b magazine fall 2015

MAGAZINE

FALL 2015

Enjoying life in Boone County

Jamestown’sGuitar ManMel McCullough turns woodworking hobbyinto a business

Ramon Aguillon builds on success as ZCHS soccer coach

Discover Lebanon’s connection to Barney Fife

MAGAZINEEnjoying life in Boone County

Jamestown’sGuitar ManMel McCullough turns woodworking hobby into a business

Ramon Aguillon builds on success as ZHS

2 B MAGAZINE FALL 2015

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Lebanon’s link with Mayberry’s deputy Fife:Lebanon native sharesMayberry connection as formerwife of funnyman and Barney Fife actor Don Knotts.

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Also insideB Feature Page 3Believe it or not Page 5B a Gourmet Page 6B a Volunteer Page 11B Informed Page 14B There Page 15

B TABLE OF CONTENTS

B Magazine is a publication of The Lebanon Reporter and the Zionsville Times Sentinel.

On the cover: Mel McCullough has built a business using his woodworking skills to help others make music.Story, Page 8

GUITAR MANJamestown’s Mel McCullough uses retirement toexpand hobby of making and repairing guitars

FALL 2015 B MAGAZINE 3

B FEATURE

Article by Will Willems

Zionsville’s girls soccer program has developed into one of Indiana’s best.

The team is an annual fi xture in Top 10 state polls. Numerous players

are advancing to the collegiate level.Head coach Ramon Aguillon has led Zions-

ville to an 85-28-26 record over the last seven years.

Aguillon said he never pictured himself be-ing so successful as a coach, but in a journey that spans two countries and multiple states, he has become one of the top coaches in the area.

Born in Monterrey, Mexico, about 150 miles from the Texas border, he was introduced to soccer at young age by his father, also named Ramon. Aguillon remembers starting to play around the age of 5, and “falling in love with the game,” playing for his local elementary, middle school and high school teams.

Scouts from the local pro club Monterrey FC noticed, and Aguillon earned a spot on their reserves team.

After a couple seasons with Monterrey FC, he earned a trip to the U-17 National Team camp as they prepared for the U-17 World Cup. Aguillon didn’t make the team, but he gained valuable experience.

“It was an amazing opportunity,” Aguillon said. “Several of them went on to play profes-sionally in Mexico and play with the men’s na-tional team. At that age, you just see them as peers, but looking back it was pretty neat to have the opportunity to train with them.”

When he fi nished high school, Aguillon had to choose between professional soccer or con-tinuing his education. At the urging of his fam-ily, he accepted a scholarship at the University of Memphis.

Moving to the United States brought chal-lenges. While he knew English from attend-ing a private bilingual high school in Mexico,

Aguillon didn’t speak the language every day. “It was a bit of a culture shock,” Aguillon

said. “The language was tough, and then just adjust-ing to the South. Memphis is a great town, but going into my fi rst college courses it was tough to understand the professors, and the environment was way dif-ferent.”

Aguillon started for four years at Memphis and fi nished in the school’s Top 25 in points. He helped them earn a top 25 ranking his senior season.

He earned his degree in economics but wanted to continue his soccer career. After returning to Mexico and at-tempting to get a spot on a team there, he ultimately earned a spot on the Atlanta Sil-verbacks in the USL A-League.

After a year with the Silverbacks, Aguillon realized that he had to make a decision.

“It was a good experience in terms of being a part of it,” Aguillon said. “I quickly learned that you really, really have to love the game. I did love the game, but it was a lot of sacrifi ce. We got paid very little, and I made the decision that it was best for me to go to back to school.”

Aguillon earned his MBA and ultimately moved to the Indianapolis area for work, knowing nothing about the state other than “basketball and Larry Bird.” He now

Building successZionsville girls’ soccer coach takes it one season at a time

Ramon Aguillon gives directions during a warm-up drill.


works as an after-market sales manager at Allison Transmission.

After a couple of years, Aguillon got into coaching for the fi rst time. He was playing in an adult soccer league, and a teammate asked if he was interested in coaching for the No-blesville United Soccer Club.

He immediately fell in love with coaching. “I always saw myself as a player and not a

coach,” Aguillon said. “But, l’m in love with it. I saw that it was an extension of playing, and that I could pass all my knowledge on to other players and be involved.”

