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Up Close & Personal

Everybody Needs an Herb Garden

Fresh Herb Radish Spread

Ignite: Joy in India

Shop Local

Hanging Around

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Benediction

Somewhere Near the River

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Coming Home to Nene’s

Run, Kids, Run!

Who Knew?

Lisa and Amy and Art

The Queen of Oklahoma

Southern Food by Osmosis

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Love at First Bite

Margarita de Flaco

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Through the Eye of the Needle

Back Story:

The Unburdening of Lida Stark

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Catherine Frederick

MANAGING EDITOR

Marla Cantrell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Amber Arnold

Marla Cantrell

Marcus Coker

Kody Ford

Catherine Frederick

Stacey Little

Tonya McCoy

Anita Paddock

Jeromy Price

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Marcus Coker

Catherine Frederick

Jeromy Price

DESIGNER

Jeromy Price

WEB GURU

David Jamell

PUBLISHER

Read Chair Publishing, LLC

FOLLOW US

ADVERTISING INFORMATIONCatherine Frederick479 / 782 / 1500Catherine@AtUrbanMagazine.com

EDITORIAL INFORMATIONMarla Cantrell479 / 831 / 9116Marla@AtUrbanMagazine.com

©2013 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.

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

Local. It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot these days,

and a word, it seems, everyone is trying to own. To me,

local isn’t something you have to strive to become or take

ownership of, local just is and when it comes to our economy,

it’s something we all need to support. From the farmer at our

local farmers markets, to the small business owners who just

took the risk of a lifetime in opening their doors.

Stop for a minute and think about the local small businesses

you wouldn’t want to be without. I’ll bet you’ll find many of

them in our pages. We need to support them to let them know

how much they matter to us. Live local. Support one another. It’s

about community. And it’s just what we Southerners do.

Speaking of local, we’ve visited Farmers Coop in Fort Smith for

the herbs we needed to create a vertical herb bed that you can

tuck into a small space. Once you have yours planted, make sure

to check out our kicking herb spread recipe you’ll want to make

again and again. Speaking of recipes, do we have a dessert

for you! Our food writer and newest member of the @Urban

family, Stacey Little, is whipping up pecan chewies, one of the

best desserts we’ve eaten in a long time. You’re going to love

Stacey, who learned to cook by watching his Southern mama,

grandmamma and great grandmamma.

We’re also sharing the story of a woman who turned her life

upside down to come back to Fort Smith and open a local

restaurant. Here’s the kick: already in her fifties, she’d never been

in the food business, but she felt certain it was what she was

supposed to do. Need a story that will get you out of the kitchen

to burn a few calories? We’re taking you to the Eye of the Needle,

one of the most beautiful and challenging hikes in Arkansas.

Not far enough? How about traveling 8,000 miles away to visit

a couple who met in Arkansas, but felt a calling to do good work

in India? When you’re finished there, we’ll introduce you to the

Queen. (Read the story!) Another short trip to meet Little Chief

in Fayetteville, and then we’ll take you running with some of

Fort Smith’s finest young athletes.

All this, plus thirty little known ways to use vinegar, beer, and

lemons. Whew! That’s a lot, but it’s still not everything we have

to offer you this month. So dig in, have some fun with us, and if

you feel like it, drop us a line to let us know what you think. Our

address? Editors@AtUrbanMagazine.com.

photo by Kat Hardin

letter from Catherine | 5

gallop; a two-syllablesymphony. bonescompounding earthsuch a heavy load

in the mistof the low-hanging cloudsfog-wet, smotheringyou see the outlinestheir long necks

sweltering throughthe cold morningafter the stray

cattle

@lines Amber Arnold

stray

lifestyle | 7

Words to Live ByPursue relentlessly with conviction, prayerfulness

and joy! And, STP! (This stands for Super Trojan

Power – from the Subiaco Trojans, where Ryan

graduated high school)

What’s the one thing you want us to know about Mercy?Mercy is transforming the delivery of health care

in this region by building world class facilities,

leveraging technology and recruiting top notch

medical professionals. For the services we provide,

we intend to be among the best anywhere you could

find in the country. We are building a healthier Fort

Smith, a healthier region.

Q&A with RyanLast movie you saw: The Hobbit with my daughter Alyssa. What’s the best thing about your job? I enjoy and value the humility derived from working

with a lot of really smart and dedicated people. What do you love about the South? Friendly people and no horn honking. Favorite vacation city:

Savannah, Georgia. My wife, Kristen, and I loved the charm, history and food. Where were you born? Muenster, Texas. Favorite guilty pleasure

food: Bacon. Last book you read: Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter. Last road trip: Pheasant hunt in Kansas with Cole Goodman and Kurt “the

nailer” Mehl (best aim I’ve seen in awhile.) Three favorite singers or groups: Led Zeppelin, Merle Haggard and the Greasy Valley Boys from

Subiaco. Cornbread – sugar or no sugar? Sugar (this survey is helping me realize that I’m not leading by example). What would you be doing if you

weren’t a business owner/manager? Anything (legal) that would provide for my family. Whose autograph would you most like to have? Lou Gehrig. Do you

have a pet? What’s your pet’s name? Havanese puppy my daughter named Scooter. Perfect meal: Anything when I’m around the table with my

family. I’m blessed to be married to a very talented cook!

Ryan GehrigMercy Fort Smith

8 | UPCLOSE&PERSONAL

What do you love most about Katiebug’s?It’s meeting beautiful women (and a few nice guys)

on a daily basis, seeing all of the beautiful children

and watching them grow, sharing “mom” stories of

frustrations and triumphs, helping our customers

find the perfect gift and wrapping it up so special,

seeing smiles on faces when we’ve found the

perfect outfit, being associated with such wonderful

companies, many of which give back in so many

ways, having the opportunity to brighten someone’s

day every day, and showing love and kindness to

everyone who walks through our door. That’s really

what I hope Katiebug’s is. A fun place to hang out

while you shop for that perfect outfit or gift.

Q&A with Kim

Q&A with Lindsey

Last movie you saw: Argo. The best thing about your job: The babies! Why you love the South: The warmth of the people. Favorite vacation city: San Francisco. I love the weather, outside eating, the water. Where were you born? Fort Smith. Favorite guilty pleasure food: Powdered donuts. It was terrible when Hostess went out of business! The last book you read: 12 Hours by 12 Weeks. Last road trip: Trip to Oklahoma City with friends to see John Mayer in concert. Three favorite singers or groups: John Mayer, Mumford and Sons, Mercy Me. Cornbread – sugar or no sugar? Is that a serious question? Sugar of course! What would you be doing if you didn’t own Katiebug’s? Advertising. Whose autograph would you most like to have? Jesus. Strangest

place you’ve called the Hogs: My bathroom with my girls. What’s your pet’s name? Lacy Caroline, she’s a Golden Doodle. Perfect meal: Roast, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls with lots of butter and chocolate cake.

Last movie you saw: Mary Poppins. The best thing about your job: The customers, for sure. Why you love the South: Flip flop season lasts so much longer in the South. Favorite vacation city: New York City. So much shopping and Broadway – two of my favorite things ever! Where were you born? Little Rock. Favorite guilty pleasure food: a REAL Coke. Last book you read: Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst. Last road trip: To Dallas for market. No idea how we keep getting lost trying to get to Dallas! Cornbread – sugar or no sugar? No sugar for me. What would you be doing if you weren’t a business

owner/manager? Before I became a partner at Katiebug’s my only job was “mom” to my girls. I love doing both and can’t imagine doing anything else. Strangest place you’ve called the Hogs? Rupp Arena, home of the Kentucky Wildcats, ha! Perfect meal: Lasagna, salad, bread, and strawberry ice cream.

Kim Cox andLindsey Wilkinson

Katiebug’s

UPCLOSE&PERSONAL | 9

will you take me home?

Kitties and Kanines is an affordable spay/neuter clinic. The clinic has two

professionally licensed veterinarians and utilizes state of the art surgical equipment.

Please help control the pet population,have your pets spayed or neutered.

Kitties and Kanines Veterinarian Clinic

4900 Rogers Avenue Suite 100H

Fort Smith, AR 72903

Mon-Thur 7am-5pm

Fri 8am-5pm for scheduling appointments

479.434.4740

info@kittiesandkanines.org

kittiesandkanines.org

DaxMale – Pit Bull / Lab Mix

MysteryFemale – Black Tabby

ChloeFemale – Tabby

SonshineFemale – Long Hair

MamasitaFemale – Tortoise Shell

ToulouseMale – Orange Tabby

10 | lifestyle

I’ve been eyeing several upcycled DIY herb garden projects

on Pinterest® for months. I finally settled on a vertical herb

garden, using a recycled pallet as the base. This version

is easy to build, easy to maintain, and it’s mobile so it can be

moved if the weather turns ugly or the sun shines too brightly.

Even if this particular version is not for you, keep looking! There

are so many options available. I urge everyone, no matter how

much, or how little space you have to plant an herb garden. Find

something that fits your style! Use pots, mason jars, galvanized

tubs, wooden crates, even a fabric over-the-door shoe rack nailed

to a board. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Plant herbs you think you’ll actually use in cooking or in

beverages. Love cilantro, basil, mint? Plant more than one!

You’ll be amazed how often you will walk out your door to snip

herbs, fresh from your garden.

NOTE: Make sure you get your pallet ready by removing any

nails or screws and sand down any rough edges.

@DIY and Images Catherine Frederick

everybody needsan herb garden

12 | lifestyle

• WoodenPallet• Herbsofchoice• Containersofchoice

(IgotmineatLowe’s)• Hardwaretosecurecontainers• Soil• Screwdriver• Drill(optional)

what you’ll need

Attach brackets to pallet with screws.

Align containers on brackets. Using a different style container? Try securing them with pipe clamps.

Remove herbs from original container, loosen roots slightly, and carefully place herbs in new containers. Hang container from bracket. Water thoroughly.

lifestyle | 13

Fresh from Your GardenTake Your Pick

NOTE: Dried herbs have a more intense, concentrated flavor. Fresh herbs can be substituted for dried at a ratio of 3 to 1. While dried herbs are convenient and a good choice for longer cooking times, they don’t have the same purity of flavor as fresh herbs. Remember, fresh is best!

