeds proceeds will be donated equally to:

Flint Street Fellowship & ECHO (Eureka Springs) We are accepting any & all donations or consignment items!

Be creative – anything you have that you’d like to try to sell & are willing to donate some or all of the proceeds to these charities, email us & we’ll arrange to pick up or meet you.

Questions, suggestions – contact us at islandemporium@yahoo.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Finally, remember to bring any non-perishable & canned foods or any spare change (throw in the jar) & we hope to see you there!

David Bell / Carroll County News

The cell tower near Valley View Baptist Church is the same type of lattice tower AT&T wants to erect near Busch.

Nov. 29 weekend edition, “no one would have known … When I checked online for the description of the application, there is no document. The only thing you find is the screen where it clearly states that AT&T chose not to submit an environmental assessment.”

He is concerned the tower, like the SWEPCO towers, will affect tourism, the economy, public health and the environment.

“There is no indication in the document as to how many antennas and how many emissions they are going to have,” Contreras said. “When they do an application with the FCC, it is only to indicate the height and the GPS coordinates. They don’t have to provide any information to anyone as to what they will use the towers for... Once they have the structure, they can do whatever they want.”

He said public perception is very important.

“If [tourists] know that in Eureka Springs West there is a 260-foot tower, they might choose to go somewhere else.”

To support his call for an environmental assessment, Contreras included letters to the APSC on possible detrimental impacts of the SWEPCO project from the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism; the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers; the Eureka Springs School of the Arts; the Eureka Springs and Branson, Mo., Chambers of Commerce; and Senators Bryan King and Cecile Bledsoe.

The Shorts asked for a review of impacts on bald eagles nesting in area from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. They also included photos of the scenic view of the White River Valley taken from the Inspiration Point overlook, and how the cell tower would appearing on the horizon would mar that view.

Writing from a slightly different tack, Kendrick and Boian spoke about the location of the tower with regard to the historical integrity of the Busch community and to an active air strip there used by pilots.

“The location of the proposed tower is at the foot of the landing strip,” Kendrick wrote. “The proposed tower could serve as an obstacle to the planes landing and taking off. The lights on the tower might confuse pilots.”

She also wrote there is already a cell tower on Busch Mountain and questioned the need for another one.

Boian, who resides near the air strip and is publisher of the Eureka Springs Independent, wrote there have been two fatalities on the landing strip. She suggested the cell tower could be relocated to a “high point at Busch Hardware, a mile east of the proposed site, much better suited for a tower as it wouldn’t disrupt the tranquility of the neighborhood.”

Mania Baghdadi, attorney at the FCC, sent an email to AT&T notifying them of the requests for environmental review. She said AT&T has 10 days after the environmental request period (which ended Dec. 15) to file an opposition to doing an environmental assessment directly to the requesters. Requesters have five business days to reply.

Under FCC rules, she wrote to AT&T, “you may not make a written presentation on the merits of the case without serving it on the other parties to the proceeding (the applicant and any requesters). In addition, you may not make an oral presentation on the merits of the proceeding without inviting the other parties to participate.”

To view the application and the environmental requests, go to www.fcc.gov/asr/applications and enter File No. A0863982.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

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A Wedding in a Winter Wonderland

Crescent Hotel comes through for couple amid Winter Storm Cleon’s havoc

By Jennifer Jackson

JJackson.Citizen@gmail.com

What do you do when Mother Nature gives you tons of snow on your wedding day?

Make snow angels.

That’s what Jessica and Bryan Dean after they got married on at the Crescent Hotel the Friday that Storm Cleon dumped eight inches of snow on northwest Arkansas. It wasn’t where they planned to get married, but they weren’t disappointed.

“It turned out to be perfect,” Jessica said.

The couple, who live in Oklahoma City, planned the wedding four months ago, booking Thorncrown Chapel for the ceremony and the Crescent Hotel for the reception. Then they left Oklahoma City on the Wednesday before the storm, arriving in Eureka Springs a day ahead of the guests. On Thursday morning, Jessica got a call from Thorncrown Chapel, informing her that the chapel was snowed in, so could not host the wedding.

Meeting with Susan Dixon, the Crescent Hotel event planner, Jessica learned that that night’s rehearsal dinner would have to moved from the Basin Park up the hill to the Crescent’s Crystal Ballroom. The actual wedding ceremony, at 5 p.m. on Friday, would be held in the hotel conservatory.

Dixon also arranged for an ordained minister, Bill Ott, the hotel’s communcations manager, to perform the ceremony.

“He walked a mile and a half through the snow,” Jessica said.

Ott tied the knot at the 5 p.m. ceremony, then the wedding party and guests left so that the staff could set the room up for the reception. Bryan and Jessica posed for photographs in front of the lobby Christmas tree, and went out and played in the snow on the raised porch, making snow angels.

The only other hitch: two of the four bridesmaids didn’t make the wedding, the one in Tulsa and one in Los Angeles who planned to travel Friday. But the rest of the party arrived Thursday before the worst of the storm hit, although one couple didn’t make it in until 3:30 a.m. Friday morning, Bryan said, due to the bad roads.

The course of true love also didn’t run smooth. Bryan met Jessica in 2002, when they were students at Oklahoma State University. He had a crush on her, he said, but they didn’t date. She graduated the year before he did and returned to Dallas, her hometown.

In January of 2006, Bryan was visiting some friends in Dallas in and asked Jessica out to dinner. Returning to Oklahoma City after their date, he wrote her a letter, which was returned because he had the wrong address. Seven years later, in January of 2013, he was sorting through boxes while getting ready to sell his house and found the returned letter. Contacting Jessica on facebook, he posted a photo of the unopened letter. She asked what was in it. He told her she’d have to read it.

“Four months later we were engaged, and four months later, we were married,” Bryan said.

Having all the wedding events in one place was actually less stressful than getting people to and from other venues, Jessica said, and Susan Dixon handled everything, leaving the bride feeling calm through the whole weekend. The flowers were scheduled to be delivered to the hotel anyway, she said, and arrived Wednesday. The cake arrived on schedule on Thursday.

On Sunday, the couple drove back to Oklahoma City, the roads improving once they got over the state line, Bryan said. An added bonus: the jewelry store in Oklahoma City where the couple bought their rings, BC Clark, has a “Pray for Rain” promotion that offers up to $5,000 back on the purchase of a diamond engagement ring if an inch or more of precipitation falls in the city on your wedding day.

At the top the list: Bryan and Jessica 3.50” of snow. It doesn’t matter that they didn’t get married there, Bryan said.

“If it had been in Arkansas, we would have won there, too,” he said.

The Deans are now at home in Oklahoma City, where Bryan works for Edward Jones investments and Jessica is a buyer for the Oklahoma City Zoo. They plan to return to the Crescent Hotel on their first anniversary.

Photos Submitted

Just Married: Bryan and Jessica Dean in front of the Christmas tree in the Crescent Hotel lobby.

The couple make snow angels after the ceremony. Jessica, in white, is on the right.

Playing in the snow with their attendants after the ceremony.

Bryan with the ring bearers, whose entrance in superhero outfits added a light note to the ceremony. Bryan’s nephew dressed as Batman, and the matron of honor’s 5-year-old son, as Captain America. The recessional was the theme from “Superman,” one of Bryan’s favorite movies.

Page 6 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

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Amount Measure Ingredient 2 Cups Granulated Sugar 1/2 Cup Water 3 Med. Egg Whites 1 Tsp. Powdered Sugar Recipe Date: 12/13/1994

CANDIES Amount 1/2 1/8 1

Serves 8

Measure Ingredient Cup Light Corn Syrup Tsp. Salt Tsp. Vanilla

In saucepan mix sugar, corn syrup, wat er and salt. Slowly bring to a boil, stir ring until sugar dissolves. Cook to 260º (hardball stage). Meanwhile, beat egg whites until stiff.

Gradually pour half of hot syrup into whites, beating constantly. Put the rem aining syrup back on heat and bring to a har d boil. Now, add it to the beaten egg wh ite and syrup mixture. Beat until candy begins to hold its shape. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar. (This amount of powdered sug ar makes a real improvement in tex ture.) Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper or pour into buttered 9x13-inch pan. Let stand several hours until firm. Store in airt ight container. Makes about 50 pieces .

HINT :Always use a wooden spoon when making candy.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

Responders unable to get to home; fire takes it

Photo submitted

The home of Robert Romano burns late last Friday night at 478 County Road 3063, off Rocky Top Road just outside of Eureka Springs, in this cell-phone photograph submitted by a Eureka Springs emergency responder.

cles to gain access.

Upon the firefighters’ arrival, the resFirefighters were dispatched to a strucidence was “mostly ture fire at 478 Coundemolished,” said the ty Road 3063 late last home owner, Robert Friday night.

“Nobody was hurt.

Romano.

The cause of the fire Romano told fireIt was just me and is under investigation, fighters he “stoked my roommate who and dispatch advised up” his wood burning lived there, and we lost there were multiple stove at 5 p.m. and two cats.” calls reporting the fire, then left his home. according to the inciWhile out, his neigh– Robert Romano dent report from the bor called him and fire department. notified him about the The icy road condiresulting fire. tions, poor roadway and address labeling There was approximately $73,000 in delayed the response, wrote firefighter property damage, according to the report.

Shane Stanley in his report. Because of No one was injured, but the home was dethe resident’s narrow driveway and cat- stroyed, Romano said. tle guard the fire engines were not able to “Nobody was hurt,” he said. “It was enter the property, so the firefighters used just me and my roommate who lived the smaller bush trucks and personal vehi- there, and we lost two cats.”