He had never heard of Zionsville. He fi rst heard of the town through his now wife, Laura (Helms), a ZCHS grad.

When a coaching change occurred with the Lady Eagles before the 2007 season, Aguillon asked about becoming an assistant coach. He got the job and became the head coach a year later.

“I didn’t know much about high school soccer,” Aguillon said. “The thing that piqued my interest was the competition between the schools and the pride shown and the com-munity aspect. That really opened my eyes. It was a lot like the college experience that I had, even a little better with the way the communi-ties embrace the schools.”

The Eagles found success right away under Aguillon, going 14-1-3 in his fi rst season, but fell in the sectional championship game.

The next year the Eagles won the sectional and regional titles. They added sectional titles in 2012 and 2013.

The program has produced multiple All-Americans, and more than 30 of his play-ers have had collegiate careers. Aguillon was named a coach in the inaugural All-American game in 2013.

“As our program has grown, more and more girls have had that opportunity,” Aguil-lon said. “I always tell them that it is such a unique experience, not only from an athletic standpoint but from an overall standpoint in terms of their college experience. It is very re-warding for them and for us as a program. It is neat to see those girls move on and play in colleges across the country.”

Aguillon said the longer he has been coach-ing, the more he has learned from the posi-tion.

It isn’t just about the wins and losses any more, but establishing lasting relationships.

“When I fi rst started, it was all about win-ning,” Aguillon said. “Obviously we still are, that is the goal, but there are many more les-sons that you can learn from the game. These girls are great soccer players, but they are go-ing to be great doctors, lawyers, housewives, teachers, whatever they want to be. We want to give them those tools to work hard, be a good teammate, be responsible and things

that will help them as adults. Those are the things we want to accomplish.”

Those relationships, Aguillon said, have been the key to success for the Zionsville pro-gram.

He gave credit to the Zionsville community for helping establish the tradition of excel-lence in the girls’ soccer program.

“I love how supportive the community is with all the school programs and athletics,” Aguillon said. “The community has been great. For us, the girls soccer program has become one of the bigger programs. In Indiana, bas-ketball is usually the top sport, and the bas-ketball program is great here as well, but we have been able to establish a great program with the help of the community and ZYSA (Zionsville Youth Soccer Association). We get them when they are 14, and these girls have a good base when they get to us. For me, it has been encouraging to have strong players come in. I love Zionsville; I love the community; I love the atmosphere.”

Aguillon has high hopes for the upcoming season. If history is any indication, the Eagles will be in the mix at the end.

“We will be a young team, but I think peo-ple will overlook us because we won’t have the veteran teams we have had in the past,” Aguil-lon said. “I think that is going to be mistake. What I have seen in practices so far, we have a team that is going to compete and be ready for everyone. We have high hopes. We always strive for that sectional, and to do that we have to beat good teams, and our girls know that. Our girls enjoy that challenge, and we are confi dent that we can really put a good display on that fi eld.”

Aguillon and his wife live in Zionsville with his two young children, Camila and Ramon.

He said he is looking forward to watching his kids grow up and experience everything Zionsville has to offer.

And while his journey may not have been orthodox or expected, he has loved every step of the journey.

“Life is crazy with the way it works out,” Aguillon said. “Being in Zionsville, with this program, it has been something I would have never thought I would have the chance to do. I love this area and the community, and it is a community I am glad to be a part of.”

Ramon Aguillon gives instructions to players on the bench during the Eagles’ scrimmage against Center Grove.


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BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Article by Matt Werner

According to W. Dwight Renner Jr. in Joan Praed Lyon’s compilation “Zionsville The First One Hundred Years,” the reason for the ess curve

in Zionsville’s Main Street was a result of dif-

ferent sized lots when the town was developed. “It seems that the fellow who did the original

plot — the fi rst 60 some lots starting down at Sycamore and coming up Main Street to Oak — made those lots all 60 by 120,” Renner said. “The fellow who made the next addition imme-diately north didn’t agree with those lot sizes. So

his lots, I believe, were 50 by 100, so he could get more in his same acre of ground.” Accord-ing to information provided by SullivanMunce Cultural Center, Elijah Cross was the person who made the 50-by-100-foot lots with 10-foot alleys. Because the lot sizes were different, the ess curve on Main Street was created.

