vent magazine dec. 2009

December 2009

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07 Chad’s McColumn

08 A Vino Affair

09 Art of the City

10 LIGHTER LIVING

12 Art, Hair and Downtown Living

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VENTMAGAZINE DECEMBER 2009 | SOLUTION #12 07.

I don’t remember much from my childhood. Even my adolescent memories have seemed to slip into a dark vault in my mind. Perhaps there’s a psychiatrist somewhere who can help me find the combina-tion necessary to retrieve what I’ve lost, but for now I’m left with the few moments that haven’t been locked away.

For some reason or another most of the youthful recollections I can access have one thing in common; they happened around Christmas.

I can remember getting up with my sisters at around two in the morning on Christmas Eve and watching every second tick off the clock on cable channel eight for four consecutive hours, until we were allowed to wake up Mom and Dad. I have vivid memories of the Christmas morning we opened the Commodore 64 and the jumping up and down that ensued once we figured out what we’d unwrapped . I can even remember things I wish I’d forget like knocking my sister out, while swinging an aluminum baseball bat I’d found under the tree, and watching another sister fling her Cabbage Patch doll across the room when she’d realized Santa had given the Cabbage Patch she coveted to her little sister.

Unfortunately, I’m about as adept at blocking unwanted memories as I am at resurrecting forgotten ones. Then again, considering I don’t have many memories to start with, it’s probably not the greatest idea to be attempting to block them anyway. There is one Christmas memory, however, that I don’t believe will ever be shielded from my conscious.

I was about six years old and my father had decided the McCol-lam’s needed a new puppy for the holidays. The only problem was that our family already had a dog, a little black mutt named Holly that I’d received for Christmas a couple of years earlier, and Dad didn’t think there was any room in our house for two pets. Especially since the puppy he was planning to add to the family unit was a Saint Bernard. Dad wanted to surprise us, so he made all the arrangements himself. He told us he’d found another home for Holly and presented the fam-ily with the new puppy a few days before Christmas.

I was devastated. The new puppy was, without a doubt, the worst present I’d ever received.

I don’t remember it, but I’m sure I screamed, “What have you done?” I know that I begged my dad to bring Holly back home and get rid of that imposter of a pet, who as it turned out would only be good for trampling one of my sisters and leaving massive piles of dung in the neighbor’s yards.

Holly and I were best friends. If it hadn’t been for her I might not even be around to complain about my memory loss. She practically saved my life.

I was four years old, growing up in Maceo. It was late one Wednes-day afternoon and my mom had gone to church, leaving my dad in charge of my sisters and me. I loved being outside and, on this par-ticular afternoon, I was playing in my front yard with the best Christ-mas present I have ever received—Holly. My dad wasn’t much of a babysitter, because he had fallen asleep on the couch and instead of waking him I decided I would join my mother at church. In my young mind it seemed that church was just around the corner of Carpenter’s Lake, and I’d be there in a couple of minutes. Actually, it was close to ten miles from my house.

I remember running down the road thinking that if I hurried I could be with my mom before my dad realized I was gone. Holly chased after me barking and nipping at my heels the entire time as if she were trying to persuade me to turn around and go back home. I wouldn’t turn back. I was stubborn and my mom wasn’t at home; she was at church. Holly finally quit nagging and followed me instead. It wasn’t surprising that she went with me, because ever since I’d found her chewing on my stocking on Christmas morning we’d been insepara-ble. My mom jokes that somebody could’ve been standing up on the porch with a filet mignon coaxing her to stay behind and Holly still would’ve accompanied me that night.

Twenty minutes after I’d left the house it was dark, I was lost, and I was the one doing the following. I felt like sitting down in the road and crying, but Holly encouraged me and eventually led me to a little bait shop a couple of miles from my house. There were two guys in a pickup truck outside the shop, and after explaining to them that I needed to get to church they gave Holly and me a ride.

I have no problem remembering the look on my mom’s face when the men escorted me, dog in arms, into the auditorium of Yelvington Baptist Church and asked, “Does anybody in here know this boy?”

How could my dad give a dog like that away? I sulked around for a couple of days, had absolutely no fun at the family Christmas Eve gathering, and didn’t say a word during the drive home from the party. It was every kid’s favorite night, the night where excitement trumps the need to sleep, and as my dad turned into our driveway I felt like I was going to die.

I heard my mom gasp and my father slammed on the brakes. “No way!” Dad said. I wondered what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t even that intrigued. Truthfully, if Santa himself was playing reindeer games on the asphalt of our drive it probably couldn’t have made me smile.

“Chad, you’d better look at this,” Mom said. I sat up slowly and looked out the front windshield. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“I was almost in Hawesville when I dropped him off,” I heard my father say.

“Dropped him off,” mom questioned, “What do you mean dropped him off?”

