ARTSEVENTSTASTE

FROM ‘BIG NASTY’TO BIG BEARCORLISS TALKS B-BALL, FAMILY, NOLAN AND HIS UCA TEAM

GET LUCKY!CONWAY’S ST. PATTY’S DAY AND COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT

B.Y.O.B.P R E M I E R E I S S U E

{BRING YOUR OWN BIB}BARBECUE ‘DONE RIGHT’AT HOG PEN BBQ

UPDATESINGLE

IN THE CITY

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WELCOMEiCONWAYMYCONWAYYOURCONWAY-WHAT DO YOU WANT CONWAY TO BECOME?

iConway – Individuals coming together to discuss, debate, agree, improve, and shape Conway to be the city you where you want to grow, live, work, play, raise a family, contribute.

Who are we? Born in the 70s and 80s. Some call us the Peter Pan generation because we want to delay entering adulthood as long as possible. More video games, fewer neckties and responsibilities, right? We’re also referred to as the Boomerang Generation or the Millennial Generation (or Gen Y).Yes, we’re into the new millennium, social media, texting, and communicating as efficiently & quickly as possible. Gekko called us the Ninja Generation in ‘Wall Street 2’ an acronym for No Income No Job No Assets. Have you heard of the Echo Boom Generation? 80 million babies born from 1982-1995 …what’s referred to as the second Baby Boomer period. Reagan and G.H.W. Bush years, go figure.

Gen Y is trending culturally liberal, with discussion of same-sex marriage and rights to the LGBT community. But, don’t count out the conservative viewpoints of Gen Y; the boom in the number of new churches and abstinence programs speak loudly….just not loudly enough for Hannah Montana and ‘Mean Girls’ Lindsey Lohan to hear.

Welcome to iCon. Our Conway city magazine can be picked up around the first of each month and point out what’s happening in entertainment, politics, dining, local business and things that matter to us. What are we missing?

iCON

REACHINGiCONWAY

From Wikipedia.com

According to the authors’ (William Strauss and Neil Howe) 1997 book, The Fourth Turning, modern history repeats itself every four genera-tions; approximately 80–100 years. The authors of the book mention that the four-cycles always come in the same order.

The first one, the High cycle, occurs when a new order or human expansion is devel-oped, replacing the older one. The next cycle is called the AWAkeNiNg. More spiritual than the previous, this is a time of rebellion against the already established order. The third cycle is known as the Unraveling, when elements of individualism and fragmentation take over so-ciety, developing a troubled era which leads directly to the Fourth Turning, an era of crisis dominating society during which a redefinition of its very structure, goals, and purposes is es-tablished.

each cycle has its archetypes, the four hav-ing the following one defined as: Prophet, No-mad, Hero, and Artist. According to the afore-mentioned book, Millennials (or gen Y, echo Boomers) belong to the Hero category, featur-ing a deep trust in authority and institutions; be-ing somewhat conventional, but still powerful. They grew up during an Unraveling cycle with more protections than the previous generation (gen X). They are heavily dependent on team work, and thus, when they come of age, turn into the heroic team-working young people of a Crisis. in their middle years, they become the energetic, decisive, and strong leaders of a High cycle; and in old age, they become the criticized powerful elders of an Awakening cycle.

Another previous generation that belongs to this category is The greatest generation (1916–1924).

n DepenDing on which census you refer to, the meDian age in conway is 27 or 29.

Email us at icon@thecabin.net or feedback@iconway.net or follow us on facebook and twitter.

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ARTSEVENTSTASTE

FROM ‘BIG NASTY’TO BIG BEARCORLISS TALKS B-BALL, FAMILY, NOLAN AND HIS UCA TEAM

GET LUCKY!CONWAY’S ST. PATTY’S DAY AND COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT

B.Y.O.B.P R E M I E R E I S S U E

{BRING YOUR OWN BIB}BARBECUE ‘DONE RIGHT’AT HOG PEN BBQ

UPDATESINGLE

IN THE CITY

m a r c h / 2 0 1 1 • w w w . i c o n w a y . n e t

ON THE COVERView looking north on Harkrider Street at Hendrix Village roundabout at Winfield Street. Stewart Cole photo.

on the agendavv

favoriteflavorsvv32 Dennis Forte speaks of barbecue with a solemn

reverence. A recipe, perfected after more than 13 years in the business, is his holy script.

But don’t bother asking for it, he and his family and two “very close” friends are not giving it up.

8 ROUNDABOUT: From Mardi Gras to Toad Suck Daze, iCon has you covered with our events calendar. Check out photos from past area events.

gUiTAR HeRO: iCon Magazine talks with area musician, Smokey Emerson on the past, present and future.

NigHT OF THe iMPROVS: An evening with Colin and Brad, former members of the ABC Emmy-nominated “Whose Line is it Anyway.” The duo is planning a family-friendly evening on the campus of UCA.

ON STAge: Who’s playing where. We’ve got the lowdown on area bands and plays, covering Conway’s nightlife.

iCONOMiCS: How many hotel rooms do you think Conway has? How many do you think we’ll have next year? And in a related note, have a guess on how much money is spent on the lottery in Faulkner County?

ON THe MOVe: Our featured series on the future of Conway begins with an interview with Lindsay Grifford, the director of member services for the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and an avid member of Conway business.

iCON TeCH: The skinny on HDTV and which is the better option for you.

APPLe’S NeW ANNOUNCeMeNT: The iPad2 is here, and there’s a reason why you should upgrade.

HUFFiNg iS STiLL A LOCAL CONCeRN: Dangerous in itself, intentional inhaling proves to be a popular gateway drug, and deadly.

iCONSCiOUSNeSS: So you are single? Maybe it’s a blessing. If anything it’s an opportunity to get involved and make a differ-ence.

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MARCH 2011 • PREMIERE ISSUE

localiconvv28 Corliss Williamson was a household name in

Conway before taking charge of the University of Central Arkansas men’s basketball program. His basketball career is long and storied.

STAFF

EDITOR / LORI QUINNCREATIVE DIRECTOR / STEWART COLE

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER / RHONDA OVERBEYGRAPHIC ARTISTS / JAY PRINCE & KELLIE MCANULTY

ADVeRTiSiNg SALeS

JESICA TALBERTBETSEY WILLBANKS

ROBIN RYEDAWN RIVERS

COMMENTS?We want your feedback!

Write to us at feedback@iconway.net.

iCon, Conway City Magazine, is a publicationof the Log Cabin Democrat. All rights reserved. iCon is published monthly, 12 times per year.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toiCon, Conway City Magazine

P.O. Box 969Conway, AR 72033

For subsriber service, please call (501) 327-6621

Unauthorized use of materials contained hereinis strictly prohibited.

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/iconmagazine and Twitter: @iconmagazinewww.iconway.net

iT’S COOL DOWNTOWN: Planning on playing putt-putt in an area down-town restaurant? There’s that and a “Spring Open House.”

FeATUReD ARTiST: James Hayes is making an impression with his unique outlook on glass art. From rings to chandeliers, his work is sure to turn heads.

MiND BeNDeR: Puzzles to challenge your brain.

PURSUiT OF WeLLNeSS: Women are you lacking vitamin-D? Men, do you know the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids?

LAST LOOk: The Halter Building

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MARCH 2011Spring Fling

03.05 {Saturday} Party Through the Decades – Centennial Valley Coun-try Club Events Center, 8pm-midnight. Advance tickets $25 for members and $35 for non-members. For more information call (501) 513-2528.

Rhea Lana’s Opening03.06-03.12 {Sunday} At Conway Expo Center. For more information visit www.conway.rhealana.com.

Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras Celebration03.08 {Tuesday} Centennial Valley Country Club 19th Hole – 8pm – for more information call (501) 513-2528.

Faulkner Board of Realtor’s Lunch and Meeting03.09 {Wednesday} Centennial Valley Country Club Events Center

– 11:30am. For information call (501) 513-2528.

Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet and Meeting

03.10 {Thursday} HPER Center at UCA – 6:30pm. Tickets can be pur-chased at the Chamber.

Conway Young Professionals Post Party03.10 {Thursday} Following the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce banquet, Conway Young Professional’s post party sponsored by ICON will be held at Agora.

Active Parenting of Teens03.10 {Thursday} Cornerstone Bible Church is hosting a class for par-ents of teenagers titled Active Parenting of Teens, by Michael H. Popkin, PhD. The class will last six weeks from 6-8 p.m. beginning Thursday. This

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BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: American Idol winner Kris Allen with wife, Katy.

BARD’S BALL: Mary Ruth Marotte, right, executive director of Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, with actress and director Joey Lauren Adams, a North Little Rock native, at the Bard’s Ball at the Governor’s Mansion benefiting Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.

DVD based, interactive class covers topics of communication, responsibility and discipline (goals of misbehavor and redirect-ing misbehavior). The class is limited to 20 people. Register by contacting Cornerstone Bible Church at 327-2690 or corner-stone@cyberback.com.

Bowl-a-Thon03.11 {Friday} Conway Human Development Center Volunteer Council – 3-5pm – Conway Family Bowl. chdconline.com

Watching Woody Allen Seriously03.12 {Saturday} 1:30-3:30 p.m. University of Central Ar-kansas, Brewer Hegeman Conference Center. “The “Exploring Our World” series continues its collection of seminars, lectures and discussions with Watching Woody Allen Seriously. During this seminar, Dr. Wayne Stengel provides a casual introduction to two of the best, most thought-provoking American movies from director Woody Allen: “Match Point” (2005) and “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona” (2009). Movie-goers will learn how to watch a fllm for pleasure, gain an awareness of film technique and explore the qualities of a “good” movie. The goal of this seminar is to gain an enhanced appreciation for films. This free event is open to casual or avid movie-goers of all ages. High school and college students within Conway and surrounding areas are encouraged to attend. Contact Academic Outreach, www.uca.edu/outreach/world/.