CHIVESThis wispy herb has been called the gentle onion. It has a slight onion flavor with hints of garlic and looks much like the tops of tiny green onions. To use chives, snip them into small pieces with kitchen or herb shears. They’ll lose their flavor when cooked, so add them later in the recipe or use as garnish over the top of a finished dish. Chives are especially delicious in dips and spreads.

MINTYou’ll be surprised at the many types of mint. Spearmint, peppermint, chocolate and lemon mint – the list goes on and on. Mint can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, and makes a wonderful addition to an ice cold glass of tea or muddled in a variety of cocktails.

ROSEMARYRosemary leaves are very thin, almost needlelike in shape, and very aromatic. Don’t use the stem, only the leaves, as the stem is quite tough. The flavor is a combination of lemon and pine. Rosemary is excellent when used as a rub on pork. Try tossing rosemary with chopped vegetables and a little olive oil before roasting.

OREGANOFor many of us, oregano is interchangeable with Southern Italian cooling, but it’s also found in many Mediterranean dishes. It’s a strong herb, slightly bitter with grassy undertones. Like rosemary, use only the leaves, not the stems. Try oregano in your Italian dishes, sprinkled on fish, or with a strong cheese such as blue cheese or feta.

BASILYou’ll never go wrong when you pair basil with garlic, tomatoes, or olives. Basil has a pungent flavor often described as a blend of licorice and cloves. Basil is delicious in many appetizer dishes, such as bruschetta, as well as in pizzas, dips, spreads, or simply a leaf atop fresh mozzarella.

THYMEThyme is another fragrant, small leafed herb with a woody stem. Thyme is used in Mediterranean, Italian and French cooking. Snip only the leaves unless using whole springs for roasting meats, chicken, or vegetables.

PARSLEYParsley comes in many varieties. Two of the most popular are Flat Leaf Italian and Curly. Parsley is a popular ingredient in many dishes and can also be used as a garnish. Parsley has a fresh, grassy flavor. Use it in salads, dressings, soups, and stews.

CILANTROCilantro has lacy green leaves with a pungent odor and flavor. The dried seeds of cilantro are also known as coriander. To some, this herb is an acquired taste, while others, like me, can’t get enough. Cilantro matches up well with avocado, chicken, fish, salsas, and tomatoes.

14 | lifestyle

@recipe and image Catherine Frederick

Recipe adapted from food52.com

16 | lifestyle

Fresh Herb Radish Spread

8–10 radishes (small to medium sized)

Zest of one small lemon

2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp. basil, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh dill for garnish (optional)

1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

6-8 Tbsp. Crème Fraiche (I made my own)

¾ tsp. ground white pepper

Sea salt for garnish

Baguette, sliced and toasted

(would also be delicious with fresh pita chips)

Wash radishes, trim and slice thin. In a bowl, add radishes, parsley, basil, chives, and garlic. In a separate bowl,

combine the lemon zest, white pepper, Crème Fraiche, and cream cheese. Blend well. Combine the herb and

cream mixtures and gently fold together. Spread onto toasted baguette slices and garnish with chopped dill and

a sprinkle of sea salt.

Tip: Prepare your own Crème Fraiche by combining 2 Tbsp. buttermilk with 1 cup of heavy cream. Cover with a clean

cloth in a warm, draft free location until thick, about 12 – 16 hours. The mixture will not spoil while on the counter;

the acid in the mixture prevents spoilage. Stir and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes 2 cups

lifestyle | 17

Work is redemptive, it restores so many things.

– Melody Murray

in India@story Marla Cantrell@images Courtesy Melody Murray

joy

The world is a big place, filled with adventure, brimming with

possibility. It is also a place of great need, desperate poverty,

and crippling hunger. Melody and David Murray witnessed

it, just days after their honeymoon, when the volunteered at an

orphanage in Uganda in 1998. It had been a dream of theirs, to help

those who had no way to help themselves, ever since they met and fell

in love at John Brown University in Siloam Springs.

“The main thing we took from our time in the orphanage was that even

though this orphanage loved on the kids, fed them and clothed them,

they had little to no education or vocational training, so David and I

felt that it was quite a hopeless environment,” Melody says. “There

were orphan kids there that were older than I was at the time – I was

twenty-one - who had no hope, no future. David and I felt inadequate

and young - it was during that time that God solidified our vision to go

back to the States, grow up a bit, get experience under our belt, so that

when we headed back overseas, we’d be prepared and able to provide

people with a hope and a future.”

And so they came home and for years they planned. Where were they

most needed? The plight of India came to mind, 8,000 miles away,

where the population topped 1-billion, and the average weekly

income was only $23 dollars a week.

Melody and David had heard about a community of Tibetan refugees

in north India who were desperate for work. They spoke with one

of the group’s leaders and realized they needed to go. Soon after,

they started packing, selling what they no longer needed, and saying

goodbye to family and friends. They also brainstormed. They would

start businesses when they reached India, and they needed to decide

what those would be. The first decision was easy enough. David, who

grew up in a log cabin filled with music in Tennessee, had been playing

guitar since he was twelve and thought building handcrafted guitars

would be a perfect fit. Melody wanted to make handcrafted, block

printed textiles, including scarves, purses, and jewelry.

In January 2010 they boarded a plane with their two children, who

were four and five. Their final stop was Rajpur, a small town just outside

of the city of Dehradun, at the base of the Himalayas. Since that time,

they’ve opened JOYN India and Dehradun Guitars. Their companies

now employ seventy people.

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 | 19

Each morning, Melody gets the kids off to school and then

leaves her apartment, where the view of the Himalayas rises

outside her windows. She can see monkeys climb from tree to

tree, and hear hundreds of birds sing. She walks the ten minutes

it takes her to get to her office, passing the grocery store, her

chicken guy, her egg guy, and a woman selling vegetables on

the corner. She sees Tibetans outside spinning their prayer

wheels, hogs feeding their babies, even people brushing their

teeth under the bright morning sun.

Her employees smile as she enters JOYN India headquarters.

There is so much going on. Each piece of fabric is hand-woven

and hand sewn. The patterns are added using rosewood blocks

dipped in dyes.

At night, Melody dreams of block prints, the designs coming

to her swiftly, bright colors, Chevron designs, beautiful table

runners. When she wakes, she thinks about what the men and

women working with her have brought into her life. “Prahalad,

our block printer, has taught me about provision and love,” she

says. “He has a glow that lights up his face and he works so hard

to be the sole provider for his family of six. Rajkumar, one of

the street youth, has taught me about transformation. Just six

months ago he was heavily addicted to drugs and lived on the

streets. Today, he is our best youth block printer, has become

the leader of the group, and he recently saved enough money

to buy his own bicycle.”

Melody counts these triumphs daily. In a world where poverty

reigns, it’s an important thing to do. “When you help someone

else, you help yourself. When your focus is turned to others,

your life becomes so very full. You get more than you give. We’ve

gained new perspective on life, living amongst the “majority

world” of those who have very little and few opportunities in

life, yet have such joy. We’ve gained confidence in our God.

We’ve gained a happy family life where everything in our life

is integrated. We understand more clearly what really matters.

We have joy. We have purpose.”

To view Melody’s products, and find Arkansas stores

that carry the JOYN line, visit www.JOYNindia.

com. You can see David’s guitars by visiting

dehradunguitars.com.

To support their non-profit mission,

visit www.firstasiadevelopment.org.

20 | lifestyle

Farmer’s Coop | Fort Smith | Van Buren | Fayetteville | Rogers | 14 Locations | Visit farmercoop.com

Creative Kitchen | 309 Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith | 479.646.3233 | creativekitchenstore.com

Bergan Elevated Feeder $18.99This feeding system promotes healthy feeding posture, is easy to clean, and comes with two metal 1.5 quart bowls. Make your dogs happy. Two sizes available. Made in USA.

Charming Pet Products “Grampa Gimpy Hip” $8.39Grandpa will bring a smile to your face and provide hours of fun for your furry friend. He’s decked out in flip flops and a snazzy swimsuit. Painted by hand with lead free paint, he squawks when squeezed.

Bergan Automatic Waterer $15.99It’s not too early to think about the dog days of summer, and how you’re going to keep your own pets supplied with fresh water. This automatic waterer connects to a water hose, refills automatically, and will not overflow.

The Original Go Jump in the Lake Sign $68This wooden, handmade sign brings back memories of childhood around our favorite watering hole.”Last One In’s A Rotten Egg” is perfect for the lake house or the pool in your backyard.

Signature Line “Lake Ouachita” Cup $12This striped insulated mug is perfect for the lake. Hefty, happy, and made in the USA, this cup is perfect for your morning coffee or your favorite ice cold beverage.

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Farmer’s Coop

22 | SHOPLOCAL

Unique Boutique | 4500 Rogers Avenue, Ste B2 | 479.785.1185 | tanunique.net

Inscriptions | 4803 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith | 479.484.5559 | inscriptionsfs.com

John Callanan Straw Hat $29.95John Callanan strives to make hats inspired by what’s seen on European runways. Another plus? They’re affordable and adorable. This hat features a striped headband accented with straw twine.

Bella I Love Arkansas T-Shirt $38 Show your Arkansas pride with a super soft shirt that’s made in the USA. Other colors available. Woo Pig!

Vera Bradley Convertible Baby Bag in Tutti Frutti $109Check out the newest edition to Vera Bradley! This baby bag can be handheld, worn crossbody, carried over the shoulder or even worn as a backpack. The zip top opens to a roomy interior with plenty of pockets and a wipeable lining.

Vera Bradley Ruffle Bodysuit $28With delicate details like scalloped picot trim, puff sleeves and adorable tiered ruffles on the back, this soft interlock cotton bodysuit is truly special. It’s packaged in a so-very-sweet dresser-shaped box that’s ideal for gifting.

