Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Last week this column carried a report about the efforts of former Tax Assessor Conrad Cathey asking that five property tax elections set in Sabine Parish on Dec. 8 be postponed because the Louisiana Tax Commission has ordered the Sabine Parish Tax Assessor to re-assess all property. This means that when the property is re-evaluated, it will come in at today’s market value, resulting in the assessment going up in many cases. The Assessor has until August of next year to complete the job.

Cathey’s position is that under re-assessment, the property tax base will rise and that additional taxes may not be needed. All he is asking is that the governing bodies postpone the elections until after re-assessment. “Then if they still need taxes, they can call elections then,” he explained.

But asking governing authorities to put off tax elections is like pie in the sky. Cathey met with the Sabine Parish School Board on Nov. 12. Postponing the School Board tax came up and only three members voted to do so: Daron Chandler, Dale Skinner and Donald H. “Hootie” Remedies. Cathey also met with Police Jury President Ronny Bison and Mike McCormic, who has called tax elections in Wards 2 and 3, and he will not postpone the election.

Cathey reiterated, “My position is not speaking for or against any tax proposition. I am saying let’s don’t vote on any new taxes until we see what the Assessor is going to do. I’m asking that we wait and let the Assessor’s Office do their job. If the public votes for new taxes and then the assessments go up, the public is given a double dose.”

It is apparent that none of the governing bodies are going to take any action to delay the elections. What Cathey is preaching makes sense. So what recourse does the poor ole over-taxed taxpayer have? They can let the governing bodies know they are the boss. They can go out and vote Dec. 8 and vote a resounding “NO” on all the tax propositions.

We wish all of our readers a very happy Thanksgiving. We thank God every day for His many blessings, our precious freedoms here in the U.S., and all of the good things in life. Here’s hoping you and yours spend some special time together this holiday and enjoy it to the fullest.

Something to Ponder:  The Most Precious Gift from God is a Child.

Come this Friday, the Village of Fisher will turn on its Christmas Lights. I would expect Mayor Susan Slay to flip the switch. I hope so, anyway.

Following that will be Pickin’ on the Square, according to Bo Stewart, son of Willie Stewart. The rafters will ring inside the old Fisher Opera House with Bluegrass, Country and Gospel music, especially lots of Christmas tunes. All musicians are invited to attend and participate. The general public is invited, and it’s all free. Hope to see you there.

 

With a State Police escort, the Bayou Renegade Rally roared into Florien Sunday, Nov. 10. It was part of the event titled Progressive Poker Run that brought attention to the area’s No Mans Land. The ride was billed to honor our heroes on Veterans Day.

The run started at Sam’s Town in Shreveport and ended at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles. Other stops the rally made were in Grand Cane, Leesville and DeRidder. Music and food were featured at each stop. Besides the music, food and fun in Florien, they also put on an Old West shoot-out, complete with saloon girls.

Hats doffed to Linda Curtis-Sparks and her Sabine Tourist Commission staff for their great job on putting the event together.

And while we’re mentioning the Stewarts, we want to wish Bo Stewart a very happy birthday. We understand he turned a little longer in tooth on Monday, Nov. 19. We’re not sure whether to classify Bo as an “adult,” “middle age,” or “old.” If you see him, double check how high he wears his belt. It’ll tell the tale every time.

Signs Along Life’s Highway

This sign hangs on the wall at Front Street Market Place at the corner of Front and Church Streets in Natchitoches.

Many Mayor Ken Freeman acknowledged many citizens and residents who receive water through the Many water system have been concerned about the quality of the water lately.

He agreed they were right to be concerned and hopes the following information he is providing will help alleviate their worry.

Freeman said, “Because a brain-eating amoeba was discovered recently in the Bossier Parish water system and because of the mismanagement of the Flint, MI water system, the Louisiana Department of Health has demanded that all water systems in our state must perform a chemical burnout of their piping systems. We had no choice in this matter.”

”That required burnout ended on Nov. 19. It’s finally over. Unfortunately, the elevated chlorine in the system caused rashes and/or irritation to skin for some citizens with sensitive skin. I, too, experienced an itchy rash from the elevated chlorine. But at no time did we exceed the safe level of chlorine.”