STORYBEHIND

THE ‘ESS’

THE


As the weather changes, of-ten our appetites do as well. Summer salads give way to roasted root vegetables and recipes for gazpacho get

retired for the year and warm and sat-isfying soups and chowder fi ll our bowls instead.

Stews are a particular favorite. Back when I was a high school athlete, my mom’s version was frequently awaiting me in the fall months when I would re-turn home after practice. Hers was of a standard variety – chunks of beef with onions, carrots, and potatoes in a rich brown gravy. The ultimate comfort food.

Stew has been comforting our species for quite some time, it seems. Ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who was do-ing his thing about 500 years before the birth of Christ, described this technique:

“Put the fl esh into an animal’s paunch, mix water with it, and boil it like that over the bone fi re. The bones burn very well, and the paunch easily contains all the

meat once it has been stripped off. In this way an ox, or any other sacrifi cial beast, is ingeniously made to boil itself.”

Today, I’m not sure if anyone in the world still follows that particular recipe; but the varia-tions on the dish seem practically infi nite. One list I’ve seen includes over 200 distinct ver-sions originating from 200 different places. The variations on these couple hundred make these numbers staggering.

The French have certainly made their contributions to the fare, with Boeuf Bourguignon as the most classic of the classics. In my copy of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” the page with that recipe is the most

used, well speckled with splattered dots of red wine.

Another popular French stew, most of-ten made with red wine, is Coq au Vin, which translates to “cock/rooster with wine.” This dish probably came into ex-

istence because male chickens were typically older and tougher so braising broke down the connective tissue. Al-though the dish is typi-cally made with red wine, I prefer this white wine version, for all the same reasons we usually pair poultry with white wine.

This is the sort of stew that does not have to be served in a bowl but certainly can be. It is typically served over noodles. Whether you’ve got kids coming home famished after practice or if you are just ready for something that will stick to your ribs, I hope you’ll give this Coq au Vin Blanc a try.

B A GOURMET

Something to stew about

Scott Hutche-son, Ph.D., is an educator, a writer and an economic and community development strategist living in Ulen in Boone County.

■ Coq Au Vin Blanc recipe on Page 7

“There is the sort of stew that does not have to be served in a bowl but certainly can be.”


COQ AU VIN BLANC

4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 3½ pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

8 ounces white pearl onions, blanched 3 minutes and peeled

1 medium onion, fi nely chopped

¼ cup fi nely chopped celery

4 cloves garlic, sliced

9 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed, clumps separated

¾ cup chardonnay

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter (unsalted or black truffl e)

1 tablespoon minced tarragon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown bacon in a large, straight-sided oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and reserve the bacon. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add the chicken to the skillet, skin side down, as many pieces as fi t comfortably. Cook until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper and turn to brown other side. Remove to a platter when done and repeat with the remaining chicken. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.

Add the pearl onions and toss in fat until lightly browned. Remove to a dish. Reduce heat to low. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, cook until softened, and stir in the mushrooms. When they wilt, add the wine, bring to a simmer and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Toss the bacon back in. Return chicken to casserole with any accumulated juices, baste, cover and cook 30 minutes, basting a few more times. Remove the chicken to a platter.

Increase heat to medium-high and cook about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens slightly. Lower heat, add the pearl onions back in and the butter. When butter melts, check seasonings, return chicken to casserole, baste and simmer a few minutes more. Serve from skillet or transfer to a deep platter. Scatter the tarragon on top before serving.


B COVER STORY

Article by Andrea McCann

From raw wood to fi nished prod-uct, Mel McCullough builds cus-tom handmade guitars for profes-sional musicians. He also repairs fretted instruments in his James-town shop.

He’s been at it 20 years and has built a rep-utation for Mel’s Guitars & Repairs, his out-of-the-way shop tucked into the little town of about 950 residents in northeast Boone County. Though he calls it a hobby, he said the business keeps him hopping.

“It started out as a hobby, and I still try to keep it a hobby,” McCullough said. “I drove a concrete truck for IMI in Leba-non for 30 years until I retired four or fi ve years ago.”

