One with Nature · ing a new home, choose one that has a sprinkler system. If you’re remodeling your home, you can add a system. The sprinkler system is installed behind your walls

RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING I 1JANUARY 2011

LongbowRelaxing Ozarks Getaway

LongbowResort

One with Nature

JANUARY 2011

www.ecark.org

JANUARY 2011

www.ecark.org L I V I N G

A Look Back at Rural Arkansas

p.16

88th Arkansas General Assembly Preview p. 20

Cooperatives Work to Keep Bills Affordable p. 27

SEPTEMBER 20102 I RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING2 I RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING JANUARY 2011SEPTEMBER 201022222 JANUARY 2011SEPTEMBER 2010JANUARY 2011SEPTEMBER 2010JANUARY 2011SEPTEMBER 20102 I I 2222 I I I I JANUARY 2011SEPTEMBER 2010JANUARY 2011SEPTEMBER 2010JANUARY 2011I RURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGI I I I I RURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVINGRURAL ARKANSAS LIVING

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Comments ................................ 4News Briefs .............................. 6Capitol Buzz ........................... 20Doug Rye Says ....................... 24

Family Favorites ..................... 32Reflections .............................. 36Crossword Puzzle ................... 38Calendar of Events ................. 42

DEPARTMENTS

On the Cover

10Hidden in the hills of the Ozarks,

Longbow Resort welcomes visitors to enjoy Arkansas’ beauty.

27

CONTENTS


Gary C. VoigtPresident and Chief Executive Officer

Douglas WhiteVice President, Systems Services

Ouida CoxEditor

Sheila YountAssociate Editor

Jeremy HendersonHeathcott Associates

Graphic Design

Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Board of Directors

Officers

Jim ParrishChairman, Trumann

Mitchell JohnsonVice Chairman, Fayetteville

Martha PenningtonSecretary, Hamburg

Mel ColemanTreasurer, Salem

An Official Publication of

Contact InformationRural Arkansas Living

1 Cooperative WayLittle Rock, AR Mailing address

P.O. Box 510Little Rock, AR 72203

501.570.2220

E-mail: [email protected]@aecc.com

(ISSN 0048-878X) (USPS 472960)Periodicals postage paid at Little Rock, AR

and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to: Rural Arkansas Living,

P.O. Box 510, Little Rock, AR 72203Members: Please send name of your

cooperative with mailing label.

Subscription Price:$7.00 per year for non-members

Member of Arkansas Press Association

Acceptance of advertising by Rural Arkansas Living does not imply endorsement of the product or services advertised by

the publisher or the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

Volume LXIV, Number 3, January 2011

Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium

Scrapbook

PRESSUREunder

Telling the Cooperative Story

Rural Arkansas

16by Sheila Yount

by Megan McKoy–Noe

by Sheila Yount

37by Ouida Cox


LongbowRelaxing Ozarks Getaway

Resort

The cover wrap was most likely your first indication that this month’s Rural Arkansas magazine was different. For the first time in several years, the magazine has been redesigned and even has a new twist to its name – Rural Arkansas Living.

We hope you will like the new design, al-though we know it will probably take a while for some to get used to the change. With something as beloved as Rural Arkansas, it can be a daunting challenge to make changes to it. But, first and foremost, we want to be able to effectively communicate with you through an easy-to-read and attractive product. And, just as we are always seeking to improve all of our business functions, we thought it was time for a fresh look for this most important communications vehicle.

On pages 16 and 17, there is a piece about the history of the magazine, and we hope you’ll take a moment to read it. It dem-onstrates that the magazine has been evolv-ing throughout its 64-year history. In fact, it wasn’t a magazine at all in the beginning. It was a newspaper designed to keep coopera-tive members informed about the young rural electrification program. Much of the content was “hard news” about power supply issues and other political battles the cooperatives faced. It wasn’t until the 1960s that human-interest features and the signature rural Ar-kansas landscape covers became common-place.

Even with the human-interest features and beautiful covers, Rural Arkansas contin-ued to inform members about the industry issues of the day, such as in the 1980s when

electric rates soared because new power plants had to be built. In the 1990s, the proposed deregulation of the electric utility industry was a potential threat to cooperative mem-bers, and Rural Arkansas told that story, too. Most recently, the magazine has featured ar-ticles on the debate over climate change and proposals to reduce carbon emissions.

Unlike the early days when most cooper-ative members agreed with the cooperatives’ positions on the issues affecting the industry, today’s issues, such as climate change and cap and trade, are more complex and divisive. We realize that there are strong opinions on both sides of this issue. But, as in the past, we be-lieve it is our duty to keep you informed about the good news and the bad. The climate change issue has had a major impact on our industry and how we plan for the generation needs of our members. Our goal is to support sound energy policies that will ensure that we will have a reliable and affordable source of energy for generations to come. Some of the recent proposals considered by Congress would have caused undue harm to our mem-bers. Because of that, we felt we had to take a stand, even though it wasn’t always popular to do so.

Although it appears that the proposed cap and trade program, which would have man-dated reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, is dead, we are still concerned about the En-vironmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) pro-posed regulations regarding carbon dioxide. Starting this month, the EPA is expected to issue regulations for greenhouse gases, which was made possible by a 2007 Supreme Court decision that says the EPA can use the Clean Air Act to curb carbon emissions. As with

cap and trade, the cooperatives are concerned that such actions could lead to dramatic in-creases in the costs to produce electricity. Ad-ditional environmental regulations related to coal ash and other power plant emissions, as well as possible mandates for renewable en-ergy, could also lead to higher costs.

In the coming months, Rural Arkansas Living will continue to keep you informed about those issues and others that could im-pact your electric bills. But that’s not all we will write about. We will continue to feature our members, such as Ben Pearson Jr. and his beautiful Longbow Resort, which is the sub-ject of this month’s cover story. The magazine will also continue to highlight places and peo-ple of interest throughout the state. We won’t let up on our energy efficiency focus, either, with articles on the popular energy efficiency makeover and the ever-popular columns by Doug Rye. And the recipes will remain, al-though in a perhaps more useful format so you can cut them out and save them.

Rural Arkansas Living has also gone digi-tal. The online edition, which is designed in an easy-to-read flipping book format, is avail-able at www.ecark.org. You can also subscribe to the Rural Arkansas Living e-newsletter, which will give you an early preview of the magazine. And the latest offering is the Ru-ral Arkansas Living Facebook page. We hope you’ll sign up to be a fan and take advantage of the special offerings there.

Yes, it’s a new year and change is in the air and at Rural Arkansas Living. But, despite the new package and offerings, one thing re-mains the same. We will continue our mis-sion to tell the cooperative story and about all the ways we are looking out for you. •

COMMENTS

4 I RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING JANUARY 2011

RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING I 5SEPTEMBER 2010 RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING I 5JANUARY 2011

Every hole in every wall of your house has the potential to rob it of com-fortable, heated air and let the outdoor weather inside.

That’s a waste of the energy it takes to keep your home warm.

Take a walk around every room in your house. Notice where your electri-cal outlets, Internet and TV cables and phone lines come into the house from the outside. Is there any space around the hole where the line or switch plate or cable fit?

If they’re not snug, caulk around them until they are. That will help pre-vent air from leaking inside and out. •

New Year’s Resolution: Seal Leaks

If you were energy-smart over the holidays, you plugged your tree and out-door Christmas lights into a timer that automatically turned them on at dark and off after about five or six hours.

That’s a good energy-saving practice all year-round for your outdoor lights. It can also deter would-be robbers.

Outdoor motion-sensing lights, wh-ich are an economical alternative to out-

door floodlights that you must leave on all night, can do the same. Motion sen-sors illuminate an area only when they sense movement and will shut off auto-matically when the movement stops.

Indoors, use timers on radios, room lights and TV sets so they turn on and off at random times all day. Timers also work on landscape and patio lights.

Place timers on lights near the front and back windows of a home. And keep them active all year long — not just when you’re out of town. A crook who has been watching the house to plan a burglary might notice if the lighting pattern sud-denly changes. •

Pack Up Holiday Lights, But Keep Timers On

Sprinkler System Can Save LivesMost fire departments urge homeowners to install sprinkler systems in new homes or when they remodel their existing ones.

Fire spreads so quickly that you could have as few as two minutes to es-cape before it’s too late. A fire sprinkler system can buy you a few more minutes. Here’s how it works: When it senses a fire, the sprinkler system automatically sprays water on the flames. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will spray.

The National Fire Protection As-sociation estimates that 90 percent of the deaths in residential fires can be prevented by sprinklers. If you’re buy-ing a new home, choose one that has a sprinkler system.

If you’re remodeling your home, you can add a system. The sprinkler system is installed behind your walls like your plumbing, and is connected to your home’s water supply. A plumber can do the installation. •

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1. Cleaning out your closet could help prevent a fire. If you cram enough clothes and boxes into a closet to touch that exposed bulb, it could catch them on fire. In fact, 12 percent of house fires start in the closet. Tip: Store clothes as far away from the light bulb as possible. Shield the bulb with a decorative cover so it can’t directly touch your clothing.Likewise, if you have a skylight in a closet, the sun can fade your clothes. Cover your skylights with UV film.

