@Urban Magazine September 2013 Issue

ROOT

september 2013 AtUrbanMagazine.com

featuring

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Catherine Frederick

lifestyle

MANAGING EDITOR Marla Cantrell

entertainment

16

7

Sorrow

8

Up Close & Personal

12

Back to the Beach

16

Mo Knows Bows

20

Little Bit in Love

22 24 26

Lost Girls Urban 8 The Civil Wars

26

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Marla Cantrell Marcus Coker Catherine Frederick Karen Glover Shannon Hensley Stacey Little Anita Paddock Carla Ramer Jaclyn Slifer CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Marla Cantrell Catherine Frederick Mark Mundorff Jeromy Price Stacey Little

people

DESIGNER Jeromy Price

Still

48 50 52

Southern Plate

Saving Wayward Critters Meeting Annabel This Man is Not an Artist Like Mama, Like Me

WEB GURU David Jamell PUBLISHER Read Chair Publishing, LLC COVER IMAGE Jeff Mores

taste

40

28 32 36 40 44

MovieLounge Mai Tai Pass the Pizza Bread

52

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Catherine Frederick 479 / 782 / 1500 Catherine@AtUrbanMagazine.com

travel

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Marla Cantrell 479 / 831 / 9116 Marla@AtUrbanMagazine.com

56 62

56

Big Cedar Lodge Fiction: Carry Me Over

Š2013 Read Chair Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions contained in @Urban are exclusively those of the writers and do not represent those of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. as a whole or its affiliates. Any correspondence to @Urban or Read Chair Publishing, LLC., including photography becomes the property of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. @Urban reserves the right to edit content and images.

FOLLOW US Subscribe to @Urban and receive 12 issues per year for only $20, within the contiguous United States. Details: AtUrbanMagazine.com.

letter from Catherine

But for now let’s focus on this issue. We’re taking you to Memphis to meet eleven-year-old Moziah Bridges who runs his own burgeoning bowtie company, after he’s finished his homework, of course. Next, we’re heading to Springdale, way out in the country, to meet a gentleman who planes down big chunks of wood into tiny pieces and then assembles them into great works of art.

We’re also showing you what happens when two local women decide to help wild animals struggling to survive. Their

T

hree years ago, we launched @Urban Magazine. The country was still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession, and many, many people thought we were

crazy. But we believed there was a place for great storytelling, and we believed that when things were a little hard, it might be exactly the right time for a little magazine with a big heart.

Along the way, we learned a lot about the people in our region.

Artists, a gravedigger, organic farmers, cheese makers, even a Big Foot expert. And you know what else we discovered? Even though we call ourselves @Urban, our Southern roots continue to show – note the barn on the cover, then read our restaurant review featuring shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes –

homesteads are now sanctuaries for possums and raccoons and a whole menagerie of other wayward critters.

From there we’re headed to Big Cedar in Missouri to show you what’s new and not-to-be-missed at this grand old resort. We’re sharing a recipe for pizza bread that may become the new love of your life, and we’re letting you listen to a dynamic duo call The Civil Wars.

Then, we’re taking you back inside for a DIY that I must tell you is the most sentimental project I’ve yet to tackle. It’s a framed mirror I decked out with seashells my family’s been collecting for years during our annual trip to Gulf Shores. When I look at it now, I can pinpoint certain seashells and the stories behind

and you’ll see what we mean.

them, and if I think about it too long I start to get teary.

What good is any relationship (or magazine, for that matter) if

That’s what great stories do for us. They transport us back to

it refuses to grow? So, we’re embracing our Southerness on this our third happy birthday, and we’re stopping long enough to thank you for reading us each month. If we could stand on the rooftops and shout out how much it means to us that you’ve come along for this wonderful ride, we would.

a place and time, or take us to a place we’ve never been. For thirty-six months, that’s what we’ve been doing, sharing your stories, your triumphs, your best good times. It’s an honor every day to do what we get to do, and we never fail to remember this. So thank y’all so much. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

So stay with us. More changes are on the horizon. More on that in the months to come.

To reserve this free space for your charitable non-profit organization, email: Editors@AtUrbanMagazine.com

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lifestyle

SORROW @lines Carla Ramer

The man sat there, his heart breaking at the sight of the woman sweeping the back porch.

He wasn’t an old man, not as old as he seemed, anyway. He seemed to age, though, as he watched her. And he watched every day. He walked down to the boat dock and sat under the awning and from the cool shade he watched.

In the early hours of the day she sat at her kitchen table and had a cup of coffee with just a little milk and a piece of hard toast. In silence. In the quiet.With the toast crumbs wiped away and her cup and saucer rinsed and draining she fetched her broom and began sweeping in the front room. Her thin long fingers guided the straw across faded linoleum, over pale cabbage roses, around the rocker and the floor lamp, down the worn gray path that led into the kitchen. The blue veins across the backs of her hands her own maps of this house, though she needed no tools for navigation. She knew by heart which route to take.

Always the same, front to back.

Behind the man, water lapped at the mossy edge of the dock.

A perch, motionless, just beneath the surface of the misty green water, eyed two flittering dragonflies.

The man watched as she stepped out onto the back porch allowing a gentle slap of the screen door. Onto the porch with its fresh, white paint gleaming in the sun.

He watched as one by one she swept her sorrows from the boards.

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UPCLOSE&PERSONAL

Marty Clark

President

Brown-Hiller-Clark & Associates Fort Smith/Lowell, Arkansas 479.452.4000 bhca.com

Words to Live By

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.

– Wayne Gretzky

What’s the one thing you want our readers to know about your business?

Brown-Hiller-Clark & Associates has been the insurance leader in our community since 1915. We’ve now grown to be the 4th largest insurance agency in Arkansas.

The single most rewarding part of our job is the fact that people depend on us. We write virtually all lines of coverage, but focus primarily on business, personal, life and health insurance. Our business clients consider us an important part of their team, right there with their accountant, banker, and attorney. It’s our job to make sure they survive and thrive after the absolute worst happens, and with that comes great responsibility. The bond and friendships we establish with our customers are important, and the mutual trust we have through years of working together is invaluable.

Q&A with Marty Favorite food as a child? Fruit Loops If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Play guitar What’s the first thing you bought with your own money?

Intellivision (anyone remember that?). Cabin or beach house? Cabin (Lake) Last book you read? Fearless: The Story of Adam Brown. Last road trip?

Gaston’s, for my best friend’s 2nd bachelor party. Farthest you’ve been away from home? Tahiti Strangest place you’ve called the Hogs? The Lowenbrau Beer Hall in Munich. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Whatever it was that Aqua Man did. Most sentimental thing you own? My dad’s transistor AM radio from when he was 4. What’s did you want to grow up to be when you were a kid? Miami Dolphins quarterback. Favorite holiday?

Christmas: the sanctity of it, everyone’s cheerfulness. What cheers you up? Good friends at a Hog game. What’s the 1st thing you’d do if you won the lottery? Give a lot to Community Bible Church. What’s on your perfect pizza? The Parmesan from Papa’s. Meat lovers everything and jalapenos. Favorite animal? Man’s best friend, Slate, my Australian Shepherd. What’s on your playlist right now? Villains, The Script, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Amos Lee. Best advice you’ve ever been given? “Don’t major in the Minors”- Sam Hiller. What smell reminds you of home? The smell of two teenage boys. Favorite National Park, and why. Yellowstone, my goal is to actually get there.

UPCLOSE&PERSONAL

Dr. Bill Ligon

Owner

Dallas Street Dental 8020 Dallas Street Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.452.6600 dallasstreetdental.com

Words to Live By

Do things the right way the first time, without taking shortcuts and you will be more likely to achieve success.

What’s the one thing you want our readers to know about your practice?

We have designed a unique dental experience where you and your family will find custom dentistry for your general, restorative, and cosmetic dental needs. Our state-of-the-art facility offers a relaxing, stress-free environment where you’ll feel welcomed, comfortable, and confident. From the moment you enter our practice, you’ll notice the inviting, unique atmosphere. Our team will take care of all requests to ensure your absolute comfort. Hot tea, coffee, cocoa, and bottled water are available in the lobby as well as a flat screen television and free wireless Internet.

Q&A with Bill Favorite food as a child? The almighty cheeseburger. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Carpentry, I love to build things! What’s the first thing you bought with your own money? I started my own lawn care business at 12 and saved up enough money to go in 50/50 with my dad for a riding lawn mower. Cabin or beach house? Both! I’m in the process of building a log cabin as we speak! Last book you read? The Bible is the last book I read in its entirety. Last road trip? Watersound Beach, Florida. Farthest you’ve been away from home? Costa Rica. I got up close and personal with a 3-toed sloth. Strangest place you’ve called the Hogs? Costa Rica. The Hogs were playing and I was lucky enough to find a sports bar that had the game on. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Flying would be cool. It sure would make getting to vacation spots a lot simpler. Most sentimental thing you own? Some old baseball trophies - brings back great memories. What’s did you want to grow up to be when you were a kid? I really wanted to be an astronaut. Favorite holiday, and why. Halloween! I like to scare people and October is my favorite month! Favorite animal? German shepherds. I’ve had them my entire life. What’s on your playlist right now? I’m old school, mostly 80s stuff!

What smell reminds you of home? Fresh cut grass. Favorite National Park, and why. I really love Hot Springs. There are so many beautiful lakes and a hot bath never hurt anybody!

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lifestyle

Be the best thing to happen to them.

Adopt a shelter pet.

Rosie

Female – Terrier Mix

Taz

Male – Spaniel Mix

Lucy

Female – Beagle

Katie

Female – Maltese

Sebastian County Humane Society 3800 Kelley Highway, Fort Smith 479. 783.4395 SebastianCountyHumaneSociety.org

Luke

Male – Heeler Mix

Mackelmore

Male – Pit Bull Mix

These are just a few of the loving animals in need of a home. Please consider adoption or a donation (newspapers, food, or financial).

