“Just Roll with It” Serving up Recipes and Humor
By Sheri Hopkins, Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! I love this weather, and I’ve already got the Halloween blow-ups out! I’ve stocked up with eight cases of cotton candy, Airheads, Sour Punch Straws, Fun Dip, and Ring Pops — I’m ready for all the little trick-or-treaters! I can’t wait. I’ve always loved Halloween. I used to dress up and take my nephews, Michael and Jason, and their sister, Kelly. We had so much fun. Back in the old days, you could give kids popcorn balls, brownies, apples, cookies — all the homemade goodies.
I’ve told y’all before about the time we went to a house that gave us a treat wrapped in tin foil. We couldn’t wait to get home because we just knew it had a brownie in it. Well… we were wrong! When we unwrapped it, it was cornbread. Boy, were we disappointed! The older me would be tickled for a piece of cornbread now.
Y’all know about my weird son, Jacob — the one who wouldn’t take his father’s ashes to Alaska. He never liked Halloween. I mean, I’ve loved Halloween my whole life, and he’s never liked it! I’d get him the best costumes, and he wouldn’t go trick-or-treating. I’d drag him to houses, but I finally gave up — it wasn’t worth the fight. He’d throw a fit and refuse to go. If he hadn’t been the only baby in the nursery when he was born, I’d think he was switched at birth! He was born in a tiny hospital in Mena, Arkansas. He was the only baby there, and they even hired a nurse to come in just to take care of him. You sure don’t get that kind of treatment nowadays! But that’s a whole other story.
Back when I was young, we had a wonderful childhood. My siblings and I have so many good memories. I still remember all our appliances came from Sears — the fridge was gold, the washer and dryer were gold, and then there was that big old Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner. Honey, that thing was an albatross! It had those bags inside it, and my mother refused to get an upright because you couldn’t vacuum under beds or furniture with one. One of our chores was vacuuming and dusting, and I hated both. Dragging that heavy vacuum from room to room was awful. I think that’s why I hate vacuuming to this day — it’s my mother’s fault for having that big thing! I’m not sure I even know how to run a vacuum… just kidding, but I still don’t like to!
It’s been a busy week for me, but I’ll have more stories next week. I’ll leave y’all with one of my Aunt Royce’s sayings they found after she passed: “Gossip is like mud thrown against a clean wall — it may not stick, but it will leave its mark.” Have a wonderful week!
CAKE MIX BANANA BREAD
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3-5 mashed ripe bananas (they must be ripe)
1 cup chopped nuts.
Preheat the oven to 350-degree, grease two loaf pans. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended and then stir in the nuts and then divide between the two loaf pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool and remove from the pan. I always wrap my bread in Saran Wrap. If you are going to freeze, wrap in saran wrap and foil. You can substitute the yellow cake mix for a spice cake mix or a banana cake mix.
Free deer tags available for youth deer hunters
By Randy Zellers
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’s first youth deer hunt of the 2025-26 hunting season is Nov. 1-2, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is reminding all hunters to update their mobile app and download their youth hunter’s free deer tags to ensure an enjoyable hunt and smooth game-checking experience after the shot.
“Youth deer hunters need to have their own tags and account at agfc.com, and the process is pretty straightforward through the website or the mobile app,” Kyle Curry, an assistant chief of the AGFC’s Information Technology division. “You can also go to a license dealer and make sure their licenses and tags are up-to-date, but it’s easy to do online yourself. The biggest place where people get hung up is if they are trying to get the tags through the adult’s account. The youth tags will not show up as an option unless you’re logged in under the youth’s account.”
- Visit www.agfc.com and click “Get a License” on the top right-hand corner of the website and choose the Resident Youth Deer Tags (#YDT) or Nonresident Youth Deer Tags (#YDTN), depending on your residency. Both options are free.
- Click the prompt to “Buy Now,” and you will be asked to log in using your youth’s login information. If your youth hunter does not already have an account from previous years, you will need to create an account for them.