By Landon Reeves

CCNnews@cox-internet.com

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Page 8 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

If the Hat Fits:

Marvin Named Volunteer/EMT of the Year

Paramedic, Firefighters of the Year

Photo Submitted

Photo by Chip Ford

Lifelong volunteer and longtime firefighter Vance Marvin has been named Eureka Springs Volunteer Firefighter of the Year and EMT of the Year.

for outstanding service to the department with two awards: Volunteer of the Vance Marvin has worn many uni- Year and EMT of the Year. forms and many hats in his 50-plus “I don’t ever think about what I do years. He spent four in Air Force blue as far as recognition is concerned,” he after graduating from high school. He said. “It’s something I’m passionate started his fire-fighting and EMS career about.” in 1987 in Nebraska Like all First Reas a volunteer, and sponders in Western worked in law enCarroll County, Mar“I don’t ever think about forcement in Nebrasvin is well-provided what I do as far as ka and Idaho as well with equipment, inas Carroll County. A recognition is concerned. cluding an automatsheriff in Cass Counic defibrillator and It’s something I’m ty, Nebraska, wanted oxygen. When a call passionate about.” his deputies to wear comes in that is close Smokey the Bear – Vance Marvin to his home on Onyx hats, but Marvin said Cave Road, he’ll get his didn’t get worn in his truck and go dimuch. rectly to the call. Of“The wind blew all the time,” he said. ten the fire department arrives at a mediMarvin retired from law enforcement cal call to find Marvin already there, Ranfive years due to health issues, but not dy Ates, public information officer, said. from public service – two years ago, he “He’ll beat us to the scene,” Ates said. rejoined the Eureka Springs Fire DeFor other calls, Marvin will go into partment, and uses his EMT skills and the fire station to see if they need him. training as First Responder. At the de- If they do, he’ll suit up in full turnpartement’s awards dinner on Dec. 7, out gear – padded helmet, thick coat, Marvin was surprised to be recognized boots and reflector vest. He drives the

By Jennifer Jackson

JJackson.Citizen@gmail.com

Eureka Springs Fire & EMS is pleased to announce its 2013 award recipients.

Fire Chief Rhys Williams presented four awards during the department’s recent Christmas party. Josh Beyler, pictured far right, was named Firefighter of the Year; Vance Marvin, center, was named Volunteer of the Year as well as Emergency Medical Responder of the Year; and Randy Ates, left, was named Paramedic of the Year. The recipients were chosen by a vote of the paid and volunteer staff of the fire department. The winners are chosen for their efforts to promote the fire department, provide excellent patient care, for putting forth extra effort on the behalf of the public and city, attendance, and training.

fire truck and when they get to the fire scene, can operate the pump as well as administer first aide. But having a heart defibrillator implant in 2006 means he can’t go into burning buildings. It was hard to slow down at first, Marvin said, and not take as active a role as he used to. But when he’s on a fire scene, the other crew members remind him not to step over the line.

“They watch over me and make sure I’m not doing what I shouldn’t,” he said. “ Vance’s spouse, Sue Marvin, was also a firefighter/EMT in Nebraska– they met on a fire scene their neighboring departments they were called to. In 1996, Vance and Sue married and moved to Eureka Springs, the result, Vance said, of “vacationing here one too many times.”

Sue, who owned a shop in Nebraska, owns the Gift Corner and is manager of For Bare Feet, the sock shop. Vance does the cooking and a little woodworking when he’s not responding to calls.

“I’ve got the free time,” he said. “I enjoy helping the community.”

He also enjoys all the different kinds of people in Eureka Springs, he said, and how well they all mesh together. The 35 members of the fire department – volunteer and paid – also get along, he said.

“We’re all one big family,” he said.

Having training in firefighting, emergency medicine and law enforcement eased his way in rejoining the department, Marvin said, but volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome. Currently, the department has volunteers 19 years old and up, he said, including four members in their 70s. He hopes to have many years of service in front of him.

“I’ve been involved in volunteer work most of my life,” he said.

Another hat Marvin wears is red with a white brim. He’s played Santa Claus for years, and this holiday, grew out his beard to portray Santa for the Eureka Springs Downtown Network’s Santa in the Park visit last weekend. With the new gig, Mrs. Claus had a new outfit, including a Santa hat, made for him.

“I’ve always worn some sort of hat during my lifetime,” Marvin said.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

Tourism revenue flat so far this year; crackdown on CAPC funding continues

By Kristal Kuykendall Citizen.Editor.Eureka@gmail.com

Despite a rough start to Eureka Springs’ tourism season this year, it appears that the city recovered enough to have about the same amount of business as it did last year, city officials reported last Wednesday.

At the regular meeting of the City Advertising and Promotion Commission, board members learned that tourism tax collections for the year are basically flat, so far about 0.8 percent higher than at the same time last year. That includes collections through the end of October, which was a strong month for the city’s biggest industry.

During the month of October, hotels saw a drastic drop in business as tax collections were down 14.6 percent; restaurants saw 3 percent less business; motels were up 6.3 percent; B&Bs up 4.8 percent; and cabins/ cottages were down 1.7 percent.

Year-to-date, restaurant business is up 2 percent, lodging is just slightly down with a decrease of 0.3 percent, bringing the total tourism tax collections through October to an almost even level with last year.

However, the October numbers may increase slightly, as the list of delinquent businesses who haven’t yet paid their tourism taxes for that month is “longer than it’s been for some time,” said Finance Director Rick Bright, who noted that he has delivered closure notices to four businesses this year for nonpayment of tourism taxes.

Under the law, the city is supposed to shut down any business that falls more than three months behind. Currently, only one business – Geraldi’s downtown, owned by Kenneth Taylor – is in danger of being closed for nonpayment; they are four months behind and have been behind all year, Bright said.

He noted that a “soft” November for local tourism-related businesses likely has put some of them in a temporary cash-flow bind, causing them to fall behind, but he said he isn’t worried about most of the delinquent businesses catching up soon.

In other business, commissioners dis-

cussed the 2014 budget and voted on funding levels for the city’s four major weekend festivals. Although none of them have made any money for at least the last decade – except for Blues Weekend, which donates its profit to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge – the Commission voted to continue funding the festivals as line items, totaling $52,000.

One explanation offered is that these events draw thousands of people to town and are regional events that the CAPC advertises well outside of city limits.

Blues Weekend will receive the same as this year, or $10,000.

The Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival will receive the same as this year, $16,000; Bright said it has never made a profit.

The Eureka Springs Jazz Weekend will also receive the same as this year at $16,000, despite never having made a profit and despite going over budget on both costs and revenue this year.

The Ozark Folk Festival’s funding was reduced from its typical $25,000 allotment to $15,000 next year. This year, it was funded at a greater level – $40,000 – as CAPC officials invested in bringing international radio program “WoodSongs” to headline the festival and garner worldwide exposure for Eureka Springs. The Folk Festival has not made a profit in at least the last 12 years, Bright said.

The board also continued its revision of guidelines for which groups and events may receive marketing and support funds.

Marketing and support funding is money awarded by the CAPC that is supposed to be used only for advertising citywide events and festivals; requests for those funds will be considered individually at the CAPC’s next workshop scheduled for this afternoon, Wednesday Dec. 18, at 4 p.m.

The guidelines that have commissioners have vowed to stick to more closely from now on are as follows: • In accordance with state legislation regarding tourist tax dollars, all funds must be used for promotion and advertising of the event or project. At least 50 percent of adSee CAPC, page 27

9

Options for a Eureka Springs New Year’s Eve celebration

By Kristal Kuykendall Citizen.Editor.Eureka@gmail.com

A few hotels and local venues have announced their plans for New Year’s Eve parties , so you can make your plans and purchase tickets ahead of time. Following is what we’ve heard about so far; more regional NYE activities will be feature in next week’s Lively Entertainment section.

CRESCENT HOTEL The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa will host a NYE celebration in the Crystal Ballroom, featuring food, champagne, wine, live music and a magician.

The Crescent’s New Year’s Eve Dinner Party begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 with dinner being served until 11 p.m. During this time, diners can dance to the strains of the popular local jazz/ swing band Swing and a Miss, which consists of a drummer, guitarist, pianist and adept vocalist / torch singer.

From 11 o’clock to 12:30 a.m., an illusionist from Eureka Springs’ Intrigue Theater will be working the room to dazzle diners and dancers with some fascinating close-up illusions.

Of course at the stroke of 12, the magic is in the moment. Champagne corks will be popped, the bubbly will be poured for a New Year’s toast, and everyone will be invited to sing along a few lines of Auld Lang Syne. (Kissing at midnight is optional.)

Cost of the evening is $125 per couple and includes a three-course Chef Showcase Dinner, party favors, a cham-

pagne toast at midnight and all the dancing your feet can stand. Overnight packages that include the party are available for those who wisely choose to play and then stay. (Because even alcohol-influenced partygoers can safely operate an elevator.)

For tickets and information for the party only, call 479-253-9652. For reservations of overnight packages, call 800-342-9766 or go online to CrescentHotel.com.

BASIN PARK HOTEL The 1905 Basin Park Hotel has put together an evening extravaganza for Dec. 31.

The Basin Park will repeat its popular New Year’s Eve event, The Ballroom Blitz. This gala evening that begins at 8 o’clock includes the top floor party upstairs in the Barefoot Ballroom featuring Eureka Springs-based party band The Ariels; the evening will include party favors, snacks and the “highest” midnight countdown downtown with a champagne toast at the first stroke of 2014.

“It seems as though the people who like to party until the world looks flat, their hotel of choice in Northwest Arkansas has been the Basin Park, “ said Jack Moyer, hotel general manager, “which explains why our Barefoot Ballroom each NYE. is wall-to-wall with joy-filled revelers. The Ariels escalate that festive frenzy.”

Tickets only are $25 per person. To See NYE, page 25

ES School Board to meet Thursday B y K athryn L ucariello

CCNhi@cox-internet.com

EUREKA SPRINGS – It should be a brief meeting Thursday for the Eureka Springs School Board, as there are no special topics on the agenda. The agenda, however, could change.

Agenda items list the public report,

approval of minutes, approval of financial reports, principals’ reports and an executive session and personnel items.

The board will meet Thursday, Dec. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the administration building at 147 Greenwood Hollow Rd. The meeting is open to the public.