12

lifestyle

@story Catherine Frederick @images Catherine Frederick and Jeromy Price

lifestyle

Each year, my family travels to Gulf Shores, Alabama, for

generic shell to some, means the world to me. It’s the shell my

a week of fun and relaxation on the beach. And each year,

then three-year-old discovered and delivered with the message,

my obsession with collecting beautiful seashells shifts into

“I found this just for you, Mommy.” But what to do with all of

overdrive. It seems like each crushing wave rushes a different

them? That’s been my husband’s question for years until I

type of shell to the shore; therefore, I must have them all –

discovered a shell mirror from Pottery Barn. Then I discovered

right? Even my husband, who gives me the evil eye each time

the price. Ouch. What’s a crafty girl to do but make one herself?

I bend down to grasp yet another shell, can’t help but grab a shell or two every now and then.

Don’t have shells but love the look? Shells can be purchased from local craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels, even

For the past few years, I’ve gathered and brought home tons of

from Amazon. Besides shells, you’ll need a framed mirror.

treasured shells. And there they sit. Tied up in plastic Walmart

Personally, I wouldn’t spend a lot on it. You’re going to cover it

bags. In a dark hall closet where they remain year after year.

up with paint and shells. I got mine for ten dollars at Wasted, an

In those bags are my memories. What would appear to be a

antiques and vintage shop in Greenwood, Arkansas.

What You’ll Need Seashells (I also included sand dollars, driftwood and bits of coral) Framed mirror Hanging supplies Craft paint (I used Apple Barrel® Acrylic Paint in Sandstone) Foam paintbrush Hot glue gun and glue sticks Razor blade Window cleaner Cloth or paper towel

*IMPORTANT NOTES: If your shells were collected at the beach, be sure to rinse and dry them thoroughly. You’ll also want to make sure you have shells in a variety of sizes to cover the entire frame. Make sure your framed mirror is ready for hanging and that the hanger can withstand the weight of the frame and shells.

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lifestyle

I began by painting the entire frame, paying close attention to coverage on the outside edges. I applied one coat to the face of the frame and two coats to the outer edges of the frame. The paint helps to camouflage any areas that may be visible through the shells. Once the frame is completely dry, lay the framed mirror, face up, on a flat workable surface, like a dining table.

Here’s where this project can get tricky for those of us with OCD tendencies.

I wanted mine to be perfect. So I first sorted several years of shells into groups by type, and some types by color – yes, color. Then I selected out the larger, more decorative shells, and those that held special meaning. Those shells would be placed on last so they would stand out.

I wanted my frame to look as if it had been dipped in shells so my next task was to completely cover the face of the frame, creating a base with shell fragments and non descript shells. These would be partially covered by other shells.

1

Plug in your hot glue gun and allow it to heat for several minutes.

Apply glue in small sections and press shells into hot glue (glue can also be applied directly to the bottom edge of the shell). Hold in place until glue cools – this only takes a few seconds. I placed my shells at random, piecing them together like a large puzzle, which can take forever if you’re indecisive like me. But shells can also be applied in a pattern, such as placing smaller shells all around the inside of the frame and working out to the outer edge.

2

Continue covering the entire frame with shells, leaving only small spots of the frame showing. Next, begin placing, NOT gluing, the larger, decorative shells where you want them on the frame. Now is the time to move the decorative shells around until you are certain of their placement. One at a time, glue the larger shells into their location.

3

Using small shells, fill in any gaps, so that the entire face of the frame is completely covered in shells. Allow all glue to dry thoroughly, about an hour. Glue guns tend to leave behind tiny strands of clear glue reside.

Remove them by gently brushing the shells with a foam brush. If you have dried glue on the mirror itself, simply scrape it off with a razor blade, then clean the mirror with window cleaner and a soft cloth or paper towel.

My years of collecting finally paid off in this one project. Yes, I saved over $400 with this DIY, but I saved so much more. I saved memories. Each time I look at it, I’m reminded of our years at the beach. In that mirror, I can see our children building sand castles, diving beneath the waves, running back to me with a handful of shells. And all at once, I am taken back to our favorite place in the world.

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lifestyle

Mo Knows Bows @story Marla Cantrell @images courtesy Mo’s Bows

Each month in our Ignite series we bring you stories we hope will inspire you, give you new ideas, and bring you inside the lives of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

lifestyle

I

t’s one of the last lazy days of summer and kids all around

He made one bowtie, and then another. He made six more.

Moziah Bridges’ neighborhood are heading to the water

He made twelve. He made so many he couldn’t possible wear

park, or the movies, or out shopping for school clothes.

them all.

But this eleven-year-old is inside his Memphis home today,

“People kept telling me they liked my bowties. I realized I could

working on the marketing strategy for Mo’s Bows, the company

sell them so I started doing that at the farmers’ market. The first

he started when he was nine. That was when Moziah realized

bowtie I sold was blue silk. It was to a woman named Shonda.

there was a void in the market. He liked bowties. No, he loved

It was in 2011.

bowties. Trouble was, he couldn’t find any with the right patterns.

Soon, he and his mom started brainstorming “I think dressing up was just in my

about how to branch out. The online shop

blood,” Moziah says. “Both my dad and

Etsy® seemed the perfect fit.

my granddad always dressed up.”

All of this, the business, the media attention Enter Moziah’s grandmother, a woman

– Mo’s Bows has been featured in Oprah

who earns her living as a seamstress.

Magazine – would never have happened

She had lots of scrap material left over

without his family.

from her work, many pieces big enough for three or even four bowties. Moziah

“My mom, she went to college to be a

felt the way you do when you win a

spokesperson, and she speaks really good,

prize at the county fair. Sitting among a

so I learned from her. She motivates me. I

field of fabric, he thought, Now, if only I

have the best family you could ever have.

could sew.

They help me with the bowties, they come to all my events, they’re there for me

That was all the encouragement Moziah’s

anytime I need help.”

grandmother needed. She showed him the basic mechanisms of her Singer sewing machine, how to thread it, what

His mom, his grandmother, even some aunts

to do if the tension was off, how to wind

and uncles help him with his business. They

a bobbin. And then she began teaching

work out of a room in his Memphis home

him the intricacies of hand stitching, how

that he calls “Mo’s Bows Studio.”

to keep a seam straight, how to slip stitch a piece so that no thread showed at all.

And then there are the people in the community who just love what he’s doing.

It all came naturally to Moziah. His small hands fed the fabric

“I’ve had photographers donate photo shoots. That’s really great.”

easily through the presser foot. He worked the foot pedal that fueled the machine, and it felt a little like driving to his nine-

Because of all the people supporting him, he’s reached out

year-old self.

to help others. All the profits from his sales of the “Summer Camp” bowtie go to kids who would not otherwise have the

“The best thing my grandmother did was not make the bowties

opportunity to attend summer camp in Memphis. Moziah says,

for me,” Moziah says. “She said, ‘I’m not making them for

“My hope is that it will help keep kids out of trouble.”

you, I’m going to teach you how to make them.’ She said, ‘To be successful, you have to work hard.’ And it made me happy

As for Moziah, he’s way too busy and way too focused for

because I thought there was probably no other kid doing it.”

trouble. A few days ago he received an order for a bowtie from

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lifestyle

Ten years from now he sees himself as a designer. He says this and then backtracks. “Make that a famous designer,” he says.

For inspiration, Moziah watches shows like Project Runway. And now when he looks through his grandmother’s stash of leftover material he’s seeking something specific. “The fabric has to speak to me,” he says. And it shows. There are chevron bowties, bowties with musical notes, and lucky for us, a Razorback bowtie.

As for what his friends think, he says only this. “Most of them want me to hire them. They’ll say, ‘Can you give me a job?’”

Perhaps someday he will. But right now he has other priorities.

“School is always first,” he says. “And I love composition and writing. And I’m just a kid, so I plan out time to play with my friends and study and then work on my bowties. I’m up at 6:30 in the morning when school’s in session. My school is kind of far away. After I eat dinner I usually go to bed.” someone in the Netherlands and another from a customer in

Moziah seems to understand business intuitively. That’s why

the United Kingdom.

he doesn’t realize how extraordinary he is. Those who hear his story, however, marvel at what he’s done.

He uses stories like these when he speaks to groups of likeminded kids trying to figure out how an eleven-year-old cracked the code

When asked how the rest of us can do what he did, he says,

to success. “I talk about starting a business. I tell them they have

“Figure out what you like to do and figure out how you can make

to have support. They have to stay in school. Think about it while

money doing it.”

you’re young. Kids, I don’t think they want to work for anybody so I think they should open their own business.”

Not bad advice. Happiness first, business second, and then success. The only thing Moziah didn’t say is this: Don’t forget

Which is why, when he returns to his charter school in a few

how to dream really big dreams.

days, he’s going to ask the principal about the uniform they all wear. Until now he’s always worn a bowtie to school. But now, in sixth grade, he has to wear a regular necktie.

It just so happens he’s branching out into the necktie and

To see Moziah’s collection of ties visit

pocket square business, so once he’s settled he’s going to meet

MosBowsMemphis.com

with the principal. “I don’t know why I couldn’t make the ties and have the kids buy them,” he says.

And that tenacity is part of the magic that is Moziah Bridges.

Still, his doesn’t see what he’s doing as particularly rare. “Ralph Lauren, he started when he was ten making neckties, so I think I’m off to a pretty good start.”

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SHOPLOCAL

Little Bit in Love with...

Let all your neighbors know. In your house, you call the Hogs.

C R E AT I V E K I T C H E N

Game day is about food first. Spirit spills over into the kitchen with game day dish towels.

C R E AT I V E K I T C H E N

Razorback fans and sock monkeys come in all sizes.

