(upbeat music) Welcome to Homegrown, the show where we introduce you to the people and stories that shape the character of life here in Arkansas.

I'm Dawn Scott.

And today we're taking a look at just what it means to be a family in Arkansas and not just the families you're born into, but the families you choose along the way.

We'll visit a family in Bryant that is playfully divided by one of the oldest rivalries in Arkansas.

We'll visit the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, where the importance of sharing family stories takes center stage.

We'll celebrate Thanksgiving with the band of brothers in Conway, who work and play like a family before finally meeting a football coach who went above and beyond for one of his players, welcoming him into his home as one of his own.

But first, let's start at Rabbit Ridge Farms in Bee Branch, Arkansas, where sixth generation farmers Alan and Angela Mahan are welcoming thousands of visitors to their fields and table each year.

Their extended family has grown, to say the least.

- He just loves being rubbed behind that ear.

We have kids, and kids and adults come from all over to see ole Eric.

Eric, the wonder Pig.

(scratching sound) My daughter saved him when he was just a little baby piglet.

He literally would fit in the palm of your hand.

My name is Alan Mahan.

I own and operate Rabbit Ridge Farms with my wife, Angela.

We do things kind of like our grandparents did.

We're regenerative farmers, so we raise beef, hogs and chickens.

All on pasture.

Hog pens aren't supposed to be beautiful.

But, man, you just look around here and you can see the, the fresh grass where we've created the silver pasture.

We put animals out here that can thrive in this environment without eliminating the environment.

- If you come to the farm, you're going to see wide open pastures.

You're going to see animals behaving the way animals are supposed to behave in their natural environment.

- All of our animals, what makes them so unique is the fact they're eating so many different species of plants, and all of those micronutrients are coming back in the meat that you eat from our farm.

On the farm, we have, we have to wear a lot of different hats.

- There are days that I think, why can I not get what I need to get done, done?

And it's because the list of what I need to get done is quite long.

- The shipping.

You know, when we ship our product across the country.

- Booking events, stocking the kitchen.

- Making sure the animals are fed, the pastures are rotated.

We have lodging at the farm.

We do farm tours.

We do farm schools.

- The majority of social media is actually Alan.

He says he's like a 14 year old girl every morning.

He gets so excited.

Can I show you my video?

And we'll put it up on the screen like it's, you know, a big premiere.

- Rabbit Ridge Farms cheesy chicken rice and broccoli casserole.

Mmm, mm.

Cheesy chicken and rice, broccoli in the oven.

- I thought you were taking a picture.

- No, I'm talking, I'm doing a cooking video.

It just is not quite like your cooking video.

- Rabbit Ridge Farms is unique because it is actually a farm you can visit.

That's not the norm with most farms.

I grew up on a row crop farm where if you saw someone on the property, you were making your way over there, finding out why and making sure they were quickly escorted off.

- It really went against everything that we knew.

Oh, we're going to bring people to the farm.

The farmer say, what?!

- We believe in complete transparency.

We want to make sure our customers and our patrons know how we raise our animals so we welcome them to come to the farm.

- We bring literally thousands of people every year.

We're able to teach children, adults, whoever, where their food comes from.

I'm proud to be a sixth generation farmer, and with Angela, we're able to continue traditions and farming methods that I feel hold true to what the generations in front of me held valuable to them.

I'm going to talk just a little bit about Angela.

It's awesome to still be in love at 54.

Angela is the consummate partner.

She's the one that pats my leg when she sees me getting worked up.

Angela was the wife of my best friend.

So, you know, if you're watching the video on this, you know, there's probably the scratch of the needle.

- So I started dating Drew Blankenship when I was in, I just recently graduated from college, and he introduced me to his best friends who are Alan Mahan and his wife, his first wife.

- Drew was that guy that became a best friend the first time I met him.

We both like to hunt, fish.

And so, you know, there were times we were crappie fishing in the spring that we should have been in class.

Or we went all over the country hunting, fishing.

- Eight days before Drew died, Alan was at our house, hunting.

We went on, that was his last duck hunt and he was ill and we knew he was ill, but we did not know how gravely ill he was.

So six days later, Alan came back to the hospital with me and was with me when he died and spoke at his funeral.

And I know when I say that people, I can see their mind racing because who wouldn't, that sounds, you know, as my kids said back in the day, that's weird.

And we were just very, very close friends, I mean, very close family friends.

Fast forward through life, which left me as a widow.

And he was divorced.

And life happens.

And we found ourselves falling in love.