Page 10 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Editorial Rumors that make us smile, frown Word on the street is that Mayor Morris Pate has decided not to run again next year. (But that isn’t what makes us happy; we are grateful for his service and, if this rumor is true, we wish him a wonderful retirement!) The next word on the street – the one that excites us with interest – is that former Alderman Butch Berry is going to run for mayor. We hope that Berry – and anyone else who decides to run – will come forward with a distinct, fresh, specific and well-planned strategy for growing Eureka Springs’ tourism industry and for further improving our city and meeting our challenges. We need a leader who is “large and in charge”: Someone with an outspoken and active vision for the city’s future, who will bring new ideas to the table, and include everyone in the brainstorming process (even the little guys who work the front lines of our city’s biggest industry). It’s time that Eureka’s “average” residents feel like they have both a stake in and a voice in our future; we should all – particularly the employees and leaders of our tourism-related businesses – feel ownership over our successes or the lack thereof. After all, it does take a village.

The City Advertising and Promotion Commission has recently decided to stick to its guns – and actually follow the rules – on which city events and festivals receive tourism tax dollars to promote themselves. We wholeheartedly applaud this move. However, while talking about cracking down from one side of its mouth, the CAPC commissioners then moved to approve $52,000 in event funding for four major festivals, none of which have ever directly brought in revenue for the city.

In other words, they lose money each year.

Yet we are continuing to fund these events with our tax dollars – and we’re doing so without garnering any promises of improvements or changes in the event plans or budgets. In any other business environment, money-losing operations eventually are abandoned, or at the very least reviewed

and altered so they hopefully no longer lose money. It’s all of our money, and the CAPC should be better stewards of it, and stop throwing dollars at events that haven’t proven themselves worthy – while there are smaller and newer events and festivals (the Great Ozarkan Beard Off comes to mind) that have been profitable but receive little or no funding at all. Can we please re-think where we spend our tax dollars, and demand some additional accountability from the events we fund? Just an idea.

Citizen of the Week

W

Santa Claus must love Eureka Springs. He’s been seen around town several times lately, and has even sent a stand-in or two when he was feeling under the weather recently (i.e. Beau Satori helped Santa out recently, among others). What’s more, Santa sent his magical Christmas-spirit inspiration to a ton of local residents in recent weeks, prompting them to buy, gather and donate hundreds and hundreds of gifts for many of the city’s parents who lack the resources to supply their own presents. The Holiday Island Garden Club and the Angel Tree program are just two that are making a huge difference every holiday for area kids, and our residents’ generosity is heart-warming. In fact, it makes us all want pay it forward.

hen’s the last time you went to a full-service gas station? Or, when is the last time you saw an employee of a self-service gas station come out to a customer’s car, pump their gas, take their money, visit with them and listen to their stories – all with a smile and a compassionate, friendly demeanor? We saw this just a couple of weeks ago, when this week’s Citizen of the Week, Ann Blevins, made her employer, Rapid Roberts – and us – proud. We recently saw her come out to the gas pumps to help a familiar customer, an older woman wearing slippers who didn’t seem to be in good health. As she pumped the woman’s gas, Ann patiently listened to the woman as she complained of her ailments and talked about her children. Blevins, originally from Ohio but a Eurekan for a good two decades, consistently provides excellent customer service as a cashier at “Fast Bob’s,” as we like to call it. She

goes far above and beyond and is always – every single day – friendly and pleasant, despite having a pretty rough year; her husband passed away in August.

If that happened to us, we’re pretty sure we’d be a mess, not to mention grouchy and angry for a good while afterward. Not Ann. She makes us all look good to countless tourists who visit her convenience store, and she often makes residents’ days brighter. Thanks for being you, Ann! You rock.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

What do

think

Citizen Opinion by Margo Elliott

What is the total you’re spending on Christmas gifts? Is it more or less than last year?

Send your opinions to Citizen, P.O., Box 679, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, fax to (479) 253-0080 or e-mail to: citizen.editor@yahoo.com

Editorial Policy The opinions on the Editorial page are our opinions. The opinions on the Forum pages are your opinions.

All forum entries must be signed and verifiable. We reserve the right to edit submissions.

Reader: Gay Biz Guild ‘worse than race baiting’

Brittany Race

Debbie Locklin Valerie Langer

$600. Definitely more than last year.

Around $800.

We’re spending a little more than last year.

“Catwoman”

Larry Rodgers “McD’s Tech”

I’m spending about $2,500. It’s more than last year. I’ve got a very lucky granddaughter!

“Debbie-Do”

Wilson David (yes, Wilson David) “Billy McD”

About $600. It’s more than last year.

“Wine Girl”

About $200. It is less than last year.

Bill Stocker

“No Nick Name”

I’m spending 8% more than last year.

This town / nation is way too divided already.

Several years ago I worked in a shop downtown.

Some guy came in one day asking where a (gay owned) business was. I pointed right across the street. My reaction wasn’t what he wanted, so he pried and tried to get my personal opinion of the place and “What kind of people are they?”

I told him very objectively, I didn’t know them. It was definitely a set up. From then on, I started referring to some of them as “the gay mafia,” a term I picked up from another business owner.

So yeah, (regarding the previous letter’s call for a new heterosexual-only business guild) count me in. Why not open a straight resort or motel too? This is worse than race baiting.

— Andy McWilliams Eureka Springs

Reader: Gay Biz Guild aims to lift Eureka Springs up In regards to Elaine Van Natta’s letter published Dec. 12 in the Citizen: The Eureka Springs Gay Business Guild is NOT A gay only organization; she is welcome to join.

It was formed because gay businesses were not getting any, or very few, ads placed where they wanted them.

This guild was put together so we can do what we

feel is best for our business. If I am not mistaken I think ESGBG voted to be a member of the Chamber as well, I could be wrong.

If Ms. Van Natta feels she is NOT getting what she wants from the Chamber, by all means go ahead and start her own guild.

The goal here is to lift Eureka Springs up, not to exclude anyone.

– Ken Riley

Reader: Gay Biz Guild open to everyone, is needed This letter is in response to Elaine Van Natta’s sarcastic bashing of the Gay Business Guild.

Ms. Van Natta, how many protests have you joined in about lesbian and gay discrimination? Were you at Stonewall? Do you confront discrimination every time you see or hear it? Do you think that because we have a Black president, racism is over?

You completely misunderstand the reason for the Gay Business Guild. ... Yes, Eureka is a bit more “gay-friendly” than, say, Huntsville, but the Guild was formed to support each other and make a comfortable space for lesbian and gay shoppers who cannot be “out” in their hometowns.

We had to fight the right-wingers here in your very own “gay-friendly town” to get the domestic partnership passed. Daily, lesbians and gay men have to deal with attitudes like yours. Go ahead and start a

Citizen Survey

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION

What is the total you’re spending on Christmas gifts? Is it more or less than last year?

m I never took them down last year!: 5.0% (3 votes)

m Less than last year; holidays are too expensive! m More than last year; woo hoo, we love Christmas! m Nothing, I’m flat broke this Christmas. :( Go to www.lovelycitizen.com and weigh in.

11

See Forum, page 25 37 votes cast

When will you put up your holiday decorations? m I will get around to it by Christmas.: 10.0% (6 votes) m As soon as I possibly can.: 30.0% (18 votes) m I’m not really into decorating for Christmas.: 55.0% (33 votes) Go to www.lovelycitizen.com and weigh in. Vote by Wednesday 9 a.m.

Page 12 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Santa’s little helpers to get a workshop?

By Jennifer Jackson

JJackson.Citizen@gmail.com

Photo by Jennifer Jackson

The Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Department would like to turn the unused building next to the office into a workshop with space for storage.

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Darrell Backs and Pat Lujan worked hard getting Eureka’s holiday decorations out of storage, sorting through boxes and creating stunning displays at the entrance to town and around the springs.

With the decorations up, Santa’s Little Helpers, as Backs and Lujan are jokingly known at the Parks Department, are turning their attention to other projects, including making fence posts for the new dog park. Needing a place out of the weather to set up a power saw, they realized the unused building next to the parks office would make a good workshop. At Monday’s Parks Commission meeting, commissioners voted to ask the city council to transfer management of the building, which has been sitting unused for three years, back to parks for a workshop for Santa’s Little Helpers.

The building was last used for a children’s program that the city operated. The only expense would be a nominal amount for electricity and insurance, parks director Bruce Levine said.

“There is no downside to us taking back that building,” Levine said.

Also at Monday’s meeting, commissioner Ferguson Stewart reported that the goose management plan at Lake Leatherwood City Park seems to be working.

Stewart said he has not seen any signs of nesting, and parks director Bruce Levine said Canada the geese seem to be wintering elsewhere, and haven’t been seen in

the park during the last month. The presence of a flock of about two dozen geese, who take up residence on the swimming beach, creates a pollution problem in the water and on land, closing the beach to swimmers in the summer. The goose management calls for measures that will scare the geese away, including a “Predator” eye hung in a tree on the beach, and a guard gator off shore in the water. The geese may return, however.

“Next spring will be the real test,” Levine said.

The commissioners also discussed the pros and cons of a proposed Eagle Scout project to create a remote campsite on an island in Lake Leatherwood. Levine said parks will start putting together a list of policies addressing safety issues, sanitation and other concerns regarding management of remote campsites, and that commissioners has several months to consider the Island Camp proposal. Levine also said the Trails Committee is meeting every week to two weeks, with the goal of having the Trails Master Plan ready for presentation to the public in January.

Monday’s commission meeting, chaired

by Bill Featherstone, was moved up an hour because of the Christmas parade, and committee reports postponed. The meeting was followed by a public hearing on a request to vacate Sweeny Alley between Douglas and the Water Street right-of-way, which was approved. The Eureka Springs Parks Commission meets on the third Monday at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse. The next meeting is Jan. 20.

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December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

13

Photos by Chip Ford

Living Windows offer (holiday) peek into area stores

Judith Ann Griffith poses with one of the many figures honoring the Divine Spirit that she encounters daily in the woods and the garden during her show at Eureka Thyme on Saturday during the gallery stroll.

Beau Satori fills in for Kris Kringle at the Fine Art of Romance during their Living Windows display on Saturday.

Tamarah Jonason poses as a living window display at Eureka Thyme.