Love hunting second only to the Razorbacks?

Fly this flag with pride.

JENNIFER’S AT S P A R K S REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

FA R M E R S C O O P

Rooting for another team? Plan to park down the block. Way, way down the block.

FA R M E R S C O O P

Game date, time and temp, on one fantastic Razorback scoreboard clock.

J E N N I F E R ’ S AT S P A R K S REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Tailgating? Don’t forget the cooler.

INSCRIPTIONS

SHOPLOCAL

Heck yeah we’re ready for some football! We’ve been itching to see the Hogs play all summer.

We’ve also been doing a little shopping, getting ready to cheer the Razorbacks on. Here are a few of the things we found that we just couldn’t pass up. Woo Pig Sooie! Let the games begin.

Red is the color this season. Be fashionable.

STILES EYE GROUP

See the game in style. Razorback red Ray Bans.

STILES EYE GROUP

Sleeveless cardigan, sequined Razorback on the back. Perfect for those first fall games.

UNIQUE BOUTIQUE

Rock some red in this Razorback game day dress.

UNIQUE BOUTIQUE

Even the trees in Arkansas root for the Hogs!

Get their Forest (game) Face on!

Y E A G E R ’ S A C E H A R D WA R E

Sooie! Need we say more?

INSCRIPTIONS

Your Razorback spirit will have them spinning. The original wind spinner.

Y E A G E R ’ S A C E H A R D WA R E

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entertainment

much she was paid, waited at the gated entrance for her date to pick her up.

Several hours later, an older couple who were early risers, heard a banging on their door. Shannon, who had eluded both her client and driver, was shrieking for help. She then ran to other houses. Several people called 911, and after forty-five minutes the Suffolk County Police arrived. Shannan was nowhere to be found. The man who hired her said she’d gone crazy on cocaine, and he had told her to leave. She was missing until December, 2011, when they found her body in the marshes of Oak Beach.

While searching for her, the police found four other bodies wrapped in burlap on the side of Ocean Parkway, three miles from where Shannon disappeared. They too were prostitutes, and had also used Craigslist to arrange dates.

So begins the story of these five girls: Maureen, Melissa, Megan, Amber, and Shannan. The author, a journalist who frequently writes about the criminal justice system, delves into the background of these girls, examining their early lives, and the steps that led them into such a dark world.

Lost Girls An Unsolved American Mystery

by Robert Kolker Harper Collins 397 pages: $2599

He explains how the internet has changed the world’s oldest profession, enabling the girls to post pictures of themselves on Craigslist or other online sites. In 2009, Craigslist earned a reported 45 million dollars a year from adult services ads. Men and women who once walked the streets could come in from the cold and become free agents.

@review Anita Paddock

T

The five girls killed were barely over twenty-one. They were his book of non-fiction is the story of the unsolved

making a lot of money and were putting themselves in risky

murders of five young women who were the victims of

situations. Drugs also played a role, clouding their judgment

a Long Island serial killer or killers.

even further. The end of their lives was a sad one, for each of these lost girls on Long Island.

They were all prostitutes, and because of that, it’s been speculated that the Suffolk County Police Department wasn’t

Kolker has woven an intricate story of unsolved murders, the

quick to investigate when the girls were reported missing.

role the Internet played in the crimes, and the devastation left behind. You’ll find yourself thinking about Lost Girls long after

The book begins in May, 2010, with the story of Shannan Gilbert, who was driven from Manhattan to Oak Beach, Long Island, to meet a man who had solicited her on Craigslist. Her driver, whose fee depended on how long she stayed and how

you’ve read the last page.

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entertainment

Submit your events to editors@aturbanmagazine.com

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Hot Springs Annual Motorcycle Run September 5 – 7 // See website for details Hot Springs, AR // Convention Center // thehotspringsrally.com Arkansas’ largest indoor bike show, lots of vendors, great riding, two poker runs with a chance to win $2000, field events, a parade through historic downtown Hot Springs, and tons of great entertainment. It’s a great way to spend three spectacular days in September!

18th Annual Arkansas Hot Air Balloon State Championship September 6 – 8 // See website for details Harrison, AR // 870.741.2659 // arkansasballoonfest.com Experience a hot air balloon adventure. This festival features a Hare and Hound balloon race and tethered balloon rides. More than 30 artist booths, food vendors, live entertainment, and funfilled activities for the kids. This event is held in downtown Harrison, Arkansas.

Rock & Glow 5K and Fun Run Saturday, September 7 // 7:30PM // See website for details Fort Smith, AR // 479.430.8835 // fscwjc.org Ready, set, GLOW! Don’t miss this colorful Glow Run benefitting the Fort Smith Christian Women’s Job Corps. Racers and attendees will enjoy glow painting, and contests, which include best glow, best rock costumes, and best family costumes. Don’t miss the after-party with live entertainment.

The event takes place at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith.

Chefs in the Garden 2013 Thursday, September 12 // 6PM – 8:30PM // $45 per ticket Fayetteville, AR // 479.750.2620 // bgozarks.org Enjoy an evening of cooking demonstrations and sampling with wine paired to complement each dish. This annual harvest celebration features dishes prepared by local chefs, a silent auction, as well as live entertainment. Attendees will vote for their favorite chef throughout the event, who will be chosen at the end of the night. The event is located at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks in Fayetteville.

entertainment

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Scotfest September 13 – 15 // All Day // $7 per person, per day. Under 12 - free Tulsa, OK // River West Festival Park // okscotfest.com Scotfest features a great selection of beers, a whisky tasting, crafts, live music, highland games, dancing, as well Scottish pipes and drums performances from across the region. Hungry? Try the Scotch eggs, steak pies, oysters, trout, Aberdeen Black Angus steaks, or salmon.

5th Annual Conway EcoFest Saturday, September 14 // 10AM – 3PM // Admission is FREE Conway, AR // 501.548.2957 // conwayecofest.com Plan to spend an awesome day celebrating our connections to the environment. The Conway EcoFest is a fun-filled exploration of our environment, ecological issues, and creative ways to be eco-stewards. This unique festival features tours of the local recycling center, a cardboard car derby, a colorful kite show, food, and live entertainment. Don’t miss this educational event happening at Laurel Park in Conway.

Rock the River 2013 Saturday, September 14 // 11AM – 10PM // See website for details Fort Smith, AR // 479.782.5683 // rocktheriver.com Get ready for the Christian rock concert of the year! With a lineup of heavy hitters like Fireflight, KJ52, Abandon, Spoken, and much more, this is a must-see event. Rock the River is the annual fundraiser for Hannah House, a Christian home in Fort Smith that helps young women in need. This concert will be held at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

5TH Annual Southern Fried Swing September 27-29 // See website for details Greenwood, Fort Smith, and Van Buren, AR // 479.285.9090 // southernfriedswing.com Southern Fried Swing serves up a heapin’ helping of swing dance, sweet tea, and Southern charm.

Take your pick of beginner or advanced dance classes during the day, then come back at night for dances, contests, and fried chicken. Check the website for more details, including locations, schedules, and pricing.

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entertainment

took home a Grammy for the Best Country Duo in 2012. From there, they went on to record and write music for the movie, The Hunger Games, and the television show Nashville. Unfortunately, life on the road proved problematic, causing an abrupt hiatus while on tour, citing “internal discord, and irreconcilable differences of ambition.”

Almost a year after releasing that cryptic statement to their fans, their new album, The Civil Wars, hit the airwaves. It contains a little more rock and Americana than Barton Hollow. But the bigger difference is that you can hear the tension that was tearing them apart, changing their once flirtatious harmonies into sorrow.

Starting off with “The One That Got Away,” Joy’s regret is heavy as she fires angrily, “I wish I’d never, ever seen your face.” The pain in her voice makes one wonder if they wrote and sang the song for each other. Stand-out tracks include the outlaw song “Devil’s Backbone” and “Same Old Same Old,” which chronicles the ups and downs of staying in a committed relationship.

The Civil Wars

The Civil Wars also return with two beautifully executed covers,

The Civil Wars Sensibility Recordings, $1099 iTunes

The delivery is so different from the original you wouldn’t

The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Disarm,” and Etta James’ “Tell Mama.” recognize the song until the chorus chimes in.

@review Shannon Hensley

Of the twelve tracks on this album, two seem a bit mismatched

O

with the rest. “I Had Me a Girl” and “Oh Henry” carry the same

tight-lipped on the subject, fans are left to draw their own

There is much speculation as to why Joy and John Paul split

conclusions.

without warning. With John Paul refusing to speak on the matter

n the eve of The Civil Wars’ self-titled album release,

theme of heartbreak but have a lighthearted approach, almost

Joy Williams spoke on behalf of the duo: they are

to the point of sounding silly.

breaking up. While band-mate John Paul White stays

and Joy revealing very little in interviews, there is much left Three years ago Joy Williams and John Paul White met at a

to the imagination. Hopefully The Civil Wars can resolve their

writing camp in Nashville, creating a sound so sweet that rumors

internal issues and continue to make beautiful music together.

began to fly over the nature of their relationship. Joy and John

It would be a shame for this to be their last album.

Paul’s chemistry onstage and songs about forbidden love gave the appearance that the two were lovers, although both have spouses and children of their own.