Vera Bradley “Bunny and Bear” Book $8A glimpse into the everyday joys of friendship, this board book features two cuddly buddies, Bunny and Bear. Illustrated by Joanie Hall, granddaughter of Vera Bradley, this picture book makes a sweet gift, closing with the heartwarming message, “May your little one always know the true meaning of friendship.”

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Unique Boutique

Inscriptions

SHOPLOCAL | 23

@images Christine Howard and Nancy Nolan

24 | lifestyle

When grouping multiples, you can instantly make a simple item become very interesting.

One of our favorite ways to accessorize is with patterns on the wall. Repetition is an

important design tool, and a smart and stylish way to liven things up.

If you’ve been into an I.O. METRO store, you’ve seen the many ways repetition can work. I bet you’ve also

wondered how in the world someone could hang so many different items so perfectly? Whether you’re

hanging framed art, mirrors, metal art, or sculptures, we have a foolproof way to get things straight. It’s

called paper templates! They’re light and super easy to play with until you get things perfect.

Once you’ve selected a wall, following our simple hanging tips, and you’re sure to get stunning style

(without re-hanging for hours and a zillion holes in the wall).

Stand back and tweak as needed. Once everything is perfect, mark your nail holes in the wall. Take the

papers down as you hang.

Christine HowardCreative Director, I.O. Metro

1Collect your supplies. You’ll

need paper, scissors, blue

painter’s tape, a Sharpie, and a

tape measure.

2Create your pattern by laying

out your items on the floor.

Draw a template. Trace your

piece, make a mark where the hanger

is located on the item, and then cut

out the template. (Here we used legal

size paper, but for larger pieces, use

brown butcher paper or newspaper.)

3Hang your paper templates on

the wall with the painter’s tape.

This tape is super gentle and

won’t hurt your walls. And by the way,

it’s best to measure and work from the

center outward, so you don’t get off.

lifestyle | 25

Popovich Comedy Pet Theater

Saturday, April 6 // 10AM // See Website for Details

The World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is making its way to Northwest Arkansas. Cats, dogs, doves and geese perform incredible feats! Each of the show’s 15 cats and 10 dogs were once strays, rescued from animal shelters. Come see the astonishing acts of Popovich and his amazing pets in the Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center.

Fayetteville, AR // 479.443.5600 // WaltonArtsCenter.org1Fort Smith Heritage Festival

Miles for Mutts: A Purrfect Race

10th Annual Arkansas Literary Festival

Saturday, April 6 // 10AM – 4PM // Admission is Free

Saturday April 13 // 8AM // Entry fee $25

April 18 - 21 // See website for details

Come celebrate Fort Smith’s history at the 2013 Heritage Festival. This event is free and includes free trolley rides of the Heritage Trail, Old West action, wagon rides, a petting zoo, the Choctaw Youth Dancers, live music, and food! The Heritage Festival benefits the Meals for Kids program to help feed local children through the summer. The festival will headquarter at the Frisco Station at the end of Garrison Avenue.

Run or walk to the benefit of animals in need. This 5K sponsored by The Sebastian County Humane Society is being held at the Riverfront Park, site of the future U.S. Marshals Museum. All pre-registered participants will receive a free t-shirt. Come out and be a part of this great cause.

Readers and writers of all ages will gather at the Arkansas Literary Festival, which will include more than 80 presenters and Pulitzer Prize winning writers. The Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library and multiple venues in the River Market will be hosts to this event that offers special events, performances, workshops, and even special children’s events on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion. Ticket prices for individual events vary.

Fort Smith, AR // 479.782.5074 // CSClearinghouse.org

Fort Smith, AR // 479.783.4395 // SebastianCountyHumaneSociety.org

Little Rock, AR // 870.269.8068 // ArkansasLiteraryFestival.org

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Submit your events to editors@aturbanmagazine.com

26 | entertainment

Night Hike on the Seven Hollows Trail

Rock of Ages

Saturday, April 27 // Starts at 8PM // Admission is Free

Tuesday, April 30 // 7:30PM // See website for details

Outdoors at night, the world opens up. The stars blaze across the sky, and the sounds of nature intensifies. This is your chance to experience it. Just show up the Seven Hollows Trail Parking Area at Petit Jean State Park and meet Park Interpreter Mystina. You’ll be led on a short hike, where you’ll learn more about the park and enjoy the beauty of nature.

This 2009 Tony® nominated musical is an arena rock love story set to a mix of classic 80s hits including “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “We Built This City”, “The Final Countdown” and many more. Come see this classic tale of a small town girl with big dreams in the big city. May not be appropriate for those under 14. This event will be held in the ABC Performing Arts Center at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

Petit Jean State Park at Morrilton // 501.727.5441 // petitjeanstatepark.com

Fort Smith, AR // 479.788.7300 // TicketSage.com/uafs

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Earth Day 5K and Family Fun Run

Hillbilly Porkchop Roundup: Family Mud Run

Saturday, April 20 // 5K starts at 8AM // 1K starts at 9AM

Saturday, April 27 // 9AM – 3PM // See website for details

The Montessori School of Fort Smith and the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center are partnering up to sponsor a community-wide 5K race and 1K family fun run to celebrate Earth Day 2013. There will be prizes and activities for the whole family. The event will be held at Wells Lake next to the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center.

What better way to welcome spring than by wallowing in the mud and running miles over crazy obstacles in hillbilly country?! This extreme obstacle and fun-filled running event is open to the entire family. Hillbilly costumes are welcome! Prizes awarded after the day’s events. The event will be held at Mulberry Creek come rain or shine.

Fort Smith, AR // 479.646.7225 // GrowGreatMinds.com

Mulberry, AR // 479.783.4395 // Hillbilly5K.com

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entertainment | 27

I want to shout it from the rooftops: Read this book! It will

restore your faith in your family, your neighbors, and

your community. It will make you wish you lived in Holt,

Colorado, a place where you could know these people.

This beautifully written novel is about ordinary people who live

in a small town in eastern Colorado. Dad Lewis, the seventy-

seven-year-old owner of a hardware store, has been to a

specialist in Denver, and he and his wife, Mary, could tell “by

the look on his face where matters stood.”

Dad has terminal lung cancer, which gives him a mandate to

examine his life, while his community of family and friends

prepare for his death. There is an elderly neighbor lady,

Berta May, who has recently taken in Alice, her eight-year-old

granddaughter, to raise because her mother died of breast

cancer. Dad’s daughter, Lorraine, whose own daughter was

killed in an accident, comes home to help take care of him.

Dad’s son, Frank, left right out of high school and never came

back. No one knows where he is.

Good friend, Willa Johnson, whose husband has been dead

for thirty years, leases her land to a man who raises cattle. The

money is just enough, if she’s careful. Her daughter, Alene,

an old-maid school teacher, has come home for a visit after

retirement, and laments the loss of love she shared with a

married principal.

Rob Lyle, a handsome new minister arrives in town, along with

his unhappy wife and son. His liberal view of loving your enemies

and turning the other cheek to their non-Christian beliefs causes

him to lose his job. His wife leaves, leaving their son behind,

although the son begs his mother to take him with her.

Dad Lewis spends his last days either on his front porch with

his family or looking out his bedroom window. By his side is his

dutiful wife and his caring daughter, each bearing the burden of

having lost a child. And by their sides, are the friends who have

coped with loss but still are full of compassion for others.

Kent Haruf weaves a beautiful story of love and loss. His

earlier books, Plain Song and Eventide, each take place in the

fictional town of Holt, with characters as full of human suffering,

forgiveness, and acceptance as those found in this book, which,

like its title, bestows a blessing upon all who read it.

Benediction by Kent HarufKnopf 257 pages: $2595

@review Anita Paddock

28 | entertainment

Matt Cooper needed a change. Having cut his teeth

as a singer/songwriter, he wanted to create music

that sounded organic and get people stomping and

clapping. A folk band seemed like the way to go.

Cooper pieced together the line-up for Little Chief in 2012.

He recruited cellist Matthew Heckmann, Fort Smith native/

drummer Andrew Myers and Ellie Turner, of the Dallas folk duo

The Benjamins.

The band cites influences such as Mumford & Sons and The

Lumineers. While they certainly fit well on a playlist with these

acts, other sounds peek through in their music. Cooper’s gentle,

raspy voice has hints of John Mayer.

Little Chief recorded their debut EP Somewhere Near the River

at East Hall Recording Studio in Fayetteville. The quality and

diversity of the bands that have been recording at East Hall is

phenomenal and has been a huge boom for the Fayetteville

music scene.

The band made a good choice to showcase the cello rather than

a violin given the dramatic effect it adds to the tunes. This is most

evident on the title track. Only two songs are really up-tempo.

They are also some of the standouts. “Fields of Wheat” builds

upon a quickening tempo accompanied by banjo and cello.

“Hiding and Seeking” has great harmonies and a throbbing beat.

If any song stands out as a hit it’s “North Carolina.” Cooper’s

vocals and the accompanying harmonies display a genuine

sense of longing.

Somewhere Near the River is good rainy day music. It has a mellow

vibe that never drifts into somber territory. Their performance is

tight and the tunes are well structured. The songs are promising

but the band holds back at times. They seem afraid of letting

go and getting lost in the music like Mumford & Sons. If “Hiding

and Seeking” erupted like Mumford’s “Lover of the Light,” it

would be goose bump worthy.

A debut EP typically serves as a preview for what’s to come

from a band. That being the case, Somewhere Near the River is a

promising start for Little Chief. Soon, they’ll learn to cut loose

and the local music scene will be theirs for the taking.

Give it a listen: Hear “North Carolina” by Little Chief

on AtUrbanMagazione.com. Click on @Urban Sounds

located on our homepage.