Lilah Stiger handles her candy cane with experience.

FAR LEFT: Samantha Miller, 17, dressed in elf attire poses in the window of Bare Feet.

CENTER: A passerby’s jaw drops as she views the scantly clad ladies in the window of The Fine Art of Romance.

ABOVE: Mother and daughter, Shirley Gregory of Garfield and Katie Garcia of Pea Ridge sip a cup of hot chocolate at Bridgeford House during the 7th Annual Bed and Breakfast Inns of Eureka Springs Sweet Treat Tour.

Page 14 – Lovely County Citizen – October 24, 2013 Photos by Chip Ford

Parade of Lights evokes Eureka’s Christmas spirit

The annual Christmas Parade was finally held on Monday evening after rescheduling due to winter weather. The streets were packed with locals and tourist alike, yes even on a Monday night. Eureka loves parades!

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

15

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The Chamber has announced the winners of the Christmas Parade of Lights: In First place are Arvest Bank - Commercial; Academy of Excellence - Non-profit; and Gina Galina Yarn Bomb - Other. In Second place are the Crescent Hotel - Commercial; Krewe of Krazo - Other; Grandview Baptist Church - Non-profit. In Third place are Pasteleria Bakery - Commercial; Beaver Lake Baptist Church - Non-profit; Steve Holst Dragon - Other. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks for making our Parade of Lights a spectacular and fun-filled holiday tradition.

The Bling in the Springs holiday lighting contest judging was a bit delayed due to the weather, but the residential winners are Greg and Nancy Bartlett at 4 Oakridge Drive. The commercial winners are Clyde & Gay Hawkins at Kettle Campground on Highway 62 East. The Eureka Springs CAPC wishes to thank all of our participants that “lit up” Eureka Springs for our guests this holiday season.

TOP: Karen Pryor of the Eureka Springs CAPC with Commercial Lighting winners Gay & Clyde Hawkins of Kettle Campground. BELOW: The home of the Bartletts, who were unavailable for photos.

Photos submitted

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Page 16 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013 Photos by Chip Ford The John TwoHawks 10th Annual Christmas Concert was held at The Aud in Eureka Springs this afternoon. The concert was rescheduled from 7th due to weather conditions. The concert celebrates the magic of this sacred season and featured the Gravette Jr. High Youth Choir along with John Two–Hawks.

Gloria Stevens, left, poses in elf attire alongside Rock Cottage Gardens owner Kathy Pickowitz during the Holiday Sweet Treats Tour. Kathy and her husband Steve made a bevy of delectable treats including gingerbread men, ricciarelli and spitzbuben. The cottage was also in the Tour of Homes which was also running Saturday.

The Eureka Springs Garden Club converged at the Eureka Springs Elementary School on Tuesday morning to meet up with the PreK classes. The ladies toted in 40 bags filled to the brim with toys and presents for each and every child in the class. The bags also included copious amounts of warm clothing too. “It’s a really cool surprise for the kids and we love doing it!”, one gardener said as she made her way down the hallway.

This is the brain child of Eurekan Georgette Garner and is in it’s 8th year. Pictured is Frances Davilla, Angelique, Martha Tancre, Mary Ott and Mariellen Griffith as they are surrounded by the combined PreK classes.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

17

Have scope, will travel Bird watcher goes on the wing for hobby

By Jennifer Jackson

JJackson.Citizen@gmail.com

J Pat Valentik has been hooked on bird watching since 1990, when he visited the Aransas, Texas, Wildlife Refuge.

Climbing a watch tower, he looked out over the mud flats and saw the whooping cranes.

“Something clicked,” Valentik said.

“Bird watching became an important part of my life.”

Since then, he has made road trips all over the country, camping in his car and getting up before dawn to spend the day in search of species to add to his life list.

He’s visited every state except Hawaii multiple times, and for the past three or four years, has moved into the “Big Year” league of bird watchers, sighting more than 400 species a year.

But for Valentik, it’s not about setting a record or capturing the bird on film. It’s about the experience.

“There are hundreds of photographs of birds out there,” he said, “but there is only one memory in my head of being there.”

Last March, he took off on a threemonth trip to Alaska, driving up the west coast of the United States and British Columbia. There, he spent dawn to dusk outdoors, dusk being 9 or 10 p.m. that

close to the Arctic Circle. He was rewarded with a sighting of a rock ptarmigan, a new bird for his list, in a mountain pass.

“The male is pure white with red stoplights for eyebrows,” Valentik said. “It was worth it – it was cold, 5 degrees above zero.”

The cold was a good thing – Alaska had had an unusually stormy spring, which blew birds inland from the Aleutian islands – some 1,000 miles from where they usually are, he said. He saw the Eurasian Hobby, the Bristle-thighed Curlew, a Red-throated pippet and in Fairbanks, a whole flock of Bohemian waxwings, a northern bird he had sought for years.

“The Bohemian waxwing is twice as beautiful as the cedar waxwing,” Valentik said. “They were a knock-out.”

He’s also seen California condors flying, something he discovered by accident while driving back roads in California. Realizing he was in a wildlife refuge in the Los Padres National Forest, the last place condors existed in the wild, he looked up and saw condors flying in the distance. Getting out his spotting scope, he watched the birds, which had probably been been captured and released in the area.

Closer to home, Valentik spent every Sunday for five years compiling a list

Winter birds at Lake Leatherwood

By Jennifer Jackson

JJackson.Citizen@gmail.com

Here is a list of birds commonly sighted at Lake Leatherwood City Park in winter, compiled from regular surveys over five years by J Pat Valentik.

For the complete list, see park master plan.

• Pied-billed Grebe, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead • Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk • American Coot, Red-bellied Wood-

pecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker • Ruby-throated Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren • Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Carolina Chickadee • Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay • American Crow, American Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler • Chipping sparrow, Song sparrow, White-throated sparrow • Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal

Photo by Chip Ford

J. Pat Valentik has been hooked on bird watching since 1990. He soon embarks on a trip north to further pursue his naturalist’s hobby.

of birds seen at Lake Leatherwood City Park, and also built the bird-watching blind there. Last weekend, he was off to Fayetteville for the Christmas Bird Count, then he planned to head north, going as far as Sioux City, South Dakota, hitting five or six Christmas Bird Counts as he goes. The activity is only informally competitive, Valentik said, “People hope they will see more species than they did the year before,” he said, “or a new species never seen in that count before. That’s a big score. “ Valentik has done it several times.

Once was in the Slidell, Lousiana, CBC, when he spotted a black-bellied whistling duck. Annual bird counts are the best way to see new species, Valentik said, because out-of-town birders are paired with locals who knows the best places to go. In a western Oklahoma CBC, he was teamed with a birder who knew every rancher in the county, so had access to places Valentik didn’t know existed.

When he travels by himself, he looks for open water, grain fields or other habSee Valentik, page 21

Have you counted your birds?

By Jennifer Jackson

JJackson.Citizen@gmail.com

The Christmas Bird Count consists of one-day bird counts held Dec. 14 through Jan. 5 by local Audubon clubs. Pre-registration is required. Bird watchers meet and are assigned to cover part of a circle, 15 miles in diameter, around the base location.

People living within the circle can also register, count birds on their property and send in their data. There is no fee to participate.

The Christmas Bird Count started in 1900 as an alternative to the holiday tradition of a “side hunt,” in which people chose sides, then went out and shot as many birds as they could. The side with the most dead birds won, providing outdoor exercise at the expense of the bird population.

The Christmas Bird Count provides an early winter census of birds in North America. The next bird census is the Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 14 through Feb. 17.

Page 18 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Village View

Alison

By Sandra TaylorSynar Brown

As I write this, evidence of the winter storm is still visible. But through it all, I had electricity and all my beloved conveniences.

I even had internet, and several holiday stories arrived during the storm, as Village Writers took advantage of our forced seclusion to do their part in the Village Writing School project of telling holiday stories for residents of Peachtree and Green Forest retirement communities. Stories #1 and #2 are in December 5 Lovely County Citizen. Story #3 is in this week’s Carroll County News Midweek Edition.

This is a challenge for even a seasoned writer, for when one sits down across from the storyteller, one has no idea what they are going to share. But when you read these stories as a collection, one thing stands clear about this “greatest generation.” They overcame a lot to build lives of joy and grace, as the stories on this and the facing page illustrate.

A season for sharing

I

• Holiday Story #4• Told by Sally Marcus to Darlene Simmons n 1920, Christmas morning brought snow so deep it covered the few automobiles lining the street where the eleven members of the Marcus family lived. December in Chicago is ruled by bitter cold. Freezing temperatures paired with the city’s famous wind carried discomfort into every building, aching into every bone. In the Marcus home, heated only by a wood stove, cold became a living thing, settling itself into every corner and deepening as the day grew darker.

Times were hard all over. Even though the Great War had ground to a stop through Armistice, a grief-stricken world suffered from loss of stability. Missed opportunities and loss of loved ones developed into uncertainty, then deepened into fear fed by power struggles throughout the world.

Sally Marcus was eight that Christmas; her sister Delores was two years younger.

None of the nine siblings ever possessed anything of their own. Everything had to be shared. Sally and Delores shared a bed, a room, clothes, chores, and whatever they could find to play with. In such a large family, there was no tolerance for a child who would not share. This Christmas, the importance of sharing would hit home especially hard.

Sally’s father supported the family of eleven by carpentry work, while his wife cleaned and cooked, and cared for child after child as the family grew. Sally and her siblings always had something to

fill their stomachs, but many nights, one potato dish followed another. Even the Christmas meal provided nothing special that year. There were no gifts under the tree because there was no tree; the family could ill afford such luxuries. Nor was there room for even a small evergreen in the tiny residence.

This Christmas Day, Sally watched the little girl across the street receiving gifts wrapped in colorful glory; she saw the new bicycle on the porch. Was she jealous? Resentful? Not really; she had learned not to expect Christmas to be any different from any other day. The one exception was that the family went to Our Lady of the Snows.