Holly was sitting in the middle of our driveway paralyzed by the headlights. She looked filthy and exhausted, yet when I opened my door and stepped out of the car she raced after me like she had that night when I’d wandered away from home. I bent down on one knee, and my dog jumped into my arms and started licking my face.

I haven’t a clue why Christmas memories are so prevalent in my mind, while other events from my past are so elusive. But, if I had to guess I’d say it has a lot to do with Holly. I do know the events of that Christmas Eve have come to define what I believe Christmas is all about. When Holly leaped into my arms all those years ago, I didn’t care that she smelled. I didn’t care how she’d got there or where she’d been before arriving. The only thing that mattered was that she was there. And as I hugged my dog that night I told her the same thing I plan to tell my girls once they grow up, leave the roost, and return to celebrate the holidays, “Merry Christmas, I’m glad you’re home.”

By Chad McCollam

10. VENTMAGAZINE DECEMBER 2009 | SOLUTION #12

ine is the universal drink, filling glasses across the globe for millennia. Families and friends raise glasses of wine and champagne in toast for birthdays, an-

niversaries, graduations and business deals and for health and happiness. The wine industry has grown beyond an everyday drink to a drink of

sophistication, and in some cases, a drink that intimidates many consum-ers. But wine doesn’t have to be stuffy and pretentious. With just a little explanation and the removal of the stigma that tends to accompany the drink, anyone can appreciate and enjoy it.

Jena Hunter, a sommelier, which is a wine steward or wine expert, is the owner of A Vino Affair, a hospitality and consulting business for resi-dential and corporate events in the Owensboro area, offering educational training for wine and other beverages as well as wine tastings.

Hunter has traveled the country tasting and studying wines, including some of the best in the industry such as Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers in New York City, Boston, California and Nashville, her home-town. She has attended and hosted more than 300 tasting events across the U.S.

As a sommelier, her expertise does not just revolve around wine, though. Hunter has imbibed artisan beers and expertly crafted spirits.

Her background spans designing wine lists; pairing food and wine; host-ing dinners and events; composing tasting notes and articles; sitting on tasting panels; budgeting for all types of beverage programs; managing retailers, restaurants, and hotels; and educating guests about wine, beer and spirits.

“I love what I do,” Hunter said. “Meeting winemakers and vineyard owners has been a blessing to me. These wonderful people create beauty and romance in a glass from grapes of the Earth.”

By submitting to her passion and immersing herself in the wine world, Hunter has learned the intricacies of transforming simple grapes into complex wines and has extended her passion beyond indulgence and to-ward sharing that passion with others.

At A Vino Affair, Hunter offers several services for wine education and selection.

For residential clients, Hunter can host wine tastings and educational seminars, organize and select wines for a home cellar, and host residential wine parties.

“Perhaps my own personal favorite is hosting a residential wine party,” Hunter said. “Think of a very upbeat and absolutely fun adult party in your own home. Let me create a small set-up of all French wines, all South African wines or all Australian wines or compare Cabernets from several different wine

regions? In other words, there are numerous themes that I can cus-tomize

for you. Or please feel free to create your own theme.”For corporate clients, Hunter offers training seminars for staff and

servers; design and selection for drink lists including wines, beers and spirits; wine tastings for the public in the client’s store or restaurant; and composition of drink descriptions for wine lists, shelf cards or notes.

“Staff education is the key to any successful business operation,” Hunt-er said. “This factor multiplies itself in the realm of a customer-based atmosphere. Furthermore, when a sales member gets to experience the benefits of what he or she is selling, the proof will show itself in their bank and yours as the business owner. The ultimate beauty of wine and spirits training is that not only does everyone involved benefit financially, but also personally as well.”

Hunter also enjoys working with non-profit organizations, especially those benefiting animals.

“I made saving animals in need a hobby and one of my life long desires,” Hunter said. “I always strive to donate and/or assist with great causes. I believe events that are worthy are happening constantly within our com-munity. Please contact me with your event details and how I can be of assistance and my time and efforts will be deeply discounted or free.”

Contact Hunter at (615) 870-9363 or email her at [email protected] for consultation and fees.

By Matt Weafer



What can you do in eight minutes? If you’re Aaron Kizer, you can cre-ate a portrait that can convey as much emotion as a painting that takes days to perfect. The twenty seven year old Owensboro native just happens to suffer from the Midas touch and is moving to his next endeavor.

With a sizable number of strokes Kizer builds a representation of an artist in raw emotion. From movie stars to recording artists, speed painting has allowed Kizer to pay homage to some of the best.

After studying the technique of renowned speed painters, Kizer decided to literally try his hand at the process. His first creation was a portrait of Michael Jackson in his famous “Thriller” ghoulish make-up that Kizer created around the untimely death of the King of Pop. In a still life terrifying gaze, Jackson stares deeply through the viewer in glowing might.