I Rate It

Somewhere Near the Riverby Little ChiefIndependent Release — 2012: $5little-chief.bandcamp.com

@review Kody Ford

entertainment | 29

Vonita Hoffer sits at a long table inside NeNe’s Restaurant in Fort

Smith. The lunch crowd has dwindled, and she has some breathing

room before the dinner crowd starts ambling in. It’s been a little

over a year since the doors first opened. That was a grand day, Vonita says,

remembering the feeling of waiting for those first customers to arrive. She was

fifty-seven then, a fine time for a dream to come true.

coming home to Nene’s

@story Marla Cantrell@images Jeromy Price

30 | people

It didn’t take long for the line to form. The menu is a walk down

memory lane for them: fried cabbage, catfish, cornbread, peach

cobbler, chicken fried steak. Many of the recipes Vonita learned

in her own mother’s kitchen in Indianapolis. She remembers

the squeaky clean kitchen, the dining room where the family

lingered long after supper was over. She remembers the year

she turned nine. In her family, that was the age when you

started taking your turn cleaning up after the meal.

Vonita wanted no part of dirty dishes. She was the baby of the

family. She realized that this dishwashing business would likely

end with her, since there would not be another brother or sister

coming along. “For a while I thought maybe we’d get rich and

Mama would get a maid, and I wouldn’t be the dishwasher, but

I got over that real quick,” Vonita says. “After that, I decided it

would be better if I just cooked.”

She remembers being ten, standing at the stove, cooking supper.

Even then, she was a good cook, taught by her mother who

was an excellent one. “I’d come home from school, pick up my

two nephews from the babysitter. I was the first one home. I’d

start dinner for me and Mama and Daddy and my sister and my

brother. This is the kind of food we ate, the same as I cook here.”

Her love of cooking grew as the years went by. She had a lot of

practice, raising boys who went to football practice and then ate

three or four pot pies to hold them until dinner, just forty-five

minutes later. Vonita likes the way cooking makes her feel, and

how people are always happy at the end of a good meal.

But it wasn’t until she’d moved back home to Fort Smith – the

family left when Vonita was six – that the idea of owning a

restaurant came into play.

“I was living in St. Paul, Minnesota in June of ‘09, and I was

driving, and something said, ‘It’s time to go home.’ I hadn’t even

been thinking about Fort Smith, but I was thinking about my

sister, who’d had open heart surgery. None of us are spring

chickens. And I said, ‘OK, Lord, if that’s you talking to me, you

need to make that so clear that I have no questions.’”

The thought of leaving her steady job, and her husband Chris

leaving his, was a lot to consider. But the voice kept coming to

her, and she felt the pull of home grow stronger. “I said to my

husband, ‘Something told me it’s time to go home,’ and he said,

‘That wouldn’t be my first choice.’ And I said, ‘Just you pray over

it.’ It was something getting a man from Minnesota to come to a

place where it gets up to 115 in the summer.”

Chris came around soon enough. They arrived in Fort Smith in

October. It wasn’t an easy go. Vonita landed a job at Whirlpool.

“I worked there five days,” she says, “and then I spent six days at

Sparks. My legs swelled up so big, my nephew said they looked

like a Johnsonville brat.”

people | 31

It was not the homecoming Vonita imagined. But she knew she

was here for a reason. “In 2011, another voice said open up

a restaurant with old fashioned, home cooked food. I’d never

owned a restaurant before. Somebody asked me why I’d open

a restaurant during a recession and I said, ‘The Lord’s blessing

is on this place.’

“I’ve met people I’d never have met and they’ve become friends.

As long as I remember that it’s not me and give the praise where

it belongs, we’ll be okay.”

Right now, the staff includes Vonita, her co-owner husband,

Chris, who helps in the kitchen, and Cloressa Williams, who

waits tables, and helps keep the place going. NeNe’s is set up

to serve around forty people, but that number can easily grow

with the addition of several tables.

One of Vonita’s specialties she learned from Bobby Flay. “You

take a nice sized burger, seasoned up really good, Swiss cheese,

pickles, ham, special sauce, bun, wrap it up in foil, put it between

two cast iron skillets, and let the cheese melt down.

“The cornbread, that’s Mama’s. Her nickname was Babe. Most

of the rest of the recipes are mine. Beans, greens, smothered

potatoes, fried cabbage. The peach cobbler came from a

cookbook, before I tweaked it – putting at little NeNe in there.

Chris bakes, because he’s not a scratch cook; he follows recipes.

I don’t mess with stuff where you have to put a tablespoon of

this or that. I don’t measure; I eyeball it.

“There’s a guy who comes in every other Wednesday and

Saturday from Bentonville and orders pinto beans, greens

(collard, turnip and mustard), and cornbread. I can set my

clock by him. People come in and say, ‘We heard you had the

best chicken in town.’ There’s folk that love the pork chops

and chicken fried steak and the brownies. One lady, when

the Arkansas peaches were out last summer and I was making

fried pies, was brought to tears. She said, ‘It tastes just like my

grandmother’s.’ And then I started to cry right along with her.

She said, ‘I didn’t think I’d ever get another fried pie like this as

long as I lived.’

“We’re – Cloressa, Chris and I – are accomplishing our goal. When

you start talking about your grandparents’ food, the true, old

fashioned home cooking, you’re doing what you set out to do.”

These days, folks are likely to call Vonita ‘NeNe’ instead of

her given name. NeNe is what her nieces nicknamed her, and

they weren’t too pleased when they showed up and heard

customers addressing their aunt that way. “I probably should

have mentioned it to the girls before I named the restaurant,

but I just love the name, and it meant a lot to me,” Vonita says

and then laughs. “My nieces are full grown, so I think they can

live with it. I think it’s a little too late to stop folks from calling

me that now.”

Nene’s Restaurant is located next to Staples at

5709 Rogers Avenue, Ste. 36, in Fort Smith.

479.494.7870

Sunday: 12:00 – 3:00

Tuesday: 4:30 – 9:00

Wednesday, Thursday: 11:00 – 9:00

Friday, Saturday: 11:00 –10:00

Catering also available by request.

32 | people

@story Tonya McCoy@images Jeromy Price

run, kids, run!Mercy in Motion

34 | people

There’s something inherently uplifting about running.

Putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward

in long strides toward an absolute goal. A group of

Fort Smith students is finding this out, through a kids running

club called Mercy in Motion. The idea for the club started last

fall when Karen Hollenbeck, principal of St. Boniface Catholic

School, was trying to find a way to get her students ready for

an annual citywide track meet. She mentioned the plan to some

of her friends at Mercy, a local faith-based Health Care System,

telling them that each spring her students would get organized

to compete in the yearly meet, but would still show up a bit

unprepared physically for the competition.

So Mercy stepped up. Patrick Pendleton, Educational and

Organizational Specialist, met with some of his colleagues. One

thing they agreed on, no matter what the age, running can be a

challenge. They began tossing around ideas that could get kids

motivated to run. They knew they had to find a way to make it

fun and meaningful for the kids.

Patrick says, “There were several of us at Mercy who enjoyed

running and had sponsored a few runs and we thought, Well hey,

let’s do something to get these kids ready and we came up with

the idea of an afterschool running club. One of our thoughts

was to promote it as a club, as opposed to a training activity, so

that they would really think of the exercise as something that

was fun, as opposed to work.”

With that, flyers advertising the club were sent home at not only

St. Boniface but also two other schools in town – Christ the King

and Immaculate Conception. Now about sixty fifth and sixth

graders from the three schools meet every Wednesday at Trinity

Junior High. Some prefer the solid evenness of the track. Others

favor the hills and valleys of the mile and a half cross-country

trek. Some walk, some walk and run, and some run the entire

time. The group is completely voluntary and kids participate at

their own pace.

Principal Karen Hollenbeck has her fifth grade twins in the

program. Matthew and Gracie explain why they like the program

so much. “I like it a lot because, all my friends, we get to go out

and hang out, but we’re also getting exercise at the same time.

That’s my favorite part,” Gracie says.

Matthew adds, “When I run, I run with my friends, so it’s not

complete silence. We talk when we run, and it’s very fun.”

They’re also making new friends from the other schools that

participate. But the club is about more than just getting in shape

and running. And it’s about more than just making new friends.

Mercy added something more substantial to this running club.

Each week before the club sets off, they gather for a short

devotional and read scriptures like:

people | 35

Philippians 4:13 —

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

and

Isaiah 40: 29-31 —

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the

weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble

and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow

weary, they will walk and not be faint.

“The spiritual aspect, it was a really neat fit, because that was

part of our Mercy connection as a faith-based organization. We

find that there’s just an awful lot of scripture that relates to

perseverance or endurance,” says Patrick.

Patrick says the theme of perseverance is especially important

to the club because of different challenges kids will face as they

grow up.

“There are going to be times when you come to some hills in life

as well that make it challenging and difficult, but you’re in it for

the long haul.”

The spiritual aspect of the group is also encouraging kids to

help out in our community.

Matthew, who attends each week, says, “We read a reading from

the Bible, and that goes along with the good deeds we do, and

some kids say, ‘I helped my little brother with his homework,’ or

‘I was running my little sister around the block to help her get

her exercise,’ and I think it’s cool that the kids can actually say

what they do and inspire all the other kids to try and do it.

“I pull in my older neighbors’ trash, I help my mom with the

dishes, I help my grandpa around his house, and I do lots of

other things around my neighborhood.”

Karen weighs in again, “I love the education of the whole child.

It’s not just about reading and writing and math. It’s about

getting their bodies athletically prepared, getting them to a

better state of fitness. And then the tie-in with the good deeds,

it’s like we’re hitting every important aspect of their being.”

Because of the club, friendships form, endurance is built,

perseverance is taught, and community service is encouraged.

So what once started as a club to help kids ready for track, is

getting kids ready for life.

For more information about the Mercy in Motion

Kids Running Club contact Patrick Pendleton at

479.314.2078.

36 | people

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UNCOMMONUSES FOR BEER

SO LONG SLUGSIn the evening, bury a wide mouth container (tuna cans work great) next to your plants so that the lip of the container is level with the soil surface. Fill the container a third of the way with beer. Slugs will slither in, but won’t slither out.

JAZZ UP JEWELRYBeer contains natural acids that can help bring back shine to gold jewelry. Use a light beer and a clean towel to remove grime and dirt. Try using a soft toothbrush or eyebrow brush to get into hard to reach crevices. You can also try this on tarnished copper.

