knockfeb

ruary 2013AtU

rbanM

agazine.com

“I Choose to Forget”

Ignite: Cobblestone Farm

DIY: Flower Power

After the Revolution

C2 Home

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10

14

20

24

Urban 8

Antivenin Suite

Elsewhere: A Memoir

262830

The Happy Life of Shawn Adair

How to Succeed in Business

The Squeeky Clean Story

of a Fat Bottomed Girl

323640

Homemade Heaven

Limoncello Mousse

Return to Pear-a-dise

444849

Seeking Something Grand

Hello Hot Springs!

Every Little Caught Bird Flies

525662

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26

36

44

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFCatherine Frederick

MANAGING EDITORMarla Cantrell

ASSOCIATE EDITOR / ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEMelanie Stout

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMarla CantrellMarcus CokerKody FordCatherine FrederickLaura HobbsJ. Andrew LockhartTonya McCoyAnita PaddockMelanie StoutJim Warnock

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSMarla CantrellCatherine FrederickLaura HobbsMelanie StoutJim Warnock

DESIGNERJeromy Price

WEB GURUDavid Jamell

PUBLISHERRead Chair Publishing, LLC

FOLLOW US

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

Melanie Stout479 / 414 / 3147Melanie@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

According to my mother, once you are “grown”, you

should realize you are not supposed to love “things.”

It’s ok to pine after a certain diamond eternity ring or a

smoke colored pair of riding boots; some even have a dire need

affinity for a particular bottle of vino. But you shouldn’t love

them. Love is for people, and of course, our furry friends.

When you hit this “age of enlightenment”, the light bulb burns

bright, and you know in your heart that love is for humans and

admiration is for things. Now you’ve done it – you’ve gone and

grown up.

But alas, I have this strange love for cupcakes. Tiny, sweet, itty

bitty cakes. It’s not just admiration, it’s a deep rooted affection

– ok, it’s love. Cupcakes are not be people. But they are kind of

like duct tape, they can fix almost any problem. And the taste, oh

my goodness, the taste! Bad day at the office? Have a cupcake!

Dog chew up your favorite pillow? Cupcake! Pop one in your

mouth and it’s as if you’ve waved a magic wand and all is right

with the world, sometimes there is even pixie dust and sparkles.

There are two camps when it comes to my beloved cupcakes:

those who simply adore them and those who can’t understand

what all of the hoopla is about. Those in the latter camp are

thinking, This girl is wacko. She refers to cupcakes like they’re

a living, breathing thing, and she’s already mentioned wine and

magic wands! But those in the other camp, you’re in my happy

place with me and you know what I am talking about.

For all my fellow cupcake lovers, do I have a contest for you!

@Urban is teaming up with Creative Kitchen in Fort Smith to

see if you can bake the best cupcake on the planet. When you

have the perfect original recipe, write it down and send it to

us, either by email at editors@AtUrbanMagazine.com, or by

mailing your entries to: @Urban Magazine, Bake Me A (Cup)

Cake Contest, 3811 Rogers Ave., Ste. C, Fort Smith, AR 72903.

You have until March 1 to enter, and you can send up to three

recipes. The winning recipe will be featured in our May, 2013

issue. What do you get out of it? 1. You get to make cupcakes!

2. The winner receives a $200 gift card from Creative Kitchen!

So, in this love laden month, join me in celebrating the glorious

cupcake! Let me be clear, I know that cupcakes are just food.

I know they aren’t on any diet plan and they can’t tell me they

love me back (although I’m sure they do). I also know that on

this Valentine’s Day, I will be sending my love to those I hold

closest to me: my hubby, my son and step-daughters, my family

and friends (some four-legged and furry). If they’re lucky, that

love may just include a cupcake.

photo by Kat Hardin

letter from Catherine | 5

I choose to forget the end,the end of your story.You didn't write it, it came from elsewhere.And you, if you could, would say the same. The parts I'll keep,some secretly and othersshared with friends and children,will be priceless. The thing you taught me,more than others,was unconditional love.I'll try my best to pass that on. I will hold back tearsand show only smileswhen I think of you,and dream of the day we meet again.

@lines J. Andrew Lockhart

lifestyle | 7

Brow BarIt’s Friday morning at the Brow Bar and owner Lorelei Wright is sitting in a chair while her

makeup artist is applying a new shade of bubblegum pink lipstick to her lips. There’s music playing, some catchy pop tune, and as customers begin to arrive they are all greeted by name. The atmosphere is energetic and the shop is full of laughter.

Contrary to what the name Brow Bar suggests, the shop offers more than just brow services. It is a full-service salon offering hair services, makeup tutorials, refreshing facials, lash extensions, and more.

A California native, Lorelei has called Arkansas home since 1995. With the support of her husband of 14 years, Jamie, and their two kids, Lorelei opened Brow Bar with a simple purpose. Have a job that’s fun, help others, and have people leave her shop feeling a little better about themselves when they look in the mirror.

Brow Bar is located at 2801 Old Greenwood Road in Fort Smith. Visit Brows.co or call 479.434.5680.

John Mays JewelersJohn Mays Jewelers, located off Waldron Road in Fort Smith, has served families since

1999. Customers come from near and far for their Hearts On Fire diamonds that sparkle like no other, the Jay Strongwater pieces that collectors rave about, and the Tag Heuer watches that grace the wrists of Leonardo Dicaprio and Cameron Diaz. But that’s not all. They come for the top-notch service and knowledge that is unsurpassed.

Owner John Mays welcomed their first customer, a man from Norman, Oklahoma, who bought a ring on the spot, the deal completed on a folding table that is long gone today. John smiles when he tells the story, adding another story about a fourth-generation customer who recently made another purchase. He and his family are humbled by their loyalty, and work hard to uphold the standards that keep customers coming back generation after generation. “Trends change,” John says, “economies change, but relationships and family remain.”

John and his wife, Kathy will celebrate their 45th anniversary this month. Together they, along with their sons, John and Kevin, have built a legacy of service and workmanship that is known far beyond the borders of this state.

John Mays Jewelers is located at 1401 South Waldron Road in Fort Smith, and can be reached at 479.452.2140.

The Mays Family

Lorelei Wright

8 | SHOPLOCAL

Pappy's Furniture RepairWhether you’re looking to reupholster a chair, couch, or need a custom piece, Pappy’s

can help. Owner, Will “Pappy” Shores is a family man. He and his wife Marcy have ten children and four grandchildren between them.

In addition to re-upholstery, they do custom refinishing and cabinetry work and act as a local supplier for area decorators and furniture repair and upholstery shops. Pappy's recovers headboards and other typical furniture pieces such as couches and chairs, like you’d expect, but the strangest request they’ve had took a lot of imagination and talent to pull off: a repair on a moose head’s antlers. Will said, “If a customer can dream it up, we can do it.”

Around the shop, there’s a wide variety of projects in process, a testimony to their growth, which they attribute to excellence in customer service and delivering a final product to their customer that’s sure to be a conversation piece in their home. With a wide variety of fabrics to choose from, customers can find just what they are looking for and know that their piece will be restored with excellent artisanship.

Pappy’s is located off Wheeler Avenue at 701 Navy Road in Fort Smith. For more information, visit pappysfurniturerepair.com or call 479.242.7277.

BarreOne FitnessMeet Jennifer Glover, owner of BarreOne Fitness. Barre combines Pilates, yoga and

ballet moves to give you beautiful, sculpted, lean muscles — without the impact and injuries dancers endure. Jennifer started doing Pilates after her first child was born nine years ago, and then learned about Barre. She explained that exercise is empowering, and regardless of where you are in your fitness journey, we all start somewhere. Walking through the door of the studio is the first step and the studio is a safe zone. There’s no judgment, classmates cheer each other on and celebrate each success. It’s a community where clients get stronger and build lasting friendships at the same time. Jennifer says, “You want to take classes from someone who is fit, but in here it’s not about comparing yourself to another person, though we all do sometimes, it’s about taking charge of your own health, of your own body, and finding a peace within yourself.”

Jennifer says, “You want to take classes from someone who is fit, but in here it’s not about comparing yourself to another person, though we all do sometimes, it’s about taking charge of your own health, of your own body, and finding a peace within yourself.”

BarreOne Fitness is located at 9207 Hwy 71 in Fort Smith. Your first session is free.Call 479.414.8213.

Will and Marcy Shores

Jennifer Glover

SHOPLOCAL | 9

Cobblestone Farm

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.

@story Tonya McCoy@images Courtesy Cobblestone Farm

10 | lifestyle

In a few short weeks the frozen ground will thaw and green-

thumbed gardeners will pull on boots and overalls and till

the soil to plant seeds. They'll be aiming to fill their dinner

table with enough produce to feast on all summer. Meanwhile,

the Cobblestone Project Farm in Fayetteville is seeking to

grow crops in order to give most of them away. That’s because

this non-profit organization’s purpose is to raise a garden to

feed the hungry. The program works like this: Volunteers plant

seeds, maintain the crops, harvest the fruits and vegetables and

then send the produce to places like 7 Hills Homeless Shelter,

Samaritan Community Center, and the Northwest Arkansas

Women’s Shelter. Last year, an impressive 7,000 pounds of food

went to feed area folks in need of a good meal.

Like a tiny seed, the idea for the farm started

from a small group at Fellowship Bible

Church in Rogers in 2010. With the help of

donations from local restaurants, the group

was already working on feeding the hungry

in the community, when group members

began asking themselves, ‘Why not start our

own farm?’

So the group started a small garden that

same year in Bentonville. Then in 2011, New

Heights Church in Fayetteville heard about their project and

donated some land.

Katelyn remembers the first time she laid eyes on the farm

in 2011, sun shining, green sprouts weaving over fertile soil.

Katelyn was still in college and she’d begun volunteering for

the project form in 2010.

“I was blown away,” Katelyn says. “I think it hit me probably

halfway through last season. It’s beautiful out there on

Wedington, on the land. It’s gorgeous. And it just hit me that

the whole operation and idea behind the farm is a unique one,

especially in Northwest Arkansas.”

The idea is to grow food to feed the hungry with the help of

volunteers. Each year hundreds of people labor over rows of

crops in order to feed people in their community, most of whom

they don’t know. It’s a selfless act of kindness. At the same time,

there’s something intrinsically rewarding about working the land.

“I think the process of bringing your family outside and spending

a couple of hours helping plant seeds in the ground, coming

back and harvesting those, and then turning around and being

able to give those things to someone who is hungry - I think

that’s just a beautiful picture of sustainability.