Once Jackson was hanging in Kizer’s workspace, he caught the fever to capture the stars that have moved him. In blistering speed Kizer was able to create a smiling angel of a portrait of the man we know as Ray Charles. His forever laughing portrait exhibits the carefree and soulful music he once created. Either by picture or by memory, Kizer is able to do what some don’t even dare try.

But would anyone believe that someone could create such precise por-traits in a matter of minutes? The proof is in the portrait, and the process is on YouTube. Kizer’s first posted video was of the passion and suffering of Jesus’ bearing of the cross. This first video gave a look into how each piece comes together and opened up the viewing audience.

As Kizer’s experience grew he looked for the next step in speed paint-

ing which was a live performance. He decided to recreate the dark and disturbing torment of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. Kizer set up shop on Carter Road in Owensboro near Pangea and went to work. As he painted a crowd gathered and applauded when he added the last strokes. The Joker faced Kizer and the large crowd.

If you stand in the massive gallery of Kizer’s work, you are forced to face the calm and collective yet menacing Robert DeNiro and soothing, poetic smile of Marvin Gaye to name a few. From Johnny Depp to Michael Jordan, no entity is safe from having their image eternalized in a Kizer creation.

Recently, Kizer broke the mold by creating a speed painting of down-town Owensboro that was featured on the VENT November issue and is now proudly hanging in Fuji of Japan. The owner saw the cover and ap-proached Kizer for the original.

Kizer now looks to progress again and complete live performances to music and auction his work at the end of the show. The experience is a method of combining the arts, community, commerce, and combating boredom in a town that has been struggling with supporting the arts. With a prepared black canvas and only a few paint selections, Kizer is showing the community what can be done with imagination.

Watch videos at www.kizerarts.com or youtube search “kizerarts”.

ART OF THE CITY By Casey Aud


By Matt Weafer

Christmas is the season of giving.It’s also the season of excess. Too much food. Tons of decorations. Thousands of square-feet of wrap-

ping paper. And hours of driving from one store, to another, to another, to another, to a restaurant, to another store.

These are the traditions that remind us of holidays as kids when we roamed the city with our parents searching for the perfect gift or perused the Christmas tree lot for the tree that was just tall enough, but not too tall, that was full of branches, but not shedding and that looked healthy, but wasn’t sticky. Traditions make holidays enjoyable, relaxing (sometimes) and nostalgic.

Amid these merry comings and goings, balancing your carbon footprint isn’t easy, isn’t always fun and definitely isn’t always cheap. But there are inexpensive options to create an eco Christmas, maintain tradition and possibly start new traditions.

Let’s start with the hallmark that defines many Christmases in America, the tree.

There’s no other way to say it; there is no such thing as an eco artificial tree.

China manufactures most artificial trees with toxic chemicals. Not only are the artificial trees made of plastic (petroleum-based products) they are shipped thousands of miles, spewing even more pollution into the atmosphere. Artificial trees are not biodegradable and, depending on the quality of the artificial tree you buy, they often only last a few years, which means Americans dump thousands of artificial trees in landfills every year.

Eco-friendly trees have inhabited the Earth since before man even cel-ebrated Christmas — live evergreen trees. Instead of buying a real tree that was chopped down, though, look into live trees. These trees were groomed for a long life. Tree farmers package not only the tree but the root ball as well. So each tree can be replanted at the end of the season.

This eliminates the threat of deforestation and it adds more verdant greenery around town.

If you can’t find a replantable tree, though, chopped-down trees are still eco-friendly as they are 100 percent biodegradable. And most tree farms create a sustainable eco-system in which the chopped trees replenish the Earth, maintaining a constant cycle of rebirth.

If you replace your artificial tree with a live one, don’t take the artificial tree to the dump. Donate it to St. Vincent De Paul or another charity.

You can also decorate the tree with environmentally friendly decora-tions and lights.

Homemade ornaments such as pine cones or dried fruits, nuts and popcorn are 100 percent biodegrable and inexpensive alternatives. The second best eco-friendly ornaments are the box of ornaments you al-ready own. While they may not be biodegradable, using the same orna-ments and decorations from previous Christmases saves from dumping non-biodegradable décor in the garbage and limits the amount of new

products manufactured. The Internet abounds with biodegradable ornaments and ornaments

created from recycled materials. But in the interest of supporting your community, browse some of the local gift shops and request Green deco-rations.

A Christmas tree is not complete without lights. While they are not inexpensive, LED Christmas lights are eco-friendly. They burn forever and use significantly less electricity. While you can’t buy them for less than $10, you will have to consider LED Christmas lights an investment. You won’t have to buy all new strands every year, and you will save cash in the long run.