BEES BEWAREBees love a backyard party. Banish them using beer and an old jar. Punch several 3/8" holes in the lid, then fill the jar with beer. Place the jar (or jars) around the yard where you’ve noticed the bees. Bees be gone.

BANISH BROWN SPOTSPesky brown spots on your lawn? It’s believed that fermented sugars in beer stimulate plant growth and kill fungus. Try spraying your lawn with a chemical free brew such as Rolling Rock to restore the lush green landscape.

BREAK DOWN RUSTRusty screw that won't turn? Pour a little beer on the hardware and wait a few seconds. Repeat. The carbonation in the beer will help break down the rust. Still didn’t budge? Pour more beer and try again until loosened.

CAST IRON CLEAN-UPI love cooking in my cast iron skillets, but cleaning up can be difficult at times. Try adding a little beer into the pan while it’s still warm. The bubbling brew should keep the remaining food from sticking, and it can even help season the pan.

CALM THE DOGSI’m talking about your feet, not Fido. Beer’s enzymes have been shown to soften calluses. Concoct a mixture of room temperature beer and warm peppermint tea. DO NOT drink the mixture. Let your feet soak in the mixture for fifteen to twenty minutes.

STAINS BE GONEAccidentally spill coffee, tea or worse, red wine, on your carpet? Follow the spill up with a bit of light beer to help pull out the stain. After the spill, blot the area then pour beer onto the stain. Blot lightly, repeat if needed. Once the stain has been removed, follow with regular carpet cleaner to remove any lingering scent.

GREAT GARDEN SOILGarden plants love yeast. No one likes to throw out beer. Here’s a win – win. Don’t toss out flat beer. Put it to good use by pouring a few tablespoons onto your garden to amend the soil. The added yeast in beer will bring about healthier plants and your garden will flourish.

MAGNIFICIENT MARINADEThe acid in beer makes for a top notch meat tenderizer without altering the flavor like other marinades can. Pierce the meat with a fork several times and place in a re-sealable bag or airtight container. Add beer (English ale is a good choice) and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. DO NOT reuse marinade or use it for basting.

@words and images Catherine Frederick

38

CUTTING BOARD

CLEAN UPWater and soap alone won’t cut it when it comes to wooden cutting boards. Lemon

juice is a natural sanitizer. Sprinkle a bit

of coarse salt onto the board, then scrub with the

flesh side of half a lemon to get into all of the cracks and crevices.

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UNCOMMONUSES FOR LEMON

FLUFFY CAKESWho doesn’t love a moist, fluffy cake? The secret to keeping cakes light is lemon juice. Add a dash or two to the butter and sugar mixture and your cake will be as light as a feather.

CLEAR GLASSLemon juice is a great glass cleaner and even provides some shine. Pour or spray directly onto glass and wipe off with a cleaning cloth. Use newspaper on the glass to remove any streaks.

INVISIBLE INKHave an ink stain on your carpet? Try a paste of cream of tartar and lemon juice. Gently dab on the stain. Let stand for five minutes, then clean the area with a damp cloth. Test an area of your carpet beforehand to check for color fastness.

VEGGIE WASHFood-borne illnesses affect 1 in 6 Americans each year. Wash your vegetables naturally. In a spray bottle, combine 2 cups of cold water, 4 tablespoons

of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Shake well and apply to fruits and vegetables,

then rinse under tap water.

AIR FRESHNERWhether the stench is coming from your son’s room or the pet area, avoid chemical air fresheners and give lemons a try. Place lemon slices or halves in a dish for a natural air freshener or simmer on a stovetop to eliminate kitchen odors.

MAGIC IN THE MICROWAVEDon’t reach for harsh chemicals when cleaning the gunk from your microwave. Instead, place a bowl containing ½ cup lemon juice and 1 ½ cups water in the microwave and heat on high for about 6 -8 minutes. The water will boil, and steam will condense inside the microwave. Dried on food will easily wipe away with a paper towel or cleaning cloth.

VEGGIE POWERCauliflower and potatoes can both brown after boiling. Prevent it by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the water before you turn on the heat.

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RICE IS NICENo one likes sticky rice. When cooking, add one teaspoon of lemon juice for each quart of water to fluff it up and keep it bright white.

FABULOUS FINGERNAILSBrighten your nails with lemon juice and water. Create a soak with ½ cup of lemon juice and 1 cup water, or rub lemon rind directly on your nails to whiten the enamel.

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UNCOMMONUSES FOR VINEGAR

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FLOWER POWERFlowers make us happy, but we’re sad when the die. Keep your bouquet of cut flowers bright and perky a bit longer by adding two tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of water.

SPICE, SPICE BABY Cooking a delicious dish but got a little heavy handed with the cayenne? Vinegar is your friend. You can add apple or white vinegar, one teaspoon at a time, to simmer down the heat from the spice.

SOOTHE MUSCLES Lactic acid builds up in the muscles after exercise, causing soreness. Draw it out by applying apple cider vinegar. Add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm water. Dip a cloth into the mixture then apply to sore areas for fifteen to twenty minutes.

AWAY ANTS Ants are annoying, and they invite hundreds of their tiny friends along for the ride. Good thing we know they dislike vinegar. Spray the army’s trail with a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar. The vinegar also eradicates the scent-trails they use to notify their brood of a food source.

FABRIC 101Adding vinegar to your wash is like throwing a one-two punch. Just a 1/2 cup of white vinegar in your wash cycle will prevent lint and keep colors bright. It will also remove soap scum from the washing machine and your clothes. Want softer fabrics? Use vinegar in place of dryer sheets. Add 3/4 cup to your washer during the final rinse cycle.

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ERASE UNDERARM STAINSWhen the aluminum in your deodorant reacts with the salts in sweat, you’re left with embarrassing yellow sweat stains. Soak the stain in pure white vinegar for ten minutes before washing, and it should disappear. If this doesn’t work, try making a paste of baking soda and vinegar, scrub lightly and rewash. If you’re leery, apply to a small spot to test.

GET THE STING OUTThe insects are already swarming. Keep apple cider vinegar on hand for stings. Applying apple cider vinegar with a cotton ball will help the stinging subside.

CLOBBER CLOUDY GLASSIf your glasses have become cloudy from one too many trips in the dishwasher, soak them in warm vinegar for an hour. They will emerge sparkling clean. Dirty dishwasher? Clean it up by running an empty wash cycle using vinegar instead of detergent. Your dishwasher will sparkle and your next load of dishes will too.

PRESERVE SOUR CREAMAdding white vinegar to sour cream right after you open it will make it last longer. Add one teaspoon to a small container, two tablespoons to a large. The taste won’t be affected.

WEED OUTEliminate pesky weeds from the cracks in your sidewalk, driveway, or patio with a hefty dose of white vinegar. After a few days, the weeds should die and won’t come back for several months.

@Urban Magazine does not warrant or assume any liability or responsibility for the completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed.

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lisa and amyand art

@story Marla Cantrell@images Courtesy Jolly Good Art Shop

AmyScoggins LisaMiller

36 | people42 | people

How does your life change? Sometimes it’s as easy

as finding a new friend. That’s what happened to

Lisa Miller and Amy Scoggins. They met at Central

Christian Church in Fort Smith, drawn to each other by a shared

interest in art. Both were moms. Both were shimmering with

talent. When they were first introduced, Lisa, whose children

are nine and six, was pursuing her life as an artist, taking

photographs and crafting jewelry, note cards and magnets that

she sold at craft fairs and the Fayetteville farmers market.

But Amy, now she was a different story. She’d spent ten years

studying and then teaching art in Springfield, Missouri, before

returning home to Fort Smith. She’d also freelanced there,

painting a little bit of everything. She laughs, remembering the

bathroom ceiling mural she created for a couple who asked her

to paint a mural that would couple their beloved grandchildren

swimming with killer whales. It was an odd request, but the

couple assured Amy they loved whales and they loved

their grandchildren, so they thought putting the two

together made perfect sense. And so she painted,

giving the couple the ceiling they’d dreamed of.

Amy gave up teaching when she came home to Fort

Smith. Her days were full. She was the mother of a baby

and a toddler, she gardened, she volunteered at church.

The art projects she focused on in those days were in her own

home. She felt like her life as an artist had gone into hibernation.

That changed, rather quickly, in July, 2012. Lisa and Amy saw the yet-

to-be-opened BrickCity Emporium ad in @Urban, and something

made Amy say this: “‘Let’s go into business together.’” It was a

spur of the moment decision, nothing more than a whim, but it

sparked something in the two, and they began to consider it. They

brainstormed, coming up with the name Jolly Good Art, because

they liked the lighthearted feel of it, and when the doors of BrickCity

opened, their shop was already set up and ready for customers.

What they offer is original photographs and acrylic paintings,

screen prints, jewelry, note cards, custom pieces, and even

throw pillows. They bounce ideas off each other, and the ideas

keep coming. Recently, Amy’s been painting on fabrics, which

are used in the place of canvases. In one, a ring-tailed pheasant

peers down from its textile perch, asking the question: ‘Aren’t I

Pleasant?’ It’s this kind of whimsy that draws people in. Art, Lisa

and Amy believe, doesn’t have to be so serious.

While Amy paints, Lisa, who majored in art at the University

of Arkansas, heads outdoors with her camera. She likes nature

photos. She’ll visit her mother’s garden, scout out an impressive

tomato plant, or pick a basket of okra, then chop it up and put it

in a bowl before she takes the photo. “I like to get close and take

macro photos and I like textures and patterns you won’t see if

you’re just walking around,” Lisa says. “The shapes, the geometry,

I like all of that. I like to make natural things look graphic.”

One of her best sellers are the magnets she creates by cropping

her photos and having them printed on metallic paper. Lisa

sets them in glass, and boxes them in collections of four.

One customer bought the magnets for a relative in

Germany. Lisa likes thinking about her work, made in

Arkansas, in a German kitchen, holding up photos

or kids’ artwork.

