Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Hats off to Donnie Wooley who was a candidate for Sabine Parish Tax Assessor.  Prior to the election he announced that after the election he would take down his yard signs within 72 hours.

Guess what? Day after the election, he and wife Cheryl were taking down the signs. He had kept a list of where he put them up so he knew where to go to take them down. Very commendable. He challenged other candidates to do the same.

Shelly Salter won a big victory in the Sabine Clerk of Court’s race in Saturday’s balloting. She is Chief Deputy Clerk of Court and has worked in the office for many years. She received 5,651 votes for 74.98 per cent. Her lone opponent, Pollie Brandon, received 1,886 votes, 25.02 per cent. Ms. Salter carried 35 of the 38 precincts. In addition, Ms. Salter received 1,700 in early voting and Ms. Brandon 562.

Aaron Mitchell rolled it in Saturday in the race for Sabine Parish Sheriff. He was the top vote-getter with 3,349 for a whopping 44.03 per cent of the vote. Incumbent Ronny Richardson ran second with 2,407 votes for 31.65 per cent. Frankie Howard came in third with 1,486 votes for 19.54 per cent. Chris Abrahams rounded out the group with 364 votes for 4.79 per cent.

Mitchell carried 28 of the parish’s 38 precincts. Richardson carried seven and Howard four. In early voting Mitchell received 942, Richardson followed with 777, Howard had 437 and Abrahams received 114.

Richardson congratulated Mitchell on Facebook Sunday for getting in the runoff with him. He also congratulated Howard and said he felt Howard had gotten some of the votes that would now go to him.

Howard told Observations that he congratulated Mitchell and Richardson on Saturday. He stopped short of endorsing a candidate in the runoff, but said he felt there would be a change in the Sheriff’s Office.

Mary Beth Brocato won in the Many Alderman at Large position in Saturday’s balloting. She received 306 votes for 55.14 per cent. Her opponent Monte Davis received 249 votes representing 44.86 per cent. Ms. Brocato carried one precinct and Davis two. Ms. Brocato was appointed to the position some months ago.

Pete Abington…  what a man. He had two stents put in on Tuesday of last week. On Saturday he was in Baton Rouge at the LSU football game.

It was a great night of music in downtown Lufkin, TX Sunday evening at the Pines Theater. Dailey & Vincent of Grand Ole Opry and RFD-TV fame, put on a whale of a show, mostly Gospel. It was a packed house, and they were set to return again to the theater on Monday night and present more secular music, including their popular Statler Brothers quartet numbers and other D&V crowd favorites.

We were happy to get to say hello to Darrin Vincent, co-leader of the group and his wife Julie, who had traveled down from Tennessee to join her husband on tour for a week or so. Some 30 years ago, when my wife Laurie played Folk music with her family, she and the Vincent family often crossed paths.

Our good friends, Steve and Phyllis Birdwell of Marthaville, joined us for the night out, and we sure had a grand time.

Darrin dedicated a song to my wife Laurie at show’s end, “Somebody’s Praying,” which was one she listened to a lot this year during her recovery from cancer surgery. He did a beautiful job on it, as always. Laurie has done amazingly well, and we are truly thankful.

There’s nothing better than catching up with old friends, and we’re sure glad we got to. It’s been said, “The best portion of your life will be the nameless moments you spend smiling with people who matter to you.” True.

Chris Tidwell and Carroll Ellzey will meet in the Nov. 16 runoff for Sabine Tax Assessor. Tidwell was the top vote-getter in Saturday’s balloting with 2,227 for 29.41 per cent of the vote. Former Assessor Ellzey came in second with 1,604 for 21.18 per cent.

Running third was Police Jury President Ronny Bison with 1,436 for 18.96 per cent.  Donnie Wooley ran fourth with 1,072 votes at 14.16 percent. Deputy Assessor Carl Chance came in fifth with 1,007 votes for 13.30 per cent. Rounding out was Patrick Johnson with 227 votes for 3 per cent.

Tidwell carried 19 of the parish’s 38 precincts and tied for one. Ellzey and Bison each carried seven precincts and tied for one. Wooley carried three and Chance one.

Louie Bernard of Natchitoches easily won the race for State Senate from the 31st District in Saturday’s election. He received 18,529 votes for 55.30 per cent. He received 4,200 votes in Sabine Parish, 7,808 in Natchitoches, 475 in Grant, 1,499 in Red River, 3,798 in Rapides and 749 in Winn.