Freeman continued, “This required burnout process began when we notified the Department of Environmental Quality that the chemical burn out was about to begin. We then hired an independent laboratory to orchestrate and supervise the entire burnout.”

“Next we published notices in the Sabine Index, on all the local radio stations, and also posted on our Facebook page and other media that notified the public of what was about to happen.”

“The independent lab monitored chlorine levels through the town throughout the entire burnout process. According to the lab, at no time during this process did we exceed the safe level of chlorine. The water was safe to drink during the burnout and it is safe to drink now. I am sorry that the chlorine irritated the skin of some of our residents.”

The mayor explained, “We had no choice but to perform the chemical burnout of our water system. If we had not complied with state and federal regulations, we would have been at risk for the brain-eating amoeba being in our water system. We would have faced federal and state fines of $500,000 for each day that we did not comply.”

Freeman went on to say, “The State of Louisiana and the U.S. government require us to perform this required chemical burnout once every year. The next time we do it, we will send a letter to each household on the Town of Many water system notifying them that we are going to perform the burn out and the exact dates that the process will take place.”

Freeman said meeting the federal and state mandates for safe drinking water is expensive. That is one reason the cost of water is high. He listed some costs. The chemical burnout cost $8,000. Removing trihalomethanes from the Many water system costs $1,200,000. Replacing all water lines which ensures proper water pressure for fire protection costs $4 million dollars.

Freeman said maintenance costs on the city water plant which was built in the 1970s cost $100,000 in 2018 alone. Maintenance to the aging water plant increases every year. The ever-increasing cost of the required chemicals to purify the city water increases at least 8% every year.

The mayor stressed that while the federal and state governments make these mandates or requirements, they do not provide any funding at all.

“We have to meet the mandates. We have no choice. The only way we can pay for these enormous costs is through our water bills,” he explained.

“No one likes higher water bills. I don’t either,” the mayor said. “But, because of these higher water bills, you can be assured that YOUR water system completely meets all federal and state requirements and is safe to drink, to bathe in, and to cook with,” Freeman concluded.

Anna Cate Williams Wright will be honored in the Many Christmas Parade on Dec. 22 as the “Young Achiever of the Year.”

A strong advocate of physical fitness and good health, Anna Cate and her husband are the owners of Rigs and Racks Fitness Center on Highway 171 Bypass in Many.

A few years ago, Rigs and Racks was no more than a dinner table discussion. Today it is a gym filled with motivated, supportive, hard-working people determined to reach their physical fitness goals. The strongest motivator there is Anna Cate, founder and operator of Rigs and Racks.

Anna Cate is married to Dustin Wright, also of Many. He is the son of the late Billy Wright and Linda Ebarb Wright, who now lives in Shreveport. Dustin and Anna Cate have two young boys: William, age 6, and Major, age 3. With two physically fit parents, the boys are destined to grow up to be athletes and dedicated fans of physical fitness.

Both Anna Cate and Dustin grew up in Many and Sabine Parish, graduated from Many High School, earned their college degrees, and eventually returned to their hometown where Anna Cate now lives out her dream of helping others become and remain physically fit.

Anna Cate is the daughter of the late Malcom Williams. Her mother is Cherry Murray Williams. Her father died in 2015. He was the most influential person in Anna Cate’s life. A longtime businessman in Many and Sabine Parish, Williams stressed to his daughter that if she loved her occupation, she would never “work” a day in her life.

These words of wisdom from her dad encouraged Anna Cate and Dustin to move back to their hometown and pursue their dream of serving their community by building and operating a multi-faceted fitness center and offering programs that would include the sport of physical fitness, youth sport-enhancement classes, adult group fitness and personal training.

Anna Cate opened her first physical fitness center in a small, rented auto repair shop that she converted into a fitness center in 2015. Soon she had an overflow of members and was quickly outgrowing the building. Because of her desire to provide a first-class facility for her members, she and her husband built the brand new Rigs and Racks Fitness Center, and it opened for business in November 2017. It is located on the Highway 171 bypass in Many.