- Youth licensing options only appear under youth accounts, so if your youth hunter already has an account from previous years, be sure to sign in under their account. If you’ve never set up an account for your new hunter, click the “Create an Account” button to set them up.
Smartphone users can also link their youth hunter’s account to their profile in the AGFC app.
- Log in to the app using your account and click the profile button (the circle in the top right corner with your initials in it).
- Click “Profiles and Users.” Click “Manage Linked Users,” then click “Link a User.”
- Search for your youth’s customer profile using the prompts on-screen. When you have confirmed the account found is correct, click “Connect as Guardian.”
- You may now switch between your account and the youth account to procure tags, apply for special hunts, and check deer and other game.
Youths must check harvested deer just like adults. They may use the mobile app, www.agfc.com or call 833-289-2469 to check their deer at the location of harvest. If their deer remains within their immediate vicinity until it is home, it does not need to be tagged with a physical tag. If you are unable to immediately check your deer through one of the three options (app, website or phone), you must place a temporary physical tag on the deer indicating the hunter’s name, customer identification number, date, time, zone or WMA of harvest and the method they used. This paper tag must stay with the deer until it is checked. Hunters have 12 hours after the time of harvest to check their deer.
Hunters must be 6 to 15 years old to participate in Arkansas’s youth deer hunts. In addition to deer tags, a youth who has not yet passed their Hunter Education course must be in the direct supervision (within arm’s reach) of a licensed mentor. The mentor may call or rattle for the youth and assist in game recovery, but may not take any direct hunting action, such as aiming or firing the firearm. Mentors may not hunt other game species while accompanying the youth hunter.
Youths who have passed Hunter Education may legally hunt without a mentor at their parent’s or guardian’s discretion.
Visit www.agfc.com/deer to learn more about deer hunting in Arkansas.
State Capitol Week in Review From Senator Terry Rice
LITTLE ROCK – Total revenue for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery increased by $9.1 million in the last year, boosted by the Powerball jackpot that reached $1.8 billion in early September 2025. Since 2009, The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has provided over $1.5 billion in scholarship money to Arkansas students. More than 822,000 college scholarships have been distributed by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Overall, the lottery has awarded more than $5.5 billion in prizes to lottery winners, more than $459 million in commissions to the lottery’s retailers that sell tickets and contributed over $188 million in state and federal taxes over the past 16 years.
The Arkansas Legislative Council’s Lottery Oversight Subcommittee recently agreed to extend two major contracts with vendors, Intralot and Scientific Games, both for an additional 10 years. Department of Finance and Administration Secretary, Jim Hudson and Lottery Director, Sharon Strong, both agreed the lottery was able to secure better deals by negotiating the contracts with the existing vendors than by requesting proposals. According to Hudson, “the value of the contracts going forward, the improvements, the economic concessions coming back to the state (is) about $50 million.” They were able to leverage the buying power of the lottery to pay less and double the number of vending machines. The technology will also be modernized on older lottery vending machines and they will be upgraded to take debit cards, whereas in the past, the machines were only able to accept cash.
The lottery director confirmed September 2025 was the largest month of net proceeds in the history of the lottery. $10.5 million dollars went into the lottery’s net proceeds account; a 58.5% increase from year over year, 30.7% better than budgeted. Also, in September the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery transferred $48 million, one of the largest transfers, from the Arkansas lottery scholarship trust fund to the state Division of Higher Education.
The Assistant Director of Finance for Higher Education gave an update on the lottery scholarship finances. The Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship for fall 2025 was awarded to 27,140 students with over $99 million dollars in scholarship funds; $35 million of that was distributed to 11,836 first year students. This year marks the first time freshman students have benefitted in an adjusted increase from $1,000 to $2,000 for the academic year. The increase was just one of many enhancements of ACCESS, the Governor’s higher education reform bill of 2025.
ACCESS also created additional scholarship money available for lower income students known as the Academic Challenge PLUS Scholarship. It is a need-based award for students who qualify for the regular Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship. Income levels are based on the Student Aid Index (SAI), a number determined by the Department of Education after a student submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFA). The scholarship award can range from $500 to $2,500 per semester if the student qualifies and is dependent on the type of institution they attend. This need-based scholarship has assisted 10,313 students with over $19.7 million in 2025.
Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Week 8
The week a lot of us have been waiting for. Week 8. Now that the ho-hum part of the schedule is out of the way for several schools, no we get into the nitty gritty of playoff seeding. Teams with nothing to lose and could very well shake up the playoff picture. There are great matchups this week and they definitely make a case for the Stone Cold Lock of The Week. Bentonville hosts Rogers in what will be for the 7A West Championship, but that did not make the cut on our ten games to see.
Then there is the 3A-1 Conference. In the top spot sits Mansfield, the Tigers devouring teams in their path to prove they are not just Bonneville’s Little Brother or a carbon copy of Booneville. Charleston, with only one loss to Mansfield, has been that reliable car in the garage. A QB here, a blue-collar defense there and they are just as good as your grandpa’s old Chevy or Ford pickup. They start; they go and do not stop until they reach the Playoffs. Then there is Booneville. Big, brash, and unforgiving like a factory, a football factory. Sure, that annoying neighbor down the road gets the headlines for being Title Town, but for the Bearcat faithful they will let you know they have state championship rings and trophies they polish as well.
Some say… the kids in this three-way battle were born under the Friday night lights, that they could read a defense before they were in pre-school or Kindergarten.
All we know is… the next two weeks decide everything in the 3A-1 conference.
Stone Cold Lock Of The Week
Mansfield vs Booneville
So how big is this game? The surging Mansfield Tigers beat Booneville last year in Mansfield for the first time since 1980. One thing that has not happened since 1949 was a Mansfield Tiger win in Booneville, according to records on ghsfha.org. If Van Buren thought they had tall task going to Greenwood Thursday night, Mansfield traveling to Booneville to not only win but get back-to-back victories is Mt. Everest. Now, records and semantics aside, Mansfield is extremely good this season. They have been able to open the offense more with passing and their offensive and defensive lines are stout. But so are Booneville’s twin college-bound bulldozers Sam Hicks and Jeremiah Shaw. Who have been giving defensive lines fits. With the forecasted rain and both programs with excellent running games, this will be closer to a defensive battle and who can manage the clock better. Turnovers were an issue for Booneville earlier in the season and I am sure Doc Crowley hopes that issue stays in the past.
The Rest
Van Buren vs Greenwood
As mentioned above there are some tall tasks in local high school football. Van Buren is on a run that has not happened since their State Championship in 1996. The Pointers are very improved on the year and roll into Greenwood 4-0 in conference, but those wins have come against the bottom half of the 6A West. They have the top half of the conference left starting with Greenwood, then Mountain Home, and finishing with Shiloh Christian. This is a Pointer team that could make it tough for those three teams. The worst-case scenario is they finish 4th in conference and still host a home play-off game. Greenwood returned Senior receiver Champ Davis to the line-up last week where he caught one of five touchdowns form Kane Archer in a win against Lake Hamilton.
Charleston vs Cedarville
Charleston scores as many points as they want in this game. Next week they could be going for 1st through 3rd in conference depending on the outcome of Mansfield vs Booneville.
Lavaca vs Hackett
This is battle for the fourth seed in the conference. Hackett went through the top three gauntlet, while Lavaca went through two out of three with Booneville in Week 10 remaining. A Hackett puts both teams with identical records, with West Fork and Cedarville left on the schedule.
West Fork vs Greenland
QB Cooper Ridenoure and Shawn Swinson face their former team.
Conway Christian vs Magazine
Announced this week that Conway Christian Head Coach Justin Kramer would be stepping down from his Head Coach position at seasons end. The Eagles will be spirited going into Magazine to win it all again for their coach. Magazine sits 5th in conference but has pulled out a surprising run this year.
Paris vs Magnet Cove
The 6-1 Eagles are rolling with an undefeated conference record with game against 3A-4 front runner Glen Rose next week.
Waldron vs Clinton
Clinton is third in the 4A-4 with a game against second place Ozark in Week 10. Ozark has Dardanelle this week in what will decide the conference champion.