Sally was late to church that Christmas, because the deep drifts impeded her progress. The alter boy’s voice sang out, accompanied by the chime of his golden bell. Come quickly. . .Jesus doesn’t wait. . . Sally could hear the stamp of his feet on the doorstep.

After the family’s lunch, there was an unexpected knock on the door. Little Delores found her godfather looming in the opening, and in his arm rested a doll. This was not a baby doll, but a beautiful and glamorous girl doll, dressed in finery, with a coat of vermillion velvet, starched petticoats as white as the snow on the windowsill, and shiny black patent-leather shoes.

Delores had received a gift, a treasure none of the Marcus children had experienced before.

Delores played with the doll for what seemed like hours, perhaps gloating a bit

about her fortune. Her sisters, especially Sally, impatiently watched on, eager for their turns.

Delores didn’t want to share—this was HER DOLL—hers alone, not her sisters’!

At last, the building tension between the girls exploded and a struggle ensued.

Sally could wait no more. She could barely hold back her tears of frustration.

“Let me have it!” She was older one; she should have a doll before Delores!

Life, once again, was not fair!

Sally grabbed the doll away, holding it high beyond Delores’ reach.

“Sally took away my doll! Momma!... that doll is MINE!” And that terrible but necessary lesson that all children must learn presented itself on that cold Christmas Day in 1920.

Mother Marcus pulled the precious doll from Sally’s arms, opened the door of the wood stove, and flung it into the flames.

Her face was flushed with anger.

“Now neither of you will have the doll!

This is what happens to children who cannot share!”

A few tears may have fallen, but Sally only recalls being resigned to receiving nothing special for Christmas, that holiday or any other.

Decades passed. Sally and Delores led productive and enjoyable lives apart from one another. But as the two approached retirement, they decided to once again combine their lives. A house was jointly purchased, and furniture and décor neatly melded into one cozy home. The two sisters worked side by side in the household; they combined finances and alternated the chores of cooking, cleaning, and gardening. As the years went by, Sally and Delores passed their days in warm companionship. In the end, they truly had learned how to share.

•••

Alison Taylor-Brown has an MFA in Fiction and a lifetime of teaching experience from preschool to university levels. She directs The Village Writing School, whose mission is to foster the development of area writers through workshops, writers’ circles, and coaching. Her column, Village View, appears weekly. To talk to Alison about your writing goals and dreams, contact her at alisontaylorbrown@me.com or 479 292-3665.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

The Village Writing School Olde World Joy – New World Peace

T

• Holiday Story #5• Inge Stefanovic as told to Linda Summersea here is a lovely old city in Germany on the river Ems near the Netherlands border called “Lingen (Ems)”.

Set in the midst of low foothills, Lingen has the storybook appearance that we traditionally associate with the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales— medieval half-timbered and brick buildings, lederhosen-clad festivalgoers, fragrant forests and flowery fields. But Christmas!—oh ja!—that is when Lingen truly comes alive.

Inge Stefanovic was born there and lived in Lingen for most of her life. She was the firstborne of four children in a family of two girls and two boys. When asked about a favorite Christmas, she remembered most the enthusiasm and gladness of her mother’s pre-holiday preparations.

Inge’s light blue eyes—as bright as her baby blue cable-knit cardigan— twinkled with delight as she shared her memories of a family Christmas in Lingen. Her mother loved everything about decorating and preparing the traditional German Christmas foods. “She said it was special to have all of her children come for Christmas,” said Inge.

Inge, who managed a hair salon, was an unmarried daughter still living at home. While she and the other children were at work, her mother would begin very early and on Christmas Eve there was a generous menu of Sauerbraten , schweinebraten, her delicious blumenkohl (cauliflower) with cream sauce, any number of traditional side dishes, plus half-rye & rye breads, pfeffernüsse, and a Christmas stollen dotted with bits of candied fruits, raisins, walnuts and almonds. Vanilla and chocolate puddings with sauce were the Christmas desserts that Inge liked best.

The meal always began with a glass of wine for each of the guests. “Just one glass,” Inge laughed. “My mother’s rule was one glass of wine only. Well, maybe a little more, sometimes. . .” she added playfully.

The family’s tradition included attending Midnight Mass at St. Boniface or other Catholic churches where her children participated in the Nativity scene, and then, on Christmas morning, the exchange of Christmas gifts.

19

To support our local writers, the Lovely County Citizen is providing space each week to showcase a student of The Village Writing School.

For more information, email alisontaylorbrown@me.com or call (479) 292-3665

This Week’s Writers: Darlene Simmons Linda Summersea

Lingen (Ems)

Their immediate family would be there, plus friends and other relatives too.

“Each year,” Inge said, “the Christmas tree would get bigger and bigger.” The German outdoor markets famously overflow with a vast selection of regional gifts at Christmas, and Lingen is no exception. So there was always another batch of ornaments carried home from the Christmas market that needed to be added to the tree—thus the bigger and bigger trees.

Near the market, against a backdrop of ice skaters gracefully circling the skating rink in front of the town hall or warming their hands with cups of hot chocolate, Inge and her family enjoyed the shops with their displays of nutcrackers—“der nussknacker”, wooden toys, Steiff bears, cuckoo clocks and more. Scents of schnitzel, bratwurst and torten wafted from the surrounding cafes and restaurants where shoppers enjoyed the season with a hearty meal.

Then war came. But with it, Milan Stefanovic, fleeing the Communists in his native Yugoslavia. In Lingen, he met and married Inge and became a welcome participant in their annual celebrations.

“But was there,” we asked, “a very special Christmas that stands out from the rest?”

Indeed, there was.

Inge remembered, quite spontaneously, that there was one very special Christmas when her sister had a baby. Her mother’s first grandchild was born on Christmas Eve! And so it was that Inge’s family celebrated the birth of a tiny baby on a cold, clear Christmas Eve that sparkled with a bright star reflecting in the shimmering waters of the river Ems. New life, new hope.

What greater gift could they have had to commemorate the Joyous Season of Christmas?

When Inge Stefanovic and her husband Milan came to America from East Germany in August 1956, with their two children Vera and Mario, they brought a selection of their ornaments from Lingen and continued to celebrate the German Christmas traditions in the U.S. Inge and Milan were very proud to become U.S. citizens, and Milan always said that there was no better place to live in the world. He has since passed on, but Inge’s daughter, Vera Nanna, and her husband Dave make Holiday Island their home. Milan’s goal in bringing the family to America was “to live a peaceful life.”

It was the right move. Inge is very happy here.

Everything You Need to Write a Beautiful Book 2014 Writing Craft Core Curriculum January 18 – The First Page How to Begin To Outline or Not? Narrative Arc Research Asking the Right Questions Writing Rules to Live By February 15 – Nuts and Bolts The Sentence Diction Phrases Sound Devices Style Narrative Urgency March 15 – People & Place Setting

More than a Place Friend or Foe? Characters 13 Ways to Make them Memorable Dialogue—do it right April 19 – Subtext, High Events, Closing Below the Surface of Story, Plot, Context Implicit Narrative Weaving the Dramatic & the Subtle Two Mistakes with High Events Endings can Culminate or Imply Continuation Ending Literal or From Afar?

May or June TBA – Self-Editing

All workshops will be held at the Village Writing School at 177 Huntsville Road.

Cost is $45 per all-day workshop or $200 for the complete series of five. For more information or to register, contact Alison Taylor-Brown at alisontaylorbrown@ me.com or 479 292-3665.

Page 20 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Lively Entertainment

By Kristal Kuykendall

By Kristal Kuykendall

A Christmas party and caroling

F

ollowing are my recommendations for the best live music in Eureka Springs this weekend: FRIDAY After the Christmas party at Chelsea’s Corner Cafe & Bar (which will also include a caroling crawl through downtown), check out the Whistle Pigs, one of the Midwest’s friendliest and most popular Americana trios, at Chelsea’s.

Whistle Pigs’ live shows, consisting of vocal harmonies, banjo, accordion, and upright bass, are energetic yet humorous and interactive, making them suitable for the sit-down crowd as well the dancers and the drinkers.

Traveling over 70,000 miles and playing about 200 shows annually, the Whistle Pigs have shared the stage with the likes of The Legendary Shack Shakers, Split Lip Rayfield and Black Oak Arkansas while playing at a wide range of venues, from Yonder

Mountain String Band’s Harvest Festival to bars and dives, weddings and fish fries.

The Pigs combine old-timey, honkytonk musical sensibilities on such originals as “I’m Broke,” “Alcohol,” and “Keep On Dreaming” throughout both of their fulllength albums, the self-produced “Long Term Plan” (2009) and their debut album on Mudstomp Records, “Bless Your Hearts and Livers” (2010).

The Whistle Pigs will begin their show around 9 p.m. Admission is $5; open to ages 21 and up. Chelsea’s is located at 10 Mountain St., on the corner of Mountain and Center downtown. 479-253-6723.

SATURDAY Earl & Them, which performs Saturday at Chelsea’s, is led by the infamous Earl Cates of The Cate Brothers; he was listed in Steve Cropper’s Top Ten Guitar Players of All Time, after gaining fame with his twin Ernie as The Cate Brothers.

LARGEST SELECTION OF

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Writing and performing music for five decades, he has a unique style of playing that sets him apart, and his level of experience and professionalism is unmatched. He’s played and toured with Levon Helm and The Band, Crosby Stills and Nash, Bo Diddley, Little Feat and many others. His bands have shared the stage with Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Boz Skaggs, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many other rock legends of our time.

And, we would be remiss if we did not note the outstanding vocalist who sits in with Earl and Them frequently, Baby Jason, and the band’s excellent new-ish bassist, John Davies, who previously toured the globe with the Michael Burks Blues Band. What a group of amazing musicians!

Earl and Them’s show will begin around 9 p.m. Open to ages 21 and up; admission is $5.

SATURDAY If blues-rock is not your thing and you’d like something a little more classic-country, go see the Strange Derangers Saturday evening at Rowdy Beaver Den. The band, formerly known as Catfish Jackson, will headline a show of classic-country and old-blues sounds with four Come Party & Dance Underground

talented musicians.