Jeans & Bling03.12 {Saturday} United Way’s Jeans & Bling fundraiser at Centennial Valley Country Club Events Center – 6pm-10pm. Purchase tickets by calling (501) 327-5087 or online at www.unitedwaycentralark.org.

Chase Race03.12 {Saturday} A benefit for Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Conway Animal Shelter. For more information call (501) 514-4370 or visit www.chaserace.org.

Nicholas Sparks03.15 {Tuesday} University of Central Arkansas’s Distinguished Lecture Series will continue with literary sensation Nicholas Sparks at 7:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall. Tickets are available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office: $10 for general public, $5 for University staff and faculty, $5 for students from other colleges and free for students from UCA. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free from anywhere in Arkansas at (866) 810-0012 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.

Children’s Advocacy Alliance03.15 {Tuesday} Join Children’s Advocacy Alliance for dinner

n suBmit an eVentto icon: feeDBacK@iconway.net

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at Larry’s Pizza and a portion of your bill will be donated to the Alliance. 1068 Markham St., Conway.

Senior Golf Play Day03.16 {Wednesday} Centennial Valley Country Club. For more information call (501) 513-2522.

‘Sitting Pretty on St. Patty’s Day’ Auction03.17 {Thursday} UCA Chapter of American Society of Interior Designers. Silent auction of decorative chairs. Fundraiser for UCA Interior Design Department. To be held at SOHO Modern at 2200 Cantrell Road No. 1, Little Rock. From 7-10 p.m. For more information call Lauren Comp-ton, (501) 514-3433.

Free Homebuyer Workshop03.19 {Saturday} Arkansas River Valley Area Council, Inc. is offering a homebuyer education workshop in Conway. It will be held at Faulkner County Library, 1900 Tyler, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The class is overall homebuyer education, cov-ering budget and finance, credit, maintenance and repairs, the real estate process, the lending process and foreclosure prevention. Arkansans who successfully complete a Home-buyer Education Workshop may be eligible to receive up to a $6,000 down payment assistance loan or up to 6% of purchase price in American Dream Down payment Initia-tive (ADDI) funds. To register for the class or for further information contact Shannon Rooke Nuckols, Housing Counselor at (479) 264-1402, or arvachome@yahoo.com.

Bass Tournament03.19 {Saturday} Ozark Health Bass Tournament at 6:30 a.m. Devil’s Fork Park in Greers Ferry. For more information, call (501)745-9486.

Stuck on a Truck Registration03.21 {Monday} Registration begins for 2011 Stuck on a Truck at Toad Suck Daze www.stuckonatruck.com.

SPRING BREAK03.21-03.25 {Monday-Friday} Area schools will be out of class in observance of the spring break holiday.

Daffodil Show03.26 {Saturday} The 49th Arkansas Daffodil Show, Faulkner County Library, 1900 Tyler St., Conway, from 2 to 5

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Joy Weigt, Jacob West and Megan West.

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BARD’S BALL: Kim Williams, Greg Nabholz and Kim Gullic were among those attending and supporting Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre at the Bard’s Ball at the Governor’s Mansion.

BARD’S BALL: Bobby Kelly and Courtney Spradlin at the Bard’s Ball at the Governor’s Mansion to benefit Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre. Kelly is a member of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre board.

BARD’S BALL: Warwick Sabin, publisher of the Oxford American, with Jessica DeLoach, at the Bard’s Ball, benefit-ing Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre. Sabin was featured on the program, identifying Shakespeare passages that could describe the American South.

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p.m. Saturday; Free admission; Open to the public. For more information, call Char Roush, 870-942-7957.

5K Walk/Run for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

03.26 {Saturday} 5 p.m. 522 Dave Creek Parkway, Fairfield Bay, Ark. A 5k Walk/Run race will be held to raise funds for kids battling cancer through the Special Events for St. Jude fundraising program. This event will be held at the Woodland Mead Park. $25 entry in-cludes an event shirt with your requested size. After March 12th entry fee is $30, and your shirt size is not guaranteed. Entry forms are located in the business communities and can be requested at mmills121@artelco.com or (501) 884-5491. Request a participant envelope and ask friends, relatives, neighbors and business associates to donate a specified amount of money.

UCA Purple Circle Mixer03.29 {Tuesday} Centennial Valley Country Club Gallery. 6:30 p.m. For more information call (501) 513-2528.

APRIL 2011Model Railroad Club

04.04 {Monday} The Central AR Model Railroad Club (CAMRC) meets at Whole Hog Cafe at 120 E. Oak St. for a self-pay meal at 5:30 p.m. The club meeting follows at 6. As train hobby-ists involved in all scales of railroading, we participate in the world’s greatest hobby by de-signing, constructing, and demonstrating train layouts in action during family-friendly train open house events held in Conway. We also build community awareness of the railroad history of this area and sponsor educational activities about railroading. Visit our website: www.artrains.org. or call 269-3030.

Hendrix Senior Art Show Opening04.07 {Thursday} 4-6 p.m. Trieschmann Lobby, Hendrix College Campus, 1600 Washing-ton Ave. Admission is free. Contact Department of Art, (501) 450-1423.

Lecture on Judaism and China04.07 {Thursday} 7:30 p.m. Mills Building, Room A, Hendrix College Campus, 1600 Washington Ave. Admission is free. Lecture by Dr. Dan Ben-Canaan, professor of Research and Writing Methodology at Heilongjiang University, School of Western Studies in Harbin, China, and the founder and director of Heilongjiang University’s Sino-Israel Research and Study Center. Contact Crain-Maling Center of Jewish Culture, (501) 450-4598.

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Linsay Webb and Jason Webb.

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UWBie AWARDS: Robert Wright, left, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, received the UWbie for Agency of the Year at the United Way of Central Arkansas annual meeting. Shawn Rea is chairman of the Boys and Girls Club board.

UWBie AWARDS: Receiving UWbies for Outstanding Campaign Coordination for the United Way of Central Arkansas fund drive were, from left, Chris Rimmer and Pat Tarpley, both from Greenbrier Public Schools. Sunny Boudreaux, of Hewlett-Packard, right, received a UWbie for Leadership in Live United.

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Allyson Curry and Bo Bode.

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E-Waste Drive04.08-04.09 {Friday-Saturday} Electronic waste drive 8 a.m.-noon. For more information, contact kim@conwayar-kansas.org.

Omelet Breakfast/Auction/Car Show04.09 {Saturday} Faulkner County Day School 29th An-nual Omelet Breakfast/Silent Auction/Car Show to support the programs and services of the Faulkner County Day School. The breakfast will be from 6:30-11a.m on Satur-day at the Antioch Baptist Church on Amity Road. Tickets may be purchased by calling 329-2164, or from families associated with the Day School. Adult tickets are $6 and tickets for children under 12 are $4. For more information call 329-2164. Persons interested in volunteering should contact Colleen Brock at 329-2164.

Stuck on a Truck Final 2504.18 {Monday} Final 25 contestants and two alternates drawn for 2011 Stuck on a Truck at Toad Suck Daze www.stuckonatruck.com.

Stuck on a Truck04.28 {Thursday} Stuck on a Truck at Toad Suck Daze starts at noon in downtown Conway www.stuckonatruck.com.

Due to the volume of community art happenings, please view the following website for a calendar of all com-munity art events. www.artsinconway.org. In addition, there are numerous events, activities and happenings occurring at the Faulkner County Library. Please visit www.fcl.org for a listing of all these events.

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Wendy Rae and Marietta Cash.

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Vicky Crockett and Payten Crockett.

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BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Abby Southerland, Jennie Strange, Mela-nie Brindley, Marla Hambuchen, Ginger Spradlin, Bryan Turley, Jennifer Turley, Leighann Warriner and Jeff Whitehead.

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Lauren Crymes and Ryan Boswell.

BLACkBiRD ACADeMY MASQUeRADe BALL: Pam James, Amy Ness and Jessica Hargis.

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ICONMUSIC SMOKEY EMERSON

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SMOKEY IS AN UNUSUAL NAME. IS THERE A STORY THERE?It’s my real name. I was born in 1978, and my parents were really young, so they thought it would be pretty original, I guess.

WHICH INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY?I primarily play guitar. I played upright bass in college, and I played saxo-phone when I was a kid in junior high. I also sing and used to be in the orchestra.

ARE YOU IN A BAND OR DO YOU PLAY SOLO MUSIC?Both. I play in Mayday by Midnight, a Top 40 cover band. We play songs everybody knows – 80s, 90s, 2000s pop music. I am also a Little Rock Guitar Quartet member, which is a classical guitar quartet. Most major cities have one now, so we decided to start one up a few months back. I also play in a guitar duo and/or combo that is like a jazz combo called Emerson Pickens with Drew Pickins, a guitarist form Little Rock who I met a couple of years ago at the five year anniversary of the Clinton Library. After we met I sat in with his combo, and we clicked, so we’ve played together quite a lot since then.

I also do a lot of solo work – jazz, classical, and pop. I play at the Village at Hendrix quite a bit and have played at the Symphony Designer House and at Panera Bread. I’ve played at Oak Street Bistro, and I do a lot of work for Conway’s Downtown Partnership. I am also staff guitarist for Restaurant 1620 in Little Rock, which I have done since last year, and I am there most weekends.

WHERE DOES MAYDAY BY MIDNIGHT ROUTINELY PLAY?We play JJs and Gusano’s here in town. We played the United Way Day of Action last year, which I think was the hottest day of the year. We really play any and everywhere, including private events. We did the Downtown Music Series for the Downtown Partnership. No matter where we play, we always tell people we are from Conway.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU PLAY?We played over 170 gigs last year and are already over 20 this year.

HOW DID YOU LEARN YOUR CRAFT?