2. You won’t save much energy if you put a compact fluorescent light (CFL)bulb in a closet. CFLs operate best when they’re on for 15 or more minutes. In fact, they take about three minutes to warm up when you turn them on. In a closet, you probably flip the switch on and off within a couple of minutes — a practice that may shorten the life of a CFL. •

Power saver ads are on the rise and cast intrigu-ing claims that pique our interest. The concept seems palatable and lures us in for a closer look at the little gray box. It is a metal box professed to magically produce savings of 8-25 percent on our electric bill. What’s the catch? Simply invest $200-$300 for a quick-fix device guaranteed to make a short-term return on your investment.

By our very business mod-el, local electric cooperatives are consumer advocates, al-ways striving to provide low-cost, reliable electricity. Stay-ing apprised of credible energy efficiency measures and compo-nents is equally important.

Many reputable testing entities have conducted comprehensive reports about power saver devices. Universities, consumer protection testing laboratories and electric utilities (including Arkansas

Electric Cooperative Corporation) all conclude from those reports that power saver devices do not produce any measur-able kilowatt-hour reduction nor dollar

savings. The power saver device is

nothing other than two inex-pensive capacitors, a couple of resistors and a neon light pack-aged in a metallic gray box and then sold at an exorbitant cost. The ads would have you believe the power saver corrects power factor and makes appliances last lon-ger and run cooler, all while saving dollars. Although the claims about power factor have just a hint of accuracy, the product itself does not

reduce kilowatt consumption or your electric bill. •

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Gene Sweat, general manager of Farmers Electric Coopera-tive at Newport since 1976, is retiring effective Feb. l.

He will be succeeded by Larry Bright, who has served as the cooperative’s engineer.

Sweat began his 47-year career with Farmers Elec-tric in 1963 as a summer em-ployee. In 1964, he began working full time as a line-man and later as a power use representative. He was named assistant operations man-ager in 1970 and was promot-ed to general manager in 1976. During his career, Sweat has served as a

board member of Arkansas Electric Co-operative Corporation (AECC) and was former chairman of the boards of Arkan-sas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI) and the Electric Research and Manufac-turing Cooperative (ERMCO). Active in

community affairs, he was a member of the Newport Lion’s Club, the Newport Cham-ber of Commerce, the Local Emergency Planning Com-mittee, the Northeast Arkansas Higher Education Foundation with Arkansas State University at Newport and ASU’s High Voltage Lineman Technology program. Sweat also served on

the Arkansas Municipal Power Associa-tion.

Bright, a na-tive of Newport, is a 20-year em-ployee of Farmers Electric. His du-ties have included engineering, me-tering, operations and maintenance, and forecasting. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and has a Bachelor of Science degree in engi-neering from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Farmers Electric serves more than 5,245 members in four counties. The coop-erative was incorporated June 2, 1937, and energized its first lines Aug. 1, 1938. •

Sweat to Retire from Farmers Electric Cooperative

Gene Sweat

NEWS BRIEFS

Larry Bright

Three Inducted into Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Pioneer Wall of Fame

Electric cooperative directors Benny M. Brigance, Jr., J. Byron Ponder and Larry Wood were recently inducted into the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Pioneer Wall of Fame.

Brigance, a director for Arkansas Valley Electric of Ozark; Ponder, a director for Wood-ruff Electric of Forrest City; and Wood, director for First Electric of Jacksonville, received the awards to recognize 35 years each of service on their local distribution cooperative boards.

The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Pioneer Wall of Fame Awards program was es-tablished in 2002 to recognize the dedication and efforts of directors of Arkansas’ 17 electric cooperatives. Since the program’s inception, 59 men have received the award.

Honorees are presented an award plaque and have their names listed on a special Wall of Fame at the AECC/AECI headquarters in Little Rock. •

Benny M. Brigance, Jr. J. Byron Ponder Larry Wood


TRIVIA• Many parts of the United States cel-

ebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog-jowls or ham. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another “good luck” vegetable for New Year’s Day.

• Winslow, in northwest Arkansas, was the first town in America to elect a female mayor, Maude Duncan. She became mayor in 1925 and was also the town’s pharmacist and newspa-per editor.

• A trade dispute between the U.S. and China has caused an unlikely flap in the global poultry market. The U.S. is the Asian nation’s biggest provider of jumbo-size chicken feet — popular in China. But because of the trade dis-pute, U.S. imports of the chicken feet have been sharply curtailed.

• Winthrop Rockefeller built the Mu-seum of Automobiles atop Petit Jean Mountain. Among the vehicles on display is Mae West’s pink Packard. Why don’t you come up and see it sometime?

• An elephant’s trunk can hold five li-ters of water.

• Only full-grown crickets can chirp.• Fingerprints serve a function — they

provide traction for the fingers to grasp things. Koalas and humans are the only animals with unique prints. Koala prints cannot be distinguished from human fingerprints.

• According to experts, large caves tend to “breathe.” They inhale and exhale great quantities of air when the barometric pressure in the sur-face changes, and air rushes in and out seeking equilibrium.

•“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers •

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At first glance, the cabin doesn’t fully reveal itself. Instead, your eye is drawn to the narrow water-

fall pouring steadily over a small bluff into a clear pool. Look to your left and you’ll see a rustic, wooden-plank wall with a door and a narrow window stretching between a cliff and a huge boulder.

The wall is part of the Longbow cabin at Longbow Resort in the Ozark Mountain hamlet of Prim. Designed by Ben Pearson, the world famous archer from Pine Bluff, the Longbow blends naturally into the landscape, as if it had always been there.

“This was dad’s getaway,” said Ben Pear-son Jr., who grew up going to Longbow and decided to share it with others when he cre-ated Longbow Resort in 1992. Since then, Pearson has added two other cabins which, like his father’s creation, blend into the boul-der-strewn canyon and bluffs of Pearson’s 1,300-acre tract of land. He rents them to the public throughout the year, many of whom are regulars who come here seeking solace from their fast-paced, iPhone- and Face-book-obsessed world. And escape it they will because, with the exception of one cabin, there is no cell phone service.

“Longbow is great for nature lovers and people seeking a unique outdoor experience,” Pearson said, adding that it often far exceeds their expectations. And the guestbook at the Longbow backs up that assertion.

“Words can’t even begin to explain the peace and serenity we found here at your little paradise in the Ozarks,” a couple from Little Rock wrote. “Heaven on earth,” said another pleased guest.

Finding paradiseThe elder Pearson was in his late 60s and

nearing retirement when he ran across an ad

Story by Sheila YountPhotos by Mark Mathews

Longbow

One with Nature

Provides relaxing Ozarks getaway

LongbowResort


in the Wall Street Journal for a tract of land with 400 acres and two waterfalls. Ironically, the land listed was in his home state of Arkansas, not far from Mountain View and Blanchard Springs, two areas the elder Pearson already knew well. His good friend, George Purvis, who hosted a popular outdoor television show, also had introduced him to the area near Prim, Pearson recalled.

“He decided to come up here and look at it,” Pearson said. “He saw the waterfall and said, ‘I will buy it.’”

An architect was hired, and Pearson, who was 13 years old at the time, remembered helping him do measurements for the original design.

“He (architect) designed a nice three-bed-room cabin, and the plans were there and the materials were coming in, and dad scrubbed it at the last minute,” Pearson said. Instead of building the conventional design, his father drew a sketch of a far simpler version, hired a couple of workers and built his dream cabin during the summer of 1967.

“He did a lot in just a few years,” Pearson said, adding that in addition to building the cabin, the elder Pearson built a large barn and cleared land so they could raise quarter horses and cattle. Pearson remembered that there was much work to do, but it was also a magical place for a boy to explore.

“I’ve been all over, crawled up between all those rocks and between some narrow places up there,” he said. “It was all a blast.”

His father’s enjoyment of Longbow was short-lived, however. The man who created the Ben Pearson Co. in Pine Bluff, which was at one time the leading manufacturer of ar-chery equipment in the world, died in 1971 at the age of 72.

Coming homeIn 1978, Pearson, newly married to his

wife, Paulette, left college to take over the fam-ily’s cattle ranch at Prim. But it was a bad year to be in the cattle business with a drought in the summer, followed by a harsh winter. Pear-son decided it was a good time to return to college and complete his Bachelor of Science degree, which he did at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. After that, the couple moved to California where Pearson began a career in construction. After several years there, they moved back to Pearson’s hometown of Pine Bluff. In 1992, they decided to make the move

back to Longbow with a new plan for their hidden getaway.

“I had done some research and you kind of find a niche with something like this,” Pear-son said of his foray into tourism. Some friends also encouraged him with stories of the places they visited, such as Tanyard Springs at Petit Jean Mountain.

Before they opened it to the public, the Pearsons refurbished the Longbow cabin, adding a loft bedroom, skylights, and another window, among other things. Business was slow at first, but that all changed in 1996 when Southern Living sent a writer to do a feature on Longbow. The writer, Wanda Butler, had heard about Longbow from a Heber Springs-based writer, Pearson said.