Hailing from the Fayetteville area, Strange Derangers has been surprising audiences with their raw, fresh approach to popular blues, rock and roll, and country tunes from decades past.

With a healthy mix of originals and covers, Strange Derangers pays tribute to their heroes and influences, including Freddy King, Waylon Jennings, Willie Dixon, Levon Helm, and Dr. John, to name a few.

The Strange Derangers are a versatile band, able to play to audiences of all types.

As individuals, each member brings a unique style to the table.

Frontman Richard Burnett – also a frequent solo performer at Cathouse/Pied Piper – is well-schooled in both acoustic and electric guitar, as well as harmonica. His background includes membership in legendary Arkansas bands such as Pope County Bootleggers, Honeyshine, and The Shackrats.

Paul Burnham (Shindig Shop) is a regional hero to anyone that has had the pleasure to hear his versatile approach to piano. Jason Young and Chuck Haight round out the rhythm section with tight, booming bass and drums, with an irresistible groove that will

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December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

21

almost surely prompt everyone at Chelsea’s to get up and dance.

Strange Derangers’ show begins around 9 p.m. and will end around 1 a.m. Rowdy Beaver Den is located at 45 Spring St., 479363-6444. Open to ages 21 and up.

Following is the complete schedule of entertainment at Eureka Springs venues for the coming week. Merry Christmas!

THURSDAY, DEC. 19 • Blarney Stone, 85 S. Main St., 479-3636633: Open Mic, 8 p.m. to midnight • Cathouse / Pied Piper, 82 Armstrong St., 479-363-9976: Naughty P.J. Party FRIDAY, DEC. 20 • Blarney Stone: Blind Driver, 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

• Cathouse / Pied Piper: Adam Johnston, 8 p.m.

• Chaser’s, 169 E. Van Buren, 479-2535522: Live Music, 9 p.m.

• Chelsea’s, 10 Mountain St., 479-253-6723: Christmas Party & Caroling Crawl, 5

p.m.; The Whistle Pigs, 9 p.m.

• Eureka Live!, 35 N. Main St., 479-2537020: DJ & Dancing, 9 p.m. to close • Eureka Paradise, 75 S. Main St., 479-3636574: DJ & Dance music, 8 p.m.

• Henri’s Just One More, 19 1/2 Spring St., 479-253-5795: Juke Box, 9 p.m.

• Jack’s Place, 37 Spring St., 479-2532219: Karaoke with DJ Goose & Maverick, 8 p.m. to midnight • Legends Saloon (Lumberyard), 105 E. Van Buren, 479-253-2500: The George Brothers, 9 p.m. to midnight • New Delhi Cafe, 2 N. Main St., 479253-2525: Mike & Grady, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

• Rowdy Beaver Den, 45 Spring St., 479363-6444: Ride Shy, 8 p.m.

• Rowdy Beaver Tavern, 417 W. Van Buren, 479-253-8544: Live Music, 7 p.m.

• Squid & Whale, 37 Spring St., 479-2537147: Live Music, 9 p.m.

• Voulez-Vous Lounge, 63 Spring St.,

479-363-6595: Jesse Dean; Left of Center, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 21 • Blarney Stone: Sam Clanton, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Little Zero, 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

• Cathouse / Pied Piper: 21st Charles Cole Pate, 9 p.m.

• Chaser’s: Ozark Thunder, 9 p.m.

• Chelsea’s: Earl & Them, 9 p.m.

• Eureka Live!: DJ & Dancing 9 p.m. to close • Eureka Paradise: DJ & Dance music, 8 p.m.

• Henri’s Just One More: Juke Box, 9 p.m.

• Jack’s Place: Karaoke with DJ Goose & Maverick, 8 p.m. to midnight • Legends Saloon (Lumberyard): The George Brothers, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

• New Delhi Cafe: Kevin Riddle, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; John Henry & Friends, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

• Rowdy Beaver Den: Strange Derangers, 8 p.m.

• Rowdy Beaver Tavern: Karaoke with Jerry, 7:00 p.m.

• Squid & Whale: Live Music, 9 p.m.

• Voulez-Vous Lounge: Jesse Dean; Left of Center, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 22 • Blarney Stone: Pro Football Game Day • Chaser’s: Pro Football Game Day • Chelsea’s: Ratliff Dean, 7 p.m.

• Eureka Paradise: Local night • Jack’s Place: Pro Football with Dylan • Rowdy Beaver Den: Open Mic with Jesse Dean, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Rowdy Beaver Tavern: Pro Football Game Day with free pool • Squid & Whale: Pro Football Game Day MONDAY, DEC. 23 • Blarney Stone: Pro Football night • Chaser’s: Pro Football night and pool tournament • Chelsea’s: Springbilly, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 24 • Chaser’s: Game Challenge night

Dispatch

contact with the subjects involved, who denied there had been an altercation. The inn manager said he would contact the police if there was damage done to the door frame. t3:12 a.m. – A noise complaint call came in on Benton Street. An officer responded.

Sounds like they turned the music down.

3:45 a.m. – The alarm went off at a local discount store. An officer responded and advised the store had been broken into. Maybe it wasn’t Santa after all.

9:42 a.m. – The alarm went off at Pig Trail Kart and Golf. Officers responded and checked the building – all was secure.

9:43 a.m. – A complainant advised that he noticed damage to the back bumper of his vehicle at a local hotel. Officers responded and took a report. So much for no hit and runs.

3:22 p.m. – A citation was issued for a car parked in front of a fire hydrant on Spring Street. You can’t park there!

3:31 p.m. – An erratic driver was reported crossing the center line without a tag.

7:08 p.m. – A report was taken on a one-vehicle accident at 62 and Rockhouse, near the ECHO Clinic.

Dec. 15 4:58 a.m. – The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office called to report a woman refusing to leave a local hotel. An officer responded, and the unwanted female was told to leave

and left. Sometimes you just don’t want to go home – but you can’t stay here!

10:04 a.m. – An officer assisted a motorist that was stuck on Victoria Woods. Chains, people!

10:24 a.m. – An officer assisted four or five more motorists, this time in getting down Magnetic Road. Sometimes it’s just best to close the road, too.

1:11 p.m. – An officer had a vehicle towed from U.S. Highway 62 near Caribe.

That curvy road is probably not the best place to park your car.

7:36 p.m. – The CCSO advised of a possible domestic dispute at a local motel.

Upon arrival, an officer found it was only a verbal argument and the male was gone.

8:18 p.m. – Also at that same motel, a complainant advised he had clothes stolen from the laundry. He hung up on the officer during the call. Must have found his clothes!

Continued from page 2

stairs entranceway. She said it happened once two weeks ago and that it appeared as though someone tried to do it again. An officer took a report. If at first you don’t succeed at breaking in… try and fail again?

10:55 p.m. – A woman called in about a domestic dispute between her and her husband, saying he hit her. The husband was arrested for third-degree domestic battery and three counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.

Dec. 12 9:12 a.m. – Officer Jones went to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to pick up Michael Anderson on a ESPD warrant for failure to appear. He was arrested by the Fayetteville Police Department on the warrant. Anderson was brought to Eureka Springs and booked in.

11:29 a.m. – A caller reported a deer hit by a car with a broken leg. An officer and animal control responded, but could not locate the deer. Booooo.

Dec. 13 10:27 a.m. – A caller advised of a white male subject kicking in the door of Room 115 at the a local Swiss-themed motel. He advised the male subject left on foot, eastbound, wearing a hoodie. Officers made

Valentik

Continued from page 17

itat. He also pours through birding guide books beforehand, entering the recommended sites into a computer mapping program, then travels with the laptop on the passenger seat. His blog, Bird Traveling, can be accessed by looking for his name on blogspot.

He recorded every trip for eight to 10 years, he said, although the blog is not currently up to date. Valentik said he has seen half of the birds in 15 states, which used to be the qualification for being on the Big Year list. Computer programs have opened up the list to whoever wants to enter their name

and number of sightings, he said.

Valentik is used to roughing it – growing up in Butler, Mo., he spent 40 to 50 nights a year camping in the woods with the Boy Scouts, his friends or by himself. When he was a teenager, his family moved to a rural area in eastern Pennsylvania. A psychologist by education, he discovered Eureka Springs in 1973, and falling in love with it, moved here and bought property in 1976.

Valentik did work for a while in New Mexico, he said, where he was living when he made the trip in 1990 to Texas and saw the whooping cranes.

They remain the most unusual bird he has ever seen.

Page 22 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Calendar of Events Through Dec. 23: Snow Train Village display

Dairy Hollow, 515 Spring St. Everyone is welcome.

The Eureka Springs Carnegie Library’s Snow Train Village display at the Annex building will be open every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. through Dec. 20.

The display will also be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 22.

Beginning Dec. 15, it will also be open Mondays through Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m., with the final evening on Dec. 23. The enchanting exhibit consists of more than 300 miniature buildings and includes three town squares depicting architecture of days gone by. There are also three Lionel model train sets, a Lionel trolley and many other surprises.

Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children. For more information, call 479253-9417.

The public is invite to a book signing

by Mariellen Griffith of her book “Journey in Nature: Haiku and Photographic Expressions” on Dec. 21 from noon to 6 p.m. at Eureka Thyme, located in downtown Eureka Springs on Spring Street.

Food and drinks will be served.

Dec. 25: Christmas Dinner at ECHO Christmas Dinner will be served on Christmas Day at the ECHO dining room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no charge for the dinner and everyone is welcome. The dinner is sponsored

by Flint Street Fellowship. Please call 479-253-4945 if you would like to volunteer to help or if you need a ride.

Dec. 19: Poetluck hosts two speakers

Jan. 8: Bischoff settlement Q&A for HI residents

At our Christmas Poetluck on Dec. 19, Poetluck at the Writers’ Colony will host guest speakers and writers Peggy Kjelgaard and Woody Barlow, reading from their recently published books.

Kjelgaard’s book, “Birthmark of Evil,” delivers a message of strength and empowerment to people trapped in a highpaced, greed-oriented and power-driven lifestyle. In particular, the book targets women embarking on a journey toward personal fulfillment and happiness. Barlow’s book, “Tarzan Wore Chaps,” is a coming-of-age memoir. After surviving polio and an eye operation, a 10-year-old boy escapes into a world of imagination where Tarzan rules the escarpment, and witches lurk behind shuttered windows.