I started playing guitar when I was 12. My grandfather was a country singer, and when I was very young, he moved out of state and left me a guitar, which sat in the closet for years. When I was 12 my next door neighbor got a guitar for Christmas, so I started playing on his a lot. Then I retrieved mine from the closet and immediately started saving up for an electric guitar. This was all at the same time I was beginning to be interested in music in general. It all came together. I picked things up by ear; I didn’t take lessons growing up other than occasional ones at

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BACKSTAGECOLIN AND BRAD

NIGHT OF THE IMPROVSUCA Public Appearances will host An Evening with Colin Moch-rie and Brad Sherwood on Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. as part of their Night-Out Series. Mochrie and Sherwood are alumni of ABC’s Emmy-nominated “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” which ran from 1998-2006.

Mochrie, a native of Canada, was a member of Toronto’s Sec-ond City, for which he acted and directed. Mochrie also guest starred on The Drew Carey Show and has worked as a voice-over artist, all in addition to his acclaimed work on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

Sherwood earned his BFA in acting, then made the proverbial trek to Hollywood to pursue his craft. He headlined several LA-area comedy clubs, acted on several television shows, including LA Law, and served as a television host.

BY JENNIFER STANLEY

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ICON had the privilege of visiting with Colin Mochrie prior to the duo’s visit to UCA. Our often hilarious ex-change is detailed below:

iCON: You were in Conway in 2004. Tell me about that visit.Mochrie: I remember there was a 2004. I think that was our first show in Arkansas, and we were excited because our plan was to hit every state. As I recall it was a very good audience. I remember that and that I was much funnier than Brad.

iCON: When did you and Brad start An evening with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood?Mochrie: We started in 2002-03 ... and we still have about five states to go before we hit every state.

iCON: How was the idea formed, and how did you make it work, logistically? Mochrie: [Brad and I have] known each other for over 20 years, of course primarily through “Whose Line.” When we were doing “Whose Line,” Drew [Carey] would take us to Vegas over Super Bowl weekend, and we would do a show. It was a lot of fun, but there were 11 or 12 of us, so we didn’t get a great chance to do a lot. Brad had been performing a two-man improv with a friend of his, and he asked me if I wanted to get involved. So we started doing gigs and sort of stream-lined the process; we invented and adapted games for two people, for example. We’ve been doing this for seven years, and we’ve never had a cross word. The show has always been fun to do. We both have the same work ethic toward improv and try to make it as difficult on ourselves as possible, so it’s always fun. It also helps that I enjoy him personally as well as professionally; it’s a good friendship, and I think that translates well onstage.

iCON: What has been your most interesting ven-ue? Mochrie: We did an arena in Texas with 10,000 peo-ple in the audience. Improv tends to work on intimacy. It went very well, despite the setting; the audience was really into it. We performed another show on a stage in the middle of an Indian craft market. We explained to them that we needed the audience to participate; it was bizarre.

iCON: Describe the format of your performance: Mochrie: We like to say it’s sort of a live version of “Whose Line” without the tall guy, the black guy, or the rich guy. It’s mostly games from “Whose Line” with some new and modified ones. The show is even more interactive; audience members are involved for about 80% of the show. It’s basically a wacky free-for-all. Ev-ery game starts with a suggestion from the audience, so get ready!

We like the audience to work at least half as much as we do. If they come up with good scenarios we haven’t

done before, it makes it more difficult in one way and in another way easier because it is something brand new that inspires us, and we can go goofy with it.

iCON: What have been some of the best audience-driven moments from your tour?Mochrie: The unfortunate thing about improv is that your mind is so focused on damage control, you only remember disasters like when the lights go out or the microphones don’t work. We’ve actually had four proposals happen on our stage, which is always nice. They are all still working out. The groom has typically gotten in touch with us through our booking agent, and we’ve worked it into the show. We have to get them on stage and make it happen without it seeming staged. We usually try to get them playing a game and into kneeling position. Thank God all of them have said yes.

iCON: in your experience, how much of improv is god-given talent and how much is practice? Mochrie: For me, it was one of those things that I took to naturally, and I just loved doing it. Which things went wrong, which things didn’t work for me, and what the audience responded to were all things I learned by do-ing. It was there to begin with, which was nice for me, since, again, I don’t like working on anything.

iCON: What do you have going on right now in ad-dition to your tour with Brad? Mochrie: I am working on a show that Drew Carey is developing for GSN; it is an improv sketch comedy show called “Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza.” I was actually just in Vegas filming. It should begin airing in March. Filming was nice; pretty much everyone from “Whose Line” was there, so we all got to reconnect and do improv. This show is like our live Vegas show, only it’s televised. Drew is the host, and he sort of im-provises throughout the thing as well. Everyone takes an active hand in setting up games and introducing people. It is very democratic, only Drew Carey’s name is in the title.

iCON: What has been your funniest random fan interaction?Mochrie: I was in Vegas in a hotel lobby waiting to register for my room, and someone had a fainting spell or a heart attack or something, and the paramedics were wheeling them out. As this was happening, one of the paramedics stopped and asked me for an auto-graph. Shouldn’t he have been worried about the guy on the gurney? I signed quickly.

Of their upcoming visit to Conway, Mochrie says, “We are really looking forward to our visit. The show is to-tally family-friendly. The little ones can come; it is a good family show.”

So prepare your humorous scenarios, and be ready to participate in the fun and hilarity that is sure to ensue.

n aBc’s emmy-nominateD “whose Line is it anyway?” ran from 1998-2006.

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Songs of the American West03.09-03.12 {Wednesday-Saturday} University of Central Arkansas. Songs Unlimited, in collaboration with the University of Central Arkansas, College of Fine Arts & Communication, an-nounces an exciting new International Music Festival. “Songs of the American West” is the third in the Songs Unlimited series of Songs Across the Americas Festivals and includes many fea-tures common to all of those events. A most important feature is the combination of Arts and Humanities to bring this “Living Documentary” to the public. Admission is $20. Single ticket rate for most events. Contact Dr. Kay Kraeft, president, (501) 327-2964, kkraeft@swbell.net, www.songsunlimited.org/saw/.

Chooch and the Sidehill Gougers03.10 {Thursday} Live music by Chooch and the Sidehill Gougers-8:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill and Chill, Downtown Conway.

Mr. Lucky03.11 {Friday} Live music by Mr. Lucky-8:30 pm, JJ’s Grill and Chill, Downtown Conway.

Shotgun Billys03.12 {Saturday} Live music by Shotgun Billys-8:30 pm, JJ’s Grill and Chill, Downtown Conway

‘Bus Stop’03.14 {Monday} UCA Public Appearances Broadway Play Se-ries @ Reynolds Performance Hall – “Bus Stop”. 7 p.m. – for more information visit www.uca.edu/tickets

Anniversary Party03.19 {Saturday} Gusanos 3rd anniversary party. 2915 Dave Ward Drive - (501) 329-1100.

Jocko03.22 {Tuesday} Live music by Jocko-6:00 pm, JJ’s Grill and Chill, Downtown Conway

Jazz and Cuisine Classic of Conway04.02 {Saturday} Agora Events Center, 705 E. Siebenmorgan Road. An evening of live jazz and fine cuisine. Featuring Ar-

kansas’ jazz band, Carl Mouton and The Big Timers. Experience the finest restaurants in Conway, paired with excellent jazz. Complimentary at this year’s classic: valet parking, red carpet entrance and professional photography. On hand are Mike’s Place, Michelangelo’s, Oak St. Bistro, ZaZa’s, O’Henry’s, Pat-ticakes Bakery and more. Visit www.wpwproductions.com for details and tickets. Contact Preston Welborn, (501) 358-1755, preston@wpwproductions.com.

‘Urinetown,’ the Musical04.14-04.15 {Thursday-Friday} 7:30-9:30 p.m. Bridges/Larson Theatre, Snow Fine Arts Center, University of Central Arkansas. Don’t let the title scare you! This Tony-winning Broadway musical is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution. In a time when water is worth its weight in gold, the government has ruled that the public must pay to use the toilets or face banishment to Urinetown. But our hero plans a revolution to lead the town to freedom. Tickets are $10. Contact UCA Ticket Central.

An Evening in the Park - Hendrix Wind Ensemble Spring Concert

04.18 {Monday} 5:30 p.m. Staples Lawn, Hendrix College Campus, 1600 Washington Ave. Admission is free. Contact De-partment of Music, (501) 450-1422.

Hendrix Chamber Players Concert04.24 {Sunday} 7:30 p.m. Reves Recital Hall, Hendrix College Campus, 1600 Washington Ave. Admission is free. Contact De-partment of Music, (501) 450-1249.

Chamber Orchestra Spring Concert04.25 {Monday} 7:30 p.m. Reves Recital Hall, Hendrix College Campus, 1600 Washington Ave. Admission is free. Contact De-partment of Music, (501) 450-1249.

30th Annual Toad Suck Daze04.29-05.01 {Friday-Sunday} Downtown Conway. Admis-sion is free. A three-day festival of food, family and fun held on the streets of downtown Conway, Arkansas. This ‘Laid Back Weekend’ occurs annually the first weekend in May and has something for the entire family: Arts & crafts, “Toadal Kids Zone,” a carnival, local and national entertainment, food, rock wall, petting zoo, “Stuck on a Truck,” 5K/10K, golf tournament, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, magicians and so much more! Toad Suck Daze is also home to “The World Championship Toad

ONSTAGE

Get{ {LuckySaint Patrick’s Day at Gusano’s

03.17 {Thursday} Live music, green drink specials. 2915 Dave Ward Drive - (501) 329-1100.

Mayday by Midnight03.17 {Thursday} Live music by Mayday by Midnight-8:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill and Chill, Downtown Conway.

n suBmit an eVentto icon: feeDBacK@iconway.net

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GET A ROOM!Does the number 1,332 surprise you? When you hear there are 21 hotels in Conway with an average of 60 rooms per hotel, that number is believable. The range* is from 19 rooms at Stacy Hotel to 102 at Howard Johnson’s and 103 at Hilton Garden Inn.

