Wednesday, November 28, 2018

If you noticed, last week the bdcradio.com web site took on a new look. Marion Hall, Sean Johnson and the folks at SatCom have worked on it for several weeks. Mr. Radio, Tedd Dumas, made the improvements come about and we thank him for that.

And with the improved site, comes a new weekly column, “Reflections” by Jerry Pierce, External Vice-President of Northwestern State University.

I first met Jerry, a native of Springhill, many years ago when both of us studied Journalism at Northwestern. He is a first-class writer and I urge you to read his column each week.

He talks about many things, but also reflects on life in the slower lane, the old days, folks he’s met along life’s road and so many other interesting things.

Jerry was graduated from Northwestern with a degree in journalism in 1961. He then moved to New Orleans where he was sports editor for the Times-Picayune.

He went to work at Northwestern on Sept. 13, 1965. In September 2015, Jerry was honored on his 50th Anniversary at Northwestern. Today, he is healthy, hardy and just as active as when I first met him. He has been and still is a great asset to Northwestern.

At Northwestern he has been a professor of journalism, Executive Assistant to the President, Director of Informational Services, and Sports Information Director.

If you’ll read his column today, you will become a regular reader. Welcome aboard, Jerry.

Former Sabine Tax Assessor Conrad Cathey continues his battle to get five governing bodies in Sabine Parish to postpone property tax elections until the Sabine Tax Assessor re-assesses all property, as directed by the Louisiana Tax Commission. The work is to be completed by August of next year.

“Observations” has carried information on his stance in two previous columns.

It is apparent that the taxing governing bodies are not going to postpone the votes. So now, the only recourse the people (that is the tired, ole taxpayers) have is to vote “No” on Dec. 8.

A “No” vote will produce the same result as if the governing bodies had simply waited to see how much extra monies will come in after the new assessments are complete. It may be their needs will be met with those extra funds. If not, an election can be held then on the taxes they are asking for.

Signs Along Life’s Highway

It is interesting to note that the Many Police Department posted this on Facebook just before Thanksgiving. It announced that the Police Department would be closed from Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m. until Monday, Nov. 26, at 8 a.m.

Say what?! Surely Mayor Ken Freeman and the Many Town Council didn’t approve this.

Never heard of anything like it before.

Amanda Lambert stated on Facebook that this never happened when her husband Dean or son Ron were Chief of Police.

Well, some folks are at work and some aren’t.

Early voting for the Dec. 8 election is currently underway in the Registrar of Voters Office at the Sabine Parish Courthouse at 400 Capitol St. in Many. Early voting continues through Dec. 1.

The Christmas lights at Fisher were turned on Friday night, with ceremony. Mayor Susan Slay, who has always done a wonderful job as Mayor, gaily presided over the festivities.

The event opened with prayer by Rev. Ray Leidig. The National Anthem was presented by Debbie Hillman, Laurie Gentry and Steve Birdwell. Several area pageant queens were also presented. Then the beautiful lights were switched on.

After the lighting, folks went inside the Fisher Opera House to enjoy a mostly-Christmas music concert put on by Willie and Bo Stewart, Kelly Stewart and his wife Clancey, Debbie Hillman, Laurie Gentry and Steve and Mark Birdwell. Some 75 persons dropped in to listen during the two-hour concert. The group was also joined by a few guest vocalists on stage before the night was over.

We understand the new Christmas lights at Cypress Bend are beautiful, and the Town of Many has also decorated for Christmas. So, if you enjoy Christmas lights, be sure to drive around and take a look.

Have you noticed how bright those blinding, blue lights are on police cars? They use them when they stop someone and, especially at night, they are nearly blinding to oncoming motorists. Saturday night going to Natchitoches we encountered three police cars on side of the highway, all with bright, flashing lights on.

If you see these, be sure to slow down for safety.

The comic misadventures of the beleaguered Griswold family continue in “National Lampoon Christmas Vacation,” which shows at Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] this Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

The movie is free as always as part of the “Movies in Many” program sponsored by the Town of Many Cultural District Advisory Committee, Mayor Ken Freeman, and the Town of Many. Concessions are available for only $1 each.

In this fun holiday romp, America’s most dedicated dad Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) is determined to stay at home to create “the most fun-filled old fashioned family Christmas ever,“ but life has a particular way of throwing wet logs on Griswold’s fire.

As is his sentimental nature, he puts too much emphasis on the production of it. He wants nothing less than a “fun, old-fashioned, family Christmas.”

For his dutiful wife and indulgent kids, this means that dad simply goes a little nuts: a trip to the woods for the tree, 25,000 outdoor lights, oversized presents, too many relatives – in short, Griswold tries to cram a little too much holiday cheer into one family dwelling.

In the spirit of anything-that-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong, “Christmas Vacation” is a tightly bowed story of household delirium. “It is Christmas and we are all in misery,” Clark’s overburdened wife exclaims.

Into her well-ordered abode, her husband has invited both sets of grandparents, and just when Mrs. Griswold gets them not-so-snuggly bedded down, with no visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, a country cousin (played by Randy Quaid) and his cock-eyed clan roll in unexpectedly.

It’s a fun-filled movie that families are sure to enjoy designed to put everyone in the holiday spirit!

The Tre Twitty –Tayla Lynn concert at Fisher Opera House on Saturday night was a good success with about 150 in attendance. The pair are the grandchildren of Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. They paid tribute to their respective grandparents’ careers, as well as performing all of Conway and Loretta’s big duet hits.

Clancey Ferguson Stewart, the current Louisiana State Fiddle Champion and granddaughter-in-law to Stewart Family patriarch Willie, played fiddle with the duo, and we hear she did a superb job as usual.

Speaking of, Mrs. Clancey Stewart is a main spring of the Stewart Family and Friends crew who will present a “Down Home Christmas Pickin’” at Sabine Theater in downtown Many on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Town of Many and Many Cultural District, and is offered to area residents completely free of charge. Concessions will be available as always.

Not only will Clancey be featured on the program with her beautiful fiddle music, but on at least one toe-tapper, she’ll be joined by my wife Laurie Gentry who’ll play the spoons. The fiddle and spoons were a big hit among many last year, so their fiddle-spoons duet is a definite repeat for this year.

Holding down the Stewart family end of things will be Willie Stewart, son Bo and grandson Kelly, and on the friends side will be Steve and Mark Birdwell, Debbie Hillman and Laurie Gentry.

Be sure to mark your calendar for this fun-filled evening featuring lots of traditional Christmas carols as well as Country Christmas songs with guitars, mandolins, fiddle, bass, autoharp, cajon acoustic drum box and more!

That’s all for right now. Please send your thoughts about “Observations” and ideas for future articles to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call me at (318) 332-8653. I always love to hear from you. To print this week’s column, right-click anywhere on the content and select “Print.” Older columns are archived on our “Observations” Facebook page, where they are listed by date in the Photos section.

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