“Anybody can come. Anybody can help. And that’s the beauty in

the idea of community. That we’re all there together in different

walks and phases of life, trying to end hunger in Northwest

Arkansas,” Katelyn explains.

Since 2008, more than 2,000 volunteers have

helped at Cobblestone. Each year church and

school groups, businesses, and individuals

are involved in the process, some helping

from the time the first seed is planted until

the last of the produce is harvested.

Vegetables, fruits, and herbs fill the five

acres of land currently used for the garden.

Since there are forty acres total, Katelyn says

there’s certainly room to grow. But for now there are tomatoes,

cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes, beans, peppers, blackberries,

pumpkins, basil, and cilantro, just to name a few of the crops

grown each year. And they’re grown the good old fashioned

natural way. They’ve even received the seal of ‘Certified

Naturally Grown’ joining other farms with high standards for

organic farming.

Joining the cause is CCF Brand or Country Creek Farms Brand

from Rogers, an egg distributor that donated over a hundred

hens to the farm, so there are now fresh eggs included in the

donations of food.

Whether it’s picking okra, or gathering eggs, there’s something

for everyone to do at Cobblestone farm.

lifestyle | 11

“We have people that bring their two-year-olds who can run

around and pick up rocks and love looking at the chickens, and

then we have older couples who just like agriculture and they just

like being out in the field, so it ranges in age and gender,” Katelyn

says. “It’s very diverse, which is what we love about it. That’s what

our community is. We love that everyone feels welcome.

There are a several ways the community can get involved:

Subscription ProgramThis program is a buy one get one model. Customers buy a

share of fresh produce for themselves, and an identical share

goes to feed someone that’s underprivileged in the community.

The customer chooses where his or her second share will go,

whether it’s to a homeless shelter or a local family in need.

Gift Card ProgramThe gift card program helps children at R.E. Baker Elementary

School in Bentonville. Gift cards are given to children who

are in need and their family can redeem the card for produce

through Cobblestone’s booth at the Bentonville Farmer’s

Market on Saturdays.

Snack Pack for Kids ProgramThe Snack Pack for Kids Program, made up from produce from

Cobblestone, was developed and is operated by the Samaritan

Community Center in Rogers. Currently over 3,500 snack packs

are given away every week to at-risk students when school

meal programs are not available.

The idea behind the meaningful work being done by the

board, staff, and volunteers is best summed up in a few lines

on their website:

“This action was based on the belief that every person has a

unique and immeasurable value because of our shared human

story. It is this story that is defined by a movement towards

the renewal and restoration of the image that all people were

created for a purpose. Every human heart deserves dignity,

respect and the opportunity to fully realize this purpose.”

With that goal guiding them, Cobblestone continues to

put fresh food into homes that might not otherwise have

it. And they’re also doing something else. They’re giving

the community the opportunity to work with their hands

to improve the lives of their neighbors. With some of the

volunteers as young as two years of age, the impact they’re

having on the future is beyond measure.

For volunteer opportunities, to donate, or for

more information on how you can help, log

onto thefarm.cobblestoneproject.org.

12 | lifestyle

I love receiving flowers. Let me say that again with more

feeling, I LOVE RECEIVING FLOWERS! There, let’s hope Hubby

got the message.

Flowers have power, you know. The power to make you smile; give

you comfort; warm your heart. They say food is the way to a man’s

heart, but give a girl flowers and her heart belongs to you.

I’d love to receive fresh flowers every day, but I’m a reasonable

girl, and crafty too, so when fresh flowers are in short supply, I just

craft some of my own - from scrapbook paper. Let’s do this.

@ Images Catherine Frederick

Flower PowerDIY adapted from jonesdesigncompany.com

14 | lifestyle

STEP ONE: Cut circle. My circles for large flowers are 8”, smaller flowers are 4” – 6”.

STEP THREE: Roll your flower. Start at the outside corner and roll tightly.

STEP TWO: Cut spiral. Start at the outside edge and cut in a spiral direction to the center.

Continue rolling, keeping the inside edge of the spiral level, until you get to the center. You’ll have a tightly coiled rosette.

If you want the petals of your flower to appear irregular, cut your spiral in a bumpy shape. Unsure of your cutting skills? Grab a pencil and draw your spiral before cutting.

STEP FOUR: Release coil. Watch your flower grow! Don’t worry, it will come back together with a slight vertical squeeze.

I like to keep things visually interesting so I used a variety of scrapbook paper designs within a similar color family for the bouquet.

STEP FIVE: Glue together. Add a dollop of hot glue to the circle at the center of your spiral and press to adhere the coiled paper. It may be helpful to press down on the center of your flower so all areas are glued down.

» Scrapbook paper » Floral wire » Scissors » Glue gun » Pencil(design and colors of choice) (optional)

what you'll needlifestyle | 15

TO MAKE A LEAF: Cut a simple leaf shape out of green paper.

TO ADD A WIRE STEM: Cut a piece of floral wire to desired length and bend the top ½” at a 90 angle.

Fold the end in an accordion-style fold.

Glue wire to the bottom of the flower.

Don’t be afraid to create a whimsical bouquet. Chevron and mustaches are all the rage.

GROUP yOUR STEMS TOGETHER FOR A BEAUTIFUL BOUqUET.

Add a dab of hot glue and squeeze to secure the fold. I place a dab on the top in one fold and underneath in the other.

Using a small dab of hot glue, attach the leaf to cover the wire.

16 | lifestyle

will you take me home?

These are just a few of the loving animals in need

of a home. Please consider adoption or a donation

(newspaper, food, or financial).

Sebastian County Humane Society

3800 Kelley Highway, Fort Smith

479. 783.4395

SebastianCountyHumaneSociety.org

MarleyFemale – Schnauzer Mix

MittensMale – Domestic Long Hair

CharlieMale – Boxer / Pit Bull Mix

SadieFemale – Golden Retriever Mix

AspenMale – Domestic Medium Hair

ChanceMale – Basset Hound Mix

18 | lifestyle

after the revolution

@story Marcus Coker@images Courtesy Ann Sayers

Tony and Hannelore de Kunffy

20 | lifestyle

Tony and Hannelore de Kunffy, who live in Fort Smith,

have been through a lot together. In their forty-eight

years of marriage, they’ve survived being separated by

hundreds of miles, moving eighteen times, and even learning

to cook together. Through it all, they’ve learned that anything is

possible. It only takes a dream and hard work, something they’re

both familiar with.

Tony was born in Hungary. His father bred horses, and Tony

grew up riding them. In 1956, when Tony was nineteen, the

Olympics were to be held in Australia, and Tony was selected

as a horse trainer for the Hungarian team. "Good riders trained

the horses, and good communists went to the Olympics," jokes

Tony. "So I stayed behind and made the

revolution instead."

The uprising was the Hungarian Revolution,

a national revolt against the country’s

government and its Soviet-imposed policies.

It was the first serious blow to Soviet control

since the U.S.S.R. forces drove out the Nazis

at the end of WWII. It lasted less than a

month and more than 3,000 were killed in

the conflict. The revolution ultimately failed,

causing more than 200,000 Hungarians,

including Tony, to flee the country. “Crossing the border was

the hardest part,” Tony says. But he did, and eventually he

made it to the U.S. “When you came to the United States as a

refugee, they put you in a camp, and you couldn’t leave until

the FBI checked you out.”

Tony eventually ended up in California. He attended college,

enrolling in a special program for those who didn’t speak

English. “I wanted to take eighteen and a half credits, which was

the max. My counselor advised against it, but I said, ‘I can hack

it.’ But, he was right. I never worked so hard in my life.”

In 1961, Tony joined the U.S. Army, and that’s how he met

Hannelore. In 1963, she was living with her family in Germany,

and Tony was transferred there during the Vietnam War. “I was

twenty-two,” says Hannelore. “He couldn’t leave his car in front

of our house, because it had an American license plate, and it

wasn’t proper for an American boy to date a German girl. So he

had to leave his car in a completely different area and walk.”

The next year, the two were married in Germany and moved to

the United States. Their first apartment had a hole in the roof,

which leaked onto their bed during thunderstorms. “I was so

upset,” Hannelore explains. “I said, ‘What have you done? I want

to go back to Germany.’”

But things got better. Hannelore, who’s always been frugal,

found ways to save money. For one thing, the two started

studying cookbooks so they could eat at home. One day when

Hannelore was out of the house, Tony said,

‘When she comes home, I’ll cook something.’

So I put a fish in the pressure cooker, and then

the next thing I know, the fish and everything

shoots up through that hole in the lid, straight

to the ceiling. You wouldn’t think a filet could

fit through that little hole, but it did.”

The next thirty years took Tony and Hannelore

all over the globe. Tony retired from the Army

after twenty-seven years, and then worked

as a civilian in the Army for another fourteen.

It was during that time that Hannelore lived in Germany while

Tony worked in the Balkans. “For seven years, we saw each

other one weekend a month,” says Tony. “She’d get a Friday off

and drive five hundred miles to Budapest, and I would drive

five hundred miles to Budapest, and we would meet.”

Hannelore says, “Today, I think, my god, how did I do all that?”

Tony responds quickly, “We’re tough people,” he says.

Tough is right. Tony says, “We went through wars and a revolution.

We had to fight our way through our lives. And those who didn’t,

they are the ones who are not here.”

In 1999, Tony and Hannelore moved to Fort Smith to be near

their son and grandchildren. Within a few years, they officially

retired, but they haven’t slowed down. Tony says, “You have to

lifestyle | 21

have interests and continue to learn and do. If you don’t, you’re

going to crap out so fast it’s not even funny.”

So Tony still rides and trains horses. “Hannelore kicks me out

of bed early, so I’ve got to do something. It’s just great for an

old man like me,” says Tony, who’s now seventy-five but is as

skinny as a high school track star. He says, “If you gain a pound

a year, that’s forty pounds in forty years. So I stand on the scale

every morning, and if I’ve gained two pounds, I ride two horses

instead of one.”

It’s a philosophy that’s served Tony well. He keeps up with men

half his age, never slowing down just because someone says

he can’t do something. Tony says, “Once you are four years old,

you should not get hung up on other people’s opinions. It must

be right for you. If everyone wears blue jeans, you shouldn’t. If

everyone doesn’t, you should.”

Since 2005, Hannelore, who’s now seventy-two, has volunteered

with the River Valley Master Gardeners. “I told them I had an

interest in starting an herb garden at the Learning Fields at Fort

Chaffee. Most homes in Europe have one.” So Hannelore and

the Master Gardeners built an herb spiral, a type of garden that

arranges herbs according to their need for water. “The herbs

that need more water go on top, and the ones that need less

go on bottom.”