Butler encouraged readers to “just go there,” calling it “the most beautiful spot this side of Eden.” And go there they did. After the article came out in October 1996, the phones began ringing with visitor inquiries. A year later, Pearson added a website on the then emerging Internet and the word continued to spread.

With visitors regularly coming to the Longbow, Pearson decided to expand his of-ferings. But, just like his father, Pearson didn’t want to build a traditional cabin.

“Blending it into nature, that is what we are trying to do,” Pearson said. “When my dad scrubbed the idea of a normal, conventional house and he built it in the rocks, that is what set the tone for this place.”

The Longbow cabin features an impressive 30-foot-long, 18-foot-tall section of a cliff as an interior wall.


The Longbow

When you walk inside the Longbow, the first thing that stands out is the main wall of the cabin, which is a 30-foot-long, 18-foot-high section of a cliff. On your right, a large boulder makes up another wall, and beside that is a full kitchen with range, refrigerator and a microwave. Above is a loft, where you can view the waterfall from a small window while lying in the queen-sized bed. At night, you can flip a switch and a spotlight shines upon it. The best views of the waterfall, which flows year-round, are from the large window downstairs and from the patio area outside the cabin.

The feel of the Longbow is definitely rustic, but it has modern amenities, including a recently remodeled bathroom. Pearson in-stalled a stand-up shower, and the bathroom walls and sink feature Italian tiles, along with dark gray slate tiles that his father purchased many years ago. A pellet stove keeps the place cozy and warm in the winter.

Because of the natural rock walls and overall design, the creature comforts do not take away from the natural setting. In es-

sence, you can be one with nature and still enjoy the comforts of a warm, comfortable bed, a soothing shower and a home-cooked meal. With its location deep in the canyon, you won’t hear cars or trucks passing by or even the voices of other visitors. Instead, the main sound you’ll hear is water as it rushes over the cliff.

The Bushmaster In the late 1990s, Pearson completed

work on a second cabin, the Bushmaster, named for one of his father’s popular bow models. Similar to the Longbow, the Bush-master sits atop several large boulders. The Longbow website describes the setting well when it says, “It seems to have grown out of the rocks.”

Pearson designed the cabin, with some help from an engineer friend. It is made of cypress with stair rails constructed of bois d’arc, which grows in the surrounding woods and was a popular wood for making bows. A 1946 Saturday Evening Post story about his father’s archery business hangs on a wall, along with some pen and ink drawings by his wife, Paulette, who is an artist.

Underneath the boulders and the cabin, a clear Ozarks stream flows undisturbed. Pic-ture windows provide views of a narrow gorge where waterfalls often flow after rains in the spring and winter. Upstairs, a bedroom opens to a deck that rises 30 feet above the stream. Downstairs is the Jacuzzi room, which was built into a natural rock wall. A full kitchen rounds out the offerings.

Pearson, a member of First Electric Cooperative and fan of the cooperative-sponsored Doug Rye radio show on energy efficiency, noted that energy savings were a priority when he built the Bushmaster. The walls are six inches thick and are filled with cellulose insulation.

The Bois D’ArcIn 2002, Pearson finished work on the

resort’s third cabin, which he named the Bois D’Arc. In some ways, it was Pearson’s most ambitious project. Located atop a bluff over-looking the canyon where the other two cab-ins are, the Bois D’Arc is curved, like a bow.

As with the Bushmaster, Pearson in-stalled cellulose insulation and also added an energy-efficient 85-gallon Marathon wa-ter heater. The wood inside is cherry, which Pearson processed in his barn. His son helped

with the construction, and he hired a couple of carpenters to assist on a few items.

The cabin is suspended over a large boul-der and features floor-to-ceiling windows that provide views of “beautiful sunsets, starlit skies and eagles as they soar above the can-yon during the fall and winter months,” the website says. Dogwoods and huckleberry trees surround the cabin, which also features a two-person Jacuzzi surrounded by slate tile, as well as a full kitchen.

The Bois D’Arc, along with the other cabins, offers opportunities to enjoy wildlife ranging from raccoons, to songbirds and bald eagles, which winter in the area. Coyotes can often be heard howling at night, as well, Pear-son said. At the Longbow cabin, an otter can occasionally be seen swimming in the pool under the waterfall.

In addition to the views from the cabins, there are numerous trails located through the canyon and surrounding woods that are good for hikes. You can even bring a moun-tain bike or an all-terrain-vehicle with which to explore. Other activities include fishing in the small creeks and ponds. Nearby are sev-eral other attractions including the Buffalo National River, the White River and Greers Ferry Lake, all of which offer excellent fishing opportunities. About 45 minutes to the north

The Bushmaster cabin is made of cypress with bois d’arc accents on the stairs. The upstairs bedroom opens to a deck that rises 30 feet above a stream.

One of the best views of the Longbow Falls is from the patio, located within a natural cave underneath the Longbow cabin.


is Mountain View, which is known as “the folk music capital of the world.” Mountain View is also the home of the Ozark Folk Center.

Looking aheadPearson said his father “never looked back

on yesterday,” and just like him, Pearson is fo-cused on the future. For Longbow Resort, that means another cabin is in the works. This one, which will be about 1,200 square feet, will be lo-cated atop a bluff, near the Bois D’Arc.

“I will have a row of glass (in the ceiling) to catch this winter sun,” he said during a tour of the site. “I will make this a rock wall, and I might make this a waterfall.”

When asked about the difficulty of build-ing on the rock, he laughed and said, “Well, you want to make sure that the rock you build on is solid.”

Near the new cabin site is a nice flat area that would appear perfect to build upon, but Pearson dismissed it, saying, “If I built it over there, it would be like everybody else.”

But there’s no danger that Longbow will ever be like other places. With Pearson’s creativ-ity and dedication to his father’s vision, as well as the beautiful natural setting, Longbow will always be special.

“My dad bought paradise,” Pearson said. And he plans to keep it that way.

To book a cabin, call 870-948-2362 or e-mail [email protected]. More details are available at www.longbowresorts.com. •

The Bushmaster cabin stands along a boulder-strewn stream.

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When Ben Pearson was a young man in the 1920s, he made a six-foot hickory bow after reading a

bow-building article in a Boy Scouts manual. It was the beginning of a career that would make him world famous and transform the sport of archery.

Pearson, who died in 1971, is known to-day for creating the Ben Pearson Co. in Pine Bluff, where archery equipment was mass-produced for the first time. He is also known for his amazing archery skills. But such was not always the case. In 1926, Pearson entered

the Arkansas State Archery Championships in Little Rock and placed near the bottom. But, he was undaunted. He went back to his workshop and upgraded his equipment and practiced his shooting skills. The next year, he entered the championships again, where he garnered first place. Over the next decade, he won many more championships and became one of the top archers in the nation.

Before he founded his archery business, Pearson worked at the Little Rock Railway and Electric Co., Arkansas Power & Light Co. and John Riggs Tractor Co. He even tried his luck at a floral business in Pine Bluff. All the while, he was making archery equip-ment in his garage.

“He liked electricity and mechanics,” his son, Ben Pearson Jr., recalled in a recent in-terview. “He was called a mechanical wizard.”

At the time, archery equipment manu-

facturing was a cottage industry, which made it difficult to obtain. And when you could find it, you had to pay a lot for it. Pearson might have continued to make archery equipment only as a sideline if not for a chance meet-ing with an Oklahoma oilman named Carl Haun. The oilman had bought a bow and arrow set for his grandson, who promptly lost or broke all of his arrows. Haun couldn’t easily find more arrows to buy, but during his search, he heard about Pearson. He flew to Pine Bluff and met Pearson, and the rest was history. The two decided to become partners and build an archery equipment business.

The Ben Pearson Co. was established in 1938 in Pine Bluff. At the peak, Pearson said his father’s company was making about 3,000 to 5,000 bows a day and about 4,000 to 6,000 dozen arrows a day. They had up to 800 employees at the peak. In addition to archery equipment, his father also designed cotton pickers, and his company produced those for a time, Pearson said.

In 1967, after he found his dream get-away in the Ozark Mountains at Prim, he sold the business and retired. The business has been sold several times since then, but remains in operation today, Pearson said.

“He was a super dad,” the 56-year-old Pearson recalled. “He was really decent and honest. He was also patient and firm. And he never looked back on yesterday.” •

The archer from Pine Bluff

Ben Pearson devoted his life to promoting archery.

Ben Pearson (foreground) oversees manu-facturing process at his Pine Bluff plant.

Ben Pearson (left) was a world-class archer known for his ability to hunt ducks with a bow and arrow.

The Ben Pearson Co.’s factory in Pine Bluff was the world’s largest manufacturer of archery equipment.

Ben Pearson (left) and his wife, Mary, at company headquarters.


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I t’s been 64 years since the first issue of Arkansas REA News was published and

mailed to members of Arkan-sas’ electric cooperatives. In the years since, the publication has under-gone many changes, including a name change to Rural Arkansas and now, with this issue, Rural Arkansas Living.