Four hotels that have opened since January 2008 are the Country Inn, Fairfield Inn, LaQuinta Inn and Microtel. Another hotel, a new Holiday Inn Express with 87 rooms is under construction. (The current Holiday Inn Ex-press will be renamed.) A new Holiday Inn with 120 rooms is planned to open in 2012 and will be located on Amity Road on the knoll where the Ward Bus Sales was located. By 2012 there will be 23 hotels with 1,538 rooms available.

The Hilton Garden Inn claims to be the only full service hotel in Conway that includes a restaurant, room service and meeting rooms. Howard Johnson is the only other hotel with a restaurant but does not offer room service.

The seven hotels with rates averaging less than $55 per night are American Best Value Inn, Budget Inn, Continental Motel, Economy Inn, Kings Inn, Motel 6 and Stacy Motel. The Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn Express rates range between $90-$139 per night. The remaining 10 hotels range from $55-$89 per night.

Hotel sales recovered during 2010 from a downturn in 2009. A hotel trade journal proclaims 2009 the worst year in hotel occupancy rates since the great depression. Conway hotel sales in 2009 were down $1.1 million or 6.7% from 2008. The 2010 sales were $17.6 million, up 7.2% over 2009 and just slightly above 2008 sales of $17.5 million.

Several factors make Conway a good climate for hotels. A central location in the state along Interstate 40 and the junction with Highway 65 north is one factor. Having three colleges in Conway significantly impacts the hotel industry. Many regional conferences, competitions and special events are held at the colleges requiring overnight lodging. Baseball, softball and soc-cer fields owned by the city and colleges serve for regional competition and playoffs. The impact of the natural gas exploration industry, with needs for temporary housing of workers and representatives serving the industry, has been significant. Together, these factors have increased the demand for lodging in Conway and have encouraged new hotel construction.

Based on 2010 hotel sales revenues, the best months are March through June, with June being the highest. July through October are also good months, but November through February are the worst, with December be-ing the lowest. There are times that occupancy rate in Conway is at or near 100%, particularly during the peak season when there are special events in Conway. The overall annual occupancy rate is in the 55-65 percent range. While for some weekdays the occupancy may be near 100%, there are days like Sunday evening when the occupancy rate falls below 50%.

The conclusion is that the hotel business in Conway is a healthy, growing in-dustry, and it is essential to the tourism business segment of our economy.

*The three rooms at Ward Mansion Bed and Breakfast are not included in the total.

BY ROGER LEWIS

BYTHENUMBERS

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DEC. 2010 UNEMPLOYMENTuS: 9.4%

ARkANSAS: 7.9%FAuLkNeR cOuNty: 6.8%

cONWAy: 5.8%

DEC. 2010 CONWAY LABOR FORCEeMPLOyeD: 25,462

uNeMPLOyeD: 1,578

DEC. RESTAURANT SALES2010: $12,466,0852009: $11,111,876

ANNUAL RESTAURANT SALES2010: $140,014,5312009: $130,911,970

FAULKNER CO. LOTTERY SALESJANuARy: $1,404,002ANNuAL: $17,237,414

iCONOMICS

n conway Business news: www.fauLKnercountyBusinessJournaL.com

1,332 HOTEL ROOMSIN CONWAY

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Dennis Forte speaks of barbecue with a solemn reverence. A recipe, perfected after more than 13 years in the business, is his holy script. But don’t bother asking for it, he and his family and two “very close” friends are not giving it up.

I can only tell you that it begins with the familiar ingredients: tomato paste, salt, sugar, molasses — and where it goes from there, only the Fortes know. According to Mr. Forte, his smoked meats don’t even need sauce, and conversely, his barbecue sauce doesn’t need meat.

Customers in the small dining area at Hog Pen BBQ on Harkrider Street in Conway often abandon meat for the pure unadulterated consumption of the condiment, not unlike small children.

“Love, love is what is in good barbecue. It takes time and love.”

It’s a family affair in the Hog Pen kitchen, as his wife, children

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take a lot of pride in

cooking our meat. When a person wants

good barbecue, they want good

barbecue. And that’s what

we do.

““

and relatives operate their stations in prepara-tion of the lunch and dinnertime rushes — where an average of 150 people are expected.

“We move a lot of food through here, but one thing I demand is consistency. It’s all consistent, and good,” said Forte.

He describes his sauce as a sweet, tangy barbe-cue, that’s hot but just right. Hog Pen also offers a “Hot” variation laced with habanero peppers, one of the spicier of chili peppers.

“We take a lot of pride in cooking our meat. When a person wants good barbecue, they want good barbecue. And that’s what we do.”

Forte said that money is not his sole motivation, but that the reports from happy, messy custom-ers keep him going.

The Fortes specialize in pork, chicken and beef barbecue, fish, some of the best sweet potato fries you’ll ever eat and all the familiar barbecue accompaniments. Wings are also “done right.”

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-Dennis forte

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1 What degree did you earn at UCA? I earned a Master of Science in College Student Personnel and

Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations.

2 What were your post-collegiate goals? To find a job and pay back student loans! But in all serious-

ness, and as cliche as it sounds, I wanted to make a difference. I knew I wanted to work with people and use my event plan-ning and organizational skills, but I had no clue just how to do that. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I decided to pur-sue a master’s degree in higher education. That experience enabled me to stay at the university, where I had the opportunity to develop and serve college students as the Director of New Student Programs. In September of 2010 I changed career paths and now work for the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce as the Director of Membership Services. This job enables me to carry forward what I love to do, helping and serving others. The position challenges me to work hard to improve our methods of reaching out to members and impacting them and their business.

I have been fortunate to have mentors throughout my life who have guided and nurtured me as a young professional. These people have empowered me, given me self-confidence, and taught me the importance of sacrifice. It is because of people like my mother; my college academic advisor, Dr. Nelle Bedner; and my former employer, Hank Phelps that I am driven and look for purpose in each new endeavor. A huge thanks to them for believing in me.

3 Was staying in Conway a goal? It was never in my original plan to make Conway my permanent home. I actually thought I would

get my degree and move off somewhere. However, after spending my collegiate career at UCA, I grew to love Conway and the people. Collectively, I have lived in Conway for almost 12 years.

4 What do you most like about our city? The people! Conway provides a quaint, small town feel with

the luxuries of retail shopping and dining. Conway excels in the areas of education, parks and recreation, and entertainment,

which is why it’s a premier city to live in and raise a family.

5 What does Director of Member-ship Services position entail?My team and I are responsible for all areas of membership

sales, services, and retention efforts. We also oversee the Membership Services Committee, Conway Young Professionals, Small Business Council, Appreciation Task Force, LEADS Group, and the Ambas-sador program.

6 How does Chamber member-ship benefit businesses in general? Chamber membership allows

businesses the opportunity to network with other business leaders in the community. It also provides avenues for business own-ers to promote their product and/or service to over 1,300 members. The Chamber works to develop economic growth in the community, act as an advocate for busi-nesses in the area of governmental affairs, and supports education.

7 What are some activities/events the Chamber holds?The Chamber is always busy! Our Annual Meeting will be the

next large event, and it takes place on March 10th at the UCA HPER Center.

More than 900 community business leaders will gather to hear remarks by Joe Ford and Scott Ford, formerly of Alltel Communications, who are with West Rock Capital Partners. The Chamber will also host Toad Suck Daze, CEO Luncheons, Taste of Conway, and Business Expo, in addition to many other events.

8 What are your favorite extracur-ricular activities? I love reading. I just finished reading all three books of the

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I also enjoy reading books on leadership. My husband, Nathan, and I are avid lake-go-ers who love water skiing.

9 What are your future plans? Who knows?!? Seven years ago when I finished graduate school, I would have never imagined

myself where I am today. It is funny how life brings about change and new life experiences. I hope that as I develop in my career I can get more involved in the community and give back to those that have given me so much.

LindsayGrifford

NINEQUESTIONS

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Lindsay Grifford moved to Conway from Bald Knob to at-tend the University of Central Arkansas. She and her husband,

Nathan, who will graduate from the University of Arkansas for

Medical Sciences as a Doctor of Pharmacy, still reside in Conway

with their two Westies, Linus and Lucy. Lindsay serves as the

Director of Membership Services for the Conway Area Chamber

of Commerce, and she took time from her busy schedule to an-swer a few questions for Icon.

ONTHEMOVELINDSAY GRIFFORD

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n icon is sponsoring conway young profes-sionaL’s “after party” foLLowing the conway chamBer annuaL meeting on march 10 at agora conference center.

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Corliss Williamson was a household name in Conway be-fore taking charge of the University of Central Arkansas men’s basketball program. His basketball career is long and storied.

He earned championship rings in college and professional basketball. But when his playing days were over, he looked at coaching to keep him on a court. After all, he proclaims basketball is about the only thing he knows.

Residents of Conway and the state were shocked when the University of Central Arkansas named Williamson as its newest addition to the Bears’ coaching staff. And it couldn’t have come any sooner for a program that’s struggled to gain momentum. Williamson’s status among the sport’s elite sparked interest in the local program, which is now celebrating full NCAA Division I status.

And while the Bears are off to a slow start under Wil-liamson’s direction, he hopes to build the team’s reputa-

tion on and off the court. In time, he said he hopes UCA grows into a program that becomes a regular in the NCAA tournament, a high hope even for a player-turned-coach of Williamson’s stature. Hard work and great talent are a coach’s best chance at getting his team to the nation’s most popular tournament, but more often than not, it takes a lot of luck, too.

But it’s a challenge Williamson welcomes with open arms.

Williamson sat down recently with iCon to answer a few questions before a morning practice. Students weren’t back yet for the spring semester, but Williamson and the team were preparing for a road trip to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners.

Practicing for one of the program’s toughest games of the season, Williamson’s eyes rarely left the court during the interview, but he took the time to answer a few questions about himself, his family and his hopes for the future.

