Wednesday, May 29, 2019

A driver for Matkin Trucking got caught in a bind recently when Plainview Rd. washed out from underneath his chicken truck. The photo looks unbelievable, but it is the real deal. We hear the driver crossed the weak patch and realizing something was wrong, or something had happened underneath, he stopped to get out and take a look. Before he could safely proceed and get the truck’s rear end over the eroded roadway, the entire section washed away leaving the big truck stranded. We also understand it took some doing to get the truck shuttled across the gap. We were very sad to learn the truck’s cargo, (live chickens, headed to slaughter we guess), were left lying in the roadway and no one bothered to pick them up before trucks drove in to tow the eighteen-wheeler. They may have been headed towards chicken eternity, but still. Would it have been too much trouble to sweep the live birds out of the roadway rather than driving over them? My late friend Robert James Waller said you can judge a society from how it treats its animals. Lord help.

Photo: Amy Lightsey  

Many Mayor Ken Freeman stated last week on Facebook that the Town Council has agreed when Chief of Police Roger Freeman [no relationship to the mayor] returns from vacation, they will hold an executive session to talk about police matters. 

How would you know?

What brought it to a head was when a young Many police officer pulled a pistol on Mayor Freeman recently. But there have been complaints for a while now.

The word on the street is that a few of the Many Police Dept. are commonly referred to as Goober, Gomer and Barney.

We hope Mayor Freeman will give Observations a report about the meeting.

Dr. Greg Lord, a Leesville physician, spoke to the Vultures Club in Many last week concerning his candidacy for State Representative. A native of Simpson, he operates Lord Clinic.

He is described as a “self-made” man, rising from an humble beginning, getting an education, doing great in business and living the American Dream.

Described as “a very Conservative Republican,” Dr. Lord told the group, “I am very touched by what I see when I visit Sabine Parish.” He mentioned that he had a great time recently visiting the Loggers Festival in Zwolle.

The doctor was graduated from Northwestern and received his doctor’s degree from LSU Medical School in Shreveport, sharing that he moonlighted at the old Fraser Hospital in Many during that period.

He worked at Byrd Hospital in Leesville for 35 years, where he served as Chief of Staff. He then opened his own Deer Creek Hospital. In addition, he has interests in nursing homes, a farm and in rental property. In other words, he is a very successful businessman in addition to be a highly respected physician.

Dr. Lord said as a businessman, he spent time in Baton Rouge working with the government on different matters and knows how the process works.  Said he, “I saw a lot of corruption. I am really frustrated with it. I want to see if I can make a difference. In medicine I diagnose a problem and then prescribe a way to fix it. In government I will diagnose the problem and then find a way to fix it. We have a lot of problems in government. I’m a fixer.”

He continued, “I’ve been in a lot of different traces. I think I can use my skills to bring people together to solve problems. My opponent [Rodney Schamerhorn] says he will be full-time Representative. A full-time career politician is not what we need.  I will continue to work. Rodney said he is a resident of Sabine Parish. He lives in a camp on Toledo Bend. I have a camp out there, too.”

Describing himself as “a conservative down to the bone,” Dr. Lord said he is for the right to bear arms and is against abortion.

In closing, Dr. Lord said he is for the development of Toledo Bend including promoting it as a retirement community, for the development of tourism statewide, for improving education, for criminal justice reform, for cutting waste in state government, for improving the infrastructure in the state and 100 per cent for the oil and gas business.

Work continues on the Momentum Midstream gas facility located just off Hwy. 171 a couple of miles north of Many. There were six cranes working when Observations took this picture last week. In addition to this plant, pipelines are being run all over the area. We’re glad to have them in Sabine Parish. CAPCO Contractors of Henderson, TX is doing the pipeline work.

Natchitoches Parish voters chose to try the Parish Commission form of government when they voted it in eight years ago. Many citizens, especially those in the rural areas, feel that the new system is not working. They continue to ask the Parish Council for the opportunity to vote on whether the people want to return to the Police Jury or remain with the Parish Commission.

The matter has come before the Parish Council twice and each time has been voted down. There are five members of the Council and four have to vote in favor of the election. Each time the matter has come to a vote, Russell Rachal, who represents rural District 5 and Rev. Doug deGraffenreid who serves District 3, vote against it. 

Observations attended the Council meeting on Monday of last week and had a conversation with Rachal. I have known Russell a long time and consider him a good friend. We have even been on a cruise together.

But Russell said he will not vote for the people to have their say, one way or the other, in an election. I told him the overwhelming majority of the people in his district want to have an election. He said that is not the way he hears it. I don’t know who is telling him that, because I don’t know of anyone who lives on a rural road who is happy.

His district is largely rural and the rural roads are in deplorable condition.