The publication was created during the early days of the electric coopera-tives with the mission to keep members informed about issues related to rural electrification.

“In the 1940s, the cooperatives were trying to survive in a very hostile envi-ronment,” said Doug White, vice presi-dent of systems services for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. “They had strong opposition from the big power companies, and they knew a real grass-roots effort was needed to win the politi-cal battles they faced.”

The cooperatives hired Ed H. Thomas, a former newspaperman, to be editor of the publication. In keeping with

Thomas’ background, the first issue, a tabloid format, was very much a newspa-per. In that issue, dated November 1946, the articles told about how First Electric Cooperative had gotten a $750,000 Ru-ral Electrification Administration (REA) loan to build about 400 miles of new lines to serve 1,500 new members; how Petit Jean Electric Cooperative had gotten

$200,000 for system improvements and for 151 miles of line to serve 364 rural consumers; how the cooperatives had adopted a resolution opposing Arkansas Power & Light Co.’s application to build and operate a power plant at Bull Shoals Dam; and how then Gov. Ben Laney was calling for the expansion of the rural electrification program. The publication also had tips for “REA homemakers” on how to quick-freeze fruits and vegetables for preservation, as well as how to make syrups.

After Thomas’ death in 1966, Ouida Cox was named editor and continues in that role today. Over the years, the news-paper gave way to a magazine format, and while news about the cooperatives remained, more human-interest features were added. Recipes from the wives of cooperative directors were included each month and remain among the magazine’s most popular features today.

White noted that the magazine helps the cooperatives fulfill Principle No. 5, one of the seven basic cooperative prin-ciples for doing business. That principle states that cooperatives should provide

Telling the Cooperative StoryRural Arkansas by Sheila Yount

January 1955

July 1968 January 1970 January 1980 January 1990


information, education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can con-tribute effectively to the development of cooperatives.

“It is our responsibility as cooperatives to make sure our members are informed about issues related to our business and the electric utility industry as a whole,” White said. “Just as in the early days of rural electrification, cooperatives face many daunting challenges today, and our members need to know about those chal-lenges.”

Along with the news, however, the magazine will continue to include hu-man-interest features about cooperative members as well as state leaders, inter-esting Arkansans and places of interest, White said. The new “Let’s Eat” column features Arkansas restaurants and has al-ready gained a following. And the recipes will remain, albeit with a fresh look as part of the magazine’s latest redesign.

Although the magazine has a new look, its primary focus to inform and edu-cate remains the same, White noted.

“We will continue to tell the coopera-tive story, and in doing that, we are also telling the Arkansas story,” he said. •

January 2009


Tim Griffin, newly elected representa-tive for Arkansas’

2nd Congressional District, will focus on the two ma-jor themes of his campaign when the 112th Congress be-gins its session this month, he told electric cooperative directors in December.

“I focused on two main things,” Grif-fin said in a speech at the Director’s Winter Conference on Dec. 6 at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. “I focused on private sector job creation and getting our fiscal house in order. Almost exclusively, that is what I talk-ed about on the campaign trail.”

As a congressman-elect, he joined other Republicans in November at the Republi-can Conference for the 112th Congress in voting to ban earmark spending. Earmarks are generally considered to be an item in an appropriations bill that allocates money for a specific project. It can sometimes be con-sidered “pork-barrel” spending or something that primarily provides goodwill for an in-cumbent lawmaker with his/her constitu-ents.

Griffin said the time has come to end earmarks, even though some of them may be for worthy projects, because the nation can no longer afford them.

“At the end of the day, our country is bankrupt,” Griffin said. “And we’ve got to come to grips with the culture, not only in Washington but in our country, that has led to that.”

Griffin said “everyone is to blame, ulti-mately” for the overspending that has bank-rupted the nation. However, he said it is time to “get the blame thing out of the way” and move on toward solutions.

Even though he said the nation is on a “dangerous and unsustainable path,” Griffin said he knows that ban-ning earmarks won’t erase the deficit overnight. He said that voting against earmarks may not be popular with some either.

“I may be the first and the last person elected to Congress in this district to get up and say that I didn’t run to see how much stuff I could bring home,” he said, adding that the best thing anyone can do for the district, state and nation is to stop funding the pet projects of lawmakers.

Even though he said he is dedicated to working for fiscal discipline in Washington, he said he knows he can’t do it alone. “All I can do is my part and try to convince others to do what I am doing, and that is what I am going to do,” he said. “I believe that was the message, at least that the voters gave me, not just on election day but in a year or so traveling the district. … They are not look-ing for someone to sprinkle gifts around the district.”

Griffin said he knows there are worth-while projects that need funding, especially those linked to helping create private sector jobs, such as infrastructure improvements. But because of overspending related to proj-ects without merit, the country can no longer afford worthy ones.

“The problem is that all the nonsense and the uncontrollable growth in the gov-ernment is crowding out the good stuff,” he said. “We used to have the good stuff and the nonsense. Not any longer. Now we’ve just got a tiny pot of money, and we’ve got to make sure that merit leads the day.”

One problem with Congress is the pow-er of seniority, Griffin said. A congressman with 40 years of service could have a bad idea and get it funded, while a congressman with a year or less of service and good idea could not get funding. At a time when the coun-

try is borrowing 41 cents of every dollar it spends, something must change, he said.

“We’ve got to find a way to inject a test of merit into the process,” he said, add-ing that one way to view new projects is to ask whether a project would be approved if it were put to a vote. He cited the $6 mil-lion Two Rivers Bridge, a bicycle/pedestrian bridge under construction across the Arkan-sas River in Little Rock, as an example of a questionable project that is receiving federal funds.

“If you put a $6 million bike bridge on the ballot and you say we are going to borrow 41 cents on the dollar, probably much from foreign sources, and it is going to be added to the national debt so my kids can pay, do you think it would pass?” Griffin asked, add-ing that such questions must be considered before future spending decisions are made.

One way to reduce the federal debt is abolishing pensions for congressmen and senators, he said. It is a move Griffin said he supports, even though it alone wouldn’t abolish the debt.

“I think we need to lead by example and look at things like that,” he said, adding that he is dedicated to making the difficult deci-sions and tough votes needed to improve the nation’s fiscal condition.

As for job creation, Griffin said the fed-eral government isn’t the answer. He said the private sector is “the source of innovation,

Griffin Pledges To Stick To Campaign Promises

DIRECTORS’ WINTER CONFERENCE By Rob Roedel

Even though he said the nation is on a “dangerous and unsustainable

-ning earmarks won’t erase the deficit

the best thing anyone can do for the district,

Congressman-electTim Griffin


technological advancement and creativity” that leads to job creation. In some instanc-es, the federal government can help, but in other areas, it “needs to quit interfering,” he said. One way the government interferes is through federal agencies that have been giv-en too much responsibility for interpreting laws, he said.

“They pass a law in Congress and then they say, ‘Well we don’t know what the law is,’ because this agency has got to spend a whole lot of time writing the regulations for the next several years,” Griffin said. He cited the health care and financial reform laws ap-proved last year as examples of Congress’ ab-dication of power to bureaucrats.

“The White House still can’t give you specifics on a lot of that law (health care) be-cause the regulations aren’t written,” he said, adding that rulemaking regarding financial reform has kept banks from lending because they are uncertain about the new rules that will govern them.

More oversight of federal agencies is needed, and when one party is in control of both the White House and Congress, over-sight suffers, he said. Such was the case in the most recent Bush administration, as well as the current Obama administration, he noted.

“I am not talking about witch hunts,” he said. “I am talking about common sense, necessary oversight where one branch of government is holding the other branch ac-countable.”

Griffin asked the directors to contact him with any questions or concerns they have and even gave them his personal cell phone number.

“I want to always be accessible,” he said. •

“We used to have the good stuff and the nonsense. Not any longer. Now we’ve just

got a tiny pot of money, and we’ve got to make sure that

merit leads the day.” — Tim Griffin

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Capitol Buzz

The 88Th ArkAnsAs GenerAl Assembly will convene at noon on Jan. 10 to begin the regular legislative session of this bien-nial. The November elections, as elections are designed to do, gave voice to the voters of Arkansas who appear to be saying they want change in their government, be it federal or state. With term limits pushing 53 legisla-tors out the door, and with election defeats chasing six more state representatives to other pursuits earlier than they had wished, we will see and hear new faces and new ideas.

To be more specific, there will be 49 new people, out of a collective 135, serving in the Legislature, writing laws in January who, 69 days prior to Jan. 10, were otherwise occupied and have no previous experience in lawmak-ing. I’m not counting seven new senators who were previously representatives and three new representatives who were senators and wanted to get in their last licks as state rep-resentatives. And that number doesn’t count one House seat that will be filled by special election on March 8 be-cause of the premature death of the election winner prior to the vote.

As we’ve said in a previous column, ex-perience was not what the voters were look-ing for in the last election. In some cases, it definitely hurt candidates. What they were looking for may have, in some instances, been

defined by campaign themes and slogans, but most of that was opposition to something. Opposition to something is different from specific actions taken to correct or improve something. So, the big question is: What ex-actly do we get for our votes and trust?