He said he took wood shop classes in school and used to make furniture, breadboxes and other items. In 1997, he got interested in guitars and taught him-self to repair them.

“I’ve been a woodworker since I was a kid,” McCullough said. “I can play bass guitar, but I got into this through wood-working.”

His familiarity with music on top of his woodworking skills give him the neces-sary knowledge to satisfy the most per-snickety professional musician. Some commercial music stores may have someone who can change guitar strings, McCullough said, but he can do much more than that – such as repairing a bro-ken neck.

“I have a full-service repair shop,” he said. “I get repair work from as far away as Chicago and St. Louis.

“The repair business comes and goes. It depends on who hears about me. It’s always been word of mouth.”

McCullough said professional guitar players all know one another, so mak-ing a good impression on one will often

lead to a recommendation when another player needs a repair or a new instrument.

“It has a lot to do with trust,” he said. Getting out to events where professional

musicians hobnob is one key to building that trust, McCullough said. To that end, he at-tends events such as one hosted by the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in Nashville, Ten-

nessee, and the International Thumbpicking Guitar Festival in Greenville, Kentucky. At those events, he showcases guitars he’s built and lets the musicians try them.

Once they’ve met him and seen his work and that other guitar players trust him, he said, they’re more likely to use his services.

“Some people have vintage guitars, so they have to trust their repair person,” McCullough said. “The repairs come from all over the place, but they stem from me meeting them some-where.”

Beyond the repair part of the business, McCullough also builds guitars from the ground up, starting with an African ma-hogany board.

“There are different exotic woods you can use, but African mahogany is a sta-ple,” he said.

“I don’t use any pre-made parts for my guitars. I build everything from scratch in my shop.”

From a mahogany board, McCullough will plane off pieces the thickness he wants for the parts of the guitar’s body. He steam bends the strips for the sides, puts all the pieces together with an adhe-sive in a handmade mold, clamps it shut and lets it sit a couple days to dry in the desired shape.

The neck is carved from a separate piece of wood and attached to the body when both are ready. The whole thing is then sanded to prepare for painting.

McCullough has a special painting room, where he hangs the guitars with an infl ated balloon placed in the sound hole to prevent paint from going inside the guitar’s body.

Each handmade McCullough Guitar sports a hand-painted logo by another Jamestown businessman, Jerry Carr, of Carr Signs & Stripes.

“I’ve probably built 50 or 60 guitars at most,” McCullough said. “I make a little bit of everything. Once you learn how to

MAKING MUSICin JAMESTOWNMel McCullough’s woodworking leads to guitar business

■ McCullough can be reached [email protected], by phone at 765-577-0083,or on Facebook.

Andrea McCann | B Magazine

Mel McCullough inspects a jazz guitar in progress in his Jamestown shop.


Continued on Page 10

make a musical instrument, it’s just a matter of changing the style.”

He said he makes acoustic, electric, solid body and jazz guitars using molds he creates himself. The thick-ness of the body and type of sound hole create the type of sound each guitar makes, according to McCullough.

“There’s a lot of technical stuff involved to create sound,” he said. “There are a lot of details.”

McCullough said the guitar player’s favored genre really isn’t a factor in making a guitar.

“A guitar is a guitar to me,” he said. “Playability-wise, the genre doesn’t mat-ter. It has to do with how well they play and sound.”

An inexpensive, factory-made gui-tar wouldn’t do for a professional musician, for example, because it’s not made for that purpose. Mc-Cullough said those guitars are entry-level instruments designed for parents to buy for kids who want to try out guitar playing. If they enjoy it and want to continue learning, they can later move up to a better guitar. If it doesn’t work out, though, the parents aren’t out a lot of money.

“An entry-level guitar makes noise; a professional guitar makes music,” McCullough said. “I’m not knocking an entry-level guitar; it is what it’s


meant to be.”Sometimes McCullough builds guitars in ad-

vance of the festivals he attends so he can take them to sell.

“I have to go where the players are to sell my stuff,” he said.

Other times he makes them to the player’s specifi cations.

“Professional guitarists want (the neck) carved to the feel they like,” McCullough said.