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PROVEN CHAMPION

iCON: We know Corliss Williamson the Razorback and NCAA champion. We know Corliss Williamson the professional athlete and NBA champion. But who is Corliss Williamson the UCA men’s basketball coach. Who is Corliss Williamson the hus-band and father?CW: I think he’s a caring person. One who has a big heart. For me, there’s nothing like family — spending time with my wife and my kids. To me, that’s the highlight of life.

As far as being a coach, having the opportunity to mingle with these guys is another thing that I cherish because it kinda puts me back in the frame of being a player again. … But now I’m in a mentorship role rather than a peer role with them. So I get a chance to share my experiences with them and try to help them through some of the obstacles in life that I’ve come across that they might come across.

For me, I’m just a person who loves to give. Whether it’s time, love, advise — whatever it is — I guess you could say that I’m a giving person.

iCON: At various stages in your career, you’ve had to prove yourself. You did it as a college athlete and as an NBA basketball player. Now, you’re doing it as a Divi-sion-i basketball coach. What do you hope to accomplish, and how do you hope to get there?CW: I want Central Arkansas to be one of the next midmajors that pops up on the NCAA tournament screen that people look for every year. I think this school has the potential to really grow and be a school that the kids in the state recognize and consider attending. Right now it’s either the UofA or they want to leave the state if they’re a top-notch player. We gotta get this program to the level where they feel like they can make a name for our state and ourselves here in Central Arkansas. The way to get there is the way we accom-plish anything in life, and that’s to continue to work hard, meet it head-on and continue to bust our tails to get there. That’s the approach I take to coaching — the same approach I take to life.

iCON: You’re a household name in Arkansas. With that popularity comes greater expectations from fans and players. Do you worry that you won’t meet those ex-pectations? CW: I tell people all the time, I approach the coaching the same way I did playing. I don’t feel pressure from anyone else or their expectations because I’m my hardest critic. I ex-pect so much of myself and put more pressure on myself than anybody. So I don’t worry about anyone else and their expectations because I feel like if I can meet my expectations (laugh) then, you know, we’d have a national championship here. To me, though, I really don’t feel pressure other than what I put on myself — to teach these young men how to become men and represent this program in a good light. And if we do that, and we con-tinue to work hard, success will come.

iCON: While a coach has certain expectations of his players on the court, he or she also has expectations of student-athletes off the court. explain what you expect most from your players in their actions in the classroom and in the community.CW: No. 1 is to be engaged. Whether they’re in class, being engaged with discussion or the professor or whether it’s in the community by conducting themselves like gentlemen or taking the time to talk to a little kid and sign an autograph, I expect my guys to take on our coaching staff’s personality. On the court that means being tough and playing hard. Off the court that means caring about your community, helping others and giving of yourself.

iCON: You’ve had a couple of months to settle into your role at UCA. is it what you expected? Have you had any surprises along the way?CW: I thought we would have support from the community, and that’s one of the things we’ve been very pleased with. The response from the community has been great. The people who come out to watch the games — they appreciate the fact that our guys are working hard, they’re trying, they’re learning the system that they’re gonna be a team that fights throughout the game — I think that’s the thing that I’ve really enjoyed the most.

iCON: if i was to go ask your players what your biggest pet-peeve is, what would they tell me?CW: I think they’d say not playing hard or not paying attention.

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Sacramento Kings’ Corliss Williamson, right, and Los Angeles Lakers’ Ronny Turiaf have words during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in 2007.

n Let’s win this game for aLL the smaLL schooLs that neVer haD a chance to get here.

-merLe weBB“hoosiers,” 1986

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iCON: Are they correct?CW: Yeah (laughs), that gets under my skin. If you’re not out there hustling, if you’re not paying attention when I’m talking, especially when I’m explaining something, and then you go out there and make a mistake after I explained that — yeah — that gets under my skin. But, then again, I’m not sure what they might say. You might have to ask a couple of them and then come back and tell me. I want to see. I’d like to hear the consensus on that.

iCON: What about Conway? What are your likes and dislikes?CW: I like Conway. I guess my only dislike is, right now, it’s the commute, you know, getting home late at night and only having an hour or so to spend with my kids before they go to bed. Other than that, we enjoy the time that we spend in Conway, whether it’s at the games or going out to a restaurant, the community has been so supportive. It’s a great community. I’m enjoying it.

iCON: What gives you the most pleasure on the court? CW: The ah-ha factor. You know, when that light bulb goes off in a kid’s head. Especially when it’s something that you’ve been drilling for months trying to teach them, and then all of the sudden that concept clicks — and you can see it happen on the court. It’s a natural reaction. To me, that’s the joy that I get out of the fact when you’re teaching, you see that they’ve learned something. I enjoy that. Dunks, three-pointers — they’re great — fancy moves are good — but to really grasp the concept of basketball and what we’re trying to teach them, to me that’s the biggest thing.

iCON: How about off the court?CW: It’s funny. I don’t really get away from basketball. I love basketball. But my biggest pleasure off the court has to be spending time with my family. Playing video games with my kids or watching a game and them telling me that they’re not playing hard — that’s my biggest pleasure. Spending time with my family and watching my kids do things.

iCON: Do you take your work home with you? At some level, we all do. But is bas-ketball and what’s going on with your responsibilities here, is that ever far from your mind? CW: No, it’s always on your mind; you’re gonna always think about it. But my kids have a great way of taking me away from the court — from basketball and from my work. Just watching them grow, listening to some of the things they say, it gives me a new perspec-tive on things. It’s enough to get you thinking right. If there’s any such thing as a pressure release, for me it’s that. I don’t have to be coach. I don’t have to be Big Nasty. I get to be dad. It’s great. I enjoy that.

iCON: Coming up as a player, who inspired you the most? CW: When I was a player, I always looked up to Charles Barkley and Larry Johnson. Those were two of the players that I tried to emulate. I watched how they played the game and studied how they moved on the court. I worked on that and used it to become my own player but also have parts of their game with me. As a coach, my biggest influence is Coach (Nolan) Richardson. He coached at this level. He had a playing style that was entertaining for the fans and the players. He was successful, won a championship. Coach Richardson has the most influence on my coaching style. Of course, I’ve played for some other great minds in the NBA, and I picked and pulled from each of them, but to look at one coach, or if I could pick two, I’d say Coach Richardson and Pete Carril, who coached at Princeton.

iCON: Do you still talk to Coach Richardson?CW: Yes. I call coach all the time. We probably talk twice a month. I might come across a situation, whether it’s disciplining a player or coming across something I haven’t encoun-tered before, I’ll call him and get his take on how he handled situations. He’s offered plenty of advice. Coach (Mike) Anderson is another person from that Razorback family that I’m able to call up and talk to.(Williamson broke the interview at this point to tell his players, filling in one by one for an afternoon practice, to go ahead and start getting loose.)

Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson puts his arm around coach Nolan Richardson after Arkansas beat Duke 76-72 to win the NCAA Final Four championship game in Charlotte, N.C., in 1994.

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n neVer unDerestimate the heart of a champion.

-ruDy tomJanoVich

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If you’ve been in the market to purchase a new television in the last 3 or 4 years, you’ve noticed that the old traditional tube TV has gone the way of the dinosaur. It wasn’t too long ago that High Definition widescreen televisions were something of a novelty that sat alongside the old tried and trusted standard definition televisions that we grew up with. That’s not the case any longer. If you want to buy a new TV, you’ll be purchasing an HD widescreen version.

The proliferation of HDTVs has come hand-in-hand with the more widespread availability of High Definition content from network and cable channels. Several years ago when HDTV’s became available, there wasn’t much HD content to watch on that expensive new TV, but today, outside of a few cable net-works, nearly everything that’s broadcast is available in HD. Also great news for those new to the HD television market is the

ICONTECHHDTV

THE SKINNY ON HDTV

BY JAMES RYKEN

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n hoLD off on maKing a 3D purchase for a year or two to see how things shaKe out...

consistently low prices for new sets. 40-inch televisions are readily available for $500 or less. I remember not too long ago (and this may date me) paying double that price for a 32-inch standard definition tube TV that weighed around 500 pounds. With the content available everywhere and the low cost of the hardware required to watch it, there’s never been a better time to join the HD club.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into an electron-ics store looking for a TV is that there are many options out there, mostly comprised of confusing combinations of letters and numbers. Each TV model will include the television’s resolution in the name. The resolution is why a High Defini-tion picture looks so good. Currently there are three resolu-tions commonly available, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. A 720p resolution means that the TV includes the progressive scan feature, which provides less pixels and lines than the 1080 formats but is smoother and sharper during programs with a lot of motion, i.e., sports or action movies. The ‘i’ in 1080i stands for interlaced. 1080i sets provide greater lines and pixels than 720p, but can suffer during action-oriented pro-gramming. 1080p is the best of both worlds, combining the greater number of lines and pixels of the 1080 format com-bined with the smoother image that comes with progressive scan. 1080p is the resolution you’ll see most in stores today. While 1080p is the best format, currently very few broad-casters are providing content in that resolution, preferring to broadcast in 720p and 1080i. There are many sources for 1080p content, though, including BluRay players, Play-Station3 games, Xbox 360 games, and Video on Demand sources like DirecTV pay-per-view movies and VUDU.

In addition to the different resolutions available, there are three different TV types that are most prevalent in stores to-day: LCD, LED, and Plasma. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and provides a sharp, vibrant picture. An LED (Light Emitting Diodes) TV uses the same liquid crystal display as LCD TVs but is backlit by Light Emitting Diodes. LED’s

are typically thinner and lighter than their LCD and Plasma counterparts. Plasma uses a much different technology to produce picture, where gases, usually xenon and neon, are excited by electrical pulses, producing images. As a current LCD and Plasma owner, in my opinion plasma outperforms the LCD in terms of contrast ratio and viewing angle. In the early days of HDTV, plasmas had a bad habit of images ‘burning-in’ to the screen. This problem has been corrected over the last several years and only in extreme circumstanc-es can you experience image burn-in (leaving the TV on with something on pause for days at a time).