- The only person that could comfort me was Angela.

To find somebody to love and, you know, to rise back out of the ashes, you know.

You know, she made me feel like a Phoenix.

- I don't know what life would be like if, if I wasn't with Alan, if I wasn't married to Alan because he can tell stories that I don't even know to our boys about their dad.

- I got to fulfill something that I promised my best friend, and I told him that I would see after his family and I would make sure that his boys was raised.

(joyful music) Our motto is creating community through food and agriculture.

We have dinners and breakfast.

We bring local entertainment.

And it's a really unique experience to come to one of our events.

- The fact that we are able to come together as a group on a random Friday night and provide an experience, an unforgettable experience for folks that don't, don't get to have that on a regular basis.

That is very important to us.

- We serve the food that we grow here on this farm, through our restaurant, in our venue.

Our waitstaff, our kitchen staff, our cleaning staff, falls into just a few categories.

Friends and family.

Every one of them.

- Alan is the floor man.

I guarantee he has stopped at every table.

He has checked to make sure that you're having a good time, finding out where you're from.

Learning something about you.

- We want to make sure that everybody feels 100% welcome no matter what walk of life they come from.

Our country is so diverse.

I would never want anybody to ever feel like they were left out on my farm.

That table is yours all night.

There's no table turnover.

We don't have another group coming in in an hour.

We want you to come and stay all night.

Like Willie says, stay all night, stay a little longer.

Dance all night, dance a little longer.

- Food is a means of, of sharing, of giving, of loving.

We care about our animals.

We care about the earth.

We care about human interaction.

We care about community through food and agriculture.

It all comes back to that.

And I hope when you walk away, you know that you are part of that community.

- There are people not just in Arkansas, but all across the country that are enjoying a little bit of Rabbit Ridge and they're thousands of miles away.

I tell you, that gets up in my feels.

What you have worked so hard to grow is going to so many people that are going to enjoy it.

That's pretty cool.

It's pretty cool.

It's time to feed the animals.

(truck engine chugs) (horn honks) (happy music) The Mahans are a unique farm and a unique family.

Their passion for their product and place is apparent in everything they do.

Families and communities need harmony to stay together, but a little bit of friendly competition always keeps things interesting.

Battle lines have been drawn between Benton and Bryant, Arkansas, for the Salt Bowl since 1974, dividing neighborhoods, churches and sometimes even families.

- If you've never been around it, it's kind of hard to explain and hard to understand.

Biggest rivalry in the state of Arkansas.

The two communities are close together.

You don't know when you leave one and enter the other.

You go to the right, you in Benton.

You go to the left, you're in Bryant.

- The district line is convoluted, to say the least.

- Coming down the interstate, you really can't tell which one's Benton and Bryant.

- It is 6:34, we are here at Big Red.

Here is our annual Salt Bowl show.

We're in Bryant proper, right?

- We're in Benton proper.

- Is that right?

- Today, a lot of these athletes go to the same church, they go to the same stores, they eat out at the same place.

- So many families who grew up in Benton, who went to Benton, whose kids went to Bryant vise versa.

The rivalry between the two and I think it's because they are so close.

- I always talk trash.

(whistle blows, crowd yells) My name is Lorelei and I go to Benton school, but my mom went to Bryant school.

- I'm a sophomore at Benton high school, but my mom was a Bryant cheerleader.

- So obviously I am partial to Bryant blue and the girls are a little, a little more partial to their Panther maroon.

I mean, I like to think that this looks a little more better, but - We are a true house divided.

- I feel like you're going to lose at the Salt Bowl, even though you were on the cheer team.

That doesn't mean you need to vote for them because they can still be bad and stuff.

- Give me the first year Benton and Bryant played.

- Boom, you know.

- That's a good guess, it was 1970 (indistinct announcing) C.W.

Lewis stadium where many many a games between the Benton Panthers and Bryant Hornets beginning in 1974 were played and they really were where the Salt Bowl began the 1999 game when you had over 12,000 people and then also up on top of this building, there were people standing as far as you could see.

I was just dumbfounded.

I remember Mayor Farmer, now, Mayor Farmer, then Coach Farmer, saying something to me.

He's like, you know, we probably need to think about doing something different.

- And we started talking about what could we do to make the game bigger and better?

- We've now reached the point that both schools have outgrown the ability to play this game in our own stadiums.

We've got to look at doing something different and why not go, you know, War Memorial Stadium?

(upbeat music) Quickly it became more than just a football game.

It started a Salt Bowl t-shirt.

