Wednesday, December 19, 2018
We want to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas! May the holiday season be one of peace, merriment, love and good times. And it is an especially appropriate time to thank all the folks who have been regular readers of “Observations” this year. Thank you!
Retired State Police Colonel Marlin Flores came back home Saturday to celebrate his 80th Birthday. He was raised between Belmont and Pleasant Hill, the son of Mr. and Mr. J. Brun Flores.
The event was held in the Mitchell Community Center, and a packed house came out to honor him.
Marlin had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. He served with the Military Police in the Army and was discharged in 1963. He was a policeman with the Shreveport Police Department.
In about 1967 he joined the Louisiana State Police. In June of 1977, at age 39, he was appointed Commander of State Police Troop G.
Gov. Buddy Roemer appointed him Superintendent of the State Police and he served in that capacity from March 25, 1988 until Jan. 13, 1992.
Following his career with the State Police, he was head of security for Harrah’s Casino in Shreveport. After about 10 years, he retired and moved to Pagosa Springs, CO where he continues to live.
The Sabine Parish Police Jury passed a 16-page Ordinance concerning litter and signs along the highways last July.
A group was formed called Sabine Parish Leaders Against Litter, and their goal is to make the public aware of the litter and signage ordinance. They state, “It is the purpose of this ordinance to implement a comprehensive plan to regulate litter and to eliminate litter as much as possible.” Also supporting this effort is the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission and the Chamber of Commerce.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises residents that beginning Monday, Jan. 7, maintenance crews will remove illegal signs along Hwy.191.
All illegally placed signs along the right-of-way will be removed and disposed of by DOTD. They have placed red stickers on signs with economic value. Sign of no economic value will not be identified with red stickers.
But, a lot of folks along Hwy. 191 are not happy. They contend that the signs serve a purpose, and that they let visitors know where these businesses are located.
“Why not worry about litter, and not the signs,” someone wrote on Facebook. “Getting DOTD to waste money doing this is shameful.”
Another person wrote, “Tired of all those unsightly signs littering the roadways? Really? Do they consider signs as litter?”
And one question was “Why pick on the little businessman who is just trying to make a living?”
Other folks are asking, “Why just Hwy. 191? Why not all state highways in the parish and also all parish roads?”
Through the years there have been many battles against litter in Sabine Parish. Unfortunately none were long-lasting nor did they eradicate the problem.
Back in the late 1960s or early ‘70s, the late Cliff Ammons initiated an anti-litter campaign. His slogan was “Only a Skunk Would Dump That Junk.” And, of all things, he had a big billboard along Hwy. 171 north of Converse to promote it. For shame. For shame.
Picture of the Past
Many Mayor Ken Freeman has named Mary Beth Key Brocato to the position of City Councilman at large for the Many City Council. Many City Council members voted unanimously for Brocato to fill the position.
She fills the vacancy left by the death of City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Richardson Peterson who served in these positions since 2001.
Mayor Freeman also nominated longtime City Councilman James Kennedy as the new Mayor Pro Tempore. He was unanimously approved by the City Council members.
Kennedy is the first African-American to serve as Mayor Pro Tempore of the Many City Council. He became a member of the City Council in January 2004 when he was appointed to the position to fill the unexpired term of his wife after she passed away. He then ran for the council seat at the next election and has been elected to the City Council every four years since that time. January 2019 will mark 15 years that Kennedy has been on the City Council.
Brocato will serve on the council until October 2019 when an election will fill the vacancy left by Peterson’s death.
She said she felt honored and humbled to be selected by Mayor Freeman as Peterson’s replacement. “Barbara served our town so well and so faithfully for so many years. I hope I can follow in her footsteps and be a good and caring council person, too. She certainly set a good example for me to follow. I also appreciate Mayor Freeman so much for having such confidence in me,” said Brocato.
Brocato, who retired from the Broadcast Journalism degree program at Northwestern State University in 2012, serves as chairperson of the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee. She will continue to fill that volunteer position.
When she retired after a 47-year career in journalism that included 25 years as a teacher, she knew she wanted to give back to her community of Many and Sabine Parish, “…because I grew up here and those formative years taught me so much. I thought it was time to give something back to make our community an even better place for our people to live. So I’ve been volunteering ever since,” Brocato shared.
She and the Cultural Committee members have worked hard to renovate and convert the old Sabine Theater into the Many Community Center that now offers Music in Many programs, free movies, and many cultural events each year.
They are currently involved in “Save a Building – Build a Museum” by renovating and restoring the old Many Depot and converting it into the Sabine Parish Historical Museum in Many.
She and her fellow committee members have also installed 12 Book Nooks throughout the town that offer free books to the residents of Many as little stand-alone lending libraries.
During her career, Brocato worked as a reporter and anchor in the news departments of television stations in Alexandria, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. She served as the first female press secretary for seven years to Louisiana Governor John McKeithen where she honed her interest in government and politics. Brocato also spent several years as a documentary film producer for the World Health Organization.
Upon her return to her hometown of Many, she taught English and Speech at Many High School and then moved to Northwestern State University where she was an integral part of their Broadcast Journalism program until her retirement.
Brocato is the daughter of the late John Adam and Flarcie Miller Key, the wife of the late Dr. Robert M. Brocato, and the mother of one son, Dr. Robert Adam Brocato of Shreveport.
DON’T FORGET! Many’s “A DeLIGHTful Christmas” Festival continues right up until Christmas Day with the following activities:
Tonight – Wednesday, Dec. 19, Christmas Carols will be presented downtown across from the Town of Many City Hall at 6 p.m. All are invited to attend and sing, or simply listen to the songs of the season. We understand hot chocolate is available too!
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 Saturday, Dec. 22, is the big Many Christmas Parade. It was held later in the holiday season this year to avoid conflicts with other area Christmas celebrations and on account of the election earlier this month. The parade is always a delight, and we know for sure it will include one special cutie pie: my 18-month-old granddaughter, Bree Martinez, will ride in the parade as the Baby Miss Zwolle Christmas Festival. The parade starts at 2 p.m.
At dark on Saturday night, the Slay Family will present the Bucky Slay Memorial Fireworks show at the Sabine Parish Fairgrounds.
Back downtown, Christmas Carols will again take place across from City Hall at 6 p.m. on Saturday night. Dec. 22.
The Children’s Nativity at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church will take place at 4 p .m. on Monday, Dec. 24, to remind everyone of the real reason for the Christmas season.
And, as always, a traditional candlelight Christmas Eve service will be held at First United Methodist Church of Many. It starts at 5:30 p.m. and Pastor Gloria Youngblood assures it will last only 45 minutes to an hour, so that families may attend worship and not be late for Christmas Eve dinner.
“Observations” encourages all of our readers to spend Christmas Day with family and friends as we take this time to celebrate Christ’s birth.
Once again, Merry Christmas to you, and we appreciate your faithful readership. I love to hear your thoughts and ideas for future articles. Please call me at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. Recently archived columns are shown below. Older columns are archived on our Facebook page, where they are listed by date under Photos. To print a copy of this week’s column, simply right-click on the content and select Print.
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