After you’ve decided on resolution and TV type comes the fun part: “How big will the TV I purchase be?” For standard definition TVs you had to be careful to not buy a TV that was too big for your room, because the closer you got to a stan-dard definition picture, the more pixilated the image became. The resolutions are so much better on today’s HDTVs that you can sit closer to larger screens without seeing distortion caused by pixilation. Amazon.com’s rule of thumb is that you should be comfortable sitting anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches). Translated that means that if you’ll normally be sitting 8 to 10 feet from the screen, a com-fortable TV size would be anywhere from 40 to 70 inches. That’s a big spread. I’d recommend that you just take your personal aesthetic preferences into account when deciding on picture size.

Once you’ve got your new HDTV home, there are a few things that need to be considered when setting your system up to take advantage of the High Definition features. First, the individual components (cable or satellite box, game systems, DVD and BluRay players) need to be set to wi-descreen. If the source components are not setup properly the picture will appear smashed with exaggerated horizontal black bars. Next you’ll want to be sure that correct wires are used to ensure best picture quality. For High Definition content, HDMI or Component cables must be used. Com-

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ponent cables transmit video signals and are red/yellow/blue. Don’t confuse component with composite cables which also contain 3 cables but are red/white/yellow and transmit audio and video but at lower resolutions and are not compatible with HD. If component cables are used, another audio cable must be used for the sound. If the source box is capable, I recommend using HDMI cables. Because HDMI cables transmit both audio and video, they’re great for reducing clutter — as they only require a quarter of the wires that component requires (3 video/1 audio). HDMI also provides slightly higher video integrity than compo-nent cables, although unless you’re a videophile with the highest end equipment the difference really isn’t noticeable.

After the system is set up properly, the only thing left to do is en-sure you have High Definition content available. The easiest and cheapest option for HD content is through your normal over-the -air antenna. As long as you’re close to the transmission station you can pick up your local network broadcasts in HD with your normal rabbit ears TV antenna. Most of us have either cable or satellite TV, though, and the HD options there have really grown over the past two years. Most cable and satellite provid-

ers require that you subscribe to their HD channels or packages in order to receive HD content, though, so be sure to take note of that when reviewing your cable/satellite subscription. BluRay movies are where the HDTV will really shine. BluRay is one of the few native sources of 1080p. They look phenomenal on a 1080p television set. Also, as mentioned above, both the Play-Station3 and Xbox 360 video game systems output 1080p gam-ing content to your television set.

As with anything else in the electronics world, it seems like as soon as you get your new purchase home, something bigger, better and cheaper has come out. In the future we’ll see the screens get lighter and skinnier with the new ultra-thin OLED sets which are available now but very expensive.

There are also many 3D models available, but it remains to be seen if 3D is here to stay or just a fad. I’d hold off on making a 3D purchase for a year or two to see how things shake out as far as content availability and price. But for now, we can all enjoy the sharpest, most vibrant TV pictures that have ever been available this affordably.

Heads up: Be wary of retailers charging exorbitant prices for HDMI cables. You can get the same quality as that $70 cable online for $5.

720pincludes the progressive scan feature, which pro-vides less pixels and lines than the 1080 formats but is smoother and sharper during programs with a lot of motion, i.e., sports or action movies

1080isets provide greater lines and pixels than 720p, but can suffer during action-oriented programming

1080pwhile 1080p is the best format, currently very few broadcasters are providing content in that resolution, preferring to broadcast in 720p and 1080i. There are many sources for 1080p content, though, includ-ing BluRay players, PlayStation3 games, Xbox 360 games, and Video on Demand sources

RESOLUTIONFACTOR

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FIVEREASONS

TO BUY ANIPAD2

1 Faster processorFeaturing the new Dual-core A5 processor, the iPad 2 will be twice as fast as the current iPad -- graphics

should perform 9x faster, says Apple. Despite the more demanding processor performance, the iPad 2 will feature the same 10-hour battery life as the original iPad.

2 Thinner, lighter designIn addition to being 33% thinner — a few millimeters slimmer than the iPhone 4 — the iPad 2 weighs just

1.3 pounds instead of the 1.5-pound iPad original.

3 HDMI outputThe iPad 2 provides HDMI video output with resolu-tion up to 1080p. An extra $39 adaptor needs to be

purchased and allows you to charge your iPad while using.

4 New caseA new Apple cover will also be available. It magnetically grasps the screen to prevent slipping,

automatically wakes/sleeps the iPad, cleans the screen and comes in polyurethane or leather.

5 Updated operating systemWith the release of the iPad 2, Apple will also unveil iOS 4.3 which boasts better Safari performance,

iTunes home sharing, and new preferences for the iPad switch. BONUS: The iPhone 4 will become a personal Wi-Fi hotspot.

ICONGADGETS

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HUFFING: INTENTIONALLY INHALING CHEMICALS TO GET HIGH

BY CANDIE BECK

There are more than 1,400 products which are potentially dangerous when inhaled, such as typewriter correction fluid,

air conditioning coolant, gasoline, propane, felt tip markers, spray paint, air

freshener, butane, cooking spray, paint, and glue.

It has been said that if enough time passes, things that happened before, will happen again. This is true for many addictions, including one that most people put out of their minds as a lesser concern, huffing.

Huffing, or the act of intentionally inhaling chemical vapors to get high is a behavior that most people think is a thing of the past. However, for indi-viduals experimenting with drugs, this is the first step in what could be a life-long habit.

Former prevention consultant, Jim Rhodes explains some of the cycles of drug use.

“Drug use definitely works in cycles,” he said. “People use what they can get access to that is popular at the time. Huffing an inhalant is what is called a gateway drug because most people do it for awhile but end up moving on to something else.

“It is an inexpensive habit to start because most chemicals people use are everyday items that can be purchased at most stores.”

According to the website www.inhalant.org, some products that are used as inhalants include gasoline, nail polish remover, cleaning supplies, paint thinner, correction fluid and many other items that most people already have at home.

Andrea Self, a counselor at Counseling Associates said that most of their clients struggling with addiction have moved on past the beginning stages of using inhalants.“Most of the counselors here do not have to deal with clients using inhal-ants, because most have told us that in the beginning they may have done it, but moved on to something stronger that lasts longer,” she said.

While huffing may be considered a first step, Rhodes believes that most people who do it don’t think they are doing anything wrong because its effects generally wear off relatively quickly.

“I think that some people justify what they are doing because they don’t consider it to be as bad as using other drugs — which is dangerous be-cause they continue to use it and they use more of it,” he said. Some people end up filling their lungs full of whatever they are huffing and don’t realize the consequences it will have on their body long after the high feel-ing is gone.”

According to www.inhalant.org, some physical indicators that someone is huffing inhalants include: sores around the mouth and nose, runny and red eyes or nose, loss of appetite of nausea and chemical or paint stains on fingers and face.

The National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness week is March 20-26, and with increased awareness, those individuals using inhalants or know some-one who does is encouraged to reach out for help.

The National Drug Abuse hotline is an agency that is anonymous and spe-cializes in helping people find assistance locally. For more information call (866) 874-4553.

LOCALSITUATION

DANGEROUS IN ITSELF, STILL A POPULAR GATEWAY DRUG

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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF FAULKNER COUNTY. The group has a well-maintained Re-store on Front Street in Conway. Director Patricia Hoskins is more than willing to put your skill set to use, as there are construction projects, renovations and plenty of organizing to keep you busy.

LIBERTY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. Assistant Chief Suzonne Hopkins let it be known recently that the station on Highway 64 could use some volunteers.

HUMANE SOCIETY OF FAULKNER COUNTY. If you find yourself with any extra time, a needy animal who requires assistance in becoming socialized, will rob you of any of it. The group says that there are more animals in the county than the Humane Society can care for. This situation is actually dire. Check out Companions Thrift and Gift on Washington Street. A HSFC volunteer is there during business hours.

ANIMAL WELFARE UNIT. If welcoming an animal into your singlehood is not for you, volunteer at the Conway Animal Welfare Unit on the Old Morrilton Highway near the city’s Sanitation Department. The more an animal is socialized, the more likely it is to be adopted.

BECOME A REGULAR. Become a regular at a locally owned cafe or coffee shop. This seems like an insignificant ap-proach, but small business owners depend on your dollar.

ARKANSAS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE. Support these people when June comes around. This is a spectacle, and not something most are used to seeing in our young state. Arts enjoyment and culture are delivered to the area on a stage at the University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF FAULKNER COUNTY. With many programs, many facilitators are needed at the BGC facilities. This may require you to build a Lego castle, read a book to a young boy or girl, play a game of HORSE or just be a set of listening ears for an area kid. They also just might teach you how to dance.

BECOME A DO-GOODER. Mow your neighbor who is a single mother’s yard. Weed-eat it, too. And trim those hedges!

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS. Be a big. The office on Deer Street in Conway is the main administrative office, and volunteer inquiry information can be found online at www.bbbsnca.com. Make sure you can pass a criminal background check.

Beyond these, consider exploring the banks of the Arkansas River. Go to Cadron Settlement. Sit on the doc at Beaverfork Lake. Go to a Faulkner County Library program. (They have underwater basket weaving!) Join a running club. Make a goal to find something old and obscure and don’t quit going to flea markets until you find it. Hang out at the Village at Hendrix. Experience “the VFW.” Shop downtown. Find a (legal) spot and start a guerilla garden. Do some manly things if you’re a girl, and some girly things if you’re a man. Expand your mind a little, and learn something about yourself in the process.

If you have the time, commit kindness.

BY COURTNEY SPRADLINICONSCIOUSNESS

SO YOU ARE SINGLE?This is often a loaded question, sometimes posed by the ab-solutely assuming, distant and probably elderly cousin at a re-union. Sometimes it comes from an old high school classmate after an unavoidable run-in at a grocery store.