Plus LED lights come in a wide variety of colors and shapes for both indoors and out. Solar LED lights are also readily available this year.

If you can’t swing new LED lights, consider using a few less strings and reuse existing strings.While it may be tedious to make sure your old lights all work, replacing bulbs and fuses will save you money and relieve the land fill.

For outdoor lights, consider an automatic timer so you don’t have to mess with turning the lights on and off each night.

Wrapping paper is one of the most common goods purchased during the Christmas season. For the most part, everyone buys some form of wrapping material during Christmas, and the common form is paper.

While there are many recycled wrapping papers on the market for varying price ranges, there are also some more unique eco-wrapping ideas that will not only look nice and stand out under the Christmas tree, they may use scrap material that has been just sitting around your home for years.

The Internet is crawling with ideas for eco-gift wrapping ideas. And of the most popular is wrapping presents in scarves and strips of cloth that otherwise would have just sat in your sewing basket until you decided to sew a quilt or throw them away.

Some other ideas are a little more unique such as putting the gift in a cardboard box and then using some of the electrical wire you’ve had lying around your computer desk for a couple of years to wrap around the box as a ribbon. Reusing aluminum foil can also work. Or buy a couple of yards of fabric from a local craft store.

Try reusing items you have around the house that you know are going to the trash such as wrapping in pages of magazines or newspapers. Use some of those free tote bags that you have accumulated.

And when you’re cruising around town shopping for your gifts, try to plan it out as smoothly as you can. Make a list and only go to each store once, so you’re not making several trips, wasting gas and time.

If you buy a new Nativity set or any decoration for that matter, search for organic, renewable and biodegradable materials such as clay, wood or glass.

Christmas isn’t just about presents, though. It’s also about family and food.

Shop for local and organic produce and proteins when you’re fixing Christmas dinner. Weber’s Choice Inc., at 353 Washington Ave., behind Starbucks on Frederica St. sells local produce and regionally-raised Amish chicken among other eco-friendly food options.

The first step to an eco-friendly Christmas is responsible shopping in every aspect. Avoid gifts in excessive packaging. Look for eco-friendly gifts such as solar garden lights or solar cell phone or MP3 chargers. Aluminum to-go coffee cups are a great idea for your coffee fiend friends, and they save the environment one paper cup a day or more.

You don’t have to change or abandon your holiday traditions to cel-ebrate Christmas and still maintain a dedication to responsible living.

By Matt Weafer


www.danhauers.com


Amid the hustle of downtown traffic, there’s a peaceful nook on W Third St. in which clients and guests can escape the noise and the headache of crowded streets and relax, enjoy

art and even have their hair styled. That nook is Trace Salon.While city officials are trying to redevelop downtown and encourage a

mixture of retail and residential buildings and apartments, Brenda McAl-lister, owner of Trace Salon, has been doing that for ten years.

Trace Salon offers an eclectic mix of art and beauty in the downtown area. The salon offers a wide range of work by local artists, the walls filled to capacity with paintings, pastels, pen and inks, and other work to create a peaceful energy.

Trace Salon looks like a gallery with salon chairs and beauty products mingling with art, and the doorway is a portal away from the world of car fumes and bustle.

Once the heavy glass door to the street clicks shut, the traffic melted into the distance, the art dissipated any sense of rush. The salon beckons a visitor to stop, linger and look rather than just conduct business. The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sheet music sits on the piano music stand, the Beatles whimsical smiles seem as if they’re happy to sit and watch the world from their perch in the salon.

McAllister is quick to smile and quicker with her greeting and the offer of a cup of coffee. She’s a sprightly woman, her movements graceful and grand in spite of her petite stature where her demeanor matches the bright, captivating art on the walls.

After a minute or two looking for an empty coffee cup, she settled down for the interview. McAllister’s face lit up as she stirred her coffee and explained how her salon grew into an art gallery. “When I opened, [local artist] John Adkinson brought in some of his paintings and let me hang his work on the walls. At that time, I didn’t have all the furniture, so he helped flesh out the salon with his art.”

Photographs of McAllister’s work dot the salon, mixed in with the other works on the walls creating a balance between the oils, pastels and inks. Her work deals mostly with the riverfront and the river, nature being a passion in her life. The photographs invoke the calm of a person who has taken up residence on the river in a cottage, capturing the essence of nature and the constant flow of water.

“My photographs started out as a hobby,” McAllister said, “be-cause when there were things going on in my life I couldn’t talk about, I could always take pictures. About four years ago, [local artist] Diane Albin started to look at my photographs and said I needed to print these, that they were very good. My serious pho-tography started there.”

As if the mention of her name were planned, Albin appeared through the door artistically on time, the sound of traffic briefly

interrupting the salon. They greeted each other warmly as partners in crime. The salon features a wide selection of Albin’s portraits and

abstracts.“My work is all about the human connection,” Albin said, “and the abil-

ity to reach out to both the subject in the painting and the viewer of the work.”