While constructing the new facility, Anna Cate included space for a small coffee shop/cafe in the building. After having operated as Altar, it will open under the management of Kristi Kor in January 2019 as the Hard Kor Cafe. The coffee shop will offer healthy keto and paleo-friendly foods as well as smoothies, salads, muffins, protein bars, soups and, of course, gourmet coffees. All items will be made from scratch each day. Anna Cate believes that eating healthily goes hand in hand with being physically fit.

Growing up in Many, both Anna Cate and Dustin were highly decorated student athletes.

Anna Cate excelled on the basketball court, softball field and in track/field. She was a two time state championship basketball player for Many High School. She went on to play Division 1 basketball for Northwestern State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance.

Dustin was an all-state athlete in football, baseball and track/field. He played Division 1 baseball at Centenary College where he received his degree in kinesiology.

Their common interests in sports, good health, and physical fitness made them a perfect match.
Both of them became teacher/coaches after college graduation. That is where they discovered their passion for helping others reach personal goals in sports and in life.

From these experiences, Anna Cate and Dustin knew that reaching a goal demands hard work, determination and focus. They began to think of ways to reach their dreams and goals and, at the same time, return to live in their hometown of Many.

Through Rigs and Racks Fitness Center, Anna Cate Williams Wright has brought her physical fitness values and standards to her hometown of Many with a new and different sort of business that improves the lives of the people it serves.

For these reasons the Many Christmas Committee and Many Mayor Ken Freeman are proud to name Anna Cate Williams Wright the “Young Achiever of 2018.”

The ‘DeLIGHTful’ Christmas lights will officially light up the Town of Many this Friday, Nov. 23 – the day after Thanksgiving, when Many Mayor Ken Freeman throws the switch to turn them on at 6 p.m.

Many citizens and residents are expected to line downtown San Antonio Ave. to see the new lights that Many workers have worked hard for several weeks to install.

“This year we want Many to be ablaze with Christmas lights. Last year we had some problems and were unable to light up the town. But we made it our goal in 2018 to light up Many and get everyone in the Christmas spirit with our awesome lights display,” Mayor Freeman said.

“I want to especially thank our city workers for the many hours and weekends they put into lining San Antonio Ave. with beautiful Christmas lights. It was really hard and painstaking work, and they all rose to the challenge. We have a dedicated crew of workers in Many, and each one of them has worked hard to make sure we have ‘a DeLIGHTful Christmas’ in 2018,” the mayor concluded.

Before the lights are turned on at 6 o’clock, Santa Claus will pay an unofficial visit to the Many Cultural District when he arrives at Bayou Crawfish restaurant, located downtown, at 5:30 p.m. to visit with children and their families.

Families are then invited to walk outside and watch for the Christmas lights to light up San Antonio Avenue.

“Music in Many” is also getting in on the action. The Playmates will also play on Friday evening, from 6 to 9 pm. at Bayou Crawfish.

These upcoming weekend activities are the official beginning of ‘A DeLIGHTful Christmas’ Festival theme in Many during the month of December 2018.

A busy holiday calendar featuring lots of music, plays, dance recitals, movies and more is planned to keep everyone in the Christmas spirit this holiday season.

Lights, lights, and more lights! Music, dance, plays, movies, parades, fireworks, shopping: that’s what you’ll see in downtown Many during this year’s 2018 Christmas Festival.

It all begins Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving when Many Mayor Ken Freeman turns on the ‘DeLIGHTFul’ Christmas lights throughout Many from City Hall at 6 p.m.

The 2018 holiday calendar is filled with Christmas season activities so folks can stay in town and enjoy Christmas cheer in Many.

A highlight is always the Christmas parade. Gay Corley, chairperson of the Christmas Committee for several years, has worked hard again in 2018 to plan a huge parade on Saturday, Dec. 22. The parade starts at 2 p.m.in downtown Many. Corley said the parade is later than usual this year because of the elections in early December and other towns’ parades.

After the parade, the Bucky Slay Memorial Fireworks will erupt at 6 p.m. down at the Many Fair Grounds. There will be lots of activities and vendors to enjoy at the fairgrounds after the parade downtown, and before the fairground fireworks.

The Kids’ Annual Christmas Party is also scheduled for Dec. 22 at the Many Community Center at 7 p.m. after the fireworks spectacular is over. “Star,” a traditional Christmas movie, will show free of charge for children and their families. Admission is free and popcorn and soft drinks are only $1 each.