The release of The Civil Wars’ first album Barton Hollow was a huge success, and they experienced instant stardom. Originally dubbed as a folk-pop duo, they crashed the country scene and

I Rate It

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S T I L L @story Marla Cantrell @image courtesy Lauren Winner

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A

uthor Lauren Winner is walking home from teaching

a kidnapping, she converted and joined the Episcopal Church.

her morning class at Duke Divinity School in Durham,

In those early days, the thrill of conversion lifted her to lofty

North Carolina. It’s one of the perks of her job, this

places. She found herself praying constantly, easily, and she

closeness to campus. As she walks, she talks about her latest

believed it would always be so.

book, Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis. It in, she describes the beginning of her story this way: “This is a book about God

But when she reaches what she calls The Middle, all that fervor

moving away at the same time God took away ground. First

is gone and she is left to seek out God. She wonders how she

goes this. Then goes this. Gone are mother, marriage, the

ended up, at thirty-two, divorced and sleeping on a narrow bed

confidence of conversion. Then a small light dots the dark

in her pastor’s house. She talks about anxiety, saying she often

hills. And then two.”

worries about things like avian flu, her house burning down, her health deteriorating from complicated diseases. For Lent she

But before the small lights appear, there is a journey that

gives up anxiety the way others give up chocolate or gossip.

threatens to pull Lauren under. She visits her mother’s grave

For fifteen minutes at a time she forces herself not to think the

and remembers someone telling her, “She died before you

worst, and at other times she simply repeats the word ‘one’ until

had a chance to surprise each other.” She mourns the loss of

everything inside her settles down.

her marriage to the man she wed only three weeks after her mother’s funeral. She talks about what it’s like to divorce when

All through this book there are Lauren’s friends. They offer up

your life revolves around the teachings of the Bible. When she

grace in ordinary ways. They suggest she bring someone in to

speaks of her ex-husband (she never uses his name), she talks

do a deep cleaning of the house she used to occupy with her

of his qualities, how he cooked for her, how he tried to help as

ex-husband, while she considers that maybe what she really

she became unwound. Still, she says, it was an unhappy union,

needs is someone to chase the bad spirits, and the memory of

made no better by therapy, counseling, the advice of friends,

her former self, away. But the shining house, the books whose

or meetings with church leaders, many who fiercely disagreed

jackets have been dusted, all of it adds up to something good.

with her decision to finally leave.

And then a friend does stop by, she takes the Bible and reads scriptures in each room and Lauren feels the blessing. The clean

This is where we find her in the chapter called ‘Failure.’ She

house is just one of the symbols Lauren uses to show how

is discussing the division of marital property with her sister

healing happens, how we find our way back from dark places in

while the two look at a Picasso during a visit to an art museum.

simple ways, how important others are in our quest.

Lauren’s writing is exquisite, at times sounding more like poetry than prose. It is as if you’ve been dropped into a literary

“I think many people who get divorced know it’s a pretty good

inspection of a very private life.

way of finding out who your actual friends are,” Lauren says.

“That is one of the positive and painful side effects of getting

For Lauren, this kind of writing is representative of a much

divorced. The people who stood by me, that’s why I think I’m a

bigger theme. “I don’t think they’re thinking, Gosh, Lauren was

functional human being right now.”

sure miserable for a while,” Lauren says. “I hope they take away something about loneliness, or about the choreography of the

Still is a book that can be read in many ways. Read it once for

spiritual life, or something about one’s relationship with God.”

the story. Read it again for the lessons on faith, read it again for the beauty of the words. In Lauren’s seeking she shows the

Lauren’s relationship with God has been well documented.

rest of us how to pay attention. She regards prayer in both the

In her first book, Girl Meets God, she tells the story of her

traditional manner and in the most ordinary creations. Squash

childhood, growing up with a Jewish father and a mother she

growing untended in the yard. Maybe that’s a form of prayer,

calls a lapsed-Baptist. She was brought up in the Jewish faith.

she says, and it’s in these thoughtful moments that you feel the

And then in college, after a dream in which Jesus saved her from

power of her observations.

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One of the things she wants readers to know is that the church

One of her favorite letters came from a woman who ran a

family is important. “On one level, it is not the place of my

battered women’s shelter. This reader did not have the same

most intimate relationships - most of the people there didn’t

experiences as Lauren, though she was spiritually tired. What

even know I was getting divorced - but on another level it’s the

she found in the pages of Lauren’s book bolstered her and

people I’m taking Communion with, which is by definition my

helped her continue to do her good work.

most intimate relationships,” Lauren says. “I truly believe there is something that cannot be likened to other relationships.

If Lauren had not received one other good comment, one other

The unique and particular true bond that is forged at the

rave review, that one letter would have been enough. It’s all she

Communion table.”

ever hoped for, that her struggle would help lighten the burden for someone else.

She’s often asked about The Middle, and if there is an ending to it. “I think The Middle goes on forever,” she says. “There’s a chapter where I talk about praying with my friend once a month.

We’re in different time zones. That is what intimacy with God

Lauren Winner will be speaking at First Presbyterian

feels like to me. I feel quite intimate with God right now, but it

Church in Fort Smith on September 14 at 5 p.m. and

feels very different than the intimacy I felt ten years ago. And

on September 15 at 10 a.m. It’s a free event but

I think that has to be good news. There’s no other relationship

reservations are requested. Call 479.783.8919.

where you’d expect to feel the same. If you have a friend for fifteen years you’ll assume something happens. You won’t feel the same way you did when you were getting to know that person. What I don’t feel that is present in the book, knock wood, is the struggle, wrestling, anxious about my faith life. I feel completely certain that if I’m not hit by a car or struck down by lightning tonight, if life is long, there will be seasons of that to come. But I will take the peaceful, joyful intimacy for as long as God sees fit.”

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@story Marla Cantrell @images courtesy Western Arkansas Wayward Critter Connection

people

T

he iguana that sits beneath a sprawling tree in Alma,

This is just one success story. The Critter Connection fans cheer

Arkansas, is named Tia Dalma after the sorceress in

when animals are rescued, and often they volunteer when Erin

Pirates of the Caribbean. Nearby in a pen of her own is

and Danielle need help transporting wildlife from other cities.

a potbellied pig called Myrtie. The two live among a rotating door of foster friends, including a half dozen raccoons, several

They also take calls from across the state. Danielle says, “There

possums and a turtle who’s turned into quite the Casanova

is a possum on the other side of the yard that came here after

since coming to Danielle Truex’s home.

the Mayflower oil spill on March 29 of this year. She was caught in a trap; her mouth was cut all the way down to the jaw bone.

Already Danielle’s fed and watered the animals and now she’s

She’s grown skin over it and she’s going to be fine. ”

at it again. On a typical week, she goes through forty pounds of dry cat and dog food. The store-bought food, along with things like crawdads and minnows, keep these animals afloat. It is much the same

Just then, Danielle’s husband, Heath, walks up. “See where her teeth are missing?” he asks, “That’s where the trap got her.”

at a house across the Arkansas River in Fort Smith where Erin Cooksey lives.

Heath is a big help to Danielle, building

She is busy today tending a trove of

enclosures, helping feed the animals,

raccoons, and the occasional rabbit.

even rescuing a few himself. “Heath

Both women devote a good part of

recently

their time and a great deal of their own

possums home. He was coming back

brought

his

first

baby

money working with animals in need.

from work and he found the mom out

Together they make up the Western

on Kibler Road. She’d been hit.”

Arkansas Wayward Critter Connection, a volunteer organization that rehabilitates

Heath continues. “There were all these fur

certain injured or distressed wild animals and returns them to their natural habitat.

balls around her, these three little babies.

The other nine were already dead. This one had her tail smashed and I didn’t know if she’d make it.

The two met while trying to find families for unwanted dogs.

They became friends, and Danielle soon mentioned she was a

Danielle put antibiotic cream on her and we tube fed her. She’s doing a lot better.”

wildlife rehabilitator. Erin, who works for a local veterinarian, wanted to know more. Before long, she started apprenticing

He points to the girl, who hisses when he opens the door on her

under Danielle.

cage. Heath laughs, “Well, they are wild animals,” he says. Her tail is white where it was injured. It should be gray.

Today, each has their own apprentice. Danielle is training someone to work with possums; Erin is training another volunteer

“I tell my apprentices, just like I tell Heath, not to get attached,

to take in deer. Visit their Facebook page and you’ll see the kind

but it’s hard not to,” Danielle says. “We have raccoons over

of help they provide. When the winds whipped through recently,

here. One of them was kept as a pet for a while, something you

a nest of baby birds was torn from a tree and scattered on the

should not do with a wild animal. We see that a lot.

ground. A frantic fan asked what to do and the answer was this: Take an Easter basket and secure it to the tree, carefully place the

“There is a moment each time we release animals back into the

nest inside, then gently lift the birds into the nest. The fear that

wild when you have a second of doubt. You wonder if they’re

mama birds will reject a baby touched by a human turns out to

going to be all right. We do leave food nearby so they’ll be okay

be a myth. The outcome? Soon the mama came back, tentatively

for a few days. And we come back and check. But when you see

at first, and then began feeding her little brood.

a raccoon you helped scurry up a tree, you get a great feeling.

You know everything’s going to be okay.”

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Danielle says there are several generous donors who have found the Critter Connection through Facebook, and they are grateful for the help. The rehabbers, all permitted through the Game and Fish Commission, have to take a series of rabies shots that cost upwards of a thousand dollars.

Despite the cost, they love what they do. Still, she still gets questions from people who don’t understand what good can possibly come saving a possum. Danielle explains, “For one thing, they’re the only marsupials in North America,” she says.

“When they’re born they’re about the size of a jellybean and they get to be five or ten pounds. That’s pretty amazing.”

Callers often ask Erin and Danielle to make sure that their Danielle walks to the pen where the turtles are kept. She lifts

rescue be released in a place where no harm can come to them.

one out. Part of its shell was shattered when it was hit by a car.

That’s not something they can promise, though they do try. For

She’s patched the area with zip ties that run through the shell,

possums, that’s somewhere off the main roads that has a nearby

and epoxy that holds the ties in place.

water source. Raccoons tend to stay close to where they’re brought up, so Danielle tries to release her young ones within a

Erin and Danielle have learned a great deal since they started.

few acres of her home, again near a body of water.