He’s working on a guitar for the surviving member of The Everly Brothers, Don Everly. The guitar neck has inlaid mother-of-pearl stars between the frets.

The late Jerry Reed, a fi nger-style guitar-ist, had his guitars custom made with the downward-facing top lobe cut out so he had access to the entire neck, according to McCul-lough. Now McCullough makes a copy he calls the Claw Master.

The guitar maker has been fortunate enough to meet and work with several well-known guitar players, including Reed, Everly, some of the stars from the old “Hee Haw” TV series, John Schneider and Tom Wopat from “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV series, Dar-rell Toney of The Imperials, Country musician Merle Travis, and guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel. Closer to home, customers have included Darren Stroud from the now defunct Red Beans and Rice, Travis Feaster and Blues guitarist Russ Bucy.

Photos by Andrea McCann | B Magazine

Clockwise from top right: Mc-Cullough points to the cutout on a guitar he made for Darrell Toney of The Imperials; the guitar maker displays a body form for a guitar; a guitar in the process of being painted.


B A VOLUNTEER

Contact the organization at:E. Washington St., Lebanon, IN 46052

Call: Sharon Walker at 317-769-6660

The organization on the Internetand social media:

http: www.leblib.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/leblib

Organization history: The Friends of the Leba-non Public Library is an auxiliary organization offi cially formed in 1995, when bylaws were created. It is believed that there had been other Friends organizations prior to that time, but that they may not have been offi cially organized.

Mission statement: The purpose of this organiza-tion shall be to maintain an association of per-sons interested in books and libraries; to focus public attention on library services, facilities and needs; to infl uence the gifts of books, maga-zines, desirable collections, endowments, schol-arships and bequests to the library through ways approved by the Board of Trustees of the Lebanon Public Library.

How organization is funded: The group raises funds through membership dues, donations and fundraisers. The schedule of membership fees includes Benefactor, $50; Patron, $25; Family, $10; and Individual $5 per year. Students are allowed a free membership to the organization. One of the main fundraisers for the organi-zation is a book sale that takes place during Back to the Fifties Festival held in September in Lebanon. Members have also arranged several dining nights at area restaurants. Currently, the group is spreading the word about the new Kroger Card program. Kroger shoppers can designate the Friends of the Lebanon Public Li-brary to receive a percentage of grocery sales.

Goals: The goal of the organization is to pro-vide funding for library programs that do not come under the library’s normal budget. The organization provides funding for programs in each department. The department heads request funds for things like refreshments, prizes, speakers, music performers or just about anything that is not provided under the normal budget. The Friends then take the requests and decide if they have the funds to provide to the department. The group also offers a holiday gift shop for library patrons during the library’s big Christmas party.

Group’s biggest success: The Friends of the

Lebanon Public Library was able to purchase the outdoor movie screen used for the library’s summer movie program. It has also funded a popcorn machine and cart, software, monitors and bricks in front of the library.

Organization’s biggest need: More members and younger members. The organization would like to work on publicity for the Friends and the library.

How to volunteer or learn more: Call President Sharon Walker at 317-769-6660 or visit the Friends of the Lebanon Public Library at its booth at the Boone County 4-H Fair or Back to the Fifties Festival.

Friendsof theLebanon PublicLibrary

Submitted photo

Friends of the Lebanon Public Library, offi cially formed in 1995, supports the library through a variety of programs.


B PROFILE

Article by Brenda L. Holmes

When Kay Amundson, then Kathryn Metz, was growing up in Leba-non, she never thought she would marry someone bound for Holly-wood. She would go on to college

where she would meet Don Knotts, who became one of America’s favorite character actors.

Q: When did you live in Lebanon?A: I lived in Lebanon, Ind., from the age of 2

until I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. My father, the Rev. Carl A. Metz, was the minister of the First Baptist Church until he was offered another position in Wheeling, West Virginia.

I looked forward to living in a new environ-ment until I realized that I was “the new kid on the block,” an outsider who was not accepted into the high school’s established cliques.

Q: How did you meet Don Knotts?A: I met Don Knotts went I went to West Vir-

ginia University. He was a returning student af-ter serving in World War II. WVU was like a girls’ school when I was a freshman, but it changed drastically in my fi rst year when the soldiers were released and had the opportunity to get a college education on the GI bill.

