The Legacy Lowdown Tyler Watkins & Lindsey Bowman

Garrett Barnes is the Assistant Director at the NEA Career and Technical Center here in Jonesboro and also happens to be the Justice of the Peace in District 2 here in Craighead County. We get into the weeds with Garrett on exactly who the NEA Career and Technical Center serves, the importance of training and exposure to different trades for high school students and how the NEA Career and Technical Center is helping to bridge that gap and get kids in our area workforce ready. We also hear a little about what it's like to serve as a Justice of the Peace and what the heck they do besides, of course, marrying people. He is passionate about his role as an elected official and also his role at the NEA Career and Technical Center. 

Garrett is hosting an upcoming Town Hall at Native Brew Works on June 29th at 5:30pm that is open to the public. 

To learn more about Garrett, you can visit his website at https://www.backbarnes.com/.

What’s the Big Dill?
Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of Tennis, Badminton, and ping pong. On this week’s episode of the Legacy Lowdown Producer Andrew fills the co-host seat as we discuss what makes Pickleball fun for all ages and we also find out what it means to get “Pickled”

Dr. Lauren Hannah joins us in the studio and talks all things mental health. Dr. Lauren is a therapist and also the co-owner of Foundation, a Wellness Practice and their soon to open neighbor next door - Sana Vita Wellness. She breaks down some of the basics of going to therapy, teaches us a little bit about trauma and what that may look like for different people and talks about some of the more modern treatment options (backed by research) and how they are bringing those into their holistic approach to mental wellness. She also shares a traumatic story from her past that put her mental health skills to the test when she was attacked by a former patient with a butcher knife.

To learn more about Dr. Lauren and her practice, you can visit them online at https://www.yourfoundation.net/.

Operation BBQ Relief is a little bit exactly what it sounds like. OBR was founded after the Joplin tornado disaster in 2011 when a couple guys who liked to BBQ together came up with the idea to help volunteer their time to help feed displaced families and first responders who were working around the clock. Listen in as Dewayne tells the story of Operation BBQ Relief and its inception and how it's grown into a nationwide effort that's now provided over 10 million meals, even taking some deployments internationally.  They are now a 501(c)(3) disaster relief organization and they are always looking for volunteers - even folks that don't know the first thing about cooking or smoking meat. 

To learn more about Operation BBQ Relief, visit them online at https://operationbbqrelief.org/. 

Garrett Tyler is a drummer, producer and music director - and perhaps the most famous guest we’ve ever had on! He is originally from Pocahontas, AR but now calls Nashville home. Garrett connects the dots for us on how a small town guy from Pocahontas grew to travel the world doing what he loves: playing and directing music for groups like For King and Country, Judah and the Lion  and his own band Local Sound. We get him to name drop a few of the most famous people he’s shared the stage with and even opened for. We are so glad he stopped by while he was home for a local show and we think you’ll love getting to know him as much as we did.

Find him on Instagram @garrettptyler.

Jessica Odom joins us on the podcast this week and sheds a little light on the internet situation in Northeast Arkansas and how the company she works for, RightFiber by Ritter Communications, has built an infrastructure ready to support the inevitable growth that's headed our way. RightFiber is doing things differently - starting with something as simple as answering the phone in one of their locally staffed call centers in Arkansas and Tennessee. Jessica tells the story of how Ritter got started and has grown into the business it is today, and shares her personal story of how she worked her way into telecommunications and eventually transitioned from training to marketing. Get connected, and give this one a listen! She also explains - in layman's terms - the benefits when it comes to the speed and security of a fiber network. 


Something that wasn't mentioned on the show that Jessica explained off-air was that they really encourage people to visit them online to check the availability of their services at your address. She said if they're not currently located in your area, you can request it - and they really rely on that data to help them decide where to build next. 


To check availability or request their services, you can visit https://www.rightfiber.com/ and click "Get RightFiber".