It often comes with a quizzical look, a slight, almost indiscernible tilt of the head, and if you’re having a really embarrassing day, a reassuring hand on the upper arm. A, you’ll get there someday, my friend, kind of a pat. Don’t rip anyone’s hand out of its well-meaning socket.

If you are anything like me, you’re single, not because of some infraction, not because you were picked last in the universe’s game of kickball, but because, dangitt, you just are.

Have you considered yourself lucky lately? Take a look at the nation and this state’s divorce rates. According to the Divorce Statistics Collection from Americans for Divorce Reform, a group seeking to support cultural and legislative efforts to re-duce divorce, the United States has the highest divorce rate per capita in the world.

If that weren’t enough to weigh you down, consider that Ar-kansas is number two, just behind Nevada, in the country for divorces, according to the Center for Disease Control’s Vital Statistics System.

My hat is off to the successful, operational and even happy mar-ried couples in the area. So, perhaps the real challenge is not

posed to the single person, though often singled out in a crowd, but to the married person. With these considerations, and as your weekend calendars void themselves of friends who have paired off and begun to reproduce, what are you to do?

Play dates, birthday parties, dance lessons, peewee practice and bake sales pour in upon your friends at an alarming rate. Guess what, you are free! I implore you to take advantage of this. Can I offer some naive suggestions that a 26-year-old has come up with as far as time filler?

If you are at all inventive, you will find that Conway and its imme-diate surrounding areas are pregnant with potential, meaningful destinations and projects for the single girl or dude.

n status singLe

marrieD

DiVorceD

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CONSIDER:

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IT’SCOOLDOWNTOWNn for more DetaiLs, Visit Downtownconway.org

This spring, the Merchants of the Conway Downtown Partner-ship will host the first every “Spring Open House” on Sunday, April 3 from 1-5p. This is just a special way the merchants would like to encourage folks to come out and see what all they have for Spring.

Merchants will be holding an event on St. Patrick’s Day, called Putt Around Downtown. This event will take place at participating merchants and restaurants alike. Participants will purchase a golf ball (proceeds will go to funding streetscap-ing in Downtown Conway), then they will walk from store to restaurant, playing a different putt putt course at each store. There will be instant prizes at the participating merchants and then an overall prize winner for the best score card. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting and fun event!

WHAT’S

NEWIN DOWNTOWNCONWAY?

PUTTAROUNDDOWNTOWN

SPRINGOPENHOUSE

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n artist James hayes / chanDeLier / gLass art

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n artist James hayes / chanDeLier / gLass art

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Iuse nature, chance and my emotions as inspiration for my art glass. My art is playful, adventurous, colorful and distinctive. When I make something I always begin with the end in mind. However, during the glassmaking process the design can change.

-JAMES HAYES

“ “

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James Hayes is a glassmaker whose chandelier in Hendrix College’s Student and Technology Center wows students and alums on a daily basis.

The 220-piece sculpture took Hayes four hours to install, one piece at a time, and was the center of attention when the new building opened in 2010.

Offered for sale now at the Village Book Store at the Village at Hendrix are vases, bowls, ornaments, earrings, rings, birds, hearts and stars, bottle stoppers, key chains and pendants. Prices range from $20-100.

He’ll bring more items for his visit in store, said Dee Dee Allen, bookstore manager.

Hayes graduated from Hendrix in 1988 with a degree in art, but he didn’t know what to do with that until he took a class in glass-blowing at the Arkansas Arts Center. He was on his way.

Hayes studied glassblowing in Murano, Italy; Columbus, Ohio; and the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, Wash.

A rustic dairy farm on Ridgeway Road outside of Pine Bluff, his home town, is the setting for his studio, once the milking room. It is a welcoming place for visitors and art collectors hooked on his work.

Among his many honors, Hayes received the Hendrix Odyssey Medal in Artistic Creativity for the 2006-07 year, the White House has invited him to create a Christmas ornament for display and he was chosen to design the 2001 Governor’s Art Awards for the Arkansas Arts Council.

Hayes says of his work, “I use nature, chance and my emotions as inspiration for my art glass. My art is playful, adventurous, colorful and distinctive.

“When I make something I always begin with the end in mind. However, during the glassmaking process the design can change or happy little accidents can occur.”

His fans benefit from those “happy little accidents.”

For more information about the James Hayes Art Glass Co. in Pine Bluff, go to www.hayesartglass.com

THE ART OF GLASS

CITYART JAMES HAYESBY BECKY HARRIS

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When I make something I always begin with the end in mind. However, during the glassmaking process the design can change or happy little accidents can occur.

“ “

iCON: Did you always know you were going to be a bas-ketball player?CW: I played basketball for the first time in the second-grade. I just always seemed like it was natural. I was always the tall-est. It just seemed like a natural progression for me. I talk about a lot of the kids these days, they really don’t love the game; a lot of them like it. There’s a big difference. For me, I loved the game, so I was always playing. I always had posters in my room — anything that related to basketball, I wanted to be a part of or wanted to have it. I developed a love for basket-ball at an early age, and I haven’t looked back.

iCON: if you hadn’t been gifted with the talents you ap-plied to basketball, where would you be? What would you be doing? What could you see yourself doing other than something related to basketball?CW: Wow. I don’t know. I really don’t. I just love basketball. But I could see myself possibly doing something that serves others. In what field, I’m not sure. But to help someone else, that’s a blessing to be able to do. I could definitely see myself doing something that helps others. But, basketball, I can’t see life without it. (laughter) It’d be hard.

iCON: Do you have a motto or is there something you look back on when faced with a difficult challenge? CW: The first challenge that I really faced was at Arkansas my freshman year when I broke my foot. That was the first time that I had an injury that I had to sit out games.

It kept going from four weeks, and then it was next week, and next week. It was very trying for me mentally. It was tough for me to sit there freshman year and watch all those games, but I think it helped me mentally as far as how to deal with that type of adversity. My faith grew. It was a learning point for me.

iCON: What’s one thing about you that even people who know you well probably wouldn’t know about you? Maybe it’s a hobby or an interest outside of basketball. What’s something that might surprise them?CW: I don’t have any interests outside of basketball. (laughter) I’m sorry. I’m trying to think of something, really. (laughter) I probably sound boring or something. But, hmm. I think they know I’m moody. They know I don’t like to talk a lot. (laughter) Maybe, it’s the fact that I still love cartoons and animation.

iCON: My co-workers wouldn’t let me not ask you this.: Do any of your players or co-workers call you Big Nasty?CW: Yeah. Not the players. But some of the staff, especially (UCA Associate Head) Coach (Clarence) Finley. He was the one who gave me the nickname when I was 13. He’ll still use it.

iCON: Why did he give you that nickname?CW: It’s just how he wanted me to play on the court. He want-ed me to be big and nasty inside, and my teammates picked up on it and called me Big Nasty.

And then Dick Vitale burst it out on television, and now every-body knows me as Big Nasty. That’s how it happened.

46

summer camp. I grew up in a small Oklahoma town, where there were some older guitar players in the same town I lived in who I learned from.

I would say my early education was very informal. I was in band and choir for most of school. When I was a senior in high school, I thought I was going to move off to Seattle and become a musician and didn’t have much of a plan. I had applied for a scholarship as a sophomore. A couple of years later, the school counselor called me in and said, “Hey, do you remember that scholarship, well, you got it.”

School was paid for, so I decided to go. Southwestern Oklaho-ma State is where I really received my first formal training and lessons. I earned a bachelor’s in music there in Weatherford, Okla., the windiest place in the world. It was a good first step for me. I left there and went to The University of Oklahoma for my Master’s, which is also in music.

WHAT IS YOUR DAY JOB?I came to Conway in 2003 to teach at Central Baptist College and started teaching lessons at UCA’s Community School of

Music in 2004, then started teaching classes at UCA in 2005. I teach guitar at UCA and some music appreciation classes as needed. I also teach private guitar lessons and direct the UCA guitar ensemble. I still teach lessons at the Community School for some students, and they get some stage time at Toad Suck Daze each year.

ARE YOU MARRIED WITH CHILDREN?Yes, I have a wonderful wife, Audra, and we have four chil-dren. Sean is 13 and plays guitar. He is pretty casual with it for now and likes to play rock music and play in the school talent shows. Autumn is seven and takes piano lessons. Chloe is five and is studying violin, and Fallon is 3 and doesn’t play an instrument ... yet.

ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?In 2009 I started the Conway Guitar Guild. We are a non-profit, community guitar group that meets the first Sunday of every month at the Faulkner County Library. It’s open to anyone — you don’t have to be a guitar player. There are no membership fees. We have workshops and a guitar orchestra. We will perform from time to time, we promote concerts and we do the requisite fundraising and sponsorships.

Also, if it is needed music, we can do it. I am a one-stop shop for weddings, for example. I can do the ceremony, then the combo or the band can play the reception. I love the chal-lenge of helping people entertain their crowd in the way they want to.

I am also involved with a couple of summer camps. The Com-munity School of Music’s Rock Camp offers band clinics and workshops for guitar, bass, drums and vocals. There are per-formances every day, and there is a concert at the end of the week. I will also be directing a camp at the Clinton Library that goes along with an exhibit dealing with music this summer.

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Smokey iS an unuSual name. iS there a Story there?it’s my real name. i was born in 1978, and my parents were really young, so they thought it would be pretty original, i guess.