They came to school in droves; the ratio was fi ve males to every female student. These were not young ‘just out of high school’ boys. They were young men who had gone through the hor-rors of war; and now they wanted to put all of that aside and become serious students.

Don had completed his freshman year before he was drafted, and now he was enrolled as a second-year student. One Saturday afternoon that spring, all the sororities held an open house for the fraternity men. Don showed up with his friends after fi ve o’clock when the event ended. We girls had kicked off our high heels and were relaxing, but we quickly welcomed the three ‘latecomers.’ Later on I dated Don and another of his friends, Kent Jones. They were rivals for my affection.

Q: When were you married?A: Don and I dated for three years before we

CNHI photo

Kathryn “Kay” Amundson, a Lebanon native, and her daughter, actress/comedian Karen Knotts, were recently in the area appearing at the Mayberry in the Midwest festival in Danville.

City native Kay Amundson spent 17 years married to Barney actor Don Knotts

Lebanon’s link to Mayberry

“At that time (New York City) was the center of all activityin show business. There was a saying that there were 3,000 actors for every job on Broadway, which was another way of saying how diffi cult breaking into show business was, aformidable task.”

—Kathryn Amundson


were married (in 1947). After he graduated, I still had a year left, which I was not able to fi nish until several years later. We moved to New York City, and I got a job to help support us while he looked for work. At that time it was the center of all activity in show business. There was a saying that there were 3,000 actors for every job on Broadway, which was another way of saying how diffi cult breaking into show business was, a formidable task. But we were lucky because within two months, he got an ongoing part in a popular children’s radio show. It paid well and left plenty of time for him to develop other opportunities, which he was able to do.

Q: How long were you two married? Do you have children to-gether?

A: Don and I were married for 17 years. We had two children, Karen and Tom Knotts. Karen is a librarian and an actress. She has a one-woman show called “Tied up in Knotts,” and has been performing it for several years throughout the United States. Our son is a design engineer, who works for Agilent in the Bay Area. He has a son, Stephan, our only grandchild, who is in college in Santa Cruz.

Don and I were a close couple who remained good friends after the divorce. Our family was important to us. I have never regretted that mar-riage, even though I was too young and not really ready for that respon-sibility. It was an interesting life, and the four of us have kept in touch over the years.

I remarried and live in Sacramento, Calif. My husband died in 2010.

Q: Did you enjoy the Mayberry in the Midwest event?A: I thoroughly enjoyed my recent trip to Indiana. This was my fi rst

Mayberry celebration, and I thought it interesting and fun. The attendees struck me as gentle, family-oriented people who enjoy

small town life. My very quick trip to Lebanon was a highlight for me, very nostalgic and I wish it could have been longer.

The Associated Press

Don Knotts, right, and Andy Griffi th appear together at the unveiling of a star for Knotts on the Walk of Fame in the Hollywood section of Los An-geles Wednesday Jan. 19, 2000. Knotts, in the memorable role of Deputy Barney Fife, played across from Griffi th in the “Andy Griffi th Show.”

Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is a hot word that many may have heard recently on the television or radio, specif-ically in reference to treating children and adults with au-tism. But what is ABA? Many clinicians purport to provide ABA services, but when the families and some clinicians

are asked to defi ne exactly what ABA is, you may get different answers.Applied behavior analysis is the application of behavioral principles

presented in a systematic manner to bring about socially signifi cant results. Through experimentation, application of evidence-based treat-ments and environmental manipulation, the behavior analyst is able to develop socially signifi cant interventions to bring about behavior change.

ABA is the one proven research-based treatment for children diag-nosed with autism. ABA is the one treatment that parents and profes-sionals alike would have to identify as the treatment of choice for bring-ing about meaningful change for children with autism and intellectual delays. An astute behavior analyst will assist the family with identifying their child’s treatment needs and will ensure that those needs are sys-tematically targeted.

It would be fair to defi ne applied behavior analysis by looking at sev-eral key points. The fi rst is that ABA is guided by the beliefs and proven methods of scientifi c inquiry. This means that, unlike some other un-proven approaches to treatment, ABA is guided by evidence-based treat-ments. The practice of applied behavior analysis is dictated by research and proven assessment measures. Treatment goals are developed based

on what is important or socially valid to the family, the fi ndings of proven assessment measures, research and data.

