The Hilltop Monitor sat down with Patti Stark, owner of Serenity on the Square, to discuss her lifestyle in the health and wellness sector, the best part of owning and operating a business on the Liberty Square and her love for all things yoga and meditation. 

Stark fondly recalled her journey to her current holistic lifestyle in a warm yoga studio on a Friday afternoon. She credits high stress levels as what led her to this new lifestyle thirty years prior. 

“I worked in a nonprofit at the time and one of my friends was a therapist… we were talking one day and she said, ‘ you don’t necessarily need therapy, you need meditation,’” Stark said. “She got me hooked up with some classes, and the first class I went to [I thought] ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve been missing this my whole life.’ I was supposed to be doing this.”

Stark noted that after meditation sessions, she felt her anxiety and heart palpitations decrease. 

“It seemed like every three or four months something else would be introduced that was different from what I was doing, it was more natural or holistic,” Stark said. “Every time something new came in and I did it and it worked, I was like, ‘I have to share that,” 

After Stark’s epiphany, she began leading meditation, life coaching and energy balancing. The previous owner of Serenity on the Square invited her to teach classes and, shortly after, decided to sell the business. It seemed only natural that Stark take over. 

“[Everything] happened too easy… I felt like it was my calling, you know, to create a place where people could come and really discover who they are,” Stark said. 

After taking charge of Serenity on the Square eleven and a half years ago, Stark noted that her favorite aspect of her business is still teaching and helping others. 

“I still love to teach a meditation or a yoga class or do a life coaching session with someone,” Stark said. “I love teaching because then I can really see people, the lightbulbs go on and I remember what that felt like.” 

Serenity on the Square offers a plethora of health and wellness services available to Jewell students accompanied by a Jewell-specific student discount. Additionally, Stark revealed that a collaboration between Serenity on the Square with yoga and coffee is in the works. Updates are available on their Facebook page.

Opened in September of 2018, Wingz & More’s Liberty location is the second of its kind. The founding team conceived the idea for Wingz & More in 2016 and decided to open the flagship restaurant in Grandview, Missouri, in March of that year. Since then, the team has been working hard to expand their franchise, creating a five-year plan to open four more locations. Independence, Missouri, and the downtown Kansas City, Missouri, area are two prospective sites for future Wingz & More locations.

The Hilltop Monitor sat down with one of the owners of the franchise, Chris Murray, to learn more about Liberty’s reception of the restaurant, how to expertly navigate the menu and what makes Wingz & More unique.

When asked how patrons of the Liberty location have reacted to the restaurant, Murray readily answered that their reactions have been largely favorable despite its low profile.

“A lot of people still don’t know about us. Somebody came in yesterday and said, ‘You’re Liberty’s best secret,’” Murray said with a smile. “We’ve only been open a few months – it was a pretty slow winter with all the complications with weather. We started to deliver recently, and that’s kind of branched us out a bit, but for the most part, it’s going really good.”

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant specializes in chicken wings, though their menu extends far beyond that. Four main groups of food dominate the menu, with “wingz” heading the pack and “wrapz & saladz,” “sandwichez & dogz” and “burgerz” rounding out the “& More” of the promised culinary offerings. Entrees tend to hover around the 6-10 dollar mark.

Murray shared his tips on getting the best out of the Wingz & More menu.

“You gotta try the wings [sic]. Whether you do the boneless or the bone-in, it doesn’t matter. Burgers are a big hit because we patty them fresh here every day. Our philly cheesesteaks, our po’ boys – just things you can’t get in a normal run-of-the-mill [restaurant],” Murray said.

Wingz & More also offers unique comfort food specials on Sundays.

“One of our big sales is on Sunday. You can do what we call ‘Grandma’s Sunday Dinner,’” Murray said. “So every Sunday it’s something different. It can be anything from meatloaf to lasagna. For Easter, we did an Easter dinner. It was smoked chicken, cordon bleu dressing, macaroni & cheese and green beans.”