I know Russell to be a spiritual man, a good man, but I am concerned about him.  He had Commission Chairman Rodney Bedgood, who serves District 4, arrested after they had a few words following a Commission meeting.

Then last week, Russell told me he is considering filing suit against David Lewis who worked on a petition to recall Russell. They did not get enough names on the petition. Doing so is almost impossible. Russell said he asked Lewis for the names of those who signed the petition against him and David did not fully comply.

The Bible said “Let he that is without sin cast the first stone” and also, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God.” Think about it, Russell.

On the other hand, Chris Page lives in Natchitoches and is within walking distance of the Courthouse. And he cares greatly about the condition of rural roads in Natchitoches Parish.

Chris has served on both the Police Jury and Parish Commission, and believes that the Jury system works best. He said having 11 members of a Police Jury allows them to be closer to the people and serve the public better than only the five members presently on the Commission.

The contractor who is putting down the Astroturf at the Many Football Field ran into a problem. They found that when the land was cleared for the new school that a big pile of brush was buried where the football field is now located. So they had to dig it all out and replace it with dirt. Additional cost, $130,000. Add that to the $1.4 million already spent on the project.

The future Many/Sabine Parish Depot Museum has received a generous gift from Gayle Fisher, a lifetime resident of Many and Sabine Parish.

Fisher is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Phillips of Many.

Fisher donated four very old church pews that were housed in the original Pine Grove Church built in the mid-1800s and still standing deep in the almost impenetrable woods of Kisatchie National Forest. The church and land belong to Ms. Fisher and were inherited from her father, who inherited the property from his dad who bought the large tract of land many years ago and paid $3 an acre for it. 

The small church was built from trees felled on the site. Although it has not been an active church for many years, the pews and pulpit still stand there, silent monuments to the past. The little church had no electricity, no water – just a small building with open windows on each side to let in the light (and bugs) and shutters to close the windows during bad weather. The windows have never contained glass.

In the early to middle 1800s, the areas west of Natchitoches were beginning to be settled by people of the Protestant faiths. For many years little settlement occurred in the woods where the little church was eventually built because the area was considered to be a part of the infamous No Man’s Land: the buffer zone between the French-held territories adjacent to Natchitoches along the Cane River and the Spanish territories around Nacogdoches, TX.

With the treaty of 1801 and the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, these lands became more hospitable to settlers. This is where the original Pine Grove Church was built by settler families. It is thought that the little church in the woods was built in the mid-1800s.

As highways improved and changed, as children of the community grew up and moved outward, the little church in the woods was left behind and has remained in the peaceful, secluded area, unchanged and sleeping as a century and more passed.

Fisher has protected the building and carefully done repairs to it over the years. She wanted the pews to have a meaningful life where they will be preserved and cared for in the museum.

Many Mayor Ken Freeman was grateful for Fisher’s donation and assured her that her gift will be recognized with a plaque noting her contribution.

“This is such a meaningful donation because these old pews are an important part of the history of our area. They will now be occupied once again when people visit our future museum, enjoy the exhibits and attend lectures and seminars on the history of Many, Sabine Parish and No Man’s Land. Instead of sitting on folding metal chairs, visitors can  sit on these old church pews and reflect on our town and parish’s history and think of the people who built and sat on these same pews so many, many years ago,” Freeman said.

Fisher, who visits the old church often, said, “I always wonder about how many weddings and funerals took place in this old church.” She said the church was a favorite place for her to go with her father when she was growing up.

City workers Mike Moore and Jonathan McCullough followed Fisher to the old structure located deep in the almost impassable woods, carefully removed the pews from the building, and loaded them onto a trailer where they secured them and drove slowly back to Many to deliver the pews to their new home at the depot.

Many Council member and Chairperson of the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee Mary Brocato accompanied the group and remarked, “This was such  a memorable day. We traveled back in time and it was a deeply moving, spiritual experience for me. I will remember it for a long, long time.”

Lots of great free entertainment upcoming on the “Movies in Many” schedule. Inspirational, local culture, a veterans special and much more are being featured at the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] from July through the Holidays. Make a note to see the shows you like best, and watch for another poster that will announce all the special Christmas and month of December offerings. The movies are provided by the Town of Many, Many Cultural District and Mayor Ken Freeman. All shows start at 7 p.m. and concessions are always available for only $1 each. The Many Community Center is located at 675 San Antonio Ave. in downtown Many.

We hope you and yours had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Ours was happy and blessed. Please write or call with your suggestions for future Observations. Send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call me at (318) 332-8653. I always love to hear from you. Recently archived Observations are found on the following pages. Older ones are archived on our Facebook page, where they are listed under Photos and Albums by date. To save, send or print this week’s column, please click on the appropriate icon below.

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