Amy is getting a lot of attention for her screen print

of a thumb, which can be turned up if you’re feeling

happy, and down if you’re feeling blue. “I have to tell you,

I have a lot of respect for screen printers. It’s not an easy thing

to learn.”

And while the thumb is gaining popularity, it’s her personalized

nesting dolls that she’s most known for. That idea came from

her father. Well, not from her father, rather from the need to

surprise him one Christmas. “He’s the art teacher here in Fort

Smith at Northside High,” Amy says, “and a very difficult man

to buy gifts for. I try to top myself each year. A few years ago,

I made him a set of nesting dolls. As he pulls them out, he

sees himself on the biggest doll and he starts to chuckle. As

he opens it, he saw my mother, and each level caused him to

laugh uncontrollably until he was hardly able to breathe. At the

end, he was sobbing, as he opens the doll that was painted to

look like my tiny baby daughter. He was sitting in the chair just

weeping from all the laughter.”

people | 43

That was a great day for Amy. From that one gift, she created an

entire line. Customers send her photos, and she starts asking

questions about hobbies and pets that she can incorporate

into her design. Right now, she’s working on a set with ten

family members.

As both Amy and Lisa talk, the subject of family comes up again

and again. They are so proud of their families, the support they

get from them, their patience as the two artists pursue their

dreams. Amy mentions her father again; he makes frames for

many of the pieces sold at Jolly Good.

When they started the shop, they decided it was time to give

back to the community they love. So each month they pick a

charity and donate ten percent of their profits from that month’s

sales. They’ve been humbled by the benevolence in this area,

and by the kindness of their neighbors. “Our first charity was

the Ronald McDonald Room at Mercy, and we had one customer

who took home the literature we put out in the shop, and now

she takes meals to the families there once a month,” Lisa says.

Both women are amazed at how much has happened since they

decided to take a chance on art. They now have an Etsy shop, a

Facebook page, a blog, and loyal customers who visit the Jolly

Good Art Shop at BrickCity.

Their success comes from doing what they love. Art has been

good to them both, and Amy believes God delights in seeing His

children creating beauty in the world around them. Lisa credits

her artistic eye as the reason she sees life so clearly. “It changes

a walk in the woods. It changes a walk down the street,” Lisa

says. “You see a fallen leaf and notice the concrete beneath it. It

keeps you engaged in the world, and very alive.”

Jolly Good Art Shop is located inside BrickCity

Emporium, 3215 South 74th Street, Fort Smith. The

Etsy shop is at etsy.com/shop/JollyGoodArtShop.

44 | people

The Queenof Oklahoma@story and images by Marcus Coker

46 | people

Carter Sampson, also known as the Queen of Oklahoma,

wears red cowboy boots, black vintage glasses, and

is rarely seen without her acoustic guitar. Around her

neck is a golden guitar pick that reads, “Okla.” The “O” is a heart.

“I’m a fifth generation Okie, so it’s in there,” says Carter, who’s

thirty-two and makes her living writing and singing music. It’s

the kind of music that makes you forget your problems, the kind

that makes you want to go home again.

Home for Carter is currently Fayetteville, but she was born

in Oklahoma City. Her mom sang in the church choir, and her

Dad played guitar. They still do. “I knew music was something

I wanted to do since I was old enough to open my mouth. You

know that spot where you sit on the edge of the fireplace? Well,

that wasn’t a fireplace to me. It was

a stage. And I would put on these

big performances.”

When she was a child, Carter sang

in church, but never took voice

lessons. In seventh grade, she

auditioned for eighth grade choir,

but didn’t make the cut. Still, she

kept singing. When she was fifteen,

she started playing guitar. “Dad taught me a little. He showed

me the basic chords. I took a few lessons in high school from a

big, greasy dude who wanted me to play Metallica. I hated it. So

I’m mostly self-taught.”

As soon as she knew two chords, Carter started writing her own

music. “I still go to workshops to learn. There are a lot of people

out there who can sing, and a lot of people who can sing and

play guitar. But to write something that’s your own, that tells a

story that you can relate to, that’s really important to me.”

Carter describes her music as rootsy. “I have problems with the

word folk because a lot of people think seventies. But it’s like

red dirt, this whole genre of Oklahoma music.” It’s the type of

music you’d listen to on a summer’s night on your grandpa’s

porch—comforting, like an old sweater.

In college, Carter lasted three semesters. “I just wanted so badly

to get away, to go explore things.” So at the age of twenty-one,

Carter quit college and moved to Boston. To earn money, she

played a mix of covers and originals in the subways. “I think

I would average eighty bucks for a couple of hours. I could

perform the same three songs over and over again because your

audience changed with every train that would come through.”

After a year in Boston, Carter moved back to Oklahoma City. She

got a job waiting tables at “an old dudes club,” which had an

open mic night. She sang every chance she got, saved her tips,

and used her savings to produce her first album, Fly Over the

Moon, in 2004. She was twenty-four years old.

In 2009, Carter released her second

album, Good for the Meantime.

“I was still in my twenties, still

goofing off. Up until five years ago,

I wouldn’t write anything that was

real. It was all just stories I made

up.” But by 2011, all that changed.

As Carter matured, so did her

songwriting. She began to tackle

personal experiences like desire

and heartache that are tough to write about. The result was her

most recent album, Mockingbird Sing.

“I wanted to do something that sounded good and looked good

too. I took a lot of things like graphic design for granted on the

first two albums, since I just had my tips (and my parents) to pay

for them. But I wanted to find a way to pay a photographer and

have a great sounding band.”

The solution was a website called kickstarter.com, which allows

people to make donations to creative projects. In just thirty

days, Carter received pledges from ninety people who wanted

to see her third album become a reality. In exchange, Carter gave

her supporters buttons, tote bags, and even beer koozies. “I did

several house concerts for those who made larger donations.

Nothing compares to that setting—a private show in someone’s

living room.”

people | 47

Mockingbird Sing, which was released on 11.11.11, was recorded

on analog tape. “Everyone uses digital now and auto-tune, but

we did this on old reel-to-reel. It took a bit longer, but it was

worth it to get that authentic sound.”

Carter’s favorite song on the album is called “Queen of

Oklahoma,” which has become her nickname. “I was thinking

about the things I missed about Oklahoma, so it started out

just being about the state. Then it hit me that it’d be better if

I were the queen of it. And it just came out over the next thirty

minutes—like it was meant to be.” She laughs and says, “I didn’t

think people would start calling me that.”

But the title has worked out well, and Carter’s been able to

use it as a way to encourage other aspiring artists. “I volunteer

at a rock and roll camp for girls. Kids come in for a week, and

some of them have never touched an instrument or talked into

a microphone. So they all pick an instrument, join a band, write

a song, and perform it at the end of the week. Women run the

sound, lift the speakers, you name it. So it’s about empowerment

and showing them what’s possible. And I tell the girls, ‘You really

can be anything you want to be. Just write a song about it and

put it on a koozie, and it’s official.’”

If anyone should know about what’s possible, it’s Carter. She’s

worked for more than a decade to see her dream of being a

fulltime musician come true, and last April, it did. “I was working

at a restaurant in Fayetteville, and they called and said, ‘You

haven’t been here in two months. Can we take you off the

schedule?’ That’s when I knew. I always wanted music to be my

fulltime job, and it just sort of happened.”

Last year, Carter performed 215 shows, everything from

roadhouses to wine bars. She slept on a lot of couches but still

says, “It’s the perfect job for me. I can’t imagine working in an

office, the same thing every day. Sometimes I leave a show and

think, Is this a joke? This place set up the sound system, fed me

dinner, and gave me a check.”

Carter’s life isn’t for everyone. As Queen of Oklahoma, she

doesn’t have health insurance, and the heater in her car

(sometimes known as her tour bus) just went out. “My mom

calls it ‘fly by the seat of your pants.’ But I just have to be okay

with that. I have to believe that it keeps getting a little bit better

every week or every month. And it does.”

For upcoming shows, Queen of Oklahoma koozies,

and more, visit cartersampson.net.

Give it a listen: Hear “Sancuary” by Carter on

AtUrbanMagazione.com. Click on @Urban Sounds

located on our homepage.

48 | people

We’re so pleased to announce the newest addition to our @Urban family. Stacey Little is joining us to share his Southern recipes, views on family life, and wisdom about how to get great meals on the table, without stressing out the cook.

@story Marla Cantrell@image Courtesy Stacey Little

Southern Foodby osmosis

50 | people

Stacey Little lives and cooks in Prattville, Alabama, just

north of Montgomery, where his family moved when he

was only five. He was raised by a mother who cooked

three meals a day, every day. His most vivid memories are of

sitting in the kitchen, on days when not only his mother, but also

his grandmother and great grandmother, showed up to cook

and laugh and share stories. The food was Southern, nothing

fancy, but so good he still thinks about it today.

What he learned from those sessions was how much food

matters. Not just the making of a meal, but what happens

when a family sits down together and starts to talk. Secrets

get shared, family stories get passed around as easily as the

mashed potatoes. And if you had a bad day, there’s someone

there to make you feel better about it.

“I’m an only child,” Stacey says. “My parents did everything

they could so that my mom could stay home with me. We were

pretty poor, but they made that sacrifice for me, so I’d have my

mother with me when I needed her. Our food was nothing fancy

and sometimes included things like boxed mac and cheese, but

my mother was and is the greatest inspiration in my life, and

I learned to cook from her and my grandmother and my great

grandmother. I joke that I learned to cook through Southern

osmosis. Just being around them was enough.

“When I was only six or seven, too young probably to be in the

kitchen alone, I made my parents breakfast. I made scrambled

eggs that I’m sure were pure rubber by the time I finished. Bless

their hearts, they ate it.”

He missed home and home cooking when he left for college. He

majored in communications and has a certificate in non-profit

management. After graduation he wrote restaurant reviews for

a Montgomery paper. But in 2008, when the recession was in

full swing and newspaper readership faltered, the reviews were

cut. They had been popular, so Stacey started a blog, Southern

Bite, and kept on writing them. Not long after, readers started

asking for recipes, and Stacey obliged. From there, the evolution

of SouthernBite began. Today, the blog is all recipes and has

more than 12,000 followers.