Which inStrumentS do you play?i primarily play guitar. i played upright bass in college, and i played saxo-phone when i was a kid in junior high. i also sing and used to be in the orchestra.

are you in a band or do you play Solo muSic?both. i play in mayday by midnight, a top 40 cover band. We play songs everybody knows – 80s, 90s, 2000s pop music. i am also a little rock Guitar Quartet member, which is a classical guitar quartet. most major cities have one now, so we decided to start one up a few months back. i also play in a guitar duo and/or combo that is like a jazz combo called emerson pickens with drew pickins, a guitarist form little rock who i met a couple of years ago at the five year anniversary of the clinton library. after we met i sat in with his combo, and we clicked, so we’ve played together quite a lot since then.

i also do a lot of solo work – jazz, classical, and pop. i play at the Village at hendrix quite a bit and have played at the Symphony designer house and at panera bread. i’ve played at oak Street bistro, and i do a lot of work for conway’s downtown partnership. i am also staff guitarist for restaurant 1620 in little rock, which i have done since last year, and i am there most weekends.

Where doeS mayday by midniGht routinely play?We play JJs and Gusano’s here in town. We played the united Way day of action last year, which i think was the hottest day of the year. We really play any and everywhere, including private events. We did the downtown music Series for the downtown partnership. no matter where we play, we always tell people we are from conway.

hoW often do you play?We played over 170 gigs last year and are already over 20 this year.

hoW did you learn your craft?

i started playing guitar when i was 12. my grandfather was a country singer, and when i was very young, he moved out of state and left me a guitar, which sat in the closet for years. When i was 12 my next door neighbor got a guitar for christmas, so i started playing on his a lot. then i retrieved mine from the closet and immediately started saving up for an electric guitar. this was all at the same time i was beginning to be interested in music in general. it all came together. i picked things up by ear; i didn’t take lessons growing up other than occasional ones at

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CONTiNUeD FROM PAge 17

ICON: We know Corliss Williamson the Razorback and NCAA champion. We know Corliss Williamson the professional athlete and NBA champion. But who is Corliss Williamson the UCA men’s basketball coach. Who is Corliss Williamson the hus-band and father?CW: I think he’s a caring person. One who has a big heart. For me, there’s nothing like family — spending time with my wife and my kids. To me, that’s the highlight of life.

As far as being a coach, having the opportunity to mingle with these guys is another thing that I cherish because it kinda puts me back in the frame of being a player again. … But now I’m in a mentorship role rather than a peer role with them. So I get a chance to share my experiences with them and try to help them through some of the obstacles in life that I’ve come across that they might come across.

For me, I’m just a person who loves to give. Whether it’s time, love, advise — whatever it is — I guess you could say that I’m a giving person.

ICON: At various stages in your career, you’ve had to prove yourself. You did it as a college athlete and as an NBA basketball player. Now, you’re doing it as a Divi-sion-I basketball coach. What do you hope to accomplish, and how do you hope to get there?CW: I want Central Arkansas to be one of the next midmajors that pops up on the NCAA tournament screen that people look for every year. I think this school has the potential to really grow and be a school that the kids in the state recognize and consider attending. Right now it’s either the UofA or they want to leave the state if they’re a top-notch player. We gotta get this program to the level where they feel like they can make a name for our state and ourselves here in Central Arkansas. The way to get there is the way we accom-plish anything in life, and that’s to continue to work hard, meet it head-on and continue to bust our tails to get there. That’s the approach I take to coaching — the same approach I take to life.

ICON: You’re a household name in Arkansas. With that popularity comes greater expectations from fans and players. Do you worry that you won’t meet those ex-pectations? CW: I tell people all the time, I approach the coaching the same way I did playing. I don’t feel pressure from anyone else or their expectations because I’m my hardest critic. I ex-pect so much of myself and put more pressure on myself than anybody. So I don’t worry about anyone else and their expectations because I feel like if I can meet my expectations (laugh) then, you know, we’d have a national championship here. To me, though, I really don’t feel pressure other than what I put on myself — to teach these young men how to become men and represent this program in a good light. And if we do that, and we con-tinue to work hard, success will come.

ICON: While a coach has certain expectations of his players on the court, he or she also has expectations of student-athletes off the court. Explain what you expect most from your players in their actions in the classroom and in the community.CW: No. 1 is to be engaged. Whether they’re in class, being engaged with discussion or the professor or whether it’s in the community by conducting themselves like gentlemen or taking the time to talk to a little kid and sign an autograph, I expect my guys to take on our coaching staff’s personality. On the court that means being tough and playing hard. Off the court that means caring about your community, helping others and giving of yourself.

ICON: You’ve had a couple of months to settle into your role at UCA. Is it what you expected? Have you had any surprises along the way?CW: I thought we would have support from the community, and that’s one of the things we’ve been very pleased with. The response from the community has been great. The people who come out to watch the games — they appreciate the fact that our guys are working hard, they’re trying, they’re learning the system that they’re gonna be a team that fights throughout the game — I think that’s the thing that I’ve really enjoyed the most.

ICON: If I was to go ask your players what your biggest pet-peeve is, what would they tell me?CW: I think they’d say not playing hard or not paying attention.

28 29

Corliss Williamson was a household name in Conway be-fore taking charge of the University of Central Arkansas men’s basketball program. His basketball career is long and storied.

He earned championship rings in college and professional basketball. But when his playing days were over, he looked at coaching to keep him on a court. After all, he proclaims basketball is about the only thing he knows.

Residents of Conway and the state were shocked when the University of Central Arkansas named Williamson as its newest addition to the Bears’ coaching staff. And it couldn’t have come any sooner for a program that’s struggled to gain momentum. Williamson’s status among the sport’s elite sparked interest in the local program, which is now celebrating full NCAA Division I status.

And while the Bears are off to a slow start under Wil-liamson’s direction, he hopes to build the team’s reputa-

tion on and off the court. In time, he said he hopes UCA grows into a program that becomes a regular in the NCAA tournament, a high hope even for a player-turned-coach of Williamson’s stature. Hard work and great talent are a coach’s best chance at getting his team to the nation’s most popular tournament, but more often than not, it takes a lot of luck, too.

But it’s a challenge Williamson welcomes with open arms.

Williamson sat down recently with iCon to answer a few questions before a morning practice. Students weren’t back yet for the spring semester, but Williamson and the team were preparing for a road trip to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners.

Practicing for one of the program’s toughest games of the season, Williamson’s eyes rarely left the court during the interview, but he took the time to answer a few questions about himself, his family and his hopes for the future.

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BY WAYLON HARRISLOCALICONCORLISS WILLIAMSON

PROVEN CHAMPIONSacramento Kings’ Corliss Williamson, right, and Los Angeles Lakers’ Ronny Turiaf have words during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in 2007.

n LET’S WIN THIS GAME FOR ALL THE SMALL SCHOOLS THAT NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO GET HERE.

-MERLE WEBB“HOOSIERS,” 1986

CONTiNUeD FROM PAge 28

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PURSUITOFWELLNESS

VITAMIN D DOES YOUR BODY GOODLadies, some of you may not know this, but most of you are not getting enough vitamin D in your diets. In fact, many women are D-deficient. It is an essential nutrient for our skin, bones, and fights off everything from depression to cancer.

There was a time when all women needed was 600 IU’s of vitamin D a day. Since then, the amount women need has increased to 1,000 to 2,000 IU’s daily. Think about this: vitamin D may help cut your risk for disease and also help regulate cellular growth.

Vitamin D tries to even out any abnormal cells that may be present. Those who have a higher level of vitamin D will, in general, have a lower death rate.

Not only does it help reduce the risk for cancer, but it also assists with auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and lupus. Of course let’s not forget about our bones, ladies!

Osteoporosis is an issue for women as we age, and we’ve always had calcium, calcium, calcium engraved into our heads.

In fact, did you know that vitamin D is essential for good bone health? It’s what promotes the calcium absorption to help defend against the onset of osteoporosis.

Therefore, the intake of vitamin D is just as important as your intake of calcium. It also helps to regulate blood pressure as it helps to fight against heart disease and also has mood-regulating powers to help fight against depression.

It is by far the ultimate defense in keeping your body well physically, emotionally, and mentally.

— Crystal Wheeler is a certified trainer and Head Trainer with Next Level Fitness Professionals

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In our society the fear of fat consumption in food is preva-lent. And for good reason, However, I’m not talking about saturated fat, which can lead to the build-up of plaque in the arteries.

I’m talking about Omega 3 fatty acids which have a wide range of benefits. Omega 3 fatty acids are known as es-sential fatty acids, they are not present in the human body but must be consumed through foods and dietary supple-ments.

One of the major proven health benefits of Omega 3 con-sumption is in the treatment of heart disease and problems that can arise from heart disease. This finding has been backed by the FDA and the American College of Cardiol-ogy.

Adequate Omega 3 consumption also has many other im-portant benefits such as building of lean muscle tissue, the decrease in joint inflamation and the decrease in choles-terol and high blood pressure.

Omega 3 fatty acid consumption has also been shown to combat depression by helping the nerve cells communicate with each other, which is vital in good mental heath.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences suggested that male teenagers and men con-

sume 1.6 grams of Omega 3 per day. This can be easily achieved by adding any of the two foods below:

• walnuts• flax seeds• salmon• cabbage• broccli• and even rasperries to name a few

Adequate in Omega 3 is a vital component in good overall health. This aspect of nutrition is very important and should not be over looked.

— Henry Briscoe is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with a Master’s in Sport Science.

He is 2007 National Strength Conditioning Coach of the Year and a trainer to professional boxers

VITAMIN D DOES YOUR BODY GOOD

OMEGA 3 = GOOD OVERALL HEALTH

50

LASTLOOK

Every day as I come to work I look up at this old building and am reminded of all the wonderful people that worked here doing their own part to make this town so special. Downtown has always been the hub of Conway, and the Halter Building has always been the hub of downtown. My own family has been a part of this building for over 92 years and it is certainly a sentimental landmark in my heart. It is truly the most beautiful building I have ever seen.

-FLETCHER SMITH III

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The Halter Building at the corner of Front and Oak streets (Toad Suck Square) in Downtown Conway was completely renovated in 2007 by Tom and Chris Seay of Seayco Group, Bentonville, Ark. at the cost of $2.5 million. See complete renovation story in the Log Cabin Democrat online archives at www.thecabin.net.