“[Albin’s] work energizes me when I walk through the door,” McAl-lister continued where Albin left off, pausing briefly and pointing at the two oils of horses that hang behind her salon station.

“Those two horses back there represent being free,” McAllister said. “They’re very uplifting.”

Later on in the interview, McAllister sat at the table in front of the salon, legs crossed at the knee, chatting with passersby and enjoying the sunshine. Albin had left a few minutes earlier with other obligations, and McAllister went back to elaborating about how her work and her art intertwine with each other.

“When I look at the colors of a painting, it makes me think ‘I’ll add more color to the hair color I’m working on and do something fabulous.’ In a painting, there’s a line with the color and the canvas,” McAllister said about why she continues to hang both her and other artist’s work in her salon after the addition of furniture, “the same way that there’s a line when doing a color weave on a client. You’re mixing colors together to complement each other, creating shadows and effects with both the hair and face or the canvas and paint.”

Her answers were honest and practical, matching her professional work.

“I was educated at the technical school in town, and I used to work in a salon with others,” she said, explaining how she wanted to create peaceful environment for her clients without the prying ears of other beauticians and clients around, “so when I opened this salon, I wanted to make it more of a one-on-one experience.”

McAllister’s smile faltered for a split second as she sighed and thought about the hardest part of running a salon/gallery downtown. “The park-ing,” she said. “The city wants us to live, work and play downtown but there’s nowhere to park without risking getting a ticket.” She paused and greeted her upstairs tenant as he passed by. “The city needs to have free parking downtown to encourage people to stay and play, really. My renter upstairs recently received a temporary pass for parking, but who knows how long that’s going to last.”

As the interview drew to a close, McAllister went on to say that the best was yet to come. She and Albin have had informal art discussions at the salon but that they were possibly going to start doing more. After a handshake, she floated back into the salon, the door closing to mute the stress of the street behind her.

Trace Salon is located at 212 W Third St. Everyone is welcome to come and look at the art but the salon portion is available by appointment only — call (270) 691-0076 for more information.

By Hidey


Helm, Monty, Soltine Girl, ink on velum paperHelm, Monty, Soltine Girl, ink on velum paper Welsh, Dan, West 4th Street, pastel on velum paper

For many people, the pharmacist is just the clerk who fills your pre-scription like an order at a fast food restaurant. That’s not the case at Danhauer Drugs. Owensboro’s oldest pharmacist is more than just a run-of-the-mill pill peddler.For more than a century, Danhauer Drugs has been serving the city of Owensboro with a commitment to its customers, evolving with an indus-try in a state of perpetual flux yet maintaining its dedication to customer service and quality. Danhauer’s has added a number of services and items to its inventory per customer requests and the growing demands in the medical field. When William Danhauer Sr. opened the pharmacy on the corner of 4th and Frederica Street, medicine was simple compared to today’s infini-tesimal variations of pharmaceuticals. He made all the medicines by hand until World War II when capsulized medication became available for soldiers. While most of the medicines Danhauer’s sells are compounded by phar-maceutical companies, Danhauer’s does still compound some medica-tions and can alter other medications to suit specific needs. “Grandfather opened in 1904 and made virtually everything from roots and chemicals,” Jeff Danhauer, co-owner said. “And then as the industry continued to grow and the amount of compounding decreased over the years, Granddad and my uncle and Dad, loved that portion or pharmacy and held true to their roots. It’s the old saying, ‘Back to the future.’ What goes around comes around. It was really bringing the technology of today to the roots of pharmacy, expanding and meeting those needs.”One of the main medications Danhauer’s compounds today is hormone replacement treatments, specific for the individual patient. “Medications have continued to grow in potency, so different people react differently to different meds,” Danhauer said. “So being able to adjust the dose intimately for the patient can oftentimes prevent the side effects seen with medications.”Danhauer’s works within the triad of physician-pharmacist-patient rela-tionship. The three individuals work together to form the best treatments possible for the patient. One of the reasons compounding hormone replacements in-house is beneficial, Danhauer said, is because with an ingredient like estrogen, a fraction of a milligram can make a significant difference. “There are commercial products available, but most are from animal sources,” he said. “So instead of just the three estrogens women need, you can get up to 50 estrogens. We keep it simple and meet their specific needs.”Danhauer’s performs high tech compounding as well, such as putting medications in special cases that drive the drug through the skin and directly to the affected area.“We can put (arthritis medicine) in a transdermal gel and drive it across the skin so you’re treating the site,” Danhauer said. This uses a lower dose of the medicine because it’s treating a concentrated area. It also bypasses the stomach, preventing irritation and stomach ulcers. The pharmacists and employees at Danhauer’s take these extra steps for one reason: the customer. As a privately owned business that’s been building relationships in a small town for the past century, customers are not just numbers; they are neighbors, friends and family members.“(Customers) become part of our family, and we become part of their family,” Danhauer said. “It’s our philosophy when that’s the case that