Lovers of Christmas will have lots to do every weekend and on several weekdays during the month of December.

The Depot Art Guild will host “Christmas on the Tracks” at the Many Depot Art Gallery. The event is a special Christmas sale, where shoppers can admire and purchase one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts. It opens at 5 p.m. with a reception on Thursday, Nov. 29, and stays open until 8 p.m. for shopping. Shopping continues on Friday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Art Gallery will be open again from 10 a.m. Saturday until 6 p.m.

Shanna Gaspard, president of the Depot Art Guild, said artists have worked hard all year to create really special, unique gifts for Christmas, including paintings, sculptures, decorated gourds, lamps, jewelry, and Christmas tree ornaments. She said, “If you’ve got a special someone that you want to gift with something truly unique but you don’t know what, then I promise you can find it at the Depot Art Gallery during our annual ‘Christmas on the Tracks’ sale.”

This year for the first time, there will be Community Christmas Caroling in downtown Many on Dec. 8, 15, 19 and 22. Becky Miller, known for her talented dance and music students, is planning this new event.

Music is an important part of this year’s Christmas Festival in Many. The annual Christmas Cantata will take place at the First United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6. Musician Mike Morris said practice has been underway for some time now.

The classic Charles Dickens play “A Christmas Carol,” under the direction of the talented actress and director Mary Bozeman, will be presented at Many Community Center at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8 and again at a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9.

The Miss Merry Christmas Pageant is scheduled for Monday, Dec.10, at 6 p.m. at Many Junior High School.

This year Becky Miller’s Studio B will present a Christmas Spectacular Dance Recital from 7 until 8 p.m. at the Many Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The talented and charismatic dance students always draw a huge crowd to enjoy their performances.

The award-winning Many High School Band will present its annual Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec.14 at the Many Community Center. Band Director Joe DuBose said students are excited about performing on stage for this special Christmas program.

The 2nd annual “Down Home Christmas Pickin’” with Willie Stewart, Family and Friends at Sabine Theater [Many Community Center] takes place on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. Last Christmas it proved to be one of the biggest and most beloved new Christmas traditions for the town of Many.

Stewart and his family are talented, popular musicians who always draw a big crowd and never disappoint. The box office will open at 6 pm. and music lovers are urged to come early if they want to get good seats. Adult tickets are $8 and kids’ tickets are $5.

Stewart will be joined by his mandolin-playing son Bo, grandson Kelly, Kelly’s wife Clancey, who is the reigning Louisiana State Fiddle Champ and also a past Arkansas State Fiddle Champion. The Stewarts will be accompanied by Debbie Hillman on vocals, Steve Birdwell on vocals and guitar, and Laurie Gentry on vocals, bass, autoharp and spoons.

A Children’s Christmas Musical will be presented by Studio B Dance Company on Thursday, Dec.20 from 7 until 8:30 p.m. at the Many Community Center. Miller promises a delightful performance by the children.

This year’s festivities also include visits with Santa at City Hall, field trips for school children to the Many Community Center to watch special Christmas movies, free Christmas movies for the family, live music performances each Saturday night at Bayou Crawfish Restaurant from 6 until 9 p.m. with a special visit from Santa Claus at the popular restaurant at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 24.

And, of course, there’s the big Many Christmas Parade on Dec. 22, the main event for this year’s “A DeLIGHTful Christmas” celebration.

The Children’s Nativity at St. John the Baptist Church will take place at 4 p .m. on Monday, Dec. 24, to remind everyone of the real reason for the Christmas season. And a traditional candlelight Christmas Eve service will be held at First United Methodist Church of Many as well. It starts at 6 p.m.

Observations encourages all of our readers to spend Christmas Day with family and friends as we take time to celebrate Christ’s birth.

That’s all for this Thanksgiving week. I love to hear your ideas for future articles, so please share your thoughts with me. Call (318) 332-8653 or email robertrgentry@gmail.com. Past Observations columns are archived on our Facebook page, so be sure to visit and “like” us there. To print this week’s column, simply right-click on the column text and select “print.” Thanks for your faithful readership.

– 30 –