Hannelore has also worked to build a medicinal garden, and

is currently working on a children’s garden that will be used

to teach kids about growing plants. All the projects, however,

have required fundraising. And that’s where one of Tony and

Hannelore’s favorite pastimes—cooking—comes in.

For the last three years, Tony and Hannelore have donated their

culinary talents to the Master Gardeners. On February 16 at

6:00 PM, they’ll be hosting a Bavarian dinner at First Christian

Church in Fort Smith to raise money for the children’s garden.

“It’s a lot of work,” says Hannelore, “but it’s fun.”

The two don’t mind a little hard work. It’s what’s caused them

to cross oceans, to learn a new language, to work as a team to

make things happen. Hannelore explains it this way, “We had

nothing in 1956,” she says, a little wistfully, “and we have a

wonderful life now.”

The 4th Annual Fundraising Dinner will feature

pumpkin soup, roasted pork loin, potatoes, red

cabbage, and a peach mousse dessert for $20 per

person. Proceeds will benefit the children’s garden at

the Learning Fields at Fort Chaffee.

The Bavarian Dinner will be held at First Christian

Church in Fort Smith at 3501 Rogers Avenue on

Saturday, February 16. Seating begins at 5:30 PM,

and dinner will be served at 6:00 PM. Reservations

are highly recommended. Call Shelia Deal at

479.782.2104.

22 | lifestyle

LightLight defines a space. Light a room brightly to make it feel larger.

Dark and dimly lit rooms can feel gloomy, but a dark room

with warm pools of light is cozy and inviting. Lighting should

function well for the task at hand, such as a lamp next to a chair

for reading.

ColorColor is the easiest and most dramatic way to transform a

space. Limit colors in a room to three: a dominant color for

walls, flooring and backgrounds; a secondary color throughout

the room in fabrics and accessories; and an accent color used

sparingly to add interest, energy, and excitement. This allows

you to change your secondary or accent color to totally revamp

the look of your space.

The pink and red of Valentine’s Day always reminds

me that spring is in the air and it’s time to start

spring cleaning.

With this feeling, I start longing to bring an air of sunshine and

blooming flowers into my home and shed that feeling of winter.

To do that, I change up my home in some way. Maybe replace

those lamps I’ve had for a few years, or something as simple as

a new area rug or throw pillows. Accessories and other small

details are a great way to add a fresh new look without totally

refurnishing a room. Just remember some interior design basics

and you’ll have a stylish, cozy new area in no time.

Ashley Corey, OwnerC Square Home4155 N. Steele BlvdFayetteville, AR

24 | lifestyle

Scale or balanceBe sure the space functions as it should and isn’t crowded.

Don't block windows or doors, and make sure you can move

easily around and through the room. Here are some good

measurements to remember:

• Have 14”-18” of clearance between the coffee table and sofa

• Traffic areas should be at least 3' wide

• Seating, such as sofas and chairs, should have 4’– 10’

between them to help conversational flow

• There should be about 7’ between the TV and seating

Pattern and TextureIt’s fine to mix and match patterns and textures. Be sure they

share the same colors, and vary the scale or size of the patterns.

Don’t be afraid to use stripes, plaids, florals, or chevron patterns

in beautiful, bold colors.

Texture is often found in the rug or carpet, sofa, and drapes.

Just remember too much of the same can be tiresome. Instead

of smooth and shiny objects think rough and smooth or matte

and gloss. For example, a reclaimed media console and jute rug

paired with a smooth French script coffee table and shimmering

drapes. Limit large patterns to one per room. Patterns can also

be used for texture with prints that look dimensional, to add

depth to a design.

And don’t forget personality. This is my favorite part of design

and I think the most important. That antique picture frame

you found during that road trip in college, or the whimsical

birdcage lamp you fell in love with, can be perfect in a space.

Accessorizing is where you can veer away from strict guidelines.

Adding personality adds interest and keeps a space from looking

sterile. And you can always go for something a little unexpected

like a bold paint color on the ceiling.

1 74" Tin Frame Mirror $3292 Burdeaux French Script Coffee Table $2993 Pleated Shade Column Lamp $1994 Box Trunk Side Table $199

5 Old Door Media Console $9996 Birdcage Lamp $1997 Terra Stool Side Table $1998 Hemp French Script Throw Pillow $39

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lifestyle | 25

Valentine Train

Each Saturday in February, 11:00am // $55 Adults // $33 Kids

Take a ride on the Love Train leaving from Fort Smith Trolley Museum with a romantic Saturday afternoon train ride through the beautiful Boston Mountains from Fort Smith to Winslow. Club ticket price includes a boxed lunch and souvenir picture.

Fort Smith to Winslow Roundtrip // 800.687.8600 // www.amrailroad.com1Mountain Harbor Valentine’s Dinner and Couples Reconnect

2. Hikes, Hearts & Hugs Weekend

“Love Letters”

Weekends in February // Cost: $181+

February 9th – 10th // Sweetheart Dinner Reservations Required // Hike is free

February 14th – 15th, 7:30pm // $15 Members // $17 Non-Members

Refresh and reconnect at Mountain Harbor Lake Resort. Choose from a variety of amenities such as candlelit dinners, massages, fresh flowers, and wine. Special weekend rate of $181 for a two night stay each weekend in February.

Bundle up and walk amongst the trees in a guided hike through the mountains with your sweetheart. Take in the magnificent views from the top of Petit Jean Mountain, then enjoy a gourmet meal in Mather Lodge. Sweetheart Dinner reservations required.

Enjoy a performance of the Pulitzer Prize nominated play, "Love Letters" by A. R. Gurney. Presented in intimate cabaret style, this play centers on just two characters sitting side by side at tables who read the notes, letters, and cards they wrote to each other over the span of 50 years.

994 Mountain Harbor Road, Mt. Ida, AR // 870.867.2191

Petit Jean Mountain, Morrilton, AR // 501.727.5441 // petitjeanstatepark.com

Arts and Science Center, Pine Bluff, AR // 870.536.3375

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February is the month of romance! Check out our picks for romantic getaways, special events, shows, and more coming up this month.

26 | entertainment

Ooh La La Chocolate and Wine Tasting Event

Wildwood Lanterns Festival

Grape Escape

February 16th, 6:30pm // $85 Per Person // $160 Per Couple

February 22nd – 24th, 6:00 – 10:00pm // $10 Adults // $5 Kids

March 1st, 6:00pm // $100 – Over 21 Only

Chocolate and champagne await your arrival at the third annual Ooh La La Event with a reception beginning at 6:30PM. Afterwards, enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Chef Miles James from James at the Mill. A selection of chocolate desserts will finish off the evening and guests will leave with a box of Lindt chocolates to enjoy at home. Proceeds from the event will support the mission and projects of the Jackson L. Graves Foundation.

Celebrate the first full moon of the new year in a festival of lights that is sure to delight young and old alike. Take your sweetheart on a lovely winter walk through the lighted walking paths that stretch along the lake into winter woodlands and discover hidden delights while enjoying beautiful lights, entertainment, gourmet treats, and warm beverages.

Choose from over 600 artisan wines at Bost’s annual Grape Escapes fundraiser. Dine on hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants and caterers while bidding on auction items such as Dallas Cowboy game tickets, Jay Strongwater crystal, out of town adventures, and more. After the auction, enjoy the musical talents of local favorites, Mr. Cabbage Head and the Screaming Radishes. Proceeds benefit Bost Human Services.

Submit your events to editors@aturbanmagazine.com.

The Garden Room, Fayetteville, AR // www.jacksongraves.org

Wildwood Park for the Arts, Little Rock, AR // 501.821.7275

Holiday Inn City Center, Fort Smith, AR // 479.478.5556 // www.bost.org

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Chocolate Fantasy Ball

February 16th, 6:00pm // $250

Eat dessert first at this year’s Diamond Edition and 10th Annual black tie Chocolate Fantasy Ball. Enjoy decadent chocolate desserts and chocolate martinis while you bid on one (or more!) of the amazing offerings at the live and silent auctions. Savor a formal dinner and then dance the night away, all while listening to live music by White Chocolate. Benefits Ronald McDonald House charities.

The Peabody, Little Rock, AR // 501.978.31195entertainment | 27

Hipsters love to the throw the term “dad rock” around

as a way to disparage mature music with strong

songwriting and little pretense. Could Isaac Alexander

be classified as “dad rock?”

Well, he’s married, a father of two girls and a partner at Eric, Rob

and Isaac, the Little Rock ad agency he co-founded. So yes, his

music could be classified as “dad rock.”

Is this a bad thing? No.

One of the endearing things about Alexander as a person and

a musician is that he’s in it for the music. The Searcy native

has been a staple in the Little Rock music scene playing with

local legends like Big Silver,(which he fronted), The Easys, and

the Boondogs. Rather than try to live the local rock star life, he

focused on writing great songs and building a life for himself.

In 2008, Alexander released his debut solo album See Thru

Me, which marked his debut as a solo singer/songwriter and

a departure from the power pop of Big Silver. The record

maintained the Elvis Costello-influenced melodies, but with

more stripped down arrangements. Antivenin Suite continues

this musical progression.

Clocking in just shy of 33 minutes, Antivenin Suite is just

as creative as it is concise. You won’t hear long guitar solos

or excessive refrains. Alexander is a man in control of his

minimalist style. He knows how to coin a phrase or enunciate

at just the right moment for maximum emotional impact.

Antivenin Suite explores the various incarnations of regret but

never veers into self-pity. The opener “Sincerely” is bitter yet

witty as Alexander pens a letter to a former lover ending with,

“P.S. I hate him, sincerely.”

“Chewing Gum Wrapper” explores the nature of nostalgia — the

uncertain memories and the flickers of sadness and happiness

— through the everyday plot device of finding half a chewing

gum wrapper and not remembering where the remainder went.

Antivenin Suite is possibly the best album to come out of

Arkansas in 2012 (and there was some fierce competition).

The only criticism is that some of the tunes feature a similar

tempo, which can slow the album at times. However, Alexander

certainly compensates for this by delivering subtle yet

infectious melodies and diverse instrumentation that remains

true to his style.

Antivenin Suite is music made by a mature, accomplished

songwriter who has nothing to prove. It’s sad, regretful and

nostalgic, but absent of despair. Throughout the album, no matter

what bittersweet yarns Alexander spins, hope always lingers in

the background. It’s a feeling that no matter how bad things get,

someone will be there to help get the poison out.