you take a stronger interest. It’s not just a number; these are friends; these are family. We have more invested in this business than just num-bers. That’s what drives us to a high level of care and concern.”Customers have played a major role in Danhauer’s evolution as the phar-macy caters to their needs. “One of the main things we continue to expand is meeting the needs of our patients,” Danhauer said. “We used to be just a pharmacy, and then we started getting more and more involved in durable medical equip-ment; that led us on down the road to respiratory equipment CPAPs and nebulizers. Then we got more from both our nursing homes and outpa-tient requests for outpatient IVs.”An outpatient IV is a discreet IV designed for medical treatment on-the-go. “We use a device now that looks like a souped-up water balloon,” Danhauer said. “There’s no electrical cords, no batteries. Throw this little ball in your pocket and away you go. You can go to work with it and be on medication with this IV and nobody would ever know you were on antibiotics.”Danhauer started carrying items other than medication because custom-ers requested special items.“They wanted it all in one place with people they know and trust,” Danhauer said.A respiratory specialist works on staff to assist with sleep apnea patients and other respiratory equipment. “We do a lot with sleep apnea,” Danhauer said. “For those that actually stop breathing or have obstruction while they’re sleeping and the body wakes themselves up one hundred times a night, your body doesn’t enter REM sleep. Your body wears you down.”Danhauer offers several new technologies and masks to open air pas-sages and ensure a restful night’s sleep.“That takes time and takes a lot of education,” he said. “That’s where our respiratory therapist comes in. It’s not just ‘Here’s your piece of equip-ment;’ there’s a lot of follow up.”Another feature that makes Danhauer’s stand out from chain pharmacies is the in-house billing department.“Some of the chains provide billing services, but the billing people are in Timbuktu,” Danhauer said. “You can come in and talk face-to-face about billing or insurance instead of dialing a 1-800 number. Walk in and sit down face-to-face with someone who can show you how your insurance is working. To me, that’s the personal touch which is crucial in transac-tions. In health care, it’s even more crucial.”To further aid customers, Danhauer’s now offers medication sorting. The pharmacy has a machine that presorts a patient’s prescriptions onto individual strips for each day or part of the day. “If you have an elderly patient who has trouble keeping his meds in order,” Danhauer said, “this keeps the family from having to fill out pill planners.”The family-owned pharmacy also carries compact oxygen tanks as well. These tanks are small and manageable, unlike the bulky tanks that peo-ple have carted around in the past. With these discrete oxygen tanks, an individual can carry a four-hour tank in a small pouch about the size of a small video camera. Among durable medical equipment, Danhauer’s also offers gift items and holiday décor.


By Matt Weafer

“A vast ye mateys, land ho,” is what it sounded like when pirate ships appeared near the yellow banks of the Ohio here in Owensboro. There were not enough ships to call it a fleet, but there were enough to cause concern. Bystanders surmised they came from the Caribbean due to their accents and attire, but what were they doing so far inland?

Greenbeard the Greedy was at the bow, an inexperienced and bum-bling pirate who commanded the fleet. “This land be ours for the tak-ing,” he was heard saying as he actually ran his rickety ships aground. Somehow the word had reached the salty seas that Owensboro was an open target for buccaneers to impose their will and take from the land. “We’ll start here in the virgin land of opportunity and move our conquests elsewhere. Fear not, scallywags, these people will learn to love us,” Greenbeard boasted.

Thus, the short reign of Greenbeard began. Toting spoils of the sea in cliché wrapped parcels, the average consumer gleefully bit. Ini-tially, the demand was high and Greenbeard was nearly overwhelmed. Patrons looked past cramped galley quarters and flashy decorum. Some poor souls, looking for direction in life, actually joined sides with Greenbeard in promises of excitement and booty. But the booty was short lived. Crew members were provided with the minimum of pirate training, and anyone knows that a good pirate takes years to mold. Arrr.

So, he divided his workforce in two. But with each side mad with jealousy, the two crews clashed violently. Crew members were work-ing night and day with soaring labor costs. Fires ignited everywhere. And when you’re a pirate, nothing is worse than a fire on board. Due

to his haste, Greenbeard was completely unable to extinguish even the teensiest flame. He sent crew and patrons alike to the plank to never return.