They do as much of the medical care as they can, and Danielle says it’s amazing the healing power these creatures have when

“We have one raccoon we rescued who still comes to visit every

given a place to rest and enough food and water.

night,” Danielle says, and then smiles. “So I know he’s doing well.”

The subject of the Critter Connection comes up often as she

And that is enough for Danielle. She has done all she can. And so

teaches music to the kids in Alma’s primary school. They love

she turns back to her brood. Myrtie, the potbellied pig, grunts

hearing the stories of raccoons that are smart and stealthy. They

and roots in the ground, her rooster crows, and off to the side Tia

like hearing about the nine-toed rooster that was abandoned

Dalma, the iguana, who’s wearing a harness so that a leash can

near Danielle’s house and now has a home next to the quail

easily be attached, is waiting for her afternoon stroll.

they raise.

She looks back on the rescues – there are so many she’s lost count – and wonders if she’d even be doing this if she hadn’t

You can find Western Arkansas Wildlife Critter

stumbled across a woodpecker while in college. She was driving

Connection on Facebook. If you’d like to donate, they

back from Conway and saw the injured bird on the highway.

are in need of dry dog and cat food, any brand, as well

Danielle began calling her friends to see what to do. One of

as fencing materials and wood to build enclosures.

them gave her the number of a wildlife rehabber and the bird was saved.

To become an apprentice, send them a message. Danielle is looking for volunteers to help with the possums.

When Danielle and Heath moved to Alma, Heath volunteered to build the enclosures Danielle needed. Right now they could use more building materials. And they are always in need of dry dog and cat food, any brand will do.

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Meeting Annabel @Story Marcus Coker @Images Marcus Coker and courtesy Annabel Larson

I wouldn’t say that that talent comes from a certain place.

I just think it’s the way I am.

It’s more about drawing with your eyes than your hands.You really have to make your hands draw what you are seeing.

people

A

nnabel Larson sits at Sweet Bay Coffee Shop in Fort

and the clothes that he wore.”

Smith, Arkansas, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. She could easily pass for your average teenager, and in

The drawing shows Bowie resting his chin in his hand, his dark

fact she’s only fifteen years old. That’s the last thing Annabel

eyes staring straight ahead. “When I started drawing this one,”

would want you to know about her. Like any good artist, she’s

says Annabel, “his hair made me mad, so I quit. Then I finished

much more concerned with her work than she is herself. But

it a month later, and I’m happy with his hair now. The hardest

as she opens the pages of her sketch pad and begins to talk

part was getting the features. And the hand took forever. I just

about her drawings, one thing becomes clear—not only is her

couldn’t get it to look right.”

art impressive, but so is she.

Perhaps one of Annabel’s greatest talents is her ability to draw The first drawing to fall out of the sketch pad is of Jerry Garcia,

things realistically. She says, “I wouldn’t say that that talent

one of Annabel’s favorite musicians. It’s done in pencil, but he

comes from a certain place. I just think it’s the way I am. It’s

looks so real you can almost hear his voice. There’s emotion in

more about drawing with your eyes than your hands. You really

his eyes that makes you want to get to know the man under that

have to make your hands draw what you are seeing.”

mange of salt-and-pepper hair. Annabel says, “I started this at Ramsey Junior High in December as part of a portrait project. It

In August, Annabel started her sophomore year at Southside in

took me a month to finish. I picked him because he was a good

Fort Smith. Not only is she in several advanced placement (AP®)

musician and a good person. He was in Grateful Dead.”

classes, but she’s also playing clarinet and oboe in the band.

And, of course, she’s taking art. “I need to improve my technique

She flips to another pencil drawing, this one of Freddie Mercury.

in drawing, just getting everything right,” says Annabel. “When

He has a five o’clock shadow and painted black fingernails. She

I drew Jerry Garcia, I scratched it with a paper clip, so his hair

says, “He was in Queen, obviously. He did a song with David

would show up white when I drew over it. I don’t really like to

Bowie called ‘Under Pressure’ that sounds like ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by

do that kind of thing, but I didn’t really know what else to do

Vanilla Ice, but they did it first.” Annabel adds matter-of-factly,

about it because there was a lot of white hair but also a lot of

“I draw these guys because I like their music.”

shading around it.”

Annabel can’t remember a time when she wasn’t drawing. Her

So Annabel continues to learn. “I always see stuff I could have

mother says that by the time she was three you could see a

made better. That’s frustrating.” She opens her sketch pad to

distinct difference in Annabel’s work and that of other kids her

an abstract drawing done with colored pencils. “See, I got this

age. Her interest grew and for six years, until she was in the

backwards. This should have been orange, and this should

eighth grade, Annabel took art classes from a local teacher. She

have been blue. It would have looked better. I don’t know why

says, “I learned how to look at things and draw them realistically.

exactly, I just know it.”

You have to look at the contour and shading of what you’re drawing before you start. I’ve been doing it so long now that I

And maybe that’s what makes Annabel a true artist—she just

don’t really think about it.” Annabel goes back to the drawing of

gets it and doesn’t need to explain herself.

Jerry Garcia. “To get the facial features, it’s a lot of shading and not drawing lines.”

“Some things are private for me. I have one sketch book I don’t let people look in because I haven’t found what I’m trying to do

One of Annabel’s latest drawings is of David Bowie. It’s her

with it yet. Most the things in it are people that I drew that I just

second attempt, and she likes it better than the first. She says, “I

made up, but different—like they don’t have hair or ears. Most

just did this for fun because I like David Bowie. I like the person

people would think it’s weird, and I haven’t reached a point

that he is and I like his music. He’s intelligent. When he was

where I’m willing to show people.”

younger, he’d invent personas and really get into them and be them for a while. He’d paint a star on his face or change his hair

But maybe one day she will be. After high school, Annabel wants

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to go to college and major in art. After that, she’d like to be a professional artist and have her work in galleries in New York City. “I know it takes a lot to make a name for yourself in the art field, and I’m worried about that. And I know that I’m going to have to have a real job too. Probably just a regular job, not like a career because I don’t want anything else as a career.”

With any luck, Annabel’s dreams will come true. She says, “I don’t really need to cheer myself on. I just make myself get better.

And with each new picture that I draw, I see improvement. Other people may not, but I do.” But, like most artists, Annabel is also her harshest critic. “My biggest challenge is being happy with my pictures fully. I think that one day I could make something I would be happy with, but it’d have to be perfect to me.”

As Annabel closes her sketch pad and prepares to have her picture taken, she voices a concern. “I just feel that when you view someone’s art, and then you see a picture of them, you might look at their work differently.

And I don’t want a picture of myself to take away from my drawing.”

But how could it? If anything, it only enhances a body of artwork already rich with talent, creativity, and potential. Meeting Annabel reminds us not only that anything is possible at any age, but also that with time and experience, even the best get better.

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This Man is Not an Artist @story Marla Cantrell @images Mark Mundorff and Marla Cantrell

people

M

ake no mistake, Harold Fisher is not an artist. He says

planed down again and again until you could hold ten pieces

it twice, once at the beginning of the interview, and

in your palm. You could hold twenty if you really tried. What

later still when I press him again. “No,” Harold says,

he makes from them are impressive: a shingled house, sixteen

“I am not an artist. I tinker a little, I like figuring out how to put

inches tall, a windmill with a stream rolling by, a glimmering

things together. I feel more like a puzzle maker.”

sailboat. Each has hidden drawers, some have sections that lift off so you can see below. Inside the boat is the captain’s room,

Trouble is, that’s just not true. The proof lies a few feet away in

bunk beds, a desk and a dresser. There is a church, one of the

the form of a chess table, about twenty-one inches high. It is an

first pieces Harold sold, with pews and an altar that are visible

intricate piece, the frame covered in pieces of cedar and pine

once you lift off the roof.

and oak, some no more than an inch and a half long. The chess board in the center of the table top

He fell into this craft twenty-five years

appears to be inlaid. It is not. “It’s

ago. His son had taken blueberry

all about light and shadow,” Harold

branches, cut them into pieces, and

says, as if accomplishing this illusion

made a miniature log cabin. Harold

is a simple feat. He taps a section of

marveled at his son’s work. He held

the table, no more than four inches

the cabin in his hands, he turned

across, and then carefully lifts it up.

it over and studied its structure. “I

Beneath the surface is a hidden

was so impressed with this, I started

drawer. The bottom of that drawer

getting matchsticks and building

opens to reveal yet another hidden

houses out of them,” Harold says. “I

space.

progressed to pieces of wood, mostly cedar and yellow pine. And then I

“I don’t want you to know the

started building houses that came

drawers are there unless I can

apart. If it comes apart you have to

show them to you,” Harold says. “I

be able to see what’s inside. Cutting

think I’m saying that things aren’t

down the big boards is easy, just use

what they seem all the time. Secret

a table saw. I stain them when I get

stashes

are

important

because

them down to quarter-inch strips.

everybody has a hidden side.”

The hard part is individually fitting each little piece.”

This is the first in a long line of insights Harold has on this fine

Inspiration comes at Harold from every direction. “I build from

Sunday afternoon. He is sitting outside a chicken house turned

memory,” he says, and then tells the story of his early years in

flea market on the outskirts of Springdale, Arkansas, his dog

Munich, Germany. The architecture, the bridges, it all seeped

Ralph at his side. He spends most days here, in this place his

into him. At ten, he saw America for the first time. “It was March

friends own. On the radio, classical music plays. Beside him are

29, 1958, on my birthday. I celebrated on the ship in New York

bags of black tea, a carafe of steaming water. And in front of

Harbor. That’s something you don’t forget.”

him are his tools: a miter saw, a box knife, a jumbo-sized pair of tweezers, and a bottle of Elmer’s wood glue.