Running second was Trey Flynn with 8,596 votes for 25.66 percent. Finishing was Doug Brown with 6,381 for 19.04 per cent of the vote.

Rodney Schamerhorn beat out two opponents in the race for District 24 State Representative. He received a total of 7,377 for 52.55 per cent. He carried Sabine Parish with 3,220 votes. In Vernon Parish he received 3,364 votes and in Natchitoches Parish, 793.

Dr. Greg Lord ran second with 5,259 votes for 37.19 per cent. Col. Willie Banks came in third with 1,402 votes for 9.99 per cent.

Quad C Physical Therapy on Hwy. 171 Bypass in Many recently held its Grand Opening with the Sabine Chamber of Commerce. A large crowd turned out to enjoy a hearty lunch, learn about the services of Quad C, and see a demonstration of their amazing anti-gravity treadmill.

Quad C stands for “Compassionate Christians Caring for our Community,” and taking care of folks is what owner Kearstin Cooley is all about.

During her remarks at the ribbon-cutting, Cooley shared, “God has blessed me with the perfect people for my staff. I didn’t know they were exactly who I would need. But each one of them brings such a special talent to our work here,” she said.

The most fascinating part of the gathering was when Kearstin had a runner get into the anti-gravity treadmill and demonstrate how much faster and more efficiently a person can run when part of his or her body weight is removed.

The device allows for a very high percentage of body weight to be negated, which allows the runner to enjoy a full range of increased motion with little to no impact. Even unsteady, older persons can use the treadmill and because of how it is built, there is no risk whatsoever of a fall. Using the anti-gravity technology, a healthy person with full range of motion can increase their running speed 2 to 3 miles per hour. And with little to no impact on legs, knees and feet, the unique treadmill is the perfect physical therapy aid to regain strength and movement after surgery.

In her thanks to the crowd Cooley explained, “I’ve wanted to do this since 8th Grade, and I am really blessed to now have my own place.”

We wish Quad C all the best as they continue in Many.

One in four women are victims of domestic abuse every year. Between 950,000 and 3 million incidents of domestic violence are reported each year, and many other incidents go unreported. It is estimated that more than 10 million women and children experience domestic violence in the United States each year.

Project Celebration’s mission is to protect women and their children in seven parishes in Northwest Louisiana from domestic violence and to provide a safe house for them when they flee their homes.

This year’s annual Project Celebration Golf Tournament and Silent Auction on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Cypress Bend raises money for the renovation of Taylor House, a safe house for victims of domestic violence.

The big, upcoming event is FREE for everyone. The golf tournament begins at 9:30 a.m. with a three-man scramble. The cost is $150 per team with pre-registration, and $200 per team on the day of play. Mulligans will be available. There is also a Hole-in-One contest. The person to sink a hole-in-one will receive a $10,000 prize, courtesy of Community Bank of Louisiana.

A huge silent auction begins at 2 p.m. with lots of desirable items. It is completely free to the public, stressed Cheryl Wooley. “We’ve got something for everyone,”  said Wooley, president of Project Celebration’s board of directors.

Paintings, handmade jewelry and other art pieces have been donated by the Depot Art Guild members.  There are also gift baskets from Nichols, Lou’s Flowers and Gifts and other stores in Many, Natchitoches and Mansfield. Other items up for bids include an overnight stay at Steel Magnolias B&B in Natchitoches, two nights at the St. Denis Hotel, and a night at the Horseshoe Casino with a $150 gift coupon for dinner at Jack Binion’s Steakhouse. Many more items, including a year’s supply of gourmet coffees and a beautiful handmade silk quilt will tempt shoppers who also want to help financially with the renovation of Taylor House.

Wooley said there will be snacks and a cash bar as well as a wine tasting. “We want there to be something for everyone,” Wooley explained. “We want lots of people to come out, have a great time, and also support the renovation of Taylor House,” she commented.

Project Celebration’s big fundraiser on Oct. 19 will be held at the golf clubhouse at Cypress Bend, beginning with the 9:30 a.m. golf tournament and continuing with the silent auction at 2 p.m. Wooley said she is especially grateful that Cypress Bend, for the third year, offered to host the annual fundraiser for Project Celebration.

Short and sweet this time! That’a a wrap for this week. Thanks for reading and remember, I always welcome your thoughts and suggestions for future articles. Call me at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. To see Observations of the last year, follow the pages below. To see older ones, visit our Facebook page. To print, send or save this week’s column, please click on the appropriate icon.

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