John Boehner, the incoming speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was quot-ed recently saying that the new Republicans who have been elected and have paved the way for his ascension to the speaker’s job need to understand that they are “on probation” with the American people until they prove themselves. Good advice. Good advice for newly elected members of the Arkansas Gen-eral Assembly, too.

Many good people with good inten-tions run for public office for all the right reasons. Then they get sworn in if they are lucky enough to win their elections, and they become subjects of the culture under the Capitol dome. There is none like it. Any-

where. Suddenly those people, who were driving school buses and selling insurance and tending a few head of cattle, and were just our neighbors a few weeks ago, are writ-ing the laws of our land. It’s called citizen govern-ment, and we the people

are going to get to experience another cycle of it. Here’s hoping that this time things go a little better.

A look ahead for the session shows 52 pre-filed bills submitted so far, covering a

wide range of topics. Most of the rumors around the Capitol center on taxes, specifi-cally on which ones will be cut or eliminated. We know the governor wants to eliminate more of the tax on groceries, as has been done in the past two sessions, and he indicates he will be looking for a way to fund highway needs, which never go away. And, eliminat-ing the taxes manufacturers pay on utility bills will come back for further debate.

The scholarship lottery, which was cre-ated by legislation in the 87th General As-sembly after voters determined that Arkansas would have a lottery, will come under some close review because of some spending issues and the availability of funds for future classes of students. Legislators are likely to seek tweaking and more auditing of the commis-sion that oversees the lottery.

Ethics reform has been discussed in some quarters, and we know there will be some push for some of the recommendations of the Arkansas Alternative Energy Commission regarding energy efficiency and net metering. As advocates for you, the consumer of elec-tricity, we will be closely monitoring and re-porting activities that affect your energy costs and reliability.

We’ve all helped to elect them, so it is now up to us to help them do the job we want done. That means getting to know them, learning the issues and communicating. By late January, you will be able to access infor-mation regarding your elected representatives through the governmental affairs link of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas website – www.ecark.org. We hope you use it. •

The Challenges of a New Year

If you have an issue that you would like Carmie to address, mail it to: P.O. Box 194208, Little Rock, AR 72219-4208 or e-mail [email protected].

Carmie HenryVice President

Governmental Affairs

There will be 49 new people, out of a collective 135, serving in the

Legislature, writing laws in January who, 69 days prior to Jan. 10, were otherwise occupied and have no

previous experience in lawmaking.


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16026CNC_AD_8.5X10.5.indd 1 11/22/10 8:47 AM

No, it can’t be. It can’t possibly be time to write a column for a new year. It seems like I just wrote one for 2010 a few weeks ago. Unless you are a teenager, you know exactly what I am talking about. Well, time really flies when you are having fun. Of course, the frog says that time is really fun when you are having flies. Please smile.

As I think of a new year, I also think of the past. I just love it when you tell me that you were helped by something that you read in this column. I just got a call a while ago from a fellow who told me that he had just finished reading the December column and wanted to order the attic radiant barrier so that he could install it before his attic gets hot. He is a smart fellow. I hope to continue helping you for a long time, so write my phone number down — 501-653-7931 — and just file it under energy nut and continue reading these columns.

I have received a lot of calls lately from folks with comfort problems in their homes. Some have older houses, and others have fairly new ones. It really doesn’t matter, because if you are not comfortable, you are not happy. I can tell you that the subject of comfort has changed over the years. My first bedroom as a youngster was six feet by nine feet. I had my own bunk bed, a place for my electric train, and I didn’t have to share it with three older sisters. The problem was that I had to go through their room to get to my room. And my room had no source of heat whatsoever, except what seeped into my room through the curtain [door] from the big non-vented gas heater in the girls’ room, and they didn’t have to share the heat with me. On many cold mornings, I would draw pictures in the frost on the window before I would jump out of bed and run through their bedroom to get to the non-vented gas heater in the living room. Think of it. My room was freezing; their room was smothering hot; the temperatures of the other rooms were anybody’s guess, and basically we were all thankful and happy just to have a house with heat.

What a difference a few years can make. Now we expect every room in our house to be the same comfortable temperature. I know of a case this past year where the homeowner threatened to file suit against the builder of his new house because upstairs was always a few degrees hotter than downstairs in the summer. We have proven many thousands of times that there is no excuse for a new house not to have affordable comfort. It is not always possible that every room will have the exact same temperature 24/7, but it can be very close. All you have to do is build it like the electric cooperatives and I have been teaching you to do for the last 20 years. It is easy and affordable, and IT WORKS EVERY SINGLE TIME. Just ask us for help.

I recently received a call from a lady in Illinois who said that she and her family had been in their new house for seven months and the house was cold. I said, “I assume that you meant cold in the winter.” She said, “Yes, it was just great in the summer.” I said, “You should have built the house to my standards.” She replied, ”We did.” My heart skipped a beat and I asked her every question I could think of. Did you caulk; did you use cellulose; did you use good windows, etc.? And yes, they even installed geothermal. I couldn’t imagine what the problem might be, so I asked the age-old question. “What is the thermostat setting right now?” Her answer was 60 degrees. I told her to turn it up to 75 degrees. She said that if she did, her husband would come through and turn it back down to 60 degrees. I told her to go whack her husband upside the head and tell him who was boss, and if that didn’t work, stop cooking his meals. She laughed and said that might work. This is a true story, and it has what appears to be an easy solution. Some problems don’t have such easy solutions, but I am confident I can help all of you. See you next month when I will give you more ways to make your house more comfortable.

In the meantime, Happy New Year! •

A Comforting Thought

Doug Rye Says...TIPS TO CUT YOUR UTILITY BILLS

Doug Rye, a licensed architect living in Saline County and the popular host of the “Home Remedies” radio show, works as a consultant for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas to promote energy efficiency to cooperative members statewide. To order Doug’s video or ask energy efficiency-related questions, call Doug at 1-501-653-7931. More energy-efficiency tips, as well as Doug’s columns, can also be found at www.smartenergytips.org.


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PRESSUREby Megan McKoy–Noe

under

Cooperatives work to keep electric bills affordable as energy challenges grow

Pressure cookers are ideal for heating liquids without reaching a boiling point. Outside influences are sealed off, and as pressure builds, a liquid withstands higher and higher heat. But if you apply too much pressure, the liquid

explodes, popping a gasket in the process.Electric cooperatives face a similar situation. Pressures from new gov-

ernment regulations, rising fuel and material costs, escalating demand for electricity, and required investments in both adding generation as well as upgrading existing power plants have been climbing over the last decade. Although the current eco-nomic downturn released some steam — such as causing electric demand to dip — this respite may just mark the “calm before the storm” when financial fortunes rebound and pressure builds again.

Let’s lift the lid to explore different pressures impacting your electric bills:

Pressure Point: Growing Electricity DemandThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts by 2030 residen-

tial demand for electricity will increase between 16 percent and 36 percent above 2007 levels. Historically, cooperatives’ demand for electricity rose faster than the industry average. Before the recession hit, cooperative sales increased by 4.4 percent, while industry sales only increased by 2.6 percent between 2006 and 2007.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) pre-dicted that industry demand would rebound by 5 per-

cent by the end of 2010 and estimates that with strong economic growth, electricity prices will jump 19 percent by 2035. However, the forecaster failed to factor in added costs of complying with new federal regulations aimed at curbing emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, from

power plants.

Pressure Point: Growing Electricity DemandThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts by 2030 residen

1.Pressure Point: Added RegulationThe U.S. Environmental Pro-

tection Agency (EPA) will begin regu-lating greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, this month — an action made possible by a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Massachusetts v. EPA) that gave the agency a green light to consider im-posing such controls. In late 2009, the EPA declared that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, “endanger the public health and welfare” of current and future generations.

Although carbon dioxide measures crowd headlines, the cumulative impact of new federal mandates for handling coal ash, water, and limiting hazardous air pollutants, along with state (and per-haps federal) requirements for renewable

2.Source: NRECA

energy generation, could become a much more expensive hurdle.

During the past 20 years, the EPA has used the federal Clean Air Act to slash nationwide emissions of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog, by 54 percent, and cut acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions by 42 percent. That’s an im-pressive reduction, considering electricity use rose 64 percent over the same period. However, proven technology existed to achieve those results — something not currently available for removing carbon dioxide and other areas under scrutiny.

“The Clean Air Act as written was never designed to deal with carbon diox-ide, and it could be awkward at best and probably a disaster, at worst,” warns Glenn English, chief executive officer of the Ar-lington, Va.-based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

“We’re entering an era where regu-latory activities are going to play a more significant role in the electric industry than what happens on the legislative front,” says Kirk Johnson, NRECA vice president of energy and environmental policy, noting that Congress has debated climate change policy for more than a de-cade without reaching a clear consensus. “Environmental statutes that have been on the books since the 1970s, especially the Clean Air Act, are like a one-way ratchet: they only tighten.”

Tighter emissions standards could have a multi-billion-dollar impact on the cost of doing business for electric cooperatives, adding more pressure to electric bills.