There was another reason not to forget. He came to this country because his parents were divorcing. Eventually his mother

He picks up a piece of cedar about the size of a standard staple.

remarried an American soldier and they returned to Germany,

His fingernails are long and shaped like half moons. These

where he was stationed. “It took her four years in the United

things: his fingernails, the tweezers, help Harold assemble these

States to find somebody.” Harold laughs. “I don’t think she was

small pieces of wood into something magnificent. He uses two-

advertising enough. But she did remarry and he was a cool

by-fours left over at construction sites or purchased at sawmills,

dude,” Harold says. “A good man.”

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He speaks of Germany, and then of Vietnam, where he served

A rooster crows. The wind rustles. Harold grabs a scrap of

two tours of duty, not long after he’d graduated from high

sandpaper to keep it from taking sail. He returns to his latest

school. I ask what it was like and he will not speak of war.

project, a house two potential buyers are interested in. He slips

Instead he says this: “I was the driver for a USO girl and I drove

on his glasses and leans forward. He picks up a small scrap of

her to a leper colony. She was helping the Catholic nuns and

wood. Ralph the dog rises, stretches, and then plops back down,

the French missionaries. I didn’t get to see nothing. No people

his head on Harold’s shoe.

walking around because a stranger was about. I saw the bamboo huts, but all around the ground had been raked and these pretty

“Will you be happy when the piece is finished?” I ask. Without

designs were everywhere in the dirt. No footprints, just these

looking up he says, “What I’ll be is skeptical. Even if I like it,

beautiful designs. I can still see it.

someone else might not. Sometimes I keep adding whoop-dedo’s until I’m tired. But I don’t really make anything just to sell.

“The white sand beaches there were just like in the movies. The

That’s not my goal. The making of a thing, that’s what matters.”

emerald rice fields in the morning with the sun shining down.

There were no rice fields in Germany, so I was impressed by

So there he sits, this man who is not an artist. The man who went

that. Butterflies flying in palm trees in the early morning in the

to war and came back with stories of the beauty around him.

mist, hovering around you, covering the trees up so that they

Soon he’ll be lost in his work, creating a house with five hidden

looked like they were blooming. So much beauty.”

drawers that will rest on someone’s mantle, or dresser, or beneath a glowing light on a stand made just for it. The buyer will look at

Back in America, he worked construction, building bridges and

it daily and think, what an incredible piece of art. And no matter

apartment complexes across the country. In Oklahoma, a key

what Harold believes, it will be the grandest kind of truth.

turned and his life opened. “I fell in lust at the Dairy Queen,” he says. “With the Dairy Queen or a woman?” I ask. Harold laughs.

“Both, I think, but I married the woman. Forty-three years ago.”

To see Harold’s work, visit Terra Studios at 12103 The terrain of Northwest Arkansas reminds him a lot of

Hazel Valley Road, just off Highway 16E, thirteen

Heidelberg, Germany. He looks out across the dirt path that

miles east of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

separates the chicken house/flea market from the field beyond.

There are discarded tractors set like sculptures against the

Hours of operation are 10 -5 daily.

waving grass. “Even these rusting machines hold some beauty,”

Visit terrastudios.com or call 479.643.3185

he says.

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Like Mama, Like Me

Karen Glover and her mama

@story and images courtesy Karen Glover

people

Articles I have seen lately declare that forty is the new thirty. Well that must mean that your fifties and sixties are now middle aged. Middle-aged crazy may be the only explanation for embarking on my long held dream of buying and renovating an old house. Empty nest syndrome might be a contributing factor as the last of the five children graduated from college in December, but whatever the cause, the purchase has been made. When my shell-shocked husband is asked why in the world (at our age, implied, if not spoken) we decided on such an adventure, his answer is always “She’s the love of my life and it’s what she wanted.” God bless him and let’s just hope the shock does not wear off until we have at least one fully functional bathroom!

While comparing paint chips the other day, I began to wonder exactly when the renovation bug had bitten me. After some soul-searching I realized it had begun with my mama. She was the original “doit-yourselfer,” pressed into action even further by her marriage to a brilliant man who built interstate highways but always blackened his thumb when trying to hammer a nail, and once ran over his own foot with the riding lawn mower.

Mama was always planning something new for our modest two bedroom 1950s ranch-style home. There were the easy fixes, like paint or wallpaper, or maybe new drapes to be sewn. Shutters were built for the large picture window and new railings for the front porch. I can only imagine what she could have dreamed of if we had HGTV or the DIY network back then. Of course at eighty-five years young, she does watch those renovation programs every day, and has only slowed down because I banned her from climbing ladders.

Last week I was in the minuscule half-bath of our new home, measuring the wall area for paint or wallpaper (still undecided), when I pulled the door shut and heard an odd click. Sure enough, the knob turned but nothing happened.

Now this particular door lock is on the list to be replaced, but I have already learned that renovations go something like this: (A) A worker arrives and removes the knobs that don’t close properly and fills the existing holes with wood filler as the new locking mechanisms will fit differently. No one remembers the little half-bath downstairs, so weeks later when the new knobs arrive, there is not one for this door. (B) It is determined that a new lock is needed for the half-bath, but the locksmith forgets to order it so after a month when I ask where it is, the order is placed. (C) A worker arrives to replace the bathroom lock, but forgets he had not removed it earlier and has no wood filler with him to complete the job. (D) The old lock is put back on and the new lock is…

Ah yes, in a box under the vanity stuck in the bathroom with me. This only adds to my aggravation and prompts me to jiggle and push and beat on the door even harder until it suddenly opens. I am free! Then it hits me, I have experienced this before. With Mama.

It was in Little Rock in the late 1960s. Mama had decided that the tub/shower area in our only bathroom needed an update. She found some “lovely” green swirled plastic, four-inch tiles to replace the existing dark tiles, for a fresh new look. So one day in August, we decided to tackle the job.

The walls, door and window sported fresh paint and the tiles would be the “piece de resistance” for the project. With measurements made and materials at the ready, we began.

I applied a very smelly adhesive to the back of each tile and Mama pressed them to the wall.

We worked quickly, but the odor from the adhesive grew worse.

Mama decided to close the door so as not to “stink up the whole house.” As soon as she pushed that door closed, it just sucked into place and she remembered she had not replaced the pins into the hinges after re-hanging it. The door was sealed tight and all the clawing and pulling we tried accomplished nothing. We had emptied the bathroom of everything except

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people

the fixtures so there was nothing we could use to pry or even

adrenaline and the embarrassment of explanations took over

beat the door open.

and we pushed that window open enough for me to shimmy out and enter the house, but as I pushed the door in from the

“Well,” said Mama, “we’ll just let you crawl out the window and

hallway I could hear the snap and pop of each tile as it came

come in the house and push open the door from the hallway.”

off the wall and fell into the tub below. The adhesive was no

Of course, when we tried to open the window wide enough for

match for the heat, it seemed, and had turned to liquid as the

me to get out, the new paint job caused the window to stick,

temperature rose.

allowing it only to go up about six inches. Once again our pushing, shoving and banging did no good.

Mama and I never spoke of this incident to anyone, and we did get the tile back up on a cooler day. So as I begin my own renovation

Now, as I mentioned earlier it was an August day and being in

projects, I would like to think that I’ve learned from my mistakes.

the 1960s, we owned two window unit air conditioners, neither

After that door finally opened last week, and my heart rate slowed, I

of which was in the bathroom. The temperature began to rise

raised the shade to check the window. Sure enough, it was painted

quickly as noon approached. We later found out that Little

shut. Well at least I had my cell phone in my pocket, and upon

Rock reached 104 degrees that day. We tried to call out to our

answering, my Mama would certainly understand the call.

neighbors, but none of them were home and, of course, at that time cell phones were the things of science fiction. Finally, our

@Urban is looking for more great stories from our readers. We love hearing about your lives, your struggles, the things that make you happy.

If you’d like to submit your true story for publication in our print and online editions of @Urban Magazine, here’s what you need to know: 1. Send us a letter or an email telling us a little about yourself: where you live, what your story’s about, and when the story happened. Just the year is fine.

2. Include your story as an attachment to the email or a copy of the story with your letter.

3. Let us know if you have photos that we could print along with the story. We can use old photos and return them to you. We may also ask to take photos.

4. We’re looking for stories that are between 1,000 and 1,200 words long.

5. Your story may be edited, if selected.

6. If the story has already been published somewhere else, let us know when and where.

7. Send your stories to: editors@aturbanmagazine.com, or mail them to: @Urban Magazine, 3811 Rogers Avenue, Ste. B, Fort Smith, AR 72903

48

taste

Awww Shucks

AJ’s Oyster House serves up Cajun cuisine, Arkansas style. @review and images Catherine Frederick

AJ’s Oyster House opened in June of 2013, and judging from the packed house, they’re doing something right. It’s no surprise that oysters from raw to Rockefeller to buffalo - grace the menu.

There’s also blackened salmon, Crawfish Étouffée, and other seafood rounding out the list. But throw in shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and fried green tomatoes, and things start to feel down right Southern.

The space, located in Brunswick Place in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, sets the tone. Their neon sign, perched high above spacious picnic-style tables for outdoor dining, greets you out front. Open the door and let the atmosphere pull you in. The laidback, dock-side theme transports you to the coast so quickly you’ll forget you’re in the Fort.

Style Dock-side vibe. Laid back with outdoor dining option and walkup bar area.

Cuisine

115 North 10th, Ste 101 Downtown Fort Smith 479.434.5115

Then there’s the food. Owners Amanda Teague and

Tuesday – Wednesday: 11- 10 Thursday – Saturday: 11-11

Harry’s hamburger, a roast beef sandwich, or the beef

A Louisiana menu with a Southern influence. Lots of seafood, including oysters, of course.

There’s also a great $5 kids menu.

You’ll Find Gracious service and an energetic atmosphere. Oysters fresh from the Gulf. More than just seafood.