Bismarck vs Prescott
The Bismarck Lions only blemish on their record came from Mansfield in Week 0. Both teams sport similar records with Prescott’s only loss coming at the hands of Salem in Week 1. The 3A-7 is in the same boat as their 3A counterpart the 3A-1 conference. This week’s game decides the top spot, but a motivated Smackover in Week 9 could push the Curley Wolves to 3rd place in conference.
Russellville vs Southside
Southside is in bounce back mode after a close loss to Van Buren last week, where turnovers were costly. Russellville is a team with nothing to lose, 0-7 on the season and 0-4 in conference. If they wanted to sneak into the playoffs, they just have to win the last three games against Southside, Siloam Springs, and Lake Hamilton.
| Games | Ross’ Picks | Adam’s Picks |
| LOTW – Mansfield vs Booneville | Mansfield | Mansfield |
| Van Buren vs Greenwood | Greenwood | Greenwood |
| Charleston vs Greenland | Charleston | Charleston |
| Lavaca vs Hackett | Hackett | Hackett |
| West Fork vs Greenland | Greenland | Greenland |
| Conway Christian vs Magazine | Conway Christian | Magazine |
| Paris vs Magnet Cove | Paris | Paris |
| Waldron vs Clinton | Clinton | Clinton |
| Bismarck vs Prescott | Prescott | Bismarck |
| Russellville vs FS Southside | Southside | Southside |
Tournament Action Returns To Greenwood
It has been since 2019 when the last H.B. Stewart Classic was played in the Arena that carries the same namesake. Through the runs of the Girls Basketball in the State Championship that included a 3-Peat, and a Boys basketball team on the rebound, one thing was missing, a tournament that is held in Greenwood, Arkansas.
In the absence of a hometown tournament, either squad picked up tournaments in Missouri, Oklahoma, and within Arkansas and won those tournaments. Now it is a new chapter in Greenwood Basketball. Hooping in the Wood, comes to the H.B. Stewart Arena December 12th and December 13th. Birthed out of necessity as the two tournaments the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs were slated to participate in dissolved (Fayetteville – Lady Bulldogs) or changed dates (Lake Hamilton – Bulldogs).
The two squads now will play host to Arkansas and Oklahoma teams. Girls Basketball sees, Fayetteville, Tulsa Union, Springdale Har-Ber, Charleston, and Hugo, OK. On the boys’ side it is Searcy, Paris, and Hugo, OK.
The idea started two years ago in a conversation between Boys Head Basketball Coach B.J. Ross and Assistant Dexter Pearcy. Coach Ross’ longtime friend and Girls Head Basketball Coach Ryan Casalman were on board from the get-go as well.
“We got a 2-day, classic coming up. Trying to bring back something to Greenwood. You know where our fans and people can just come out and watch a lot of basketball in two days, December 12th, and 13th.” Head Coach B.J. Ross said.
“We’ve been working on it you know. Coach [Dexter] Pearcy talked about back when he played here. He played in the H.B. Stewart Classic. Something that me and him, the last couple years have been trying to talk about and it just kind of worked out.” Coach Ross said. “A Classic in Fayetteville kind of dissolved and we inherited some of those teams. And we got Hugo, Oklahoma and Tulsa Union coming, Searcy, and we got some teams from all over Oklahoma and here. It’s kind of something that we’ve, Coach Casalman, myself, and Coach Pearcy, and we’ve worked really hard to get it together.”
When hosting a tournament, there is always extra pressure and pride from the host teams to do well. For Greenwood that is no different.
“I think it’s a big deal, we get to play teams, we’re going to play Searcy and Hugo, going to play two really good teams. And our young kids get to see that. They get to see the importance of playing at H.B. Stewart Arena and protecting your home and doing things like that. So, we’re pretty excited about that.” Coach Ross said.
First game is at 5:00 p.m. December 12th when Fayetteville girls go against Tulsa Union. Check with Greenwood Athletics on Facebook and the new Greenwood Athletics app on Apple and Google IOS for more information.