3. Pressure point: Need for new power plants Even as new regulations are announced,

utilities must be ready to make quick decisions on moving forward with power plants to meet grow-ing electricity demand — especially because the number of operating plants may start to fall, not rise.

“Because of these new rules, we’re expecting a number of current power plants to go offline and retire,” says Johnson. “The cost to comply with the rules may simply be too much.”

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which oversees the reliability of the bulk power system covering the United States and most of Canada, estimates that by 2017, peak demand for electricity will jump 135,000 megawatts — the equivalent of the current amount of power used by the entire western half of the nation. Planned new generation re-sources will only provide another 77,000 megawatts, far short of the amount of energy Americans will need.

Cooperatives are working hard to relieve some of this pressure and delay the need for new plants through energy efficiency programs. Most coopera-tives offer energy efficiency education. Many do even more. Seventy-seven percent provide residential energy audits, while 49 percent offer financial in-centives for members to make improvements in energy efficiency. But these measures can only go so far.

“When the economy turns around, co-ops will resume growing faster than other electric utilities,” English says. “We’ve got to be ready for that development and have new power plants planned and largely ready to go. However, co-ops must first know how carbon dioxide and other rules could impact the price of power to make prudent decisions.”

4. Pressure point: Cost of materialsEvery year that investments in

new power plants are delayed increases the final price tag. Worldwide, steel pric-es soared 42 percent between 2009 and 2010, while costs for other construction supplies like nickel and concrete jumped as well.

Material costs for distribution co-ops are also climbing. Prices for copper, a critical raw material used for wire and to ground electrical equipment, reached a 27-month high at the end of 2010. Between 1990 and 2010 in the north-central part of the nation, the price tag on utility poles, towers, and fixtures sky-rocketed 98 percent, while line trans-formers spiked 154 percent.

“Electric cooperatives have an obli-gation to keep the lights on and electric bills affordable at a time when the costs for fuel and raw materials to build new generation are steadily rising,” English says. “Combined with costs of addition-al regulatory compliance, these are just some of the pressure points that will af-fect electric bills in years to come — all of which are largely beyond the control of local co-ops.”

Megan McKoy-Noe, CCC, writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative As-sociation, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric coopera-tives. Steve Johnson contributed to this article. •

“When the economy turns

around, co-ops will resume growing faster than other

electric utilities,” English says.


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For a quarter-century, Amer-ica’s electricity consumption climbed steadily, making it fairly easy to forecast and plan for pow-er needs 10, 20, or even 30 years down the road. That changed in December of 2007 with the first signs of a recession.

As the nation’s economy slowed, electricity sales dropped 0.8 percent in 2008 and another 4.2 percent in 2009 — the greatest single decline in six decades. Com-mercial and industrial use was the hardest hit. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administra-tion (EIA), net power generation nationwide in 2009 sank below 2004 levels. Electric co-ops pri-marily serve residential members, so the downward trend wasn’t as severe, but it was still apparent.

“With the economic reces-sion affecting electricity demand, forecasts of future demand have resulted in greater uncertainty for both short- and long-term plan-ning horizons,” states a 2010 re-port from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), an organization charged with overseeing reliability of the United States’ electric grid.

Further illustrating uncer-tainty, EIA released two differ-ent forecasts for the next 25 years hinging on the nation’s economic growth — predictions that don’t take into account the cost of im-pending federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.•

Power Use Largely Mirrors Overall

Economy

Continued on page 3126 RURAL ARKANSAS

This month marks a new era in Arkansas’ fight against cancer.

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) welcomes the first patients to its new 12-story tower on Aug. 2.

The 300,000-square-foot building offers a cancer care environment unlike any other in Arkansas. As the state’s only academic cancer research center, the Cancer Institute is uniquely positioned to provide research-driven treatment unavailable elsewhere in Arkansas.

Team treatment is key to the mission of the Cancer Institute, with patients receiving care from oncologists and nurses specially trained to care for their specific needs. Scientists engaged in research into the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer are housed side by side with physicians. By combining the latest scientific discoveries with medical care from a team of specialists, Cancer Institute patients receive the most current treatment options available.

The new tower connects seamlessly to the institute’s Walker Tower, providing much-needed additional space designed with patient comfort and convenience in mind. New programs, such as the comprehensive lung cancer program, will grow along with the institute’s already highly

Health notesUAMS unveils new Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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Start Your Day Off On The Right Foot

At some point you may have been asked, “What side of the bed did you wake up on this morning?” Of course, the intent in the sarcasm is to highlight an irritable or ornery mood; most folks have them from time to time.

Sometimes the morning includes dealing with difficult people or the stress of a long commute. No matter what the circumstances, there is value

in starting your day on the right foot. A good morning can positively affect your productiv-ity and interactions with others throughout the day. Consider adjusting your nighttime and morning routines to increase your sense of peacefulness and optimism. Here are some tips to keep your mornings good!

• Prepare in advance. The foundation of a good morning starts the night before. Establish a nighttime routine that in-cludes preparation for the morning, such as choosing what clothes to wear, what to eat for breakfast, and what route to take to work.

• Get adequate sleep. Stop working at any task an hour before bedtime to calm men-tal activity. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one in three Americans has daytime sleepiness that interferes with daily activities on a regular basis.

• Wake up early. Although it is not an easy habit to get into, getting up early to enjoy some time to your self can be rewarding. You might spend this time reading some-thing inspirational or listening to music that promotes relaxation and creativity.

• Establish rituals that might include mak-ing your bed. A simple thing to do, it helps some people bring order to the start of the day.

• Get some exercise. It is beneficial to exer-cise in the morning. Whether it’s yoga, hit-ting the gym or a short series of stretches, morning exercise is a rewarding habit.

• Eat a regular, healthy breakfast. Too many people skip or skimp on breakfast and suffer the consequences. According to the Mayo

Clinic, a healthy breakfast that includes whole grains, low-fat protein, low-fat dairy and fruits and vegetables promotes better concentration and productivity throughout the day.

• Connect with your loved ones before you leave the house. Kiss all the people you love in your house, as well as the dog and cat, before you leave. Connecting with your family can help to soothe stress and refocus on what’s most important to you.

• Ease the aggravation of your commute. The principals of time management and stress management are the keys. Allow enough time to comfortably get from point A to point B. Find ways to accept and pro-ductively cope with the stress. This might include listening to a book on tape, breath-ing deeply or mentally organizing your day.

• Commit to a positive attitude. Attitude in-fluences your satisfaction. As you encoun-ter others at work, your positive attitude will help to strengthen your interactions.

• Make a to-do list for the day. Organize your tasks based on what must be done, what might be able to wait, and what you can either do or not do without consequence. This step helps you transition from your peaceful morning to your work day in an organized fashion. •

Sources: The National Sleep Foundation, the Mayo Clinic, LifeWork Strategies, Inc.

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32 I RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING

fAmILy fAvORIteSA native from Iowa, Nancy Plagge moved to Berryville with her husband, Virgil, in 1990. They have three children and one granddaughter. That same year she joined Carroll Electric Cooperative as executive secretary and is now director of corporate communications. A member of Berryville Baptist Church, she is a Sunday school teacher, pianist and choir director. She is also director of Studio G at Green Forrest. Nancy enjoys reading, family activities and hiking.

Recipes fRom NaNcy’s KitcheN

7-oz. package thin spaghetti, broken up1/3 cup mayonnaise2 tablespoons prepared mustard1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

3 medium tomatoes, chopped 2 3-oz. packages sliced pepperoni, quartered4 oz. cubed cheddar cheese (1 c.)1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Cook spaghetti pieces according to package directions; drain. Cover with very cold water; let stand 5 minutes. Drain well. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and parsley flakes. Add cooked spaghetti, chopped tomatoes, pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and green peppers, tossing lightly to coat. Chill one hour before serving.

PePPeRONI SALAD

1/4 cup packed brown sugar2 teaspoons all-purpose flour2 tablespoons butter1 package (8) refrigerated crescent rolls

2 teaspoons milk 1 tablespoon butter, melted1/4 cup packed brown sugar2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For caramel sauce, in small saucepan, combine brown sugar and flour. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat. Divide caramel sauce evenly into eight muffin cups; set aside. (Do not use paper liners in muffin cups.) Unroll crescent dough, separating into triangles. Brush each triangle with a little of the melted butter. Combine the packed brown sugar and the chopped pecans; sprinkle each roll with some of the pecan mixture. Roll up triangles, beginning at the point and rolling to the wide end. Cut one roll-up in half crosswise; place both halves, cut side down, together in a muffin cup. Repeat with remaining rolls. Fill any empty cups with a little water to prevent scorching while baking. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. (Caramel mixture may bubble up slightly around edges of pan.) Immediately invert rolls onto serving plate. Serve warm.

CARAmeL PeCAN ROLLS

3 lbs. ground beef12-oz. can evaporated milk1 teaspoon salt2 cups oats2 eggs

1 cup chopped onion1/2 teaspoon garlic powder2 teaspoons chili powder1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix well with hands and form into walnut-sized meatballs. Place in 10 x 15 pan or two 9 x 13 pans.