I Rate It

Antivenin Suite by Isaac AlexanderMax Recordings—December 2012: $1000

@review Kody Ford

28 | entertainment

On the cover of this book are four photographs, each

containing the picture of a pretty mother and a young

boy around six. They look happy enough, but are they?

In this memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner, Richard Russo, he tells

the story of his life with his mother in upstate New York in the

mill town of Gloversville, where chemical residues washed into

the river that flowed through the town.

Richard’s parents were separated. His mother, Jean, worked

in the office at a GE plant in Schenectady, and his father, a

veteran who landed on Utah Beach, was a compulsive gambler.

Richard seldom saw his father who once told him, “Your

mother’s crazy, you know.”

Richard and his mother lived with her parents on the second floor

of a small house. Nobody owned a car. In 1967, when Richard

graduated from high school, he bought a 1960 Ford Galaxie with

the money he’d made on summer construction jobs. Soon after,

he told his mother he had been accepted at the University of

Arizona. Thinking she would have a fit, he was surprised when

she gave him her blessing. And even more surprised when she

insisted on going with him, positive she could find another job

with another GE company. So off they went in Richard’s little six-

cylinder Ford they named Gray Death because it wasn’t powerful

enough to pull a trailer full of books, clothes, kitchen goods, and

a television set. And the car had no reverse.

This move, made with the admonishment of his grandparents

concerning his mother’s spells or cases of nerves, was the first

of many he made. Eventually the trips included his extremely

tolerant and patient wife, always with his mother following along,

who never found a proper job, never liked any apartments he

rented for her, and always thought a move back to Gloversville

would fix everything.

Armed with a PhD, Richard began a long academic struggle,

jumping from job to job, trying to teach and be a writer at the

same time. Once he began to write in his own voice about

Gloversville and the people he’d grown up with, his career as

both writer and screenwriter blossomed. And still his mother

followed along, demanding his attention. Still having her spells.

This memoir is a powerful story. Sometimes funny, often

surprising, and sometimes heartbreaking. Read Elsewhere: A

Memoir first. Then read Richard’s Nobody’s Fool, Empire Falls, The

Whore’s Child, or Bridge of Sighs. His memoir will tell you exactly

where he gets his ideas for his novels.

And you thought your mother was bossy and interfering.

Elsewhere: A MemoirBy Richard RussoKnopf Publishers 243 pages: $2595

@review Anita Paddock

30 | entertainment

the happy life of shawn adair@story Marla Cantrell@images Courtesy Shawn Adair

32 | people

When Shawn Adair entered college, he dreamed of

producing music videos, which were all the rage

back in the mid-1980s. But his first experience in

film class was a bad one. He didn’t like his instructor. At all. At

the same time, he was taking an art class from a teacher who

both encouraged and inspired him. And so he switched majors,

turning his attention to art.

It was a good decision. After graduating, he and his younger

brother Robert, who’s also an artist, decided to come to Arkansas,

where their parents had recently moved. They checked out the

University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and both enrolled in the

graduate program.

In 2000, he and Robert won an Arkansas Arts Council fellowship

for a sculpture project called “Portable Prayer.”

“I think we were the first, and possibly the only brothers, to

earn such a fellowship,” Shawn says. “I like working with Robert.

We have this unspoken bond. We don’t have to have deep

conversations all the time; what we have just is.

“Our first piece was nine feet tall, four or five feet square. It

was a big prayer box that you go into. It was all red velvet,

inside and out.”

The project garnered interest, and soon Shawn and Robert were

showing their work at places like the Philbrook Museum of Art

in Tulsa. Shawn had also taken a position at Van Buren Schools

as a visiting artist, teaching in six elementary schools.

Shawn loved working with the kids, seeing them create art and

watching them draw and paint with abandon. “It was such a

blessing, so fast paced and so much energy. Those kids made

me feel like a rock star. I’d go to a school and everybody would

be screaming,‘Mr. Shawn!’.”

He continued for eight years, and then taught art for a while

at Christ the King in Fort Smith. It was during those years that

he learned a few things about kids. “I made sure I actively

encouraged them, going up to every student to talk to them

about what they were doing. I tried to get them excited about

the creative process. I’d have forty-five minutes. I’d have five to

ten minutes for a lesson plan about an artist. We’d look at their

work and we’d get into it. It was amazing what they could get

done in that time.”

Those were inspiring times, but nothing compares to his

stint at Greenwood Schools, where he served as an artist in

residence. “I was thirty-nine.” He smiles and continues, “She

was a speech therapist. We met in the office in October and

got married in December. I knew. She was the one. She’s still

the one.”

The “she” is his wife Sara. The two are in business together in

the company they named Adair Ya Very Fine Candles and Gifts.

It is for Adair Ya that he’s created a line of furniture called From

the Woods, each piece inspired by the land they live on in rural

Crawford County.

He is also the creative director for InvoTek, a company that

designs devices to help people with severe injuries or medical

conditions. “The engineers will do their work and then hand it

off to me and say, ‘Make this look cool.’

“We’re working on making devices that help our clients

communicate. If they have a spinal column injury or cerebral

palsy and have trouble accessing the computer, we help them.

Everyone wants independence. Now, they can communicate. It

can open up the entire world."

Shawn is sitting on the edge of his chair now, his elbows on his

knees and his fingers steepled. “We’re all so infinitely unique.

All of us,” Shawn says. “To be involved in helping like this, how

could you not want to do that?”

A shaft of light is falling across Shawn, forming a pool that

surrounds his scuffed cowboy boots. He talks with his hands,

and there is an energy about him. He takes the conversation

back to the beginning. To his first year of college when he gave

up his dream of video production. It has come back to him,

through his work at InvoTek, where he visits the homes of some

people | 33

of their clients, capturing the stories of their lives with the video

recorder he brings along.

When he’s not working, he’s usually at home. He spends as

much time as he can with Sara and their four children, ages ten,

seven, five, and five months. It is there he finds inspiration for

his artwork, including his "Flower Series". Many of those pieces

are for sale at BrickCity Emporium in Fort Smith.

“I use mostly what I find on our land. We live on six and a half

acres in a valley area surrounded by creeks. There are woods

everywhere. The "Flower Series" is so hands on: the building, the

assembly. It started in my work with children. If you look at them

simply, it’s a circle shape like a kid will draw for a flower or a tree.

I got a lot of great inspiration from them. I use pieces of wood,

acorns tops, velvets, silk. There’s oil paint and spray paint. There

are Texas laurel seeds, which of course, don’t come from here.

“When my wife and I got married, she wasn’t sure about living

out there. But once you get there you love it. You hear the

sounds of nature, you see the stars at night.”

As a child, Shawn spent much of his time drawing and

building forts. He wants his kids to have the same kinds of

experiences. “We have art everywhere, in the house and the

yard. I remember watching a documentary about American

illustrator N.C. Wyeth. He gave his kids lots of stuff. That’s what

we do. The material is there. And I do guide them; I use lessons

plans from my old ‘Mr. Shawn’ days. I want to nurture them and

provide them a place to create.”

The thread that runs through his life and his work is relationships.

He loves his brother, and still works with him from time to time.

He has a deep faith in God. He adores his children, and he can’t

imagine spending time away from Sara, who showed up in a

principal’s office one day and knocked him soundly off his feet.

He is thankful for it all, even the film professor who steered him

away from music videos. Without that one instructor, his life

might have taken a very different path. It’s a sobering thought,

and one he won’t spend too much time contemplating. He

has a full day ahead. When he’s finished he’ll head home to a

houseful of kids who are waiting to see their father. He smiles

at the thought, pulls on his coat, and heads for the door.

To see Shawn’s artwork, stop by BrickCity Emporium

at 3215 South 74th Street in Fort Smith.

34 | people

how to succeed in businessMrs. Been’s Second Grade Class

@story Marla Cantrell@images Catherine Frederick

36 | people

The wheels of commerce are churning inside this modest

space on the east side of Fort Smith. Everything seems a

bit too small: the tables, the chairs where the associates

sit, even the production line that is at this moment covered with

a dozen or so drink coasters made from brand new shower tiles

and scrapbook paper, which are drying after receiving a heavy

coat of Mod Podge.

Though no one is complaining. Not the Chief Financial Officer

of the company called “Proud Patriots” and local elementary

teacher, Mrs. Kim Been (pronounced bean), and certainly not

Alli, who has already earned five dollars

today, just for showing up on time and ready

to work. At seven years of age, getting five

dollars is a big deal. And though it’s not

real money – this currency is a happy shade

of yellow – it’s real enough to the second

graders who are, at this very moment,

brainstorming about how to market the 200

coasters and 142 Christmas mice ornaments

they made from giant acorns that are bigger

than their thumbs.

Melissa, a natural salesperson, has a handle

on marketing. “You have a nice table?” she

asks. I nod. She points to the coaster that is

decorated with images of happy owls and

says, “It won’t ruin your nice table.”

Simple, effective, persuasive. I see big things in Melissa’s future.

Which is good because Melissa, who estimates her own parents

earn about five dollars a day, wants to be a doctor.

Still, I don’t know how much a set of four coasters cost.

Classmate Maia helps me out. “It’s only $5. Very cheap,” she

says. Maia, I want to keep on my good side. Her favorite song

is Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, an important song for a girl who wants

to be a rock star. And her parents are rolling in money. She

estimates they rack in at least $60 a week.

Micah picks up on the low cost factor, plugging the mice

ornaments. “One dollar,” he says, “made from acorns, our natural

resources.” 'Natural resources' is one of the many economic

terms they’ve learned in recent weeks.

But it’s Jeremiah who moves past the sales pitch and gets to the

heart of the matter. “We’re making the coasters so people can

put any kind of drink on them and we’re selling them so we can

buy some animals and send them to people in need.”

Who can resist that? Though, on this day, the exact details of

the donation haven’t been worked out. First,

they have to see if they even turn a profit. And

Mrs. Been wants all their input on how to use

the money. She wants them to go through the

logical steps in decision making, something

we could all use when we’re up late at night,

channel surfing, deciding $29.95 for a bottle

of celebrity-endorsed shampoo is a super idea.

When Mrs. Been started this economics lesson

two weeks prior, she had steps that would break

down the multi-level concept that included

a bank with its own paper currency, a system

to earn money, product development, cost

analysis, production, marketing, and selling.

The kids earn $5 a day for showing up to class on time. They can

earn even more money by performing service jobs, completely

voluntary, during half their recess time. The jobs are important.

They pick up sticks beneath the big trees on the playground

so that the mowers can run safely in those areas. They scoop

up coats that have fallen off their hooks and tumbled onto the

floor. They empty trashcans to help the custodians.