It’s become so popular in fact, that a cookbook editor from

Thomas Nelson sought Stacey out last year. She wanted to

know if he would write a cookbook. Well, of course he would.

Right now, he’s almost finished with the manuscript. One of the

things he’s most proud of is the chapter devoted to his readers’

recipes. There will be twenty-five of those, gleaned from a

contest he conducted on his site.

Stacey is awed by how his life turned out. When he set off for

college, writing about food wasn’t part of his plan. But it makes

sense to him that he is. Cooking and eating are the underpinning

of Southern life. “In the South, every event is connected to

food: weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, even funerals. We

show love by cooking, and I’m so proud to be part of that. I grew

up in a family where we sat down at the kitchen table every

day and it was an opportunity to talk about what’s going on in

each other’s live. Most families now don’t do that, and if they

do, their kids are on their cell phones, they’re playing games,

they’re texting. My goal with food is to provide people with easy

recipes that don’t cause stress, using things they already have in

their cabinets. Food is so much more than nourishment.”

One of his biggest fans is his mother, who continues to tell him he

can do whatever he sets out to do. And she’s exceedingly happy

he’s doing it in the town where she raised him, spending hours in a

kitchen, surrounded by good food and a whole lot of love.

Follow Stacey at SouthernBite.com

people | 51

@recipe and images Stacey Little

52 | taste

In the South, we’re big on introductions. They range from the

elaborate to a simple gesture of friendship. New neighbors

usually don’t even have the boxes all unpacked before we’re

heading over with a cake or a pie. Rarely do you pass a man in a

pick-up truck on a back-country road when you aren’t offered a

smile and friendly wave. Heck, we even plan elaborate coming-

out parties to introduce our young folks to the world. While all of

that is just fine, I prefer a more subtle introduction.

Hi, my name is Stacey Little. I’m a food blogger and a marketing

guy, but most importantly I’m a husband and a daddy. And while

I certainly enjoy those first two titles, those last two are really

what matter to me. My food is the food I grew up on and the

food my little boy will grow up on, too. It’s easy to prepare and

I bet you probably have most of the ingredients in the pantry

already. That’s just the way I like it. I’ve found that when a recipe

is simple and includes everyday ingredients, people are more

likely to give it a try. My philosophy has always been that a

home-cooked meal is the best meal, so whenever I can equip

folks to provide their families with one, I do it.

This particular recipe holds a very special place in my heart.

It’s one of the very first things my wife made for me. We were

still dating and I honestly can’t remember if there was a special

reason for her making them, but I’ll never forget the taste of that

very first Pecan Chewy. It was gooey, crunchy, sweet, and filled

with love. You know, I believe that we Southerners express love

in just that way – we cook for one another. Nothing delights me

more than spending the day in the kitchen preparing a meal for

my family and friends. My heart just swells with pride to have

everyone gathered around my table.

This recipe is also one of the first recipes that I posted on

SouthernBite.com, so it holds a special meaning because of

that, too. Southern Bite began as a blog to share local restaurant

reviews after the newspaper I was working for eliminated them.

Folks had asked me to continue doing them, so I found the

venue to do that in a blog. When a friend requested a recipe, I

just decided to post it rather than emailing it, so I could share

the link with a few others that had asked about it. The rest, as

they say, is history. People quickly gravitated to my recipes, so

I shared more. Today, the site is a full-fledged food blog, which

is weird because I never really considered myself a writer.

That is until I found my love of writing about food. There’s just

always something to say about it. People can relate to food and

through it as well.

This is my go-to recipe when sending in snacks for school

functions or as a “thank you” to our veterinarian’s office for

taking such good care of our pups. It’s a super-easy recipe that

turns out perfect every time.

So, thanks for what has already been a warm welcome. Y’all

scoot on down a bit and pour me a glass of tea. Feeding people

makes me happy and sharing my food with all you folks is just

like adding another place at this big old table.

taste | 53

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars by hand. Stir in the eggs. Add the flour gradually and stir until all the lumps are gone. Add the pecans and vanilla and stir until just combined.

Spread the mixture into a greased and floured 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, being cautious not to overcook. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

No self-rising flour? Make your own from all-purpose flour. For every cup of self-rising flour you need, simply combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Ingredients 2 sticksbutter,melted 1 cupgranulatedsugar 1 cuplightbrownsugar, firmlypacked 2 eggs,wellbeaten 2 cupsself-risingflour 1 cuppecans 2 teaspoonvanilla

: Pecan Chewies

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

54 | taste

Muddle lime wedge, orange wheel,

tequila and agave nectar. Add ice, shake

and strain into glass filled with ice. Top

with soda water and garnish with lime.

Less than 150 calories

Enjoy this and other premium cocktails at MovieLounge.Please drink responsibly.

1 ½ oz. orange tequila¼ oz. agave nectar1 lime wedge1 orange wheel¼ oz. lime juicesoda water

Sponsored byMovie Lounge

7601 Rogers Ave, Fort Smith479.226.3595 | MovieLoungeFSM.com

@image Jeromy Price@recipe Jeff Price, Bar Manager Movie Lounge

56 | taste

through the eyeof the needle

@story and images Jeromy Price

58 | travel

Imagine rushing waters carving through a lush, green forest.

Towering bluffs on either side. Narrow cliff-side trails,

waterfalls waiting around every bend, all of which culminate

at the Eye of the Needle. What sounds like a landscape that can

only be found in a Peter Jackson movie is one of the Buffalo

National River’s many hidden gems, the Indian Creek Trail.

The trailhead is located along the Buffalo River Trail about one

mile west of Kyle’s Landing, a campground between Ponca

and Jasper on Highway 74. The drive is about two and a half

hours from Fort Smith, and it offers some of the most beautiful

scenery Arkansas has to offer.

My wife Teresa and I are avid, albeit amateur, outdoor enthusiasts.

So when a friend told us about this trail, it piqued our interest.

We’re always looking for a good challenge, strenuous, scenic,

with just a hint of risk. There would be miles of winding through

trees, crossing creek beds, and scaling bluffs. Sounded like fun.

After careful planning and over-packing, we made our way to Kyle’s

Landing to set up camp for the weekend. The Indian Creek Trail is

an offshoot of the Buffalo River Trail, so this was the best access

point. We set up, ate too much junk food, and slept as restless as a

kid the night before Christmas. Early the next morning, we set out

with much anticipation to add another trail to our list of conquests.

We started on the Buffalo River Trail and headed west following

the old trail signs. This part of the journey was heavily trekked

and easy to follow. Once we found our trailhead, however, things

quickly changed. We soon learned this was not a maintained

trail, nor was it mapped. Every path along the way sprouted

numerous switchbacks. It was clear that most of the trail had

been established by trial and error and traveled like a “choose

your own way” novel.

We were giddy.

The first mile of the trail traveled along the Indian Creek, which

rages during the rainy season. None of the overgrowth or fallen

trees was cleared. We made our way, around, under, and over

several large trees that had fallen across the path. They were

old, well preserved and served as landmarks—a very important

feature for this ever-changing trail.

Upon our first crossing of Indian Creek, we realized our trip

would be trickier than anticipated. The trail now traveled along

both sides of the creek. Still, we decided to cross. We knew

regardless of which side we were on, we needed only to follow

the creek as far as we could.

We encountered waterfall after waterfall, each more beautiful

than the one before. Clear, rushing water cascaded between and

around boulders shaped by time and the relentless current, and

each coming to rest in a tranquil pool that would make anyone

feel like a Zen monk. It was peaceful. It was serene. Every time

we stopped to soak it all in, I found myself saying “I wish I could

take it with me.” All the stresses and complications of everyday

life seemed to wash away with the current.

About three miles in, the trail converged along the side of a short

bluff overlooking a deep pool. It narrowed to little over one foot

of walking space, which required us to cling to the overhang

for support. My inner ten-year-old wanted to swing across like

travel | 59

Tarzan. Luckily, my better judgment feared the fifteen-foot

drop into icy waters even more. Shortly after making it across,

the trail took a steep incline to the top of the bluff. Along the

way, we noticed many portions of the trail had been washed

out by rain. Fortunately, we ran across a fellow explorer who

had experienced this trail several times. We received the best

advice anyone can have for this switchback-riddled trail: “When

in doubt, go up.”

And up we went.

When the trail carried us back to the creek bed, it was only a

short distance farther to the boxed-in canyon. Awaiting us were

two magnificent waterfalls. The first came pouring out of a cave in

the side of the bluff; the second wound its way down the ravine.

We felt as though we had just discovered some lost paradise. We

didn’t want to leave, but the Eye of the Needle beckoned, and our

trail was about to become even more adventurous.

With little more than an old nylon rope tied to a small tree

growing from the side of the bluff, we climbed up to the ledge

beside the waterfall. We scaled our way up the steep hillside to

what appeared to be a dead end. Only when we’d reached the

top did we see the hidden cave looping to the other side. Once

through, we were above the waterfalls and on the upper creek

bed. This length of the trail was littered with large boulders—

sentinels whose purpose, it seemed, was to prevent us from

going any farther.

There it was, the Eye of the Needle—a window carved high in

the cliff that framed the sun. Its beauty was almost holy. For a

moment we felt compelled to pay homage; say a prayer, make

a wish, something to show our gratitude for what had become

a journey of self-discovery. By this point, we had come to

appreciate the virtues of simplicity, perseverance and courage.

However, our journey wasn’t over yet. We had to scale to the

top, up and over a steep hillside nicknamed “The Saddle”. For

at least fifty feet, we hugged rock and tree alike. After climbing

down ten feet or so, there were no more handholds. No rocks,

no trees, nothing to hold on to but hope. So one at a time, we

60 | travel

slid down a steep twenty-foot embankment that landed us at

the top of the Eye of the Needle. The view to the bottom was

breathtaking. We took a moment to dust off, empty our rock-

filled shoes, and view the trail we’d just conquered from 200

feet up.