Jeff Gosey, alongside culinary genius Mark Rogney, have created a menu to suit any craving. If seafood’s not your thing, there are other options. Order up a tenderloin. The menu includes kid friendly options for $5, and there’s a full bar for the grown-ups.

Amanda and Jeff are veterans of the restaurant

Appetizers: $5-$35

business, as is Chef Mark. “While we were looking

Soups/Salads: $3-$10

Lucky them; luckier for us. AJ’s is an excellent addition

Sandwiches/Baskets: $7-$13 Entrees: $12-$28 (served after 5pm)

Fresh Fish – market price Desserts: $5-$6

for Chef Mark, he was looking for us,” Amanda says. to the Fort Smith restaurant scene that didn’t fail to impress. We’ll be back - over and over again.

taste

Drink

Black Raspberry Margarita (Special of the Day) $6 Fresh raspberries rest atop a tall glass of tart, yet sweet black raspberry liquor and Tres Agave margarita mix.

Starters

Rockefeller Oysters $11 Prepared with spinach and parmesan, baked to perfection, and drizzled in a zesty hollandaise sauce.

Arkansas Gumbo $4 (cup) – $7 (bowl) AJ’s take on a Southern Louisiana staple. Made with rice, chicken, catfish, shrimp, Andouille sausage, okra, corn, black beans, and tomato. Just the right amount of spice. Served with jalapeno cornbread.

Entrees

Crawfish Étouffée $12 Classic Louisiana. Étouffée may be French for “smothered” but we’ll keep it simple and just call it delicious. Served with a house salad and a side.

Shrimp and Grits $14 Now we’re talking. Sautéed shrimp paired with creamy cheese grits, all mounded up over a bed of spinach. Served with a house salad and a side.

Desserts

Banana Pudding $5 Before this dessert, I was not a fan of banana anything, much less pudding. Large chunks of banana blended with a pudding so thick you’d swear it was a close cousin to cheesecake. Topped with whipped cream. Call me a convert.

Double Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream $6 The only thing that could make it better is a slice to take home. Deliciously moist chocolate cake combined with a creamy, light icing. Marry it up with a bite of vanilla ice cream and you’re in heaven.

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taste

@image Jeromy Price @recipe Jeff Price, Bar Manager, MovieLounge

1 1/2 oz Gosling Rum 1 /2 oz Licor 43 (citrus liqueur) 1 /2 oz Lime Juice 1 oz Amaretto 1 /4 oz Simple Syrup

Combine everything in an old fashioned glass, garnish wit h mint sprig and a cherry.

To see an extensive lineup of other great drinks and dining options, visit movieloungefsm.com/menu

Sponsored by

7601 Rogers Ave, Fort Smith 479.226.3595 | MovieLoungeFSM.com Enjoy this and other premium cocktails at MovieLounge. Please drink responsibly.

52

taste

Pass the Pizza Bread! @recipe and images Stacey Little

taste

F

or most folks, the arrival of fall means cooler temperatures, heartier meals, and the flavors of apple and pumpkin spiced with cinnamon. The cooler

temperatures are certainly something I look forward to. Fall is my favorite time of the year, for lots of reasons. But if you’re lucky enough to be a Southerner, it also means the arrival of another cooler weather past-time that is near religion in many parts - SEC football. When the fall colored wreaths make it to front doors, the vivid team colors come out too. From house flags, to car flags, t-shirts and more, folks pull out all the stops to show their team pride.

Regardless of what team you pull for, Saturdays in the fall are reserved for pigskin. And I do mean near religion - folks plan their lives around it here. You won’t find a proper social event (weddings included) that’s planned on a Saturday during the fall that doesn’t feature a television tuned to the game.

Unfortunately, some of that is lost on me. Now, I would never go so far as to say that I’m not a football fan - it’s just not acceptable for a Southern guy like me to not be. I‘m sure my Southern card would be revoked if I were to admit something like that. I do enjoy football. My degree is from Auburn and my wife has two from there, so we’re required to be Auburn fans just because of the money we owe them - y’all don’t hate me.

But I will admit, if I had to pick a favorite thing about football, it wouldn’t be the actual game or the team spirit. It would be the food that comes along with it. No surprise there, right?

You have to admit that football food is pretty great. Deep fried, cheesy indulgence, and things dipped in ranch dressing top the menu – and who can complain about that? Football gives you a reason to indulge and be a little over the top. Hot wings, fried pickles, pizza, chili, and chips with dip are always popular menu items at any tailgate party.

This recipe is the epitome of the perfect football food. It meets the cheesy and gooey prerequisite - which I think is another requirement of football food. It’s great too because it can be easily customized with your favorite pizza toppings to suit your tastes. Now pizza isn’t something that needs improving upon, but turning it into a pull-apart bread just makes it a little more fun and hands-on. It’s always a hit at our house regardless of when we have it. I bet it will be at yours, too.

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taste

Ingredients

DIRECTIONS

2 (16.3-ounce) can large Southern style biscuits

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open the biscuits and

(8 in each can)

cut each one into quarters. Place them in a large bowl.

1 (14-ounce) jar pizza sauce

2. Add pizza sauce to the bowl and stir gently to coat. Add

1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced

the diced pepper and onion, Parmesan, olives, pepperoni, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir gently to combine.

1/2 onion, diced

3. Pour the mixture into a greased Bundt or tube pan and

3 oz pepperoni, coarsely chopped 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and biscuits are done throughout.

4. Remove from oven and invert onto a platter while hot.

Top with remaining cup of mozzarella.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Stacey Little

is the author and publisher of SouthernBite.com, an award-winning Southern food blog dedicated to sharing his family’s Southern recipes.

56

travel

@story Jaclyn Slifer @images courtesy Big Cedar Lodge

travel

W

ith the summer months drifting away, the arguable favorite season is upon Big Cedar Lodge in Ridedale, Missouri. Just eight miles

from Branson, the majestic Ozark retreat is known across the country as America’s premier wilderness resort. And with Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris as the owner, the resort offers a wealth of outdoor activities. Every fall, the 800 acres of Big Cedar Lodge are set ablaze in autumn colors, reflecting off the still blue waters of Table Rock Lake.

The land Big Cedar sits on was first developed in the early 1920s as a luxurious country retreat for two prominent Missourians, business entrepreneur Jude Simmons and Frisco Railroad executive Harry Worman. Several original structures still stand today, having been converted into the property’s restaurants. Since opening in 1988, Big Cedar hasn’t wavered from providing what it calls genuine Ozark hospitality. But this year has brought several new additions to the resort that the whole family can enjoy together.

There are 246 guest room on the property. Earlier this year, Knotty Pine cottages and Valley View Lodge were renovated earlier this year, along with the signature Governor’s Suite. The most exquisite lodging at Big Cedar is a spacious four-bedroom suite featuring a cozy fireplace and jetted tubs. Every room has plush, cabin-style décor that seems to instantly let you know you’re on vacation and miles away from everyday burdens.

Big Cedar is known as a go-to destination for bass fishing. But the outdoor water adventures don’t end there. An impressive array of options at Bent Hook Marina include wakeboards, water skis, paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, and paddle-boats; all available to rent and explore the 43,000 acres of Table Rock Lake.

A brand-new luxury yacht sailed into the resort’s collection this July. “Lady Liberty,” available for sunset cruises and group rentals, captures the beauty and sophistication of a by-gone era while employing the modern amenities of today.

The yacht has a distinctive cool, nautical vibe, bedecked in classic blue and white and shiny wood finishes. Also new this year is yoga paddle-boarding and alluring nighttime paddleboard tours.

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travel

For those who don’t really have their sea legs, the endless acres of Big Cedar and nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park provides endless land adventures. In keeping with the increased attention to wellness, yoga hikes are a new way to enjoy the breathtaking views and crisp, changing leaves. With unparalleled biking and horseback trails, visitors can also hop in a tram or jeep for a tour of towering bluffs, waterfalls and get up close and personal with wildlife like bison, deer and massive Texas longhorn cattle. If inclined, families can even saddle up for cattle drives, complete with a well-earned campfire cookout meal afterwards. The lessadventurous equine-lovers can travel around Big Cedar in style during a horse-drawn carriage ride.

with a deeply relaxing massage, the therapist gently compresses cedar and eucalyptus-steeped hot towels on the arms, legs and back. The skin is then treated to a soothing rub of cedar, sage and citrus body butter with moisturizing shea and jojoba ingredients.

The indulgent process is heavenly in both touch and aroma.

Under construction right now is the all-new 18,000 square-foot Big Cedar Spa, which will be unveiled next year.

The four restaurants at Big Cedar are family-friendly and reflect After a couple days exploring the Ozarks by land and lake, the

the delicious Midwestern cooking that the region is known for.

best reward can be found at the Carriage House Spa, where

The elegant Worman House is the signature restaurant of the

expert spa staff stands ready to pamper. One of the most popular

resort, and is one of the resort’s original structures dating back

treatments has to be the Big Cedar Signature Massage. Starting

to the 1920s. Another ‘20s building now operates as Devil’s

travel

Pool Restaurant. Fresh from a recent makeover, the rustic log

milkshakes, floats and classic soft-serve ice cream are whipped

restaurant is known for its generous home-style dishes. The

up inside a vintage Airstream trailer.

hickory-smoked prime rib and smoked trout are not to be missed! The legendary Singin’ Cowboy, Clay Self, is a regular

One of the most special traditions at Big Cedar is the “Cookie

performer, entertaining diners at the more casual Buzzard

Lady” who brings cookies to your room. But she brings so much

Bar downstairs and during the outdoor Chuckwagon dinners.

more than that. Based off an old Swedish custom, you place the

Guests pile into the antique hitchwagon led by two stately

little cookie in your hand and make a wish. Break the cookie, and

horses and arrive at a rustic campsite. Everything from grilled

if there are three pieces, your wish comes true. If you have more

steak and campfire beans to s’mores await at this memorable

than three pieces, you still have the delicious cookie to savor.