That's what started hot dogs that we gave away for free, to attract people to come to the game.

That eventually led to the big Arkansas's largest high school tailgate party, as we call it.

The one thing I think I'm the most proud of is we also wanted it to give back to our community, had charity partners in Arkansas Food Bank.

We've always done a blood drive and we've had partnerships with the Cancer Society or Goodwill.

And so it's always been more than just a game.

- People were out there, they got their maroon on, they got their blue on.

One big family because it's about family.

That's what community is about, it's a family and they're having a great time.

But buddy, when you walk through that gate and you take your side, whether it be the Bryant Hornets side or whether it be the Benton Panther side, it's all over because it's war.

When that whistle blows, it's 7:00 and that kick off's given, it's war and everyone's pulling for their team and yelling and screaming and it's just fully spirited and having a great time.

But, you know, once the game's over, people intermingle again in the parking lot and they're a family again.

The communities of Benton and Bryant treasure their local rivalry and countless families continue to pass on that spirit of competition to the next generation.

Keeping kids interested in their family heritage is part of the mission of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, and they shared their thoughts on family with Max from Arkansas PBS' children's show, Blueberry's Clubhouse.

- Oh, hey, Max.

- Hello?

- How are you?

How was your first day of camp going?

- We're learning about families, and I just realized I don't know much about mine.

- Oh, you mean to tell me you want to know more about oral history?

Well, you've come to the right place.

We certainly can help.

(jazz music) Oftentimes, people think of history, they think that it's inside of a history book, like this one.

But a majority of history is passed on from person to person by storytelling.

Storytelling, which is a griot, which is storyteller.

It dates back to West Africa, and they would tell these stories about their people and they would pass these stories on to generations, generation.

And oftentimes these stories are not written down, and the only way that we know about them is through storytelling.

And so that's why oral history is so important.

Ask things about your grandparents, ask them what they did, you know, where they're from, what city, what state and what profession they were involved in.

If they had any siblings, if their parents had any siblings, and just kind of get, you know, kind of gauge that information.

A lot of the time at times it's kind of hard to kind of ask those questions.

But once you start asking if you like where they from, you know, they might open up and tell you more information.

So here's an example of a story that I would tell my son about my mother who was no longer living.

So Carson, your grandmother used to wake us up on Saturday mornings and she would not tell us where we were going.

It would be a huge surprise.

And sometimes we would end up at these fascinating places, such as a museum like Mosaic Templars, and she would allow us to run around and fiddle with all the little different things that they had on display.

And that was her way of teaching us and doing it in a fun aspect.

And so that's the reason why I take you to so many museums, I take you to so many fun places, because my mother taking me to those places as well.

Thank you so much for coming to Mosaic Templars Cultural Center to learn more about oral history.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach back out to us.

Bye.

- Oral family histories like Courtney Bradford's are unique and universal at the same time.

We all have families we were born into with deep stories to share, but many of us also have families we've chosen, close groups of friends with whom we share our biggest moments, like this group of guys in Conway, Arkansas.

- Hello everyone, I have the honor of being with the Conway Fire Department.

We're going to help you be thankful during Thanksgiving.

One thing about Thanksgiving, it's not just the football and the family time, but you know what they look forward to?

The tasty bird (crowd cheering) When it comes to a tastier bird, everybody wants to go deep fried.

- Hold on Mario, it ain't that simple.

- It's important to remember a few safety rules before the gobbler hits the grease.

Most importantly, make sure your turkey is completely thawed and patted down before it goes in the fryer.

- That extra water content can evaporate instantly when it hits the grease, causing the fryer to overflow and catch on fire.

Be sure to wear thick gloves and an apron when deep frying and goggles to protect your eyes in case of an accident.

All right.

- And keep the proper tools nearby, such as thermometers to monitor the temperature of the bird and the grease, as well as the fire extinguisher.

- Just in case.

Fill the fryer to its maximum line with a high heat oil.

Keep that fryer flame low and heat the oil at 350 degrees.

Next, turn the flame of the fire off and gently lower the turkey to the fryer.

If the flame is open when the turkey is lowered into the fryer, there is a chance that the oil might overflow or spill onto the open flame, causing a fire.

Once the bird is securely in the fryer, restart the flame, and monitor the cooking thermometer, ensuring the oil doesn't get hotter than 350.

Start your cooking timer.

We recommend three and a half minutes per pound of gobbler.

- When time is up, turn the flame off once more, lift the turkey from the grease and let it drain.

- Yeah.

