Free Range Conversations

For everyday people around the town of Kingsland and Cleveland County as a whole, the infamous shooting of the water tower in May of 2022 is old news they would like to forget. That is not the case however for the rest of the world, specifically for Kasson, Minnesota singer-songwriter (and furniture salesperson) Cori Kennedy. Kennedy stumbled upon news footage of the water tower shooting which depicted music icon and Kingsland native Johnny Cash “leaking from the sky” after the shot was fired in what then-Mayor Luke Neal called a “sensitive area.” Finding the incident hilarious and ironic, Kennedy wrote a song about it in the style of Johnny Cash. She posted a video of the song across her social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and others on Sunday, March 9. The video quickly went viral and within a week surpassed 11 million views, steadily climbing closer to 20 million at the time of publication.

Donna Best of the Woodlawn community has a passion for gardening, and she will be sharing some of her growing techniques at the Arkansas Homesteading Conference to be held Saturday, March 29, at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. Ahead of her presentation, the avid gardener joined the Free Range Conversations podcast to talk about her experiences of living in a “tiny house” and going over some of her gardening methods. Chatting with host and organizer of the conference, Britt Talent, as well as co-hosts Roy Phillips and Douglas Boultinghouse, Best also shares her journey from being born in Hong King, China, to living in a tiny house in South Arkansas.

After a successful run in 2024, the Great South Arkansas Junk Hunt made some changes for 2025. The Junk Hunt is the merged route of two smaller hunts, the former Historic Hwy. 35 Junk Hunt and the Hwy. 79-63 Junk Hunt Loop, both of which Cleveland County served as the epicenter. The merger created one large route of sales to be held twice a year, spread over four days. While the spring hunt typically took place in March, organizer Jennifer Via, known as the “Queen of Junk,” and her team of volunteers made the decision to move from March to April. To explain the changes and provide tips for the upcoming Junk Hunt April 3-6, Via joined the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to talk with hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse.

Logan Duvall, host of Sowing Prosperity, and partner at Me & McGee Market in North Little Rock, chats with the Free Range hosts in advance of his presentation at the Arkansas Homesteading Conference set for March 29 in Rison.

Opening a new business in Rison is sometimes risky, but for a local master massage therapist, it has proven to be a rewarding endeavor. Kristy Strother, MMT and owner of Rison Serenity Wellness Spa, is celebrating three years in business this February. She is also advocating to Arkansas legislators on behalf of the American Massage Therapy Association. Strother sits down for the latest episode of the the Free Range Conversations podcast with hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse to discuss her successful business in Rison and the bills currently before the Arkansas House of Representatives. She attracts clients from all over the state, and even visitors from Illinois and Georgia, who schedule massages with the master massage therapist. Her massages over full-body massage and targeted-area massages that can include Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, hot stone, sports massage, lymphatic massage, cranial-sacral therapy, raindrop therapy, e-stim, stretching and more.

RISON - It’s not every day in Cleveland County when someone from San Diego sets an intention to visit a landmark in Rison. But Monday’s surprise visit from California native Julie Federico brought some welcomed insight and a new perspective of our town. Federico sat down for an unplanned episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to explain what brought her to Rison by way of Bob Abbott. She is joined by Abbott, Pioneer Village President Marty Bowlin, and usual hosts Britt Talent, Roy Phillips and Douglas Boultinghouse. Growing up in the crowded and over-developed parts of southern California, Federico always longed to visit another definition of southern, the region where her ancestors originated before moving west. She set out researching on Ancestry.com and began connecting with family members in Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. Along her path of research and a name she was familiar with through friends, she stumbled upon an article about the Beard House, now located in the Pioneer Village.

Grandmaster Han's Martial Arts classes return to Rison this week and instructor Master Jeremy Fox joins the newest episode of Free Range Conversations to talk all things Youn Wha Ryu. Fox previously taught classes at the church that were halted through the pandemic of 2020. He expressed his eagerness to return to Rison with former students who will be assisting with the classes, Les and Stacy Walz. Les Walz joined the podcast as well to share his testimony for the unique classes. Fox teaches “a mixtures of several traditional martial arts” known as Youn Wha Ryu. This includes taekwondo, karate and hapkido.

Though it’s only February, prom dress shopping is already at the forefront of many teen girls’ minds (and their parents). Mallory Stuckey, a junior at Rison High Shool, has created a way to lessen that burden with the RHS Prom Closet.

Stuckey, and her mother Tracy, join the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to share all the details of this weekend’s event that provides free dresses and accessories for girls in advance of prom in April.

Local healthcare provider and fitness advocate Lauren Threlkeld joins the latest episode of Free Range Conversations to share her journey as she prepares to compete in the IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in April. She steered her focus towards health after the loss of her father shortly after the birth of her first child. Her motivation was simple, she wanted to be around, and be an example, for her children.

Mayor of Rison Charles Roberts gives listeners a glimpse at upcoming constructions plans for Rison. During the episode with hosts Britt Talent, Roy Phillips and Douglas Boultinghouse, Roberts gives updates on the water tower renovations, plans for replacing pipes and re-paving the streets of Rison. Throughout the podcast, Roberts and the hosts discuss other possibilities for Rison and features they would like to see such as a community center/safe room, as well as potential investors that have been looking into properties.