But they can also spend money. For $30 they can sit at Mrs.

Been’s desk for the day. For $15 they can sit with a friend of

their choice. It’s been interesting to watch. Some are born

savers, and some are born to shop.

people | 37

“I do see them learning to think about their choices,” Mrs. Been

says. “They’ll see something they want to spend their money on

that’s quick and then they’ll see someone else who’s saving for

something bigger and it makes them reconsider.”

Another thing it’s taught these kids to do is ask questions at

home. Most have asked their parents how much they make.

Andrew B., who seems to understand a lot about money and is

already saving for a car and college, says, “I asked my dad how

much money he earned if he worked all week and he said, ‘Lots

of money.’ He doesn’t even want to tell me.”

Tyler, who will someday play professional basketball, is a saver

himself. “If you save for a long time,” he says, “like a year, you

can get a big wrestling toy.”

But leave it to future dentist Kaiden, who would give money to

anybody who didn’t have food, to bring the group back around

to the hard facts of money. “You have to balance your account,”

he says. “You can go to jail for this, like if you have the money

in the bank and you use more on your credit card, and you have

$75 but you spend $86, you’ll go to jail.”

Which brings up other scenarios you’d better be saving for.

They want to know what I’d do if my car broke down, or if I had a

daughter and she got sick and I needed to take her to the doctor.

I hear my parents’ voices in theirs, albeit years ago, warning me

against the uncertainties of life.

They are so earnest. They have thought about these very things:

broken cars, sick children, families struggling to put food on

the table. And they’re also thinking about their own financial

futures. David says, “We’re learning how to spend money and

make money and how to make good choices.”

Madi nods her head, agreeing 100 percent with David. “It feels

good to make money,” she says. Gabe, future astronaut, concurs.

He’s been earning extra money by picking up trash. Jennie, who

will one day work as a police officer, helps the “lunch ladies”

when she can. When she strikes it rich she’s going to give all her

38 | people

money to her friends. Cooper, future firefighter, will someday

buy a monster truck.

They keep telling me their dreams. Darianna wants to teach.

Andrew D. wants to be an archaeologist. Gavin will someday fly

jets. Ava, who loves animals, wants to be a vet. Aiden will fight

fires one day. Anthony wants to do so much he can’t decide,

although he’s leaning toward factory work. Aaron, he’s going to

paint fingernails and give all his extra money to anyone standing

by the road with a sign that reads ‘I’m hungry.’

A few days after my interview, the students from Mrs. Been’s

second grade class stand outside the front entrance and

become salespeople. They sold out of the coasters, which are

packaged in sets of four and tied with twine, and the mice

ornaments made from natural resources, except for the plastic

eyes and red noses that are glued onto the acorns.

The kids are jazzed, the way you would be if you opened shop

and a crowd rushed in to buy every last thing. The next step is

to decide how to spend their windfall. First, they pay back the

bank, a.k.a. Mrs. Been, the $135 it took to make the products.

They’re left with $257 in profit.

Mrs. Been picks up the story from here. “After learning about

income and how people have to have one to supply their needs,

we decided to help others make an income for their families,”

she says. “We purchased a sheep ($120.00) and a goat ($120.00)

from Heifer International. A struggling family uses the milk from

the goat and the wool from the sheep to create an income. They

also use the manure from the animals on their gardens. It says

that their harvests are seventeen times larger with the fertilizer,

so they also have crops to sell to supplement their incomes.”

Somewhere far away, there’s a family whose life just got a little

easier, thanks to the hard work of the kids in Mrs. Been’s class.

Kids who now know a lot more about money, how to get it, when

to spend it, and how to make every cent count.

What’s the next chapter in this story? The class had $17 left in

the till. They decided to buy a pet for their classroom. Mrs. Been

vetoed the puppy and rabbit, but gave in to the turtle. It’s hard

to say no to co-workers who returned your initial investment

and turned a profit in just three short days.

Most of the stories Mrs. Been reads to her class end with a life

lesson. This story is no exception. She says that one day she

watched as two of her students stepped out of the lunch line to

pick up coats that had fallen off their hooks. The coats belonged

to first graders. It wasn’t part of her students’ assigned job or

responsibility to pick them up. What she was witnessing was

a residual effect of her students’ lesson on economics. They’d

found that helping around school made them feel more a

part of it, gave them a certain pride in the place where they’re

spending most of their day.

As for Mrs. Been, she couldn’t be happier. And she has a turtle

to help her remember, should she ever start to forget.

people | 39

Charlene Simon’s story begins at an uncertain time in

her family’s life. It was 2007, a trying year for the nation

as we faced an economy that was getting shakier by

the day. Already struggling was the real estate market and that

had a direct impact on Charlene’s husband, Justin, who was a

Realtor in St. Louis. The office he worked for had just closed.

But he had a job offer in the Fort Smith area, and so the family

moved. Unfortunately, the job didn’t pan out.

So there they were, jobless and trying to find their footing. They

began to talk about what to do next. “One of the reasons we wanted

to be in Fort Smith was that it was only a couple of hours from Hot

Springs,” Charlene says. “We’d used Hot Springs as a vacation base

for years, and when we moved we thought we’d visit often. But we

didn’t. Now, neither one of us had a job. It was scary.”

But Justin had an idea. Why couldn’t they move to Hot Springs

and open a shop that sold handmade soap and bath products?

There was plenty of history behind the idea. In the late 1990s,

Charlene had been shopping with a friend in Julian, California.

They walked into a soap shop, something Charlene did not want

to do, and there she fell a little bit in love.

The Squeaky Clean Storyof a Fat Bottomed Girl

@story and images Marla Cantrell

40 | people

“Weirdly enough, California is a handmade soap Mecca, and

Julian is a lot like Hot Springs. They have everything handmade

from soap, to glassblowers, to pies,” Charlene says. “My friend

wanted to take me to the soap shop and I thought, well that’s

dumb. I totally didn’t get it. But the woman in the soap shop

wrapped her soap in fabric. I thought that was great. When I got

in there, something came over me and I thought, I don’t know

what she’s doing but I want to be part of this.”

There was a problem, though. Charlene asked how the soap was

made. The shop owner was holding tight to her secrets, but that

only spurred Charlene on. She went home and started doing

research, heading first to the library where she checked out

every book she could find on soap making.

“It was intimidating at first. But I found forums online about

soap making and I’d troubleshoot with them.”

Charlene kept experimenting, finally settling on a formula a little

over a decade ago. “I make soap the way your great-grandma

did,” she says. “Back in the day they’d use animal fat – tallow

- but I use olive oil as the base. And I use other nourishing

vegetable oils for the skin.”

Justin had faith that people would want to buy Charlene’s soap.

And so they packed up and moved. There was trepidation, of

course, but there was also a sense of adventure for what could

happen next. They found a storefront in the historic district of

Central Avenue, and Charlene and her husband got to work.

“We opened Bathhouse Soapery and Caldarium in March, 2009

with the rent money and $700 in inventory,” Charlene says. “That

is all I had. Justin and I were both working so hard. I worked a

third-shift job at a hotel here and I worked a full-time day job

from six in the morning until noon as an assistant office manager.

Justin would watch the shop from nine until noon, and then

I would come here and stay open until five. And three nights a

week I’d work another job as a night auditor. It was a stressful

time. But we were committed. We said we’d do anything to have

this store and we were proving it. We are very against debt. We

don’t have credit cards, even to this day. I think that was our

saving grace. We didn’t owe anything but the rent.”

By summer, the rent was getting easier to pay. Charlene quit her

night job, and eventually the other two. “We just got busier and

busier. Then we started getting calls from other boutiques that

wanted to carry our line. We now have over twenty wholesalers.

For the first year, it was just me and Justin working here. Finally,

my sister-in-law moved here to help us and now she’s our

manager. She’s wonderful, and having her here lets me spend

more time making soap.”

In the beginning, Charlene was making only soaps, body scrubs

and lotions. Now, she has a facial line, lotions, mists, scrubs,

manicure and pedicure products, and perfume. And the soap?

She’s churning out 100 pounds a day.

“We have a lot of customers with skin sensitivities, allergies,

eczema, psoriasis, because the soap is detergent free. And

they’re very trendy looking. We use lots of colors, the tops are

wavy. Some sparkle. Women come in here and buy it because

it’s beautiful, or it matches their bathroom color. Mostly though,

it’s the smell that gets them. They love the scents.”

Charlene credits her husband’s vision with the growth they’ve

seen. “I’m really an introvert, and I think small. My husband

is outgoing and has grand ideas. We have an online store

because of him and it’s doing very well. We’re about to get a

warehouse in part because of all the shipping we do. He thinks

globally; I don’t. “

The success of Bathhouse Soapery helped boost Charlene’s

entrepreneurial spirit. She started thinking of other things she

loved. There was a trend happening in the world of cupcakes and

Charlene was watching it grow. She was already paying rent on the

shop next to hers and had been for a year, knowing she wanted

to expand in some way. Cupcakes seemed like the logical choice.

The next step was picking out a name. Charlene’s daughter is

a big fan of the band Queen. She wanted to name the bakery

“Fat Bottomed Girls”, after Queen’s song, and her parents

quickly agreed.

people | 41

With the name in place, they started to renovate. Today, the

shop is a wonder in pink. Even the ice maker is pink. And the

place smells like paradise; there is coffee brewing and cupcakes

baking. On this morning, the bakery is already filled with the

first batch of cupcakes, all wrapped in squares of parchment

paper, which is folded in a way that makes them look a little

like flowers.

The cupcakes are the big, unpretentious kind that knock you

over with flavor. They are pretty, but not so pretty that you

think they might be art instead of food. And the cream cheese

frosting is perfect, not too sweet and incredibly fluffy. Each day

there are between eight to twelve flavors, like Salted Caramel,

Cinnamon Roll, Crème Brulee, Champagne, Red Velvet, and

Cherry Amaretto.

“We just had our first anniversary,” Charlene says. “At first we

sold a couple hundred a day. We’ve gone from that to 2,000

a day on Saturdays during the summer months. We have five

bakers now, working two shifts. Our manager bakes, our baristas

bake if we need them to.”

Charlene’s been amazed by the cupcake shop’s reach. She’s

had customers walk in from places like Tennessee, who’ve

followed Fat Bottomed Girl’s on Facebook, and driven in to

have a taste. But nothing surprised her more than when, late

last year, she received a call from the Food Network about

their show Cupcake Wars.

That’s all she can say about the call, but today she’s smiling, so

it makes you wonder. If it happens, it would be just one more

monumental event to add to the list.