Murray emphasized that Wingz & More is one-of-a-kind and eager to serve their customers to the best of their abilities.

“If there’s something you want that you don’t see on the menu… we can always work it out. I like to say that if you have a flare for something – just ask! We won’t tell you ‘no’ – we’re gonna give it a shot. We try not to be so structured to where we can’t step outside of our own comfort zone,” Murray said. “We try to make it feel like home.”

And a home it is to several Wingz & More patrons, who laud the restaurant for its affordable and delicious meals, friendly staff and chill atmosphere. Contributing to this success, perhaps, is Murray’s personal philosophy, and the reason he loves what he does.

“Food kind of binds people together. Whether you have a little or you have a lot, [it] is just one of those things that brings people together,” Murray said.  

Wingz & More Liberty is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. It’s a quick 15 minute walk from the William Jewell College campus for any students looking for a restaurant that feels like a second home.

Located in Brown Hall, the Stocksdale Gallery is currently featuring the work of sculptor Martha Aldridge.

“Creating a sculpture begins with an inspiration, a vision, or an assignment or commission,” Aldridge said.

A Missouri native, Aldridge’s bronze works often depict her favorite subjects – horses and children. “Pony Tails” was her first bronze piece. Taken from an actual life experience, the sculpture depicts two children gleefully riding a pony. On the other hand “Kaylen” and “Jacob” are sculptures of the artist’s own grandchildren.

“Having always loved working with my hands building and carving things, my sculpture interest grew and I began taking sculpture classes and learning about the process of creating a bronze,” Aldridge said when asked how she began what drew her to the medium.

Aldridge was an art teacher in the public school system for more than 30 years. She took up sculpting after retiring.

“To begin a sculpture, an idea is formed either in my mind, on paper or by building a small maquette,” Aldridge said.

A maquette functions as a sculptor’s rough draft, often used to test ideas and shapes. Unlike finished pieces, maquettes are interesting because they convey the artist’s first thoughts and interpretations of the subject.

The next step in the building process is constructing an armature, the framework that gives structure and support to the rest of the sculpture.

“An armature is built using plumbing pipe and wire with the addition of foil or other materials to build bulk,” Aldridge said. “The clay is then pressed over the armature and the real sculpting process begins.”

Aldridge noted that ensuring this armature is properly supported is the most difficult aspect of creating her sculptures.

Many of Aldridge’s works are commissions – she is responsible for creating specific pieces based on what her client desires.

“As with the Lawrence ‘China’ Slaughter Memorial sculpture, I knew after speaking to members of the art council, they wanted a compassionate man with school children,” Aldridge said.

The commissioned sculpture honors a beloved Liberty, Missouri, resident, Lawrence “China” Slaughter, who served as a crossing guard and custodian for Franklin Elementary for more than 40 years before retiring in 1984. The memorial depicts the late Slaughter in his role as crossing guard with two school children carrying books.

Aldridge acknowledged that her proudest moment as an artist was installing this sculpture. A maquette is on display in the gallery, but the actual memorial is local and resides in a pocket park near the Liberty Square.

“This is the largest sculpture I have completed, and I’m so blessed to have been chosen for this project,” Aldridge said.

Aldridge’s favorite small piece, “Back from the Hunt,” is also her most recent. The sculpture includes a horse and rider accompanied by two hounds.

“I love the interaction of the horse with the hounds as the rider engages the horse to stay on task,” states the description beneath the sculpture.

What I found most alluring about Aldridge’s work was the subtle variety. While the subject matter is often the same, each piece has its own character. The most notable difference is size, as the sculptures range from small door knockers to life-sized renderings of children. If you look closely, not even the bronze coloring is the same. Some sculptures are lighter, darker or redder than others.

My favorite piece from the gallery is “Bring it On,” which depicts a young girl with her hands on her hips. Aldridge did a remarkable job portraying the girl’s confidence, and the sculpture somewhat resembles the “Fearless Girl” statue that stood across from the Wall Street Bull.