- Use a probe thermometer to make sure that the bird has come up to temperature.

Look for 180 degrees in the thigh and 170 degrees at the breast.

- What if people don't follow the instructions that we've shared?

- I say, let's find out.

- Let's do it.

(suspenseful music) (siren) - Ooo, weee.

Okay.

Well, folks, there you have it.

That's what will happen if you don't follow these amazing instructions these fellows have shared with you all.

Now, that first turkey, that looked delicious.

How about we take it over the station and have ourselves a feast?

Let's go.

(upbeat music) Families can sometimes be surprising things.

The fireman in Conway welcomed Mario to their football game and the firehouse Thanksgiving with open arms.

But that surprise pales in comparison to the family welcome Dale Gilleran received the fall before his senior year of high school.

That is when his definition of family took on a whole new dimension.

- I grew up in a broken home.

My parents, they were never married and I was raised most of my early life by my mother.

We struggled pretty often.

I was in trouble a lot at school.

The one thing that kind of kept my head on straight was football.

It was really the only thing that I loved at the time.

Seventh grade, we started to play football for the school and Coach Gilleran is my coach for the first time and I remember he would always invite us to what he called FCA, which was Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and I didn't know at the time what FCA was or what it was about.

I just knew that they served free pizza and I was all about some free food.

I was looking for any way I could to get away from home because my relationship with my dad was, for lack of a better term, nonexistent.

You know, growing up, I don't think my dad went to one of my football games and that meant a lot to me that he would go, but he never went.

And so it was really hard on me.

I was looking for any type of father figure or any type of authority figure or any type of structure in my life that was willing to be that for me (whistle blows) - Good!

- As a head football coach and just as a coach, I, I look at all the kids and see the needs for all of them and I try to look at all of them.

And so, you know, Dale's probably not the only one, but he's the one that they seem to want him to do those things.

And I knew he needed structure.

So he started coming over a little bit more.

And in fact, he went on vacation with us that summer.

Yeah, we took him to Kanakuk Camp.

It's a family camp in Branson, Missouri, and it's a Christian base camp.

It's a lot of fun.

You do a lot of activities and do different things every day.

- And I remember they were taking family pictures of all the coaches in their family and they said, All right, Gilleran's, it's your turn.

And, you know, my last name is not Gilleran, so I'm just hanging back and I'll never forget Mom, Melody, she goes, Come on, get in the picture.

You're part of our family.

And I've been in the picture ever since.

(both laugh) - And then I guess the story changes his junior year, go into his senior year.

His dad, his dad says he's going to Indiana for work and he's going to be gone.

- A couple of days, turned in a week, a week turn in two weeks, two weeks turned into a month.

And my dad never came back.

And school was about to start and I just remember sitting on the couch with his wife, Melody, who I call mom now, and we're kind of brainstorming.

I'm like, you know, I don't know what I'm going to do.

I can try to, you know, pick up a job somewhere and try to do something.

And I just remember her saying to me, you know, me and Coach have talked about it and we've prayed about it and we've talked to the girls and we feel like you're already a part of our family and we don't want you to have to struggle through your senior year.

No kid should have to do that.

You know, she said, you know, grandma and grandpa, they bought you an extra bed to put in the extra room and we want you to live with us.

And I just remember breaking down and being so thankful.

- You know, the biggest thing I want to do is impact people's lives on and off the field.

And more off field, because, you know, they're going to remember some of the games, but they're going to remember how you treated them and how you gave them opportunities and how you encouraged them and and how they, how you changed their life.

And so, you know, the Lord put them in our life for a reason and we thought he'd be a part of our life and, you know, great part of our family.

- Smith was my last name beforehand.

You know, somebody asked me a while back, you know, why the name change?

And I wanted to do it to to honor them.

And mostly, you know, because all the sacrifices they made for me, you know, you think about a kid I grew up, I didn't have anything, but they gave me a family.

The Gilleran story is truly inspiring, and I know the community of Lake Hamilton is happy to see Dale return to coach beside his father.

Families in Arkansas are special things.

Whether you're born into it or find it along the way, I hope we can all find a way to cherish the family in our lives.

That's it for this episode of Homegrown.

Thank you for sharing your time with us and please take a moment to appreciate those whose hard work has gone into making this show.

See you next time.

(upbeat music) It don't matter where we go.

We always find our way back home.

So here's to the cheap sunglasses, Red Bull and minivans, people who had your back when the world didn't understand.

See, we won't forget where we came from.

The city won't change us.

We beat to the same drum.