The second key component to applied behavior analysis is all behavior change procedures are described to the family and implemented with the client in a systematic and technical manner. Behavior analysts are keenly aware of the importance of the family and their role in the child’s develop-ment and success. Parent training is important to successful ABA treat-ment. Thus, treatments are done and described in a manner that allows for parent training. The parent is the child’s fi rst teacher, and the child’s success can very well depend on the support, treatment participation and encouragement received from the parent and the family.

The third key component of ABA is that not all behavior change ap-proaches are ABA. Only evidence-based approaches rooted in the prin-ciples of behavior analysis would be considered ABA. There are children and adults alike who may have been able to receive signifi cant results from other treatment approaches. However, if these approaches are not evidence-based and rooted in the principles of ABA, they are not ABA.

ABA treatment approaches are inclusive of all the behaviors of con-cern, verifi able and based on research. ABA procedures are predictive and allow the behavior analyst and the family to predict how an individ-ual may behave in a similar situation. ABA procedures are also parsimo-nious, meaning that the behavior analyst is going to look for the simplest solution to address the behavior.

Rather than attributing an individual’s behavior to their diagnosis, the behavior analyst is more interested in the unwanted behavior that’s pre-senting. The behavior analyst will identify the variables maintaining the unwanted behavior and will identify and develop a replacement behavior so that the individual can receive the same payoff from the appropriate behavior that they received from the unwanted behavior.

The fourth component to applied behavior analysis is that the focus of the behavior analysts is on socially signifi cant behavior. The behavior analyst and ABA as a fi eld are most interested in bringing about behavior changes that increase the quality of life of the individual and the family. ABA works on the unwanted behaviors in the environment that they oc-cur. ABA is not something done to a client or family; it’s something done with the client and family. I say again, parent training and family involve-ment are paramount to the success of treatment.

The fi nal premises of the defi nition of ABA are improvement and un-derstanding. ABA seeks to make meaningful improvements in families’ lives. ABA also seeks to understand the variables responsible for the im-provement, so that it can be replicated again with other clients or with the same client if that individual begins to demonstrate a previously ad-dressed behavior. By understanding the variables, it allows for the behav-ior analyst to train the family on what exactly is causing the individual to exhibit an unwanted behavior. ABA as a fi eld is cutting-edge and aimed at improving lives.

Sugar Creek Art Center127 S. Pearl St. • Thorntown, IN(765) 436-7105 • www.sugarcreekarts.comemail: [email protected] • volunteer staffed

Culture at the Creek Evenings - 2nd Fridays:September 11th - The Ellette Family Exhibit

Fall Festival September 26 and 27thApple Dumpling Scholarship Sale

October 9th – Rebecca Brody Watercolor exhibit and ARC of Boone Co.

November 13th – New Castle, IN Art League Group

December 11th – Daniel Driggs exhibit and Hoosier Salon Traveling Show

Sugar Creek Event Room and catering from Sweet and Savory is available to book your event this fall. A unique art center

venue for your special occasion. For information call 765 436-

7105 on Thurs., Fri. or Sat. from 11am - 5 pm. Or email at:

[email protected]

BOOK NOW!

B INFORMED

ABA and autismDr. Qusayy Godbolt is the clinical director of the BACA Prep location in Fishers. BACA also has a Zionsville location. Godbolt is a U.S. Army veteran; was the clinical director for the Columbus Organization, where he developed their ABA program; was the clinical director over the Saplings School in Kilkenny, Ireland; and served as an adjunct professor at Austin Peay State University.



B THERE

SeptemberSept. 18-19: Back to the Fifties – Lebanon’s Courthouse Square. The annual festival in its 21st year features one of the Midwest’s best Classic Car Shows along with live music, kids’ area, arts and crafts and great food served all day long. Free admission. Visit fi ftiesfestival.com.

Sept. 19: Rock-n-Roll 5K – Starts at the Witham Family YMCA. Run begins at 9 a.m., Kids’ Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. at the Witham Hospital Pond. Sponsored by the Witham Family YMCA. Visit www.indymca.org/centers/witham/forms-program-guide to register.