The authors will read for 10 minutes each and will share some of their publishing adventures. Local writers will then be invited to read for up to four minutes each. The readings follow a potluck dinner, so bring some food and some writing to share with other bookworms and fans of the written word. Poetluck takes place every third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at The Writers’ Colony at

Dec. 21: Mariellen Griffith book signing

Attorney Timothy Hutchinson, who represented David Bischoff in Bischoff v. HISID, will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Clubhouse to answer questions about the lawsuit settlement. The public is invited.

Jan. 11: Elks Hoop Shoot

The annual Elks Hoop Shoot will be held at noon on Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Eureka Springs Middle School gymnasium. The Hoop Shoot is a free-throw shooting contest for boys and girls in the following age groups: 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. The schools participating will be Berryville, Cassville, Eureka Springs, Green Forest and Huntsville. The winners from each school will compete in Eureka Springs to determine a winner in each age division. Trophies will be awarded to each 1st- and 2nd-place shooter. The winners will advance to the state Hoop Shoot to be held on Feb. 1 in Hot Springs. For more information, call Paul Kiessling at 479-253-2584.

Our favorite event this week!

The Ozarks hills will come alive with the sound of holiday music on Friday, Dec. 20 when the annual Home for the Holidays Concert takes place in The Aud at 32 S. Main St. Local Eureka Springs singers and groups will perform songs of the season.

The wide variety of musical acts include Gravel Yard Blue Grass, Don

Jan. 17: Bereavement Support Group

The Eureka Springs Bereavement Support Group will meet on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Flora Roja Community Acupuncture Clinic, 119 Wall St. The group is for bereaved parents, and it uses image-making in an art therapy approach to grieving. Workshops are facilitated by Linda Maiella and board-certified art therapist Budhi Whitebear. For more information call 479-253-1229 or 479-790-0400.

A donation of $10 to $35 is suggested.

Jan. 23-25: Calling filmmakers for Winter Film Festival

The 2014 Eureka Springs Winter Film Festival is seeking submissions of independent films. The festival is scheduled for Jan. 23-25, in the historic City Auditorium located at 36 S. Main Street. The ESWFF aspires to promote and encourage independent filmmakers of all ages and celebrates the art of filmmaking in the community and beyond. Film categories are drama, comedy, documentary, art film and animation. The length of film can be from five to 30 minutes. Deadline for submissions is Dec. 31. The entry fee is $25, and the film format is digital. For more information, please visit our website, eurekaspringswinterfilmfest.com, or call Teresa DeVito at 479-363-8185.

Feb. 21-23: First Responder Conference

Eureka Springs Fire and EMS is proud to once again host the annual Midwest First Responder Conference. This conference is a special three-day event de-

Matt & Scott Thompson, Pearl Brick, Catherine Reed, Nick Rorick, Michael Garrett, Cyndi Corkran with Ron Sumner, John Wiley, Mayor Morris Pate and more.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and show time is 7 to 9 p.m. There is no charge to attend the concert. For more information call 479-253-7333.

signed for those who serve in any fire and EMS response capacity. The event starts on Friday, Feb. 21 at the Eureka Springs Conference Center at 207 W. Van Buren.

Don’t forget to ask about the Midwest First Responder Conference to get the conference rate at the conference hotel, the Best Western In of the Ozarks. Conference registration fee is $25 and T-shirts are $10. Anyone can print the registration form and mail it the Eureka Springs Fire Department. Please keep in mind that the cost increases to $35 after Feb. 15. The cost of the shirt is $15 on conference day.

March 15: Honorary Survivor Walk

David Stidham, also known as Mile Walker, is planning a “walk” dedicated to cancer survivors beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, with an alternate date of March 22. The walk will begin at Grandview Baptist Church on to Highway 62 toward Eureka Springs, with a return walk back to the church. David is seeking supporters for his walk. If you would like to sponsor David financially, you can contact him at 870-423-4548 or 870-4802496. All funds collected go to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

ONGOING MEETINGS

Al-Anon Family Group meetings (coffee served) are held behind the Land ‘O Nod Inn on Sundays at 11:30 a.m., and Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 479-363-9495. Anyone dealing with or recovering from alcoholism – themselves or family members – is invited to attend.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

The Natural Way Solid sleep can be hard to get

I

t came upon a midnight clear, or perhaps earlier. I’m writing Jim Fain about sleep, safe and restful sleep, something we all need and all find elusive at times. For some of us this is temporary but for others it can be long term. Restorative sleep is a requirement for a good life. Supplements can be of great help both in falling asleep and staying asleep longer and are not only effective but also safe.

Sleep rhythm changes according to our age, emotional and physical need. Many people as they get older sleep shorter hours, often taking naps between wake cycles.

If you can accommodate this pattern let it happen. If on the other hand you have scheduling pressures and work hours then setting and maintaining a regular sleep/wake time is needed. Mostly, being able to shut off the thinking and planning at the same time the wave of sleep hits is what causes us to rest longer.

Regularly, I take nine milligrams of melatonin about fifteen minutes after I’ve taken four hundred milligrams of Sun theanine. Sun theanine is a high quality supplement with no downside that I’m aware of. The theanine causes my brain to relax without being sedated. I simply find myself at ease without all of that thinking and worry to contend with. The melatonin then kicks in a wave of sleep and off I go to slumber land. The only downside I know of for melatonin is, at higher doses, I’ll get very vivid dreams... sort of fun and not a bad thing. If I wake up too early and can’t easily drop off then I’ll take two more theanine but not the melatonin ensuring I won’t be sluggish at breakfast.

For people with very difficult times going to sleep, I think a relaxation support formula is useful. I’ve had to do this myself from time to time. Simply, adding the relaxation formula to the theanine at bedtime then taking the melatonin has been very effective for me. A relaxation formula typically will include a variety of herbs such as magnolia, chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, skullcap, hops and passion flower. Often magnesium and vitamin B6 is included, as well.

So, stop watching TV or reading the news online an hour before bed, make sure your bedroom temp is on the cooler side and nice and dark. Be sure your bed clothes are comfortable (or absent) and that your bed is supportive and loveable. At this time of the year stress and tension can hit us all. Embrace the wonderful energy of this season. Help yourself with a good nights sleep!

Wisecrack Zodiac Dear readers: This year, my greatest gift is all of you. Happy Holidays!

Aries: Don’t ask someone to feel your stocking if that rock-hard lump is just a hunk of coal. Make your sweetie’s season bright by offering up something much warmer and stiffer, like a hot toddy.

Taurus: The thought counts with gifts, but not so much with cooking. Instead of serving up Christmas ham Hot Pockets, shake out that piggy bank and head to the Chinese restaurant. Even Santa loves fortune cookies.

Gemini: Don’t be disappointed when the kids enjoy the box their gift came in more than the actual gadget itself. At least you got the chance to use your taser on Black Friday.

Cancer: Some people’s holiday spirit comes from the pulpit, some comes from the family, and for others it all comes from a bottle.

Hey, whatever gets you to the new year, right?

Leo: Not every celebration is traditional. If your idea of a swinging time is the metal thrash version of the Little Drummer Boy and playing “Will This Fruitcake Stick to the Wall?” then go for it. Just don’t expect the elves to clean those candied cherries off the wallpaper.

Virgo: ‘Tis the season for sharing, but no one wants to see your frozen goodies as you streak through the live nativity scene. Besides, those camels spit, and you don’t want to spend the rest of the day scrubbing that off your butt.

Libra: Family members are like presents: some of them are wrapped too tightly and others are half in the bag. You can’t exchange them, though, so focus on the good bits and be glad Christmas comes just once a year.

Scorpio: You may think Festivus was a character on “Gunsmoke,” but this year you’re willing

© Beth Bartlett, 2013 Want more? Visit Beth at www.wisecrackzodiac.com

to give it a try. Helping your mother-in-law out of the recliner definitely counts as a Feat of Strength.

Sagittarius: Santa can’t swing a PS4 for the kids this holiday, but he will bring them all snowsuits so you can kick their butts out of the house for a while and have some quality time with a bottle of wine. See? Santa cares.

Capricorn: Placing mistletoe in your underwear sounds like a good idea at the office party, but the rash will last much longer than the egg nog buzz. Settle for hand-

Crossword Puzzle

23

Beth Bartlett

shakes and awkward conversation.

A quari us: Keep the day special and full of fun: don’t forget the batteries! Yeah, you should probably buy some toys for the kids, too.

Pisces: Some holiday moments stay with you forever, like accidentally seeing Grandma get out of the shower. Hopefully one of those packages under the tree is filled with therapy coupons.

Answers on page 29

Page 24 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Roommate Wanted

MYRTIE MAES CAFE Is looking for part time waitstaff. This position has year round job opportunity with Vacation Pay and Holiday Pay. Please send resume or application to: Myrtie Maes Café c/o BEST WESTERN INN OF THE OZARKS @ P. O. BOX 431 EUREKA SPRINGS, AR Phone: 479-253-9768

Classifieds work! Call the Lovely County Citizen today and place your ad. (479) 253-0070.

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

NYE

Continued from page 9

purchase a ticket or for more information, call 800-643-4972.

CHELSEA’S CORNER CAFE & BAR The younger set and live electronica music fans in Eureka Springs will be happy to learn that Chelsea’s, at 10 Mountain St., will host a party featuring the popular electro-pop band Fossils of Ancient Robots on New Year’s Eve. Fossils of Ancient Robots, if you’ve never seen them live, puts on an amazingly fun and unique show – full of energy, great lyrics and vocals, and a heavy synthesizer-driven rhythm that sounds a little like what might happen if A-Ha (you know, 1980s hit “Take On Me”) listened to Ghostland Observatory, Pretty Lights or STS9 a whole lot and then recorded a new album or went

HELP WANTED

The Lovely County Citizen is growing and we are looking for the“Right” Person

Review our questions below; if your answers match ours ... let’s talk

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I have high energy and feel my best when productively crossing things off my “to do” list.