“dinner under the stars.” For visitors wanting to wear the chef’s hat, Big Cedar offers Backyard Baskets full of all the fixings to

In addition to the Cookie Lady’s sweets, the little ones are

grill up a private family dinner on your own outdoor deck. The

treated to afternoons at the Kids’ Adventure Club. With

sweetest treat, however, has to be Frosty’s. Down by the lake,

dynamic educational programming, kids ages four to twelve

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receives backpacks, adventure tools, and hats to collect all

With so much available on property, choosing what to do first in

the pins they earn. Adventure pins include BB gun safety and

is always exciting. The beauty of Big Cedar is that you can have as

training, camping, tent making, fire building, fishing, stargazing,

little or as much adventure as you want. It’s the destination where

canoeing and plant and animal identification. The Kids’ House

you can just as easily do everything under the sun or sit back, relax

offers evening entertainment with activities including welcome

and just enjoy the staggering beauty of the Ozarks.

bonfires, dive-in movies, fishing and junior golf clinics.

Beyond the Kids’ Adventure Club, Big Cedar offers a wide selection of family-friendly activities around the property including

basketball,

horseshoes,

miniature

golf,

sand

volleyball, shuffleboard and tennis. But when the games have been played, nothing says good old fashioned family fun like taking a dip in one of the resort’s pools or bobbing around in the lazy river.

For information visit big-cedar.com

62

back story

Carry Me Over @fiction Marla Cantrell @image Mark Mundorff

“Let the dead bury the dead,” J.T. says, and then honks and tries

J.T. nods his head toward the truck bed. In it six wreaths lay,

to switch lanes. We are inching across the Midland Boulevard

ready for the cemetery.

bridge that crosses the Arkansas River. This used to be the easy way to get from Fort Smith to Van Buren, but then the road crew

Just then, somewhere way back behind us, brakes squeal, metal

started fixing up Interstate 40, shutting down lanes, and now it’s

hits metal, and the bridge, already quivering from the weight of

like rush hour in New York City pretty much all the time.

us all, shimmies a little more.

“What?” I ask.

“Another fender bender,” J.T. says. “I wish I was in the body repair business.”

J.T. says again, “Let the dead bury the dead, that’s scripture, ain’t it?”

My daddy used to cross the Arkansas River, drive straight over it when it froze solid in the dead of winter. It doesn’t freeze

“Matthew 8:22.”

anymore, not even when we hit zero.

“Right,” J.T. answers, and then he cranks up his Hank Williams

One of the wreaths is for him, God rest his weary soul.

CD. The light at the end of the bridge has gone green and we are “I miss Hank,” I say.

moving now. The Crawford County courthouse appears, the church with stained glass windows nearby, just big pieces of

“You miss everybody,” J.T. says.

glass in bright colors. If a kid was to draw a church it would look like this one.

The tail pipe on the termite truck just ahead of us is blowing smoke. “What do you mean by that?” I ask.

“I work a full week for what you spend on graveyard flowers,” J.T. says. He’s not from here. He’s not from anywhere. A drifter. His

“Everybody you love is dead.”

daddy was a sharecropper. Moved the family across the South.

Moved them twice in one year when J.T. was sixteen. He’s been

“That isn’t so.”

here with me longer than he’s been anywhere. His people get

back story

burned to ashes, get tossed into oceans, get set on fireplace

“I been thinking we should get out of here, try living somewhere

mantles in little vases when they die. Cemeteries, they don’t

else. Like Tennessee,” J.T. says. “Never lived in Tennessee. And

mean much to a man like him.

there’s a guy there has a raccoon named Gun Show, has another raccoon named Rebekah who takes showers with him and

We pass La Huerta, a Mexican restaurant J.T. pronounces La Hurt

drinks Pepsi Cola.”

Ya. “Could’ve ate there if we hadn’t bought the flowers,” he says.

“You do aspire to greatness,” I say, my voice shaky.

“We have to buy the flowers,” I say, and J.T. snorts.

“We could make friends,” J.T. says. “We could raise goats. You “Sure we do,” he says. “Sure.”

always liked goats. You could quit your stinking job down at the auction house.”

I used to see some sparkle in J.T. I used to sparkle myself when he’d come calling. We’d stay up nights, and I’d tell him

“But,” I say, and J.T. asks, “But what?”

stories. I’d tell him how my grandma was once walking down Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith, how the elastic popped on her

And that is where I stop. We are pulling in to Gracelawn

underpants, and how when they dropped to her ankles she

Cemetery, easing through the entrance where Arkansas

stepped out of them, just kept walking, she said, and acted like

limestone makes up the two giant pillars. Up ahead is Grandma’s

nothing happened. The purple wreath is for her. That woman

plot. Her stone has that verse on it that begins, “Two ships that

loved purple.

pass in the night.” She went through three husbands in the fifty-five years she spent on this earth. She’s buried beside the

At Paul’s Bakery we go in and get two cream horns and two

second one. Grandma picked out her own stone, back when

bottled Cokes, and I say hi to the two Bettys behind the counter.

she was still working at Moore’s Café six days a week. “I want

There used to be a mural painted on the front of the building.

something substantial,” she said. “Something that says I lived

Deer in deep woods, a squirrel up a tree, a hunting dog down

a life reading books instead of pouring coffee for truck drivers

below, that’s how I remember it. A man named Bye Golly painted

with wandering hands.”

it. My grandpa said he had the hands of God and a taste for whiskey. I don’t know if that’s true.

Her best friend Inez is buried beside her. Inez never married.

The sixth wreath is for her. Her stone is pink marble. She lived

One of the wreaths is for Grandpa. The one shaped like an

eighteen years after my grandma died. The back of her stone

artist’s pallet is for Bye Golly.

says only this: Gone to Wal-Mart.

We pass by First Baptist, a big blond brick building that takes up

We step out and I wait for J.T. to hand me the first wreath. He’s

a full city block. I fell down laughing inside the sanctuary when I

got his pliers and he’s bending a wire hanger so we can secure

was eight. My friend Calvin was getting baptized. I’d never seen

the wreath to the ground.

anybody dunked before and I broke up as he went under. I got a whipping for it later.

He kneels and hooks the wire through the purple bow. J.T. will leave for Tennessee one day soon, I know he will. He’ll probably

One of the wreaths is for Calvin, who made it through the

buy an old trailer and learn to love raccoons. The thought makes

baptismal waters but not Vietnam.

me catch my breath, makes my heart hurt.

“Why you go to the graveyard so much?” J.T. asks.

I asked him once where he’d scattered his mother’s ashes, and he said he’d driven her across Arizona, a place she’d never been

“Decoration Day’s next week,” I say. “I like to go early. I like

but wanted to go, sifting her out a little at a time. “When there

being first at something. I tell you that every year.”

wasn’t but a few tablespoons left of her, I took her to Oak Creek

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back story

Canyon and let her go,” he said, “every bit of dust gone. The

“Never better,” I say. “Going to be moving soon. To Tennessee,

campers next to me come over to watch. I sang “I’ll Fly Away.”

up in the hills.

The littlest kid, he was maybe four, pulled a few yellow weeds and threw them into the creek.” He shook his head. “The grave

“Do tell,” he says.

swallows you up. The water carries you over. I ain’t one for getting swallowed up.”

“Sure am,” I say.

We walk to Calvin’s grave. I wish I could go back and watch

“Well, good for you,” he says, and then I think he notices I’m

his blond head dipped in the water again and understand the

crying.

gravity of it all. I wrote him every day he was in Vietnam. The last three letters I wrote were never opened.

“I’ll look after the plots for you,” he says. “Make sure the stones don’t sink. Clean ‘em up with that organic spray, keeps the moss

J.T. is a ropey man, long-limbed, weathered face. Here in the

away, don’t hurt a thing. I’ll even set out your flowers if you need

cemetery, he looks older than he usually does. When it gets

me to. Or we could plant some rose bushes along here,” he says

cold he limps a little. An old bull riding injury, he says, but who

and points to the row of stones.

knows for sure. He reaches over, takes the wreath from my hand and tacks it to the ground.

“I do appreciate it,” I say.

“Not everyone I love is dead,” I say, and I rub J.T.’s back.

“I’ve been to Tennessee,” the Odom boy says, “up where Dolly has the theme park. Nice, nice place.”

“That so?”

And then J.T. says. “We’re going to raise goats. We’re going to do “It is,” I say.

all kinds of things.”

“You got something to tell me, girl?” he asks, and he smiles then,

The Odom boy tips his cap and drives away. He will go home

for the first time in a long time.

and tell his mama and she’ll tell her sister and by morning time the whole town will know.

I love this time of day, the sun dipping low. I have lived my whole life here. When I first gave J.T. directions to my house,

J.T. takes me by the shoulders. He pulls me to him and holds

I said, ‘Turn right just past where Bo Monte’s Restaurant used

me tight. I think I might fall to the ground if he takes his hands

to be.’ He laughed at me and said, ‘How the hell would I know

away. But he does not. He stands still as a rock and he holds me

where anything in this town used to be?’

steady while the day falls away.

“I do have something to tell you,” I say. “I will not house a

Tomorrow I’ll wake up, a woman changing her circumstances. “Let

raccoon, nor will I bathe with one.”

the dead bury the dead,” I say into J.T.’s shirt collar, but if he hears me he doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t say anything at all in this

“That sounds reasonable,” he says, and then he scuffs the grass with his work boot. “But you will go,” he says, the sentence right on the verge of being a question.

One of the caretakers drives up in his rusty truck. He waves at me and rolls down his window. “How are you, Miss Mary?” he asks. I recognize him. He’s one of the Odom boys, though I can’t place which one.

land of my people, the sanctuary of everything I ever was.

Read Chair Publishing, LLC 3811 Rogers Avenue Suite B Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903