“It’s been incredible,” she says, as she looks around the shop.

Three customers have come in. They’ve ordered Crème Brulee

coffee and are having trouble deciding on which cupcakes to

order. In the end, they each order two apiece. Charlene smiles

even wider.

Outside the traffic chugs along. A bicyclist rolls by, and then

a couple walks by hand in hand. The door opens and more

customers file in. Charlene greets them. Her life is far different

than it was in that uncertain year of 2007. She doesn’t worry

so much anymore. Her family is happy. And she’s working

alongside her husband, whose faith in her took them both on

an adventure that continues every single day.

For more on Fat Bottomed Girl’s Cupcake Shoppe,

visit fbgcupcakes.com. For a look at all the products

Bathhouse Soapery and Caldarium has to offer, visit

bathhousesoap.com.

42 | people

Herbed Gnocchi with Tomato Basil BrothRecipe inspired by Smitten Kitchen@recipe and images Laura Hobbs

44 | taste

As you can tell from most of my recipes, I’m a sucker for handmade fare. I’m one of those

longsuffering ninnies who’ll spend hours in the kitchen slaving over tedious culinary

charges, relishing in the tiny minutiae, focusing all of my energy on a single task and

then dazedly wondering where those three hours went. I get in my zone. I go into a meditative

state. I fall down the proverbial rabbit hole.

I think I inherited this trait from my mother. Mom is the type to hone in on a particular task to

the point of complete absorption – often using the most illogical and unhelpful tool possible

to make the process last longer than necessary. A prime example: scraping old paint off a door

frame with a dull butter knife. I don’t think I need to explain any further. (Sorry, Mom.)

Gnocchi has a reputation for being one of those dishes that requires the vast majority of your day

and an unreasonable amount of your attention. But the entire point of this month’s story (besides

giving you the perfect Valentine’s recipe to whip up for your sweetie) is to quash poor gnocchi’s

ill-prescribed reputation.

For those who don’t know, gnocchi are cute little dumplings made from potato, flour and egg

that originally hail from Italy. As with many European foods, several other European countries

have adopted and adapted their own versions – the French have Gnocchi Parisienne, the

Germans have Knödel, the Swiss have Spätzle, and the Croatians have Njoki.

Gnocchi are deliciously light and yield the most pleasant chewy texture. They’re complemented

by a wide array of sauces – sometimes creamy, sometimes brothy, but always delicious.

Traditional gnocchi are often seen shaped in perfectly rounded nuggets, rolled over one-by-

one with fork tines or a gnocchi roller to embed those perfect little ridges. This process indeed

requires skill, focus and plenty of time. What people don’t realize is, this step can be omitted

completely and the dish is equally delicious, sans ridges.

This particular recipe was inspired by the one and only Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen

weblog. I recently got Deb’s debut cookbook and devoured each page slowly and with the

utmost concentration. I highly recommend it to any home cook, especially those who like their

pages stuck together with drool.

Deb’s recipe for gnocchi with tomato broth marries beautiful homemade gnocchi – simply

rolled, cut and boiled – with a light, flavorful homemade broth. The broth couldn’t be any easier,

as it basically cooks itself – and it gives you plenty of time to devote to your dumplings. In my

usual fashion, I tweaked the recipe to suit my taste buds, and the results are second to none.

This Valentine’s Day, turn on some Otis Redding, roll up your sleeves and roll out some homemade

gnocchi with your sweetheart. A sense of humor, a glass of wine and an amazing home-cooked meal

will make the night far more memorable. Enjoy!

taste | 45

Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size, until a knife easily pierces through them. Set them aside to cool. (This can also be done the night before, or earlier in the day.)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped carrot, celery, and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the veggies begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook it for 1 minute more. Add the wine and scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half, for about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the stock, and a handful of basil. Gently crush the tomatoes against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn it down to low. Let it simmer uncovered until the tomato broth begins to thicken, about 45 minutes. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain out the vegetables. Season the tomato broth with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Peel the cooled potatoes and grate them using the large holes on a box grater. Add the egg, salt and minced herbs to the potatoes, stirring to combine. Add ½ cup of the flour and mix to combine. Add the remaining ¼ cup of flour to form dough that isn’t too sticky; it should hold its shape enough to be rolled into a rope. Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface, for just a minute.

Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each piece into a long rope, about ¾-inch thick. Cut each rope into ¾-inch segments. Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Heat a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Place the gnocchi, a quarter batch at a time, into the water and cook until they float – about 3 minutes, then drain.

Reheat the broth to a simmer. Add the drained gnocchi to the broth to reheat through, then serve together with fresh basil and Parmesan shavings.

For the Broth: 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 medium stalk of celery, chopped 1 small yellow onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1 cup dry white wine 1 (28 oz.) can whole San Marzano tomatoes Small handful of basil leaves, plus more for serving 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

For the Gnocchi: 2 medium Russet potatoes 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp salt 1 tsp each of minced fresh chives, fresh thyme and fresh basil ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

46 | taste

Most people associate Valentine’s Day and chocolate-

they go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly,

peas and carrots, so I’ll bet you were expecting a

chocolatey scrumptious dessert. As usual, we like to keep you

on your toes. Limoncello mousse is both light and fluffy and has

just a bit of extra zing from the added Limoncello Liqueur - and

compliments nicely with our Gnocci recipe on page 44.

@recipe and images Melanie Stout

Recipe adapted from Cooking with Nonna

48 | taste

Begin by making a simple lemon curd. In a medium-sized

saucepan, over low heat, whisk together beaten egg yolks, sugar,

cornstarch, lemon juice and water. Cook, stirring continuously

for 10-15 minutes, or until mixture thickens. You’ll know when

this happens - it thickens up even more when cooled.

While this is cooking, pre-melt white chocolate chips in a glass

bowl with about a tablespoon of whipping cream. Microwave

chips on high for 2 minutes and then stir until smooth.

Remove pot from heat and stir in butter and melted white chocolate

until combined and smooth. Slowly drizzle the Limoncello into the

mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. If you want your curd

mixture perfectly smooth, strain through a fine sieve. Let lemon

curd cool and thicken at room temperature, stirring every so often,

then cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

When lemon curd is cold, whisk in mascarpone cheese. Next,

using a blender, mix whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In

a large bowl, fold whipping cream into the lemon curd mixture,

reserving a few dollops of plain whipped cream for garnish.

Spoon or pipe the mousse into a dessert glass or dish, top with

a touch of whipped cream, lemon zest, and fresh raspberries.

2 oz Limoncello Liqueur (we used Caravella)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup of water

4 Tbsp lemon juice (we used fresh lemons)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

5 oz white chocolate chips (recommend Ghirardelli)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup mascarpone cheese

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

zest of 1 lemon

fresh raspberries for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Ingredients

taste | 49

Combine pear vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into a champagne flute. Top with chilled, dry champagne and garnish with a triangle of green apple.

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

1-1/2 oz Absolut Pear Vodka1/4 oz Simple Syrup1/4 oz Lime JuiceDry ChampagneGreen Apple

Sponsored byMovie Lounge

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

@image Catherine Frederick@recipe Jeff Price, Bar Manager Movie Lounge

taste | 51

Seeking Something Grand @story and images Jim Warnock

52 | travel

Need a remedy for that lethargic feeling you get during the winter months? Here’s an

antidote that worked for me. The plan? Assemble a group of good friends and hike

one of the natural wonders of the world: The Grand Canyon.

Our crew included father/son duo, Scott and Boone Hardy, Bob Cable, Steve Cattaneo, and Dale

Fudge. We came from a variety of career backgrounds but were united in our love for the beauty

of the outdoors. We’d backpacked the Ozark Mountains together but this would be a more

involved outing. A trip of this type is only as good as each participant. By the time you’ve spent

a few days backpacking with someone, you know if there are major character flaws. I could

vouch for each of these guys and knew they would work well together.

Directions for getting to the canyon are easy; drive west to Williams, Arizona, then north.

Directions for being ready to enter the Grand Canyon are a little more complicated. We

completed training hikes and runs for conditioning. We requested backcountry permits

four months in advance and waited nervously until approved. We combed through piles of

backpacking gear in repeated attempts to eliminate all but the most essential items. I felt a

great sense of accomplishment after packing four days of food, clothing, and shelter in under

thirty pounds.

Too much weight could be a trip-ender while attempting to hike up the nearly 5,000-foot

elevation gain from river to rim, the equivalent of climbing more than 500 office building floors

while covering miles of uneven terrain and ever-changing conditions in winter. As Bob said,

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. Pack wisely.” A small percentage

of the nearly five million visitors who see the Grand Canyon each year hike below the rim and

several hundred of those are rescued inside the canyon. Lack of preparation is commonly cited

in trips that end badly.

We entered the Grand Canyon on December 28, 2012, on the South Kaibab Trail. Temperatures

ranged from the teens on the rim to the forties at the bottom of the canyon. We spent two

nights at the Bright Angel Camp Ground, allowing time to explore the Clear Creek Trail on the

north side of the Colorado River. Then came a strenuous climb up to Indian Gardens Camp

Ground. At the top of a series of brutal switchbacks called “Devil’s Corkscrew,” Boone said,

“That section of trail definitely lived up to its name!” The final day would include about 3,500

feet of elevation gain during the hike up to the South Rim.

A visual feast…That first night Scott was full of energy and wanted to explore the Silver Bridge since we’d

crossed the more historic Black Bridge earlier on our hike into the campground. This turned into

three miles of night hiking but was well worth the effort. While standing at the Colorado River,

travel | 53

we watched a full moon rise over the canyon rim. Reflections of

moonlight softly painted inner canyon walls and the churning

river’s surface.

Clear Creek Trail (Day 2) was filled with remarkable rock

formations every step of the way. The trail seemed to pull us

along sweeping views of the river and inner canyon. Scenes

continuously opened up and changed with the steady passing

of the sun. While pausing at one overlook, Dale, who was visiting

the Grand Canyon for the first time, said, “I’m so thankful that

I got to do this trip. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s just

amazing!”

A constant companion while camping at the bottom of the

canyon was the soothing sound of Bright Angel Creek, named by

John Wesley Powell during his exploration of the area in 1869. It

is clean, clear, and cold! I took an hour to explore the creek with

my camera, wishing for a longer day as the sunlight faded.

On our third evening in the canyon, a short hike from Indian

Gardens Campground turned into a wildlife outing on Plateau

Point. A California condor enjoyed showing off his aerial

finesse, swooping so close that I heard a deep whoosh from his

wings slicing through the air. The introduction of condors into

the park appears to have had some success and this condor

exemplified confidence in his new canyon home. Several mule

deer were grazing close to the trail. They gave me a dismissive

glance as if stoically accepting my visitor status in the canyon.