I consider myself a planner and I take pride in my ability to multi-task, prioritize and work smart.

I like to work with people. I am creative.

I keep my commitments by going the extra mile.

I can’t help but think of different ways to solve problems and make processes more efficient.

I prefer to work independently and I push myself to achieve pretty lofty goals.

I want to work in a laid-back, relaxing environment with typical 9 to 5 hours.

We are always looking for great people to become successful advertising sales representatives. If this sounds like the right job for you, we need to talk.

Bob Moore, Publisher (870) 423-6636 • b.moore@cox-internet.com

25

val worthy of this Victorian Village that keeps me going.

Continued from page 10 We have all the components. Perfect heterosexual-only business guild. You are setting, unique shopping, great restaurants only joining hundreds of others. And, no- and lodging, within a few hours drive of body said “straight people” could not be a millions of people, usually decent weathpart of the Gay Business Guild. This fact er and a storybook historic loop. Surely I shows even more how prejudiced you are. am not the only one seeing we can easily I am a proud 77-year-old lifelong lesbi- do so much more.

Several years ago I filled my van full an and I support the Gay Business Guild.

And, I support heterosexuals, also. I guess of costumes and went to Thomasville, Ga., trying to find a Victorian town inthat is our difference, Elaine.

— Trella Laughlin terested in dressing up especially at Eureka Springs Christmas, and then I received emails and phone calls while there saying I was Reader thanks HI made the Citizen’s Citizen of the Week and asking me not to leave Eureka. I was snowy road crew reminded of the field of diamonds story Regarding the Dec. 12 Citizen article where it’s in your own back yard, and I entitled “Hard at work: Road crews, safety felt appreciated – and I’m still here and officials put in long hours through winter trying. storm”: I will say that Santa in the Park and I got stuck at the end of my road in Hol- at Pine Mountain brought out very few iday Island for several hours. One of the locals. If parking is the main problem for road crew workers called someone that was downtown, then I was happy to see that driving the trucks with the gravel attachment Transit is now offering a very reasonable and had him specifically drive up and spread fee with several pickup points for the paCROSSWORD ANSWERS gravel on my road Friday morning. rade and hope this continues.

I was so thankful because we are the only The Downtown Network and Crescent house on the road and for them to do that so Hotel have their schedules full – espeI could get back home was deeply appreci- cially with “A Christmas Carol,” which ated. is a must-see tradition.

Susan Hampton What I envision is a Christmas FestiHoliday Island val committee that can make this and the other events worthy of what this town has CoW nomination said to offer. My Friendternal Order of Audfelidea could be a part of it. to have kept her here lows I have spent too many years wishing There is something about being nomi- how it could be here – with our cusnated as Citizen of the Week that takes the tom-made setting – as I have seen in frustration of bringing a Christmas Festi- Galveston, Texas; St. Charles, La., and Guthrie, Okla., and I have spent too many years saying next year has to be better.

We’re making baby steps, but are nowhere near what we are capable of.

Miss Kitty is a beautiful 4-year-old tortoise shell So who out there wants to join me? If whose owner had to go into the hospital. She is several do their share of expertise, magic very lovable, likes attention and would be a wonwill happen!Example: While dressing the derful companion. Miss Kitty is one of 85 homeCrescent and Basin Park for their Great less cats at the shelter. All cats and dogs can be Gatsby-themed Christmas party, putting adopted for a reduced fee during December, so together the outfits was so much fun with please come by and choose a companion. For the spa girls, the front desk staff, and all more information, call the Good Shepherd Humane Society Animal Shelter at 479-253-9188 or that. I know the party will be a whole lot stop by the shelter on Highway 62 East in Eureka more fun, and the photos will prove it.

Springs. Shelter hours are noon to 5 p.m. daily ex– Michelle McDonald cept Wednesdays.

Eureka Van Tours

on tour again. They will appeal to fans of The Polish Ambassador, and even the Scissor Sisters in some ways.

KXUA’s music critic had this to say about the group after their premiere there last year: “Who knew there was synth-pop dark disco band homegrown and active in Arkansas? Also surprising was the epic length of their performance, with a seemingly endless supply of instrumental and vocal material. The six songs collected on the EP ‘Dead Letters’ exhibit diverse styles, some more successfully executed than others, but still a promising beginning to this area’s most unique band.”

The Chelsea’s NYE party begins at 9 p.m. Open to all ages (Chelsea’s recently went non-smoking, too). Admission cost is $5.

Happy New Year! Have fun and be safe!

Pet of the Week

Forum

Page 26 – Lovely County Citizen – December 19, 2013

Dining Guide

Good (cold) Samaritans Eurekans reach out to neighbors in the snow

YOUR GUIDE TO THE EATING OUT IN EUREKA SPRINGS AND THE REST OF LOVELY COUNTY

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Photo submitted

Justin Ermert, LaDonna Ayres and Skyler Antoine volunteered to clear out the sidewalks and stairs at Swiss Villa Apartments last weekend.

By Catherine Krummey

CarrollCountyNews@cox-internet.com

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER Sun. - Thurs. 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 7 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

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While a lot of Carroll Countians spent their time safely – and warmly – burrowed inside of their homes last weekend, some people ventured out to help out their neighbors and friends.

At the Swiss Villa Apartments, resident LaDonna Ayres, her son, Skyler Antoine, and his friend Justin Ermert, volunteered to clear snow and ice from the sidewalks and staircases surrounding the complex’s five buildings.

“It was a huge job – almost a mile of sidewalks,” Elanya Tracy, Ayres’ mother said.

“It took us two full days,” Ayres, a single mother of four, said. “We started on Sunday and were able to finish up on Monday.”

This was not Ayres’ first encounter with a major winter storm.

“I used to live in Colorado,” she said.

“We had to shovel all the time.”

In addition to doing some hard work, Ayres’ family made time to have fun as

well.

“My little girls were sledding down the hill,” Ayres said. “We had fun. It was good to be out there helping everybody.”

Jodi McKinley, a Swiss Villa resident, was very appreciative of their hard work.

“It was just incredible,” she said. “It makes you think of Mayberry and everyone helping each other out.”

McKinley got some additional assistance when she realized she didn’t have enough cat food to last through the next few days.

She called Tad’s Quickstop to see if it was open, and owner Larry Bingamen offered to deliver her what she needed.

“We always like to check on our friends when there’s a snowstorm,” Bingamen’s daughter, Kim, said, adding her father likes to utilize his four-wheel drive. “He always does deliveries during weather like this – it’s just in his character.”

“They are all just good, good people,” McKinley said of the good samaritans who helped her last weekend. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without them.”

December 19, 2013 – Lovely County Citizen – Page

27

Serenading Santa

Last Saturday’s Ozarks Chorale concert at The Auditorium went off without a hitch, if you don’t count the fun surprise described in the photo caption below. The Community Singing of the Hallelujah Chorus was touching as well, and is avaliable on video. Visit Facebook.com/LovelyCountyCitizen to find the video link.

CAPC

Continued from page 9

Photo Submitted

The girls of the Berryville High School Show Choir vamped for a surprised but good-natured Jim Swiggart during a portion of the Ozarks Chorale’s Saturday holiday concert. They sung a song first introduced by Eartha Kitt in 1954, “Santa Baby,” which has become a Christmas standard today. The girls put a Santa beard on Swiggart and proceeded to serenade him, much to the delight of the near-capacity lower level crowd at The Auditorum in Eureka Springs.

Photo provided courtesy of The City Wire, www.thecitywire.com

vertising and promotion must take place in areas outside of Eureka Springs and/or Carroll County. This media promotion must be placed in areas at least one-hour driving time from Eureka Springs. This is to ensure that funds will be used to attract visitors who are likely to stay in Eureka Springs paid accommodations for at least one night.

• Events receiving funding require a minimum 100 percent match from the requesting organization with no less than 50 percent of that match being in-kind contributions; however, the amount of the contribution is at the sole discretion of the CAPC and will be reviewed on an individual basis and is dependent upon the availability of funds.

• A written request for a purchase order must be submitted to the CAPC Director of Finance. Regardless of the date of submission, the request for funds must contain paid backup media invoices if the funding was for advertising support. No funds will be reimbursed for items that have not been pre-approved by the CAPC. • In accordance with the above guidelines, funds can only be used for the following materials that have been pre-approved by the CAPC:

• Creative Design of Advertisement by sources outside the funded organization

• Printing and Postage of approved materials.

• Ad placement in or on: Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, direct mail, outdoor, cable television

• Brochures must be available at least 45 days prior to the event.

• All media materials must include the logo of the Eureka Springs City Advertising & Promotion Commission and include the CAPC’s logo with website address.

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NEw

This 2008 2 bed/2 bath home on 1.82 acres NEw boasts a solid concrete foundation & 8” concrete walls. Reinforcements, 12” insulation throughout walls & ceiling adds to it’s fuel efficiency. Open floor plan, stainless appliances, 2 ply door & windows w/built in blinds, newer carpet, tile & laminate floors. 2 addtl rooms. Separate laundry room. Sky/solar lights.

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1,240 sq ft 1800’s shotgun-style farmhouse on 1 acre offers end of road privacy. Double parlor, covered porches and old barn. Open garden area. Minutes to downtown. $124,000.

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Fabulously restored 8,528 sq ft historic 2 story landmark building w/basement. Presently home of unique shop on main floor and balconied living quarters upstairs both hosting approximately 3000 sq. feet each. Located in historic downtown on Main St. flanked by parking on 3 sides.

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NEw

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NEw

Lovingly maintained 3 Bed / 2 bath Victorian home boasts natural sunlight glistens off the original 1 1/2” oak flooring of the main level, high ceilings, stained glass accents, beautiful woodwork, large windows, off street parking. $210,000.

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NEw

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Great home on one of Eureka’s unique streets. Views of downtown from deck & backyard.

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HOOKSREALTY.COM • 877-279-0001 43 ProsPect Ave. • eurekA sPrings • 479.363.6290 All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.