2 cups catsup2 tablespoons liquid smoke3/4 cup packed brown sugar1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix well and spoon over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

BARBeCUe meAtBALLS

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained2 lb. zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick and quartered (about 6 cups)1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 10 3/4-oz. can cream of chicken soup1 cup sour cream1 cup carrot, shredded1/4 cup butter, melted2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown and drain ground beef. Cook zucchini with onion in boiling salt water until crisp-tender, approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain well. Combine soup and sour cream; stir in shredded carrot and ground beef. Fold in squash and onion. Melt butter and toss with stuffing mix. Spread half the stuffing mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Spoon vegetable and meat mixture over stuffing. Spread remaining stuffing mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

ZUCCHINI CASSeROLe

3 granny smith apples, cored and diced4 Snicker candy bars, chopped1 cup milk

3-oz. package instant vanilla pudding12-oz. carton Cool Whip

Combine apple pieces with chopped candy bars. In separate bowl, mix instant pudding with milk; pour over apples and candy bars. Stir in Cool Whip and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

SNICKeR BAR APPLe SALAD1 stick butter (1/4 lb.)1 cup graham cracker crumbs1 cup coconut6-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

6-oz. package butterscotch chips14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 9 x 13 pan using the oven. Add graham cracker crumbs and press mixture into bottom of pan with a spoon to form a crust. Add next three ingredients as layers in the order listed. Pour sweetened condensed milk over entire pan and top with chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

SPRINKLe BARS


RURAL ARKANSAS LIVING I 33

1 package (8) refrigerated crescent rolls1 small package white or yellow corn chips (like Tostitos)2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained8-oz. sour cream1 package dry taco seasoning8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese3 cups shredded lettuce1 medium tomato, choppedPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 pan. Unroll crescent rolls and lay on bottom of pan. Flatten to form crust. Crush corn chips and place 1/2 of them over crescent rolls. In separate bowl, combine the taco seasoning with the amount of water the package calls for. Add the ground beef and sour cream to taco seasoning mixture. Put meat mixture over the crushed corn chips. Top with shredded cheeses and the other half of the crushed corn chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Top with lettuce and tomato and serve immediately.

tACO CASSeROLe

8 cups sliced carrots2 medium onions, sliced5 tablespoons butter, divided10 3/4-oz. can cream of celery soup, undiluted½ teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese1 cup seasoned croutons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place carrots in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to boil and cook until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. In another skillet, sauté onions in 3 tablespoons of the butter until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the soup, salt, pepper, and cheese. Add carrots to onion mixture and mix well. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle croutons on top. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the croutons. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

CARROtCASSeROLe

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Vegan Magic Bars2 cups blanched almond flour2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup honey3 tablespoons melted non-dairy butter

substitute (such as Earth Balance)1/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

1 cup coconut milk – shake can well beforemeasuring

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder2 cups dairy free chocolate chips

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained, patteddried and quartered

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds11⁄2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch by12 inch baking dish with gluten-free non-stickcooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, mix the almond flour with thesugar, honey, melted non-dairy butter substituteand salt until well combined. Moisten hands withwater and pat the mixture into the bottom of theprepared pan.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together thecoconut milk, agave or honey and cornstarch. Pourover the almond crust. Sprinkle the chocolatechips, cherries, almonds and coconut evenly overthe top. Gently press down.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the almondsand coconut flakes are browned and toasty.

Let cool. It is easier to cut into squares if yourefrigerate for about an hour to let everything set.

Cut into squares. Make 12 3-inch squares.

Cherry-Misu2 jars (10 oz. each) maraschino cherries2 cartons (8 oz. each) mascarpone cheese

½ cup sugar2 tablespoons. amaretto or brandy1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup water42 crisp ladyfinger cookies

2 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz each),grated chocolate curls

Drain cherries, reserving juice and 9 cherries; setaside. Chop remaining cherries.

In a large bowl, combine the cheese, sugaramaretto, vanilla and 1 Tbsp. cherry juice. Inanother bowl, beat whipping cream until stiffpeaks form; gently fold into cheese mixture.

Combine water and remaining cherry juice.Arrange 14 ladyfingers in an ungreased 9-in. squarepan. Brush with 3/4 cup cherry juice mixture.Spread 11⁄3 cups cheese mixture over ladyfingers.Sprinkle with half of the chopped cherries andgrated chocolate. Repeat layers.

Top with remaining ladyfingers and cheesemixture. Garnish with chocolate curls and reservedcherries. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Editor’s Note: This recipe was prepared withAlessi brand crisp ladyfinger cookies.

Makes 9 servings.

Cherry Whoopie Pies1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) red velvet cake mix3 eggs

½ cup canola oil1 tsp. almond extract

Filling:1/4 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries, drained

and chopped

Cut 22 cherries in half (save remaining cherriesfor another use). In a large bowl, combine the cakemix, eggs, oil and extract; beat on low speed for 30seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greasedbaking sheets. Top each with a cherry half. Bake at350˚ for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set. Coolfor 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to coolcompletely.

Filling: Mix butter and cream cheese untilsmooth; fold in marshmallow cream; fold incherries. Spread filling on the bottoms of half ofthe cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store nthe refrigerator. Makes about 2 dozen

Cherry Cannoli Cups48 wonton wrappers¼ cup butter, melted¼ cup sugar2 cups chopped hazelnuts, divided1 carton (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese4 oz. cream cheese, softened3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, optional1 teaspoons vanilla extract2 jars (one 16 oz., one 10 oz.) maraschino

cherries, drainedPlace wonton wrappers on a work surface; brush

with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Press intogreased miniature muffin cups. Sprinkle eachwonton cup with 1 tsp. hazelnuts.

Bake at 350˚ for 5-7 minutes or until lightlybrowned. Remove to a wire rack to coolcompletely.

In a large bowl, beat the ricotta, cream cheese,confectioners sugar, liqueur if desired and vanillauntil smooth. Cut 24 cherries in half and set aside.Chop remaining cherries; fold into cheese mixture.

Spoon 1 Tbsp. filling into each wonton cup.Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. Top with areserved cherry half. Makes 4 dozen.

Somethingfor

EveryoneGluten free


Vegan Magic Bars2 cups blanched almond flour2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup honey3 tablespoons melted non-dairy butter

substitute (such as Earth Balance)1/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

1 cup coconut milk – shake can well beforemeasuring

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder2 cups dairy free chocolate chips

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained, patteddried and quartered

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds11⁄2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch by12 inch baking dish with gluten-free non-stickcooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, mix the almond flour with thesugar, honey, melted non-dairy butter substituteand salt until well combined. Moisten hands withwater and pat the mixture into the bottom of theprepared pan.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together thecoconut milk, agave or honey and cornstarch. Pourover the almond crust. Sprinkle the chocolatechips, cherries, almonds and coconut evenly overthe top. Gently press down.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the almondsand coconut flakes are browned and toasty.

Let cool. It is easier to cut into squares if yourefrigerate for about an hour to let everything set.

Cut into squares. Make 12 3-inch squares.

Cherry-Misu2 jars (10 oz. each) maraschino cherries2 cartons (8 oz. each) mascarpone cheese

½ cup sugar2 tablespoons. amaretto or brandy1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup water42 crisp ladyfinger cookies

2 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz each),grated chocolate curls

Drain cherries, reserving juice and 9 cherries; setaside. Chop remaining cherries.

In a large bowl, combine the cheese, sugaramaretto, vanilla and 1 Tbsp. cherry juice. Inanother bowl, beat whipping cream until stiffpeaks form; gently fold into cheese mixture.

Combine water and remaining cherry juice.Arrange 14 ladyfingers in an ungreased 9-in. squarepan. Brush with 3/4 cup cherry juice mixture.Spread 11⁄3 cups cheese mixture over ladyfingers.Sprinkle with half of the chopped cherries andgrated chocolate. Repeat layers.

Top with remaining ladyfingers and cheesemixture. Garnish with chocolate curls and reservedcherries. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Editor’s Note: This recipe was prepared withAlessi brand crisp ladyfinger cookies.

Makes 9 servings.

Cherry Whoopie Pies1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) red velvet cake mix3 eggs

½ cup canola oil1 tsp. almond extract

Filling:1/4 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries, drained

and chopped

Cut 22 cherries in half (save remaining cherriesfor another use). In a large bowl, combine the cakemix, eggs, oil and extract; beat on low speed for 30seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greasedbaking sheets. Top each with a cherry half. Bake at350˚ for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set. Coolfor 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to coolcompletely.

Filling: Mix butter and cream cheese untilsmooth; fold in marshmallow cream; fold incherries. Spread filling on the bottoms of half ofthe cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store nthe refrigerator. Makes about 2 dozen

Cherry Cannoli Cups48 wonton wrappers¼ cup butter, melted¼ cup sugar2 cups chopped hazelnuts, divided1 carton (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese4 oz. cream cheese, softened3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, optional1 teaspoons vanilla extract2 jars (one 16 oz., one 10 oz.) maraschino

cherries, drainedPlace wonton wrappers on a work surface; brush

with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Press intogreased miniature muffin cups. Sprinkle eachwonton cup with 1 tsp. hazelnuts.

