Page 2 - March-April HER

2 MARCH HER
MEET THE TEAM
Grace Brown
Associate Editor
Grace is a Hot Springs native and an alumna of Lyon College and Hot Springs High School. Seeking out compelling stories and bringing them to life for the reader drives her passion for HER Magazine. Wacky photoshoots are her favorite. Outside of journalism, Grace enjoys roller derby and community theater.
Cassidy Kendall
Cassidy is a UCA alumna, originally from southern Arkansas. She uses HER Magazine as a platform to give the many superstar women in our community the shine they deserve. In her free time, she enjoys traveling in her van with a good nonfiction book and a good dog named Murphey.
Rebeca Rector
Rebeca is a National Park College grad and UALR alumna, a California native who calls the Natural State is her home. She loves utilizing the cultured platform HER magazine has built as a foundation for the exploration, discovery and celebration of successful women in our area. When she is not writing, you can find her enjoying time with her family.
Jami Smith
Associate Design Editor
Jami is a Henderson State University alumna with a degree in Digital Art and Design. In her free time she can be found outside mountain biking, hiking, or canoing with her dog Jensen.
Brittany Weaver
Associate Design Editor
Brittany is a Henderson State University and Alpha Sigma Tau alumna. She's lived in Hot Springs since graduating HSU in 2016 and enjoys getting to use her degree in Digital Art and Design to bring fresh, interesting spreads to the community through HER magazine.
Felisha Butler
Originally from Chicago, Felisha has lived in Hot Springs most of her life. She is a graduate of National Park College and UA Little Rock with a degree in Mass Communications with a journalism emphasis. In her free time, you can find her traveling for concerts while continuing the quest of becoming a extraordinary videogamer.
PUBLISHER
It feels like the term “March Madness” encompasses quite a bit more than basketball tournaments. Maybe it is the spring fever talking, but this time of year is insane! Although there are not quite as many unofficial holidays as there were in February, this month still knows how to shamrock and roll. Between spring sports, spring cleaning and spring allergies, we stay pretty busy. And let us not for- get one of the most important holidays of the year, St. Patrick’s Day. Well, at least it is one of the top holidays here in Hot Springs. The Irish seem pretty fond of it, too. Maybe it’s the green beer?
Anyone familiar with the area knows just how seriously Hot Springs takes St. Patrick’s Day. For the past 17 years, leprechauns and leprechaun lovers have flocked from near and far to fill all 98 feet of the infamous Bridge Street in downtown Hot Springs. With celebrity guests like Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, it easy to see why people get so hyped up. For this month’s cover issue of HER Magazine, we sat down with the St. Patrick’s Day Queen herself, Cindy Baswell. A native of Hot Springs, Baswell has dedicated her life to philanthropic works around the community. Now retired, Baswell said she looks forward to taking some time for herself before choosing her next big project. Turns out, she is getting the royal treatment. Just look at that sleek ride!
We found ourselves Bachata dancing after sampling some of the best Mexican food on Lake Hamilton. Now, if you are unfamiliar with Bachata, make sure to look it up. It will help burn off those extra calories from all the tacos. Believe us, Veronica Soto and the rest of the crew at Jose’s know what they’re doing. Although born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, Soto found her home in Hot Springs. Her strong worth ethic and willingness to take on difficult tasks means she spends much of her time working hands-on with her employees. When she is not at work, she is raising her family. Luckily, she found some time for an interview.
In past issues of HER, we’ve taken a look at addiction and the struggles it presents. The unfortunate reality is addiction touches all of our lives. Oftentimes, we see despairing headlines when it comes to stories involving addiction. However, our feature offers a ray of hope in a situation that oftentimes feels hopeless. Celebrating five years in recovery, Emily Tilley now operates the blog, “Finding Emily.” In her powerful interview, Tilley talks about living a life of addiction and how she managed to turn her life around. This is one article you may want a tissue for.
We are getting into the peak time of year for the Spa City. Valley of the Vapors and spring break are right around the corner. This is a great period for planning out awesome outdoor activities. This is the Natural State. Why not take advantage of it?
Until next time,
the HERstaff
2 March/April 2020 ¯ HER MAGAZINE
Harry Porter
EDITOR
Mark Gregory
MANAGING EDITOR
Steven Mross
ADVERTISING DESIGNERS
Amanda Howell MerryLee Meeker CONTACT US gbrown@hotsr.com CONTRIBUTORS Richard Rasmussen