A winter wonderland…After a dinner of homemade dehydrated pasta at Indian

Gardens, a light snow began to fall as darkness came over the

canyon. All sounds were muted except the gentle crackle of icy

snow against the roof of my tent. The next morning we woke

up to a winter wonderland. Several of us softy sang the song

by that name as Steve, the early riser, fired up his stove for

coffee and oatmeal. Then it was time for the final push up Bright

Angel Trail to the South Rim. This would be a personal test for

me physically and I felt some nagging anxiety about the severe

elevation gain on a snowy route.

As we progressed up the trail I found myself walking slower

and slower, not from the climb, but from a desire to make

the experience last longer; I didn't want it to end! Every few

minutes I'd stop and stare as the sky and light changed our view

back into the canyon. One minute the canyon appeared dimly

through a frame of clouds. Moments later, clouds would dance

gracefully as they roamed freely through the upper canyon,

sunlight slicing through and settling along the face of fire-red

walls trimmed with snow.

One elderly day hiker said in passing, "I ran out of adjectives

a long time ago!" Pictures and words fail in the presence of

the Grand Canyon. Reaching the rim I continued to gaze into

the chasm for a few last visual morsels from the beauty below.

I paused and bowed slightly toward the canyon whispering,

“Thank you.” I then turned to walk away from the edge, carrying

images that will nourish my spirit and fill my memories for

years to come.

To learn more:

Grand Canyon National Park web site: nps.gov/grca

Ozarkmountainhiker.wordpress.com

54 | travel

@story Marla Cantrell

@images Marla Cantrell, Courtesy Diana Bratton, Courtesy Buckstaff Bathhouse, Courtesy Visit Hot Springs

Hello Hot Springs!

56 | travel

{ EAT }

Fat Bottomed Girl’sCupcake Shoppe

124 Central Avenuefbgcupcakes.com

Sunday: 10-5Monday – Thursday: 9-6

Friday, Saturday: 9-7

Skip the pancakes, say no to theomelets,

and head over to Fat Bottomed Girl’s

Cupcakes. Grab a cup of coffee – Crème

Brulee is a big favorite - and spend a

few minutes trying to decide which

cupcake(s) you can’t live without. Each

day the bakery offers at least eight

varieties and when tourist season is in

full swing they sell 2,000 cupcakes a

day! These are big cupcakes, wrapped

in parchment paper instead of the

traditional fluted holders. The icing, light

and fluffy and made with cream cheese,

has just the right amount of sweetness. If

the Strawberry Cheesecake is available,

Highway 7 zigzags through

the Ouachita Forest, through

pine trees so big they tower

above you, casting shadows on the

road below. The ground here is still

covered in snow and the sun is glinting

off of it; the light falling like crystals on

this fine winter morning.

Up ahead is Sugar Creek and then

Jessieville and finally Hot Springs, the

only American city nestled inside a

national park. Here, a million gallons

of hot water, reaching temperatures of

143°F, flow from the 47 nearby springs.

The town, with a population of just over

35,000, fills with tourists looking for

a fair day and a fast track at Oaklawn

Park, where thoroughbred racing

has been a mainstay since the track

opened in 1905. Visitors also come to

visit the bathhouses, one that’s been

in continuous operation since 1912,

to tour the historic downtown that’s

complete with a wax museum, and to

stay at the resorts on the grand lakes

that surround this Arkansas wonder.

Hot Springs is a great place to spend a

day with the one you love or a few of

your best friends. Eat great food, shop,

walk through the national park, take a

thermal mineral bath, get a massage or

a facial, and just relax.

grab it, and then take a few more with

you. Perfection!

Café 1217

1217 Malvern Avenue #BCafe1217.net

Monday-Friday: 11-7Saturday: 11- 4

After a morning of shopping in the

historic downtown district and touring

the national park just off Central Avenue,

head to 1217 Malvern Avenue, just

minutes away, to experience some of the

best food in Arkansas. Award-winning

Café 1217, owned by Chef Diana Bratton,

changes the menu each month just to

keep things fresh.

travel | 57

sautéed with spicy chili sauce or pan

seared with garlic & butter.

Chef Diana, who graduated first in the

culinary program from El Centro College

in Dallas, knows Mexican food. She

even has a steady influx of customers

who come from Houston to eat at Taco

Mama. If you’re feeling spicy, this is the

place to go in Hot Springs.

{ SHOP }Artists Workshop Gallery

810 Central AvenueArtistworkshopgallery.comMonday – Saturday: 10 - 410 - 5 from Memorial Day

to Labor Day

Looking for a memento of your visit

that no one else will have? Stop by

Artists Workshop Gallery at 810 Central

Avenue. It’s been operating for about

twenty-five years and is a co-op for local

Taco Mama

Next door to Café 1217 is Chef Diana’s

newest restaurant, Taco Mama. The

building stood for years as a hardware

store and much of the material inside the

restaurant was repurposed, including

the counter where the sales were tallied.

There’s a gorgeous bar brought in from a

restaurant that closed in Little Rock and

every margarita is made fresh, one at a

time, after the customer orders it.

The philosophy of fresh everything

has been carried over from 1217. The

tortillas are made on site, the salsa

made fresh, as are the brown and black

beans and the Sweet & Hot Potato

Crusted Jalapenos, which are stuffed

with cream cheese and a side of sweet

jalapeno jelly.

Vegan dishes abound, alongside dishes

like Shrimp & Crab Enchiladas, Mama’s

Homemade Chorizo, and Camarones al

la Diabla or Mojo de Ajo, which is shrimp

The food is made from scratch – nothing

canned, nothing frozen. This is home

cooking with a gourmet twist. Diners line

up in front of a refrigerated display cases

that hold containers of Sonoma Chicken

Salad, Roasted Potatoes with carrots,

onions and rosemary, Blue Cheese

Broccoli Salad, and Mushroom Wild

Rice Salad, to name a few. Once your

turn comes, you can order from the case

or from the menu, which offers soups,

sandwiches, entrees, and desserts like

the restaurant’s Key Lime Pie.

There are vegan dishes, gluten free

bread options, hand rolled tamales,

and bacon and walnut crusted catfish.

The one unifier? Almost everyone

orders the 1217 Tomato Soup, a

creamy concoction with tiny chunks of

tomato. Chef Diana says the secret is

the perfect amount of dill.

A recommendation: order the mint

lemonade. It’s a little tangy, wonderfully

sweet, and the punch of mint makes it

irresistible.

Diners line up in front of refrigerated

display cases that hold containers of

Sonoma Chicken Salad, Roasted Potatoes

with Carrots, Onions and Rosemary, Blue

Cheese Broccoli Salad, and Mushroom

Wild Rice Salad, to name a few.

If you can’t get enough while you’re

there, you can always order food to go.

If you’d like to cook like Chef Diana,

consider buying her cookbook that’s

available on site. She’s also working

on a new cookbook that should be out

later this year.

58 | travel

artists who are selected after presenting

their work to a committee. The artists

then display their art in the gallery and

also work there. That’s a wonderful

bonus, since you’ll get to meet at least

one artist during your visit.

The shop has something for everyone.

There are paintings, photographs, even

pottery. Much of the work has Arkansas

as its muse. There are paintings of

streams, the deep woods, lakes, wildlife,

and even historic buildings. But there

are also abstract pieces that are alive

with color.

When we visited, we met Terry O’Dell, an

artist who came to Hot Springs Village

after retiring from his teaching position

in Mississippi, where he taught art to

gifted students. He loves the landscape

of Arkansas. In one of his paintings on

display, he shows the majesty of a brook

at Mt. Magazine, the water cascading

over smooth rocks.

Stop by Artists Workshop Gallery, see an

artist at work and find original pieces at

reasonable prices.

Bathhouse Soaps& Caldarium

120 Central Avenuebathhousesoap.com

Monday - Thursday: 10 - 6Friday and Saturday: 10 - 7

Sunday: 10 – 5

Located two blocks from Bathhouse

Row is the only shop you’ll need for a

day (or night) of pampering. Charlene

Simon, who owns the shop with her

husband, makes every bar of soap

in the store. She uses olive oil and

other nourishing vegetable oils in her

formulas. The scents are wonderful and

unexpected. Our recommendation? Try

the Sweet Potato Soap.

There are also foaming body scrubs and

vegetable based deodorants in scents

like Cloud and Tobacco and Rum. Soaps

are cut from a loaf, so no two are alike.

You can even buy a loaf of soap if you

so desire. There are skin care products,

bath soaks, products for manicures and

pedicures, soy candles, even oil-based

mists that work like lotions, but go on a

lot easier.

Charlene sells a lot of products to those

with skin sensitivities. Brides-to-be like

to stop by with their bridesmaids for a

one of a kind shopping experience. And

if you fall in love with these products,

no worries, you can also order online.

{ PLAY }Buckstaff Bathhouse

509 Central Avenuebuckstaffbaths.com

See website for pricesand hours of operation

The Buckstaff Bathhouse has been in

continuous service since it opened

on February 1, 1912. Originally, many

of the people who came here to “take

the waters” believed the springs had

healing powers.

In the late 1940s, attendance began

to wane on Bathhouse Row, although

travel | 59

of some of the most beautiful land and

lakes in Arkansas.

The Hot Springs Mountain Tower is also

available for weddings for up to 200

people. The lucky couples say their

vows on the enclosed observation deck

at the top of the tower.

Before you head back home, or

to your hotel room, there’s only

one more Hot Springs tradition to

uphold. You’ll need to find a place

to buy a plastic gallon jug, the kind

milk comes in. We found ours at

the Shops at the Arlington Hotel,

near Bathhouse Row, for just over

a dollar. Take the jug to the water

filling stations near the corner of

Central Avenue and Reserve Street.

Stand in line if you have to, and

then take your turn at the station,

where you can fill your container

with spring water. It will be warm,

so carrying it to your car is a joy on

these cold days.

That’s it! You’ve eaten cupcakes,

shopped, had lunch, a traditional

session at a bathhouse, and

brought back some spring water.

And you’ve seen Hot Springs from

the mountaintop. All that’s left

to do is plan your next trip to this

historic spa city.

What a great way to spend a little time

on a cold February day, soaking in the

thermal waters of Hot Springs, while all

your stress slips effortlessly away.