In a moment of desperation, he actually tried to smother one fire with a sack of his loot. Greenbeard horded all his spoils onto the less blazing ship. Then, as in every pirate’s nightmares, a pool of water eerily collected at his feet. His pirates, refusing to eat their own rations were starving and running amok. The rum was running dry thanks to a select few, and a mutiny was at hand for those too stubborn to flee. Natives, quick to see through Greenbeard’s guises, revolted. Smelling blood and fear, land sharks began circling the deteriorating ships.

A messenger bird landed on the mast with a note tied to its tiny leg. The letter was from a much more powerful, well-known pirate that had caught wind of Greenbeard’s flag resembling his own. Take down your flag or prepare to do battle the note demanded. Canon blasts echoed in the distance as if serving as a warning sign. Chaos was bombarding from all sides.

At the eleventh hour Greenbeard decided to wave the white flag of surrender. Realizing that one ship was too far gone to salvage, Green-beard turned his canons on the more decrepit ship and sank it into the muddy deep. The other was commercialized into a pirate-themed putt-putt course with some original crew members refusing to leave, thus working the mini greens for eternity.

By Casey Aud


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Thanks Vent. One afternoon after eating a crab cake Panini (Thanks Pangea), Vent and I hatched a plan to provide our readers a running commentary on the complex financial matters facing us today and in the future. Part of those long term plans involve live blogs, podcasts (w/experts), and columns.

We want to produce the column in a way that will give you practical ideas and keep you informed, involved, and motivated. Most importantly, we want to entertain you! Let’s face it, financial planning, economics, investments, etc. is sometimes pretty boring and cumbersome material to absorb.

Every month I will toss out a song lyric that fits the column we are presenting. While song lyrics can be interpreted in endless ways, author and historian Howard Zinn said it best, “Art can be very direct, but it can also be subtle, and yet still by saying something about the human condition, have an effect on people’s consciousnesses.”

We want to have a positive effect and make our readers healthier and wealthier.

If the Recession is Over, What’s Next?

Many economists and government representatives tell us the reces-sion has ended. An official declaration based on economic statistics may be months away. And, while individuals vary in their predictions, there is a general expectation that the economic environment will gradually improve over time.

As we encounter more signs of vitality – increased hustle and bustle in stores, fewer for sale signs on your block, and eventually, an upswing in employment rates – what’s the best way to react? Should we return to “business as usual,” or should we use the experience of the recession to guide our financial decisions going forward?

Here are some suggestions on how to manage your financial life in a post-recession world:

#1 – Be a Smarter ConsumerThis wasn’t called the “Great Recession” for nothing. The unemploy-

ment rate reached its highest level in 25 years. Many homeowners found themselves facing foreclosure. Consumers were caught carrying too much debt. Even the country’s financial system required massive infu-sions of government money to avoid a major crisis.

As a consumer, your biggest lesson should be to remain vigilant about controlling your expenses, even as the economy brightens. If you found yourself falling deeper into debt during the recession, safeguard yourself from a similar fate this time around. Scrutinize your spending habits. Even if you have felt deprived of some of your favorite things (dinners out, regular stops at the gourmet coffee shop, travel plans), resist the temptation to revert to those same old spending habits unless you can really afford them.

A good rule to live by is to only spend money that you have. Try to avoid putting purchases on credit cards unless you are able and willing to pay off the bill on time each month when it arrives. This will help you avoid some of the same problems the next time the economy goes through a rough patch.

#2 – Prepare for Emergency NeedsOne positive trend to emerge from the recession is that more

Americans are putting money into savings. Make sure you have adequate emergency reserves to meet short-term income needs. The value of an emergency fund has become especially apparent after seeing a number of Americans lose their jobs during the economic downturn. You should try to build emergency savings equal to at least six months worth of expenses. Given the risk of extended periods of unemployment, it may even make sense to have the equivalent of nine months worth of living expenses set aside.

You may also consider making sure you are properly protected from potential financial loss. This is important regardless of economic conditions. Assess the status of your current auto, home, life and dis-ability income insurance policies to make certain you will be adequately protected if an unforeseen event should disrupt your life.

#3 – Keep Up Retirement Plan ContributionsIf you are still working (or have returned to the workforce), it is

important to make regular contributions to a workplace retirement plan (if offered by your employer) and/or an IRA. Facing a financial crunch as the recession took hold, many individuals halted contributions to their retirement plans in order to increase their take-home pay. If you can afford to resume retirement plan contributions, you should do so. It provides you with notable tax advantages and will keep you on track to achieve your retirement goals.

#4 – Focus on Personal GrowthThe recession serves as a necessary reminder that nothing is certain

and, if we aren’t careful, our financial security can disappear in the blink of an eye. A number of people who never would have imagined losing their job found themselves among the millions of unemployed in the past two years. Even if you managed to keep your job and your income intact, consider the post-recession period an opportunity to be better prepared for any eventuality.