Sept. 19: Whitestown Brew Fest – The Whitestown Parks & Recreation Department and In-dianaOnTap.com are hosting the inaugural event from 2 to 6 p.m. on the 6-acre site of the Whites-town Municipal Complex, 6210 S. 700 East, Whitestown, Tickets are $55 VIP and $35 general admission. Visit whitestownbrew-fest.com.

Sept. 19: The Second City Fully Loaded 2015 Comedy Tour – 7:30 p.m. at the Zionsville Per-forming Arts Center, 1000 Mull-berry St., Zionsville. Proceeds to benefi t Musical Instrument Endowment, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Boone County. General seating tickets are $18 in advance and $23 at the door.

Sept. 25-27: Festival of the Turning Leaves, Thorntown – A classic town festival that kicks off with a big parade on Saturday, it offers a variety of activities, entertainers, craft and food vendors, a unique children’s area, museum tours, corn hole tourney, and more. Free admission. Visit www.thorn-townfestival.org.

Sept. 26-27: Lincoln’s Lebanon and Civil War Enactment – Lebanon Memorial Park at the Herr Cabin. This two-day festival featuring a wide range of activities is dedicated to the spirit of the mid-1800s. Events include a visit from one of America’s most beloved presidents, live Civil War battle re-enactments and encamp-ments, pioneer demonstrations, vendors, music and more. Visit http://www.boonecountyhistori-cal.org.

Sept. 26: Boone County Senior Health and Wellness Expo – The senior fair returns from 9 a.m. to noon at the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds, Lebanon. Visit more than 50 vendors, enjoy a variety of entertainment on the Expo stage, participate in the Passport to Health program and enjoy a cup of free soup provided by the Soup Lady. Health screenings and fl u/pneumonia shots offered. Free and open to the public.

OctoberOct. 2: Zionsville Show Choirs with the Purdue Varsity Men’s

Glee Club – 7 p.m. at the Zions-ville Performing Arts Center, 1000 Mulberry St., Zionsville. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Visit www.zvillep-erformingarts.org for more information.

Oct. 3: Hit the Bricks 5K run/3K walk – Starts at 8 a.m. at Zions-ville Community High School.

Oct. 3: Zionsville Fire Department Pancake Breakfast – Fire Station 91, Ford Road, $8.50 for adults, $4.50 for kids, this event is in its 34th year.

Oct. 4: Boone County 4-H Project Fair – 2 to 4 p.m., Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds Farm Bureau Inc. Community Building, 1300 E. CR 100 South, Lebanon.

Oct. 9-10: Ghost Walk – 6 to 10 p.m. SullivanMunce Cultural Center, 225 W. Hawthorne St., Zionsville, a haunted walking tour of Zionsville’s Village.

Oct. 19-23: Zionsville Community Schools, fall break

Oct. 25: Hayrides and Pumpkins Day – 2 to 5 p.m. in Lions Park, Zionsville

Oct. 26-30: Lebanon Community School Corp. and Western Boone County School Corp. fall break

Oct. 29: Boone Village Halloween Party – Zionsville

Oct. 31: Halloween

NovemberNov. 9: Boone County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner and civic banquet, details TBA. Check boonechamber.org for more information.

Nov. 21: Artisan’s Fare – Sullivan-Munce Cultural Center, 225 W. Hawthorne St., with a preview party on Friday, Nov. 20. The fundraising event will feature Indiana’s premier food and drink artisans along with holiday gifts and handcrafted goods.

Nov. 21: Boone County Extension Homemakers Holiday Bazaar – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free admission, door prizes and catered lunch. Featuring a variety of crafts, gifts and decorative items at the Witham Health Services Pavilion and Farm Bureau Inc. Commu-nity Building at the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1300 E. CR 100 South, Lebanon.

Nov. 25-27: Zionsville Community Schools, Thanksgiving break

Nov. 26-27: Lebanon and Western Boone schools, Thanksgiving break

Nov. 27: Thanksgiving

Nov. 28 through December: Christ-mas in the Village – Zionsville, continues throughout the month. Visit http://www.zionsvillecham-ber.org for event information.

Things to see and do in Boone County

b magazine fall 2015

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