Bake at 350˚ for 5-7 minutes or until lightlybrowned. Remove to a wire rack to coolcompletely.

In a large bowl, beat the ricotta, cream cheese,confectioners sugar, liqueur if desired and vanillauntil smooth. Cut 24 cherries in half and set aside.Chop remaining cherries; fold into cheese mixture.

Spoon 1 Tbsp. filling into each wonton cup.Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. Top with areserved cherry half. Makes 4 dozen.

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regarded programs in multiple myeloma, head and neck cancer, breast cancer and other areas.

The new tower was funded in part by a $36 million matching

funds program created by the Arkansas Legislature. Its many patient-friendly features include a new infusion center, where many of the institute’s patients will receive chemotherapy.

The infusion center features both private rooms and open areas, where patients and family members can visit with each other during treatment sessions. As with each floor in the new tower, natural light is

prevalent. Balconies provide a place for patients and visitors to get a breath of fresh air while enjoying impressive views of Little Rock, and a healing garden offers a place for quiet reflection.

The second phase of the institute’s construction, scheduled for completion in summer 2011, will include the renovation of the first floor of our Walker Tower and will offer a cafeteria, Patient Support Pavilion, gift shop, chapel and other services.

Planners also have taken steps to ensure that the Cancer Institute cares not only for its patients, but also for the environment. Environmentally friendly features in the building include lighting that automatically adjusts to maximize the use of sunlight; solar-shaded glass; an energy recovery system that greatly reduces the energy usage associated with ventilation; and conveniently located recycling stations.

– Peter Emanuel, M.D.

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Cherry Brownie Bites1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained

reserving 5 tablespoons of the syrup8 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate chips1 cup unsalted butter1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar3 large eggs, beaten

11⁄2 cups ground almonds1/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

Cherry Chocolate Ganache (recipefollows) or 1 cup whipped cream lightlysweetened with a tablespoon or two ofreserved cherry syrup

48 maraschino cherries for decoration,drained and patted dry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert paper linersin 48 mini muffin cups.

Pat the cherries dry and chop them roughly. Set aside.Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a heat

proof bowl in the microwave for 2 ½ - 3 minutes,stirring once or twice until the butter is fullymelted and the chips are almost all melted. Stiruntil all the chocolate is melted and the mixture issmooth and glossy. Stir in the vanilla extract, 2tablespoons of the reserved maraschino cherrysyrup and the sugar. Let cool slightly.

Beat in the eggs, ground almonds, salt andchopped cherries. Divide batter between theprepared muffin tins filling the tins almost full. Asmall ice cream scoop helps with this.

Bake for 10 – 14 minutes or until the tops are setand feel firmish to the touch but the insides are stillsoft. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan for 5minutes then turn out to a wire rack to finishcooling.

If using chocolate ganache, spoon some ganacheon top of the brownies, top each with amaraschino cherry and refrigerate for at least halfan hour to firm the ganache. Can be made a dayahead.

If topping with cream, pipe or dollop on thewhipped cream just before serving and top eachbrownie with a cherry.Cherry Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolatechips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream3 tablespoons reserved cherry syrup

Pour chocolate chips into a small heatproofbowl. Heat the cream and cherry syrup in a smallpan over medium high heat until it just comes to aboil. Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolatechips and let set for 5 minutes. Stir until smoothand glossy. Let set for about 10 – 15 minutes thenspoon over the brownies. Makes 48.


REFLECTIONSREFLECTIONSBeginning the New Year in Rural Arkansas

“Follow me girls” – Anna Grace, daughter of Bryan and Laura Smith, Hopewell in Cleburne County

My two mini donkeys, Gray Benelli and Red Ruger, posing for the camera – Amanda Halbert, Palestine

Happy squirrel finds a peanut beside Lake Chicot – Peggy Sullivent, Hampton

Raggedy Ann and Andy—Isabella and Sawyer Thomas, twin babies of Lance and Debbie Thomas, Jerusalem

Pretty picture of the Central United Methodist Church west of Wynne – Regina Farmer

Skyelah posing under a tree after church – Angela Rudd, Bismarck

Caleb says, “Lots of cold licks” – Margarett Konkel, Waveland

Alexis shares pacifier with her first snowman – Carissa and Michael Bennett, Texarkana

Cousins Emily Bright and Layton Neal taking care of Sugar Baby – Janice Free, Bradford


A hundred years ago the Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium was founded on a small pine-covered

hill, three miles south of Booneville. Since that time, it has been known as “The Hill” to locals.

“The Hill” was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 for its association with the nationwide fight against tuberculosis and for its excellent collection of art deco, craftsman and co-lonial revival-style buildings.

There are 76 buildings, structures and objects within the district boundary. The sanatorium was the largest and best fa-cility of its kind in the United States in 1940, and it served as a model for tuber-culosis treatment facilities in neighboring states as well as abroad. During the sana-torium’s peak years — the 1930s through the 1950s — there were more than 1,000 patients and 600 full-time and part-time employees on any given month.

The institution was completely self-supporting, with workers raising all the food and processing it with a modern cannery and state-of-the-art dairy. In ad-

dition to patient treatment buildings, the facility included a water treatment plant, water towers, a fire station, laundry, ice plant, bakery, post office (1927-1968) and movie theater.

Gardens, orchards and vineyards were planted in open spaces. More than 70,000 patients were treated by about 5,000 em-

ployees during the sanatorium’s 63-year history. The Booneville Human Devel-opment Center has occupied the campus since the sanatorium closed in 1973. The center is a residential treatment facility for adults with developmental disabilities. It currently assists 150 clients and employs a staff of 308 people. •

Arkansas Tuberculosis SanatoriumArkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium

Scrapbook

Front entrance of Nyberg Building, the main hospital building

View of Administration Building in the foreground with Nyberg Building in background

The Chapel

By Ouida Cox


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CalendarCalendarFEBRUARY

4 Rich Little, UCA, 866-810-0012

Gallery Walk, Hot Springs, 501-321-2277

Sandwiching in History Tour of Taborian Hall, Little Rock, 501-324-9880

4-6 Migrating Through the River Valley Bird Weekend, Dardanelle, 479-229-3655

4-25 Art Show Christina Neal/Carlsen Rogers, Springdale, 479-751-5441

5 Historic Dance Workshop, Washington, 870-983-2684

Scott County Boys & Girls Club Annual Banquet, 479-637-3188

6 Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra, 870-536-7333 6-Mar 2 Wild West Show: Art in all Media, Mena, 479-394-3880

8-13 Mamma Mia! Fayetteville, 479-443-5600

11 Food Day – Cooking with Chocolate & Cherries, Mtn. View, 870-269-3851

11-12 Arkansas RV Show, Little Rock, 501-225-6177

Valentine’s Dinner, Washington, 870-983-2684

9 Yesterdaze Festival, Elm Springs, 479-248-2852

9-11 Montgomery County EHC Quilt Show, Mount Ida, 80-326-4442

11-27 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rogers, 479-631-8988

12 South Arkansas Symphony-Listen to Your Heart, Camden, 870-862-0521

Basket Weaving Workshop, Des Arc, 870-256-3711

100th Birthday Party for General William O. Darby, Fort Smith, 479-783-7841

Valentine Dinner & Show, Mountain View, 870-269-3851

Woodsongs, Paragould, 870-240-0544

Home & Garden Seminar & Show, Pine Bluff, 870-534-1033

12 Bluebird Nest Box Workshop, Wynne, 870-238-9406

12-13 Arkansas Symphony’s Couples That Stole Your Heart, Little Rock, 501-666-1761

Hikes, Hearts & Hugs Weekend, Morrilton, 501-727-5441

Cupid in the Caverns, Mtn. View, 870-269-8068

Sweetheart Weekend, Rogers, 479-789-5000

The Heart of Broadway, Little Rock, 501-666-1761 ext. 21

Gun & Knife Show, Little Rock, 501-833-8064

17 Frontier Days for Home Schools, Washington, 870-983-2684

17-19 Quilter’s Retreat, Mtn. View, 870-269-3851

18 U of A’s “Class Act,” Eureka Springs, 479-253-9766

19 Chamberwinter Bluegrass, Hope, 870-777-3640

19-21 “The Secret Garden,” Jonesboro, 870-935-2726

21 Kasu’s Blue Monday, Paragould, 870-240-0544

22 Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Winton Marsalis, Conway, 501-450-3682

26-27 Depression Era Glass Show & Sale, Little Rock, 501-868-4969

Flower & Garden Show, Little Rock, 501-821-4000

27 New Christy Minstrels, Arend Arts Center, Bentonville, 479-855-9997

Calendarof Events

Feb. 3,5,10,12,13,17,19,24,26,27

Eagle Watch Tours Hobbs State Park, 479-789-5000



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Documents

One with Nature · ing a new home, choose one that has a sprinkler system. If you’re remodeling your home, you can add a system. The sprinkler system is installed behind your walls