Hot SpringsMountain Tower

401 Hot Spring Mountain DriveHotsprings.org

Daily: 9-512 and over: $7 | Seniors: $6

5-11: $4 | 4 & under: Free

If you feel like you’re on the top of the

world, why not show it? And what better

way than heading up the mountain to

one of the best views in Arkansas. This

216-foot observation tower has two

viewing levels. You’ll be able to get a 360

degree view of the surrounding Ouachita

Mountains, and a birds-eye look at the

city of Hot Springs. Take your camera!

The brave of heart can tackle the stairs,

but there is an elevator for the rest of us.

At your final stop, you’ll be 1,256 feet

above sea level, overlooking 140 miles

Buckstaff did not fall victim to the

decline. Manager Mike Branch says

their attention to quality and tradition

helped them stay afloat.

In 1974, the three-story, 27,000

square foot building was added to the

National Register of Historic places.

The original elevator is still used. Deep

porcelain tubs line the walls in the

men’s department on the first floor and

women’s department on the second.

Here, you can get the same treatment

the first customers received back in

1912, which includes soaking in a

deep tub filled with thermal water, hot

packs, a sitz bath, a session in the vapor

cabinet, and a subsequent shower.

“After I do that,” Mike says, “I’m ready to

eat and take a nap. Other people tell

me they’re ready to run a race. It just

depends on the individual. You find

muscles you didn’t know were sore

and stress you didn’t know you had.

Everybody says it’s relaxing.”

The Whirlpool Mineral Bath package runs

$30. The Traditional Bathing Package,

which includes a Swedish massage, runs

$64. Facials, manicures and pedicures

are also available at additional costs.

Mike estimates the bathhouse sees

30,000 customers a year. They come

from as far away as Australia, Europe,

and Southeast Asia. Every state in the

U.S. gets represented each year.

60 | travel

@back story Marla Cantrell

The rain is falling, and I am standing in it, listening to

Alan Jackson, who is high and lifted up on a stage in a

field that used to be a cow pasture in Arkansas.

“I’m sorry y’all are out there in the rain,” Alan Jackson says. “I can

feel some of it, even up here on stage.” He stops. “I swear,” he

says, but then he looks away, and I wonder if he feels the way I do,

when my train of thought takes off down some long country road.

I talk that way myself. I start a sentence and I stall, the rest of what

I was thinking a knotted rope I can’t untangle. Been that way my

whole life, so when my family gets together – my brothers and

sisters and mama and daddy – they don’t listen to me at all. The

night two years ago when I tried to tell them I was done with

Bobby Mack, I said it three times before they caught on. I finally

stood on a kitchen chair and belted it out. “I’m leaving Bobby

Mack’s sorry butt,” I said. The room went silent, then Daddy said,

“Go on,” and I said, “Well, he’s been stepping out.” I frowned,

realizing I was making truth out of what was only speculation

on my part. It’s hard to keep up with a trucker. But he’d been

washing his own clothes before he got home, even the sheets

he slept on, a sure sign in my opinion, and there was a Woman’s

Day magazine in the little alcove where he kicked back in the

semi. A Woman’s Day! Plus, he hadn’t so much as touched me in

every little caught bird flies

62 | back story

going on six months. I wasn’t as pretty as Carrie Underwood, but

I still turned heads down at the Well House, where me and my

girlfriends sometimes went to dance on ladies night.

So I revised my speech. “He could be stepping out,” I said, and

I heard my mama sigh. “And we fight …,” I said, trailing off like I

do. I looked around at my oldest sister Lou, who loves to fight,

thinks it shakes up what was stuck between you and your man,

thinks it makes you one again. She grabbed her husband’s arm

and rubbed it good and rolled her eyes at me.

What I’m saying is that I get Alan Jackson.

The girl to my right sloshes beer on me during Alan Jackson’s

rendition of “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere,” and she starts one

of those long apologies called out over a crowd that shines a

spotlight on you. Which I don’t want. I came alone to stand in

this crowd and hear a man who sings the way I feel. He likes the

heartbreak songs. He likes the songs where his pickup breaks

down, and his dog runs off, and he can’t pay the rent. Where

a man like Bobby Mack can up and find another woman while

you’re sitting at home taking online classes to become a gosh

durn life coach.

On the screen behind Alan Jackson, grainy photos of his

mama and daddy roll. They look like they come from meager

beginnings, just like my people do. His daddy, who’s passed

over, let him drive a boat when he was too young, and a truck

on the dirt roads that crisscross the great South.

I imagine him, his earnest little self, sitting beside a daddy who

loved him, his cowboy hat just barely taller than the steering

wheel. I see hawks watching from sketchy trees, snow blowing

across a gravel road, the cracked earth of a country lane on a

Georgia August day.

I sit on a cushion when I drive, short as I am. It was my mama

that taught me to drive. She’d say, “Jessie Mae, you’re giving me

an aneurysm,” and make me take her to Frank’s Country Store

where she’d load up on Dr. Pepper and Twinkies, which you can’t

buy anymore, I mean the Twinkies, because they went belly up,

just like Frank’s store did, once he passed on the chance to sell

lottery tickets.

It took me a year to get my license and cost my mama twenty

pounds she’s still not lost.

A guy to my left is weeping as the soft rain falls, caught up as he

is in Alan Jackson’s story about hard times and second chances.

The guy’s knee-walking drunk and I figure missing his own dead

daddy. Two of his buddies wrap an arm around him and the

three sway together, their good boots stuck in the red mud. One

of them, on the end nearest me, has a funnel cake on a paper

plate and he holds it out with his free hand until it slips off and

falls to the soggy earth.

Alan Jackson’s shirt is green and it’s unsnapped to the middle of

his chest. His long legs are skinny, and his cowboy hat is straw.

I’m so close to the stage that when he tosses one of his guitar

picks into the crowd it sails above me and I get whacked in the

head by three girls fighting to claim it. They can have it. It’s

the voice I’ve come for. He can sing to me; he can talk to me, it

doesn’t matter. I’m counting on the twang and the rhythm, the

grit of a hard life set to melody, hypnotic as a snake charmer.

I know he’s strayed. I read his wife’s book about it. I sure wish

he hadn’t. You want to believe in something. You want the men

with the ‘howdy ma’ams’ and the ‘I declares’ to be different.

But they aren’t.

At least he made it right. At least he realized how much he loved

his wife, whose picture is, right at this moment, flashing on the

screen behind Alan Jackson and they finally got it together with

the help of Jesus and therapy and the kind of talks that leave

you blind with sorrow. She’s a beauty, cared for the way women

with money are: high hair, long nails, an outfit that probably cost

more than my washer and dryer put together.

He didn’t hightail it out of his marriage when he was confronted

with it, the way Bobby Mack did. Bobby Mack didn’t have the

gumption to even deny it. He looked relieved is what he did,

back story | 63

like I’d done the dirty work for him and now he didn’t have to

confess a thing. I’d of taken him back if he’d put up a fuss. That’s

something I don’t admit to anybody. But he didn’t. He remarried

soon as the judge signed our papers. Married a dark-haired girl

from Oklahoma, with fat thighs, who travels with him, not out of

love I don’t think, but because she knows she got a man you got

to keep an eye on.

There’s something in Alan Jackson’s voice that reminds me of Bill

Clinton. I met Bill once. At a football game. He asked my name

and I told him. The next year, I saw him again. You know what? He

remembered me. Called me by name. That’ll make you feel like

somebody. And he had a way of taking your hand in his. Had a

way of blocking out everybody else and looking right at you that

made you sparkle inside. Didn’t matter how old he was. Didn’t

matter how young you were. That’s the kind of power he had.

Even now, he shows up at his library in Little Rock, sneaks in

when folks are touring, when they’re looking around, maybe

at Chelsea’s little bracelet from when she was a baby, and he

sticks out his hand and introduces himself and everybody goes

mute, knocked down by that charm.

A man like that could make even a good woman forget the

Commandments.

The guy in front of me is swinging his hips and he turns and

grabs me and, before I know it, we’re dancing, me twirling

beneath his raised arm and him bringing me in close, and I feel

the way you do when the world is shifting and the long lens of

possibility zooms right down on you.

Alan Jackson starts to sing “Remember When,” about first love,

about lasting love, and it tears me apart. I wrecked my first love,

I did. My whole life would’ve been different if I’d known what I

had then, a man so true he’d let you go through his wallet and not

even break a sweat. A man who showed up when your pickup got

stuck, or your lights got shut off, or you decided your life was in

ruins because you’d just watched a Lifetime movie that reminded

you just how sorry your own teenage years had been.

I sink into this new guy. He has the kind of body you get either

by working on a ranch or spending half your life in a gym. I hope

it’s the ranch. His white cotton shirt is starched and his brown

hair curls around his collar. I look up at him. His eyes are the

color of Crystal Lake just as the sun is setting. Gray and blue

mixed together. I look past him to the mega screen behind Alan

Jackson and the cameras are zoomed in on us, me with my calico

dress, a little too short I see now, and the jean jacket I’ve worn

since junior high. My blond curls reach my waist, the raindrops

like a veil of diamonds scattered from the hand of God. This

guy I’m dancing with, he looks like he belongs in the movies.

His cowboy boots scrape up against mine, and he smiles down

at me and I feel a thousand stars move through me.

The crowd is cheering now, for Alan Jackson, sure, but maybe

for us too. I feel my hand in this guy’s, like a bird riding a warm

ridge of air, no effort at all. We dance so close it feels like we’re

breaking the law, and then he puts his chin on the top of my

head and I shut my eyes and drink him in. He smells like Ivory

soap, and something lemony, and damp leather. The music

rolls, the fiddle all but crying now, and I can see my life like

I’m looking at it from far away. From a mountain, maybe. Life

goes on, that’s what I see. Life surely does go on, that’s what I’d

tell you if you walked up to me right now. Lightning flashes, a

jagged mark in the night sky, but so far away it doesn’t matter.

We’re dancing slow now, my feet barely moving, and thinking

deep, the way I do when I’ve had a couple of beers. I can feel

Alan Jackson as much as hear him, the words falling harder than

the rain. “Time stood still,” he sings, “and love is all we knew.”

My thoughts untwist for a second and I grab on, though I

probably wouldn’t get it right if I tried to say it aloud. What I

think is this: every hurt thing gets better, even if it’s just for a

little while. I reach up and touch this new guy’s cheek and he

dips to kiss me on the forehead, and another streak of lightning

flares in the sky. Thunder follows and the wind whips across us,

but we keep dancing. It feels like the beginning of something.

I close my eyes and say to myself. Yes, every hurt thing gets

better, and every little caught bird flies home.

64 | back story

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