We all hope an improved economy will relieve some of the anx-iousness we feel about our financial lives. It is also a good occasion to achieve greater financial wellbeing for any challenges that lie ahead.

####

This column is for informational purposes only. The information may not be suitable for every situation and should not be relied on without the advice of your tax, legal and/or financial advisors. Neither Ameriprise Financial nor its financial advisors provide tax or legal advice. Consult with qualified tax and legal advisors about your tax and legal situation. This column was prepared by Ameriprise Financial.

Financial planning services and investments offered through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA & SIPC. ©2009 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.File # 91808


By Heath B. Greenwell CFP®

With a thunderous, earth-shaking boom, followed by roaring applause that would rival a Monster truck rally, the Executive Inn fell into a heap of rubble on November 8. There isn’t an Owensboro resident or native who doesn’t have some kind of memory associated with the now fallen hotel. I, myself, worked at the Executive Inn for two years. As I left the downtown area after the demolition, I couldn’t help but feel like I was leaving the scene of a crime.

For the past few years, I’ve been frustrated about how everything went down with the decline and subsequent closing of the Executive Inn. It didn’t have to go down like that. This demolition wasn’t just about raz-ing an un-sellable, vacant hotel. The Executive Inn was more than just a hotel to so many people. This was an execution.

Around the year 2003-04, people were excited and optimistic about the future of the downtown area. John Bays’ plan to transform the Execu-tive Inn into a casino, water park, and stadium complex was exciting. He promised $30 million a month coming into Owensboro. The employees at the ‘E’ were talking about the opportunity to make upwards of 15-18 dollars an hour. However, it was not to be. Certain groups of extremely conservative residents put the kibosh on this whole endeavor. God forbid Owensboro has any kind of change or progression.

John Bays, a man who only wanted to help Owensboro, was run out of town like some kind of abomination of a monster. All that was missing were the torches and pitchforks. Could you imagine what the down-town area would look like today if John Bays hadn’t been sent packing back to Joliet, Illinois?

Would a casino really have been all that bad for Owensboro? Anything, in my opinion, would be better than what’s going on now. You can’t even blame the decline Owensboro is going through entirely on the economy. Restaurants have closed. People have lost their jobs. Do you really think that would be the case if the Executive Inn were allowed to thrive as John Bays had envisioned? By denying Owensboro the opportunity to build a stronger economy, the conservative community made a dire mistake. By “saying no” to casinos, what did you really do? You just sent all of the people who were going to spend money in your restaurants and stores to Casino Aztar in Evansville or Caesar’s in Louisville. So tell me Owensboro, was it worth it?

Casinos, bars, and hotels are recession-proof. No matter what, people are going to gamble, drink, and need someplace to sleep. But now, visi-tors of Owensboro have one less place to sleep. Their best bet now is a room at the Best Western or the Fairfield Inn. At least at the Fairfield, you have a Chick-fil-A at your disposal. Speaking of which, how long will it be until “the new” wears off of Chick-fil-A? (By the way, thanks Town Square Mall.)

So what now? Apparently, the officials of Owensboro plan to reinvigor-ate the town by creating a vibrant downtown area with parks, restau-rants, and shops. So did we really just trade in the Executive Inn for a fancy sidewalk and a park? We traded in a 500+ room hotel for a few condos?

I suppose it’s good that instead of sitting in neutral with the ‘E’ and let-ting it rot, Owensboro pulled the trigger. It’s better to have some kind of direction than none at all. In a way, it’s like a horse with a broken leg or a sick dog. You hate to see something you love suffer, so you put it out of its misery.

Unfortunately, at the time of execution, Owensboro also shot itself in

the foot.


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Prep Time: 10 minutesIngredients:1 sm. Box instant vanilla pudding1 sm. Box French vanilla instant pudding1 (9 oz) Cool Whip, thawed1 (8 oz) sour cream3 cups of milk1 box of vanilla wafers5 to 6 bananasMix first 5 ingredients and beat well with electric mixer. Layer vanilla wafers, sliced bananas and 1/3 pudding mix. Continue layers ending with pudding on top. Top with crushed vanilla wafers, chill.

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutesIngredients: 4 oz of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened (½ of 8 oz package)1 Tbsp. milk1 Tbsp. sugar1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed, divided1 Honey Maid Graham Pie crust (6 oz)1 cup cold milk1 (15 oz) can pumpkin2 pkgs. (4 serving size each) JELL-O vanilla instant pudding1 tsp. cinnamon½ tsp. ground ginger¼ tsp. clovesBeat cream cheese, 1 tbsp milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Gently stir in ½ of the whipped topping. Spread into crust.Pour 1 cup into large bowl. Add pumpkin, pudding mixes and spices. Beat with whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Mixture will be thick. Spread over cream cheese layer.Refrigerate 4 hours until set. Top with remaining cool whip.

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