For another mile, the trail finished much the way it had started,

with switchbacks, waterfalls and a few steep hills. Shortly after,

the trail connected to the Old River Trail. We turned southeast

back toward Kyle’s Landing. This portion of the hike was a nice

change of pace from all the climbing and it gave us time to

reflect on everything we’d seen and done. We realized we were

now burdened with higher expectations for future experiences.

The Indian Creek Trail had become our new standard.

The Indian Creek Trail connects to the Buffalo River

Trail 1 mile West of Kyle’s Landing campgrounds.

CAUTION: This is NOT a child-friendly trail. It is

strenuous and, in some areas, dangerous. It is also

prone to washout and runoffs during rainy seasons.

Please plan ahead, wear appropriate attire and shoes,

and NEVER hike it alone. Be sure to take energy-

boosting snacks and plenty of water. Also, this is not

a mapped or maintained trail, so remember to always

follow the creek.

For more information, visit the Buffalo Outdoor Center

on Hwy 43 in Ponca, or visit them at BuffaloRiver.com.

travel | 61

Lida Stark spent the winter getting rid of things. The

trampoline her daughter Della had long since outgrown,

the Singer sewing machine her grandmother had given

her, seven mismatched chairs her uncle had stolen, piece by

piece, when he’d worked at Callahan’s furniture factory. “The trick

is,” he’d told her once, “to stick the chair piece in the back of your

pants and weave it up under your shirt. The guards will check

your lunch bucket. But no real man wants to pat you down.”

Lida walked around her old dining room table, a rare find in

pecan she’d bought on a trip to Savannah fifteen years ago.

She turned thirty-three on that trip, had greeted the day with

a mimosa and a slice of cherry pie. She smiled thinking of it.

Her husband Calvin said he worried about women who drank

before the farm report aired on the radio, and then he’d kissed

her hand, a gallant move that made them both laugh. Back then

she tried to fill every inch of the house; she’d even put glass

shelves across her wide living room windows and filled the

space with knickknacks: blue elephants, red hens, spotted deer,

yellow wishing wells.

The unburdening had begun easily enough. Della came over

one day in late November. She ran her finger across the shelves,

holding out her hand, showing Lida the dust on her fingertip, a

gray hill on a tiny flesh island. “Lord, Mama,” Della said, “for a

woman who made me scrub the bathroom every Saturday, you

sure have let up on the housework.”

When Della left, Lida took the trinkets down. She washed them

in Dawn soap and rinsed them in vinegar water. On a dishtowel

by the sink, the menagerie shone in little clutches, elephants

and tigers on one end, deer and rabbits on the other. When she

looked at her window she had a clear view of the pasture for the

first time in years. A black and white cow was eating daffodils,

just beyond the fencerow. She took the glass shelves down.

The next week she tackled her cupboards, tossing out rusty

canning supplies, and then the jelly glasses she kept in case

of what? In case thirty-six thirsty people showed up all at the

same time. When was the last time she’d had more than three

people in the house, she wondered. It must have been when

Calvin died, two years before. The people poured in, church

folks and Calvin’s co-workers from down at the foundry, friends

from childhood. A woman Lida didn’t know, who couldn’t have

been more than twenty-five, picked up a photo from the curio

cabinet. In it Calvin was shaking Dale Earnhart’s hand on the

The Unburdeningof Lida Stark

@back story Marla Cantrell

62 | back story62 | back story

day he’d come to the local Chevy dealer to sign autographs. The

girl moved her fingers around the edge of the frame, and wept

great tears that spotted her purple blouse. It unnerved Lida to

no end. She left the group and hid in the barn, where she spent

the afternoon hidden in the hayloft.

The preacher cried too, at the funeral, talking about the day he’d

watched Calvin shoo a flock of geese across the road. Calvin had

stopped traffic that rainy day, when he raised his six foot five

self up to its full potential and stood on the jotted yellow line on

Mayback Canyon Road and dared one person to hit the gas pedal

before the mama goose and her eight goslings waddled by.

Lida knew the same kindness. In storms, Calvin took her hand

and ran with her across the yard, past the clothesline and the

cheery chicken coop so ornate they’d named it Coop DeVille, and

helped her down the steep steps to the storm cellar. Once she

was settled, he stood on the same steps, the door to the cellar

agape, and monitored the storm’s progress, a tactic that seemed

unnatural for a man who feared Mother Nature as much as he did.

The week before Calvin’s heart stopped, the sky had turned

smoky gray, still as midnight, and Lida felt the pressure inside

her head change. “A bad sign,” she told Calvin, when he came

into the kitchen. “No warnings out yet,” he said. “Still,” she

said, and touched her temple, where a dull headache was just

beginning. They didn’t run to the cellar that day. Calvin waited

for her to finish cooking supper. She fixed two plates: fried pork

chops, cheese grits, fried apples, and biscuits. The yellow cake

she slipped into a carrier. Calvin held the pitcher of sweet tea,

silverware, a flashlight, and the portable radio. They were so

burdened they all but crept to the cellar.

Inside, they sat side by side, the plates resting on their laps.

“Remember when you couldn’t cook a lick?” he asked.

“I just needed Grandma Baker’s cast iron skillet,” Lida said.

“Soon as I got it, I started cooking real good.”

Calvin smiled at her. “Seems to me you got the skillet right before

you took that cooking class from the Home Extension ladies.”

“The two events may have overlapped,” Lida said.

The wind was picking up, whistling across the metal air stack.

Lida heard something hit the cellar door, the ping like a baseball

hitting a metal bat. Calvin started to get up but Lida put down

her fork and touched his arm.

The weather radio was beside him, though he’d not turned it on yet.

He eyed it but stopped short of switching it on. “You’re a mighty

fine cook now, Miss Lida,” he said, his voice full of remembering.

“I thank you,” Lida said, and felt an inkling of what she had when

she first met Calvin, a boy from Tennessee, who showed up at

her school just as the leaves fell, the year she turned fourteen.

He towered above her, standing next to her at her locker, taking

her hand when she climbed the bleachers. His height made her

feel sheltered. He was like the oak in her yard that surrounded

the nest of robins that chirped like tiny madmen as soon as the

sun came up.

“Remember when we took the float trip on the Buffalo two

summers ago?” Calvin said. “We spent the night so close to

shore the water lapped at the tent all through the night? I

wanted to tell you something then.” He stopped for a second,

a cloud passing across his eyes. “I wasn’t very happy ,” he said,

and then looked away.

“No, no, you weren’t.”

Calvin rubbed his neck. “I kept thinking about when Mama

wanted to leave Daddy, back when you and me first got married.

Forty-two, never held a job, and my mama wanted to become a

divorcee. I asked her why. She said, ‘Your daddy has a hard time

finding his way home.’”

“But your mama and daddy never divorced,” Lida said, and her

heart jumped. She’d never heard this story before.

“No, they did not. I went to see Daddy. I laid down the law, which

near about wrecked whatever goodwill was left between us. I

said I’d come after him if Mama filed papers. He puffed up. But

back story | 63

after a while he started to talk a little. He loved Mama, he said.

More than air, he said. But before I left, he got mad all over

again. He said, ‘You’re cut from the same cloth, buddy boy. You

just don’t know it yet.’

The air in the cellar smelled of bug spray and mold. Lida rubbed

her temples.

“But you’d never…” she started.

Calvin looked at her, his dark eyes two lonely pools. He blew

out a stream of air, laid down the plastic plate and hung his

head.

“Calvin?”

Thunder ricocheted above them. They both jumped.

Not once had Lida doubted Calvin. You could set your watch

by him. Twenty minutes. That’s how long it took to get from the

foundry to their house. He hadn’t been late more than a dozen

times in the last twenty-three years.

“I never wanted to be like that sorry cuss,” Calvin finally said,

his fists clenched on his lap. “I surely did not.” She thought he

might say more and it made her throat close. She reached up

and kissed him. What she felt then was a breaking inside, as if

the earth beneath her was rising and falling, the way her own

chest rose and fell with every breath.

Calvin kissed her back. When he pulled her closer, the plates

fell to the floor, the silverware ringing against the concrete.

He touched her hair, and traced her jaw with his rough thumb.

Outside, the storm raged, but they were no longer partners with

this storm.

The next week, he rushed home each night. His timing got better

with every trip. Twenty minutes, then eighteen. Seventeen

on the day he died. She started putting on makeup in the

afternoon, putting on music: The Oakridge Boys, Mary Chapin

Carpenter, Hank Williams. They danced on Tuesday, their shoes

kicked off. On Wednesday, they skipped church and walked the

field to the pond where they threw in a line and waited for the

yellow perch to bite.

On Friday, Calvin brought her white carnations, her favorite, and

she cried as she put them in the Milk Glass vase. They went to

bed early, she in her new nightgown, and when she woke the

next morning Calvin was already gray.

The paramedics knocked over the ceramic umbrella holder by the

front door. One of the shards hit Lida’s ankle, the blood spilling

across her bare foot. It was a heavy holder, over three feet tall,

and it shattered against the tile floor. The men stopped to take

care of her, setting Calvin’s gurney down by his leather recliner.

Lida reached down and touched the spider-shaped scar on her

ankle. It had healed poorly, and now, two years later, it rose

uneven above her skin. She pulled her cotton sock over it and

opened the china hutch where her collection of untended

crystal stood dull in the morning light. She began wrapping

each piece in yards of newspaper.

Lida reached inside the hutch and picked up the crystal swan

she’d won at a church bingo game when she was fifteen. Calvin

was there with her, his long legs sprawled beneath the low table.

When she yelled Bingo, he stood up and whooped, as if it took

some special talent to put a blue plastic disc across O62. She held

the swan to the light. A small crack ran along the swan’s neck,

something she’d not noticed before. She tucked the bird into

the pocket of her apron. Some things needed to be saved, she

thought, running her fingers across the break, again and again,

until she could feel the difference between it and the imprint of

its feathers, so carefully drawn, such a long, long time ago.

64 | back story

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