Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Freddie Grappe, shown at right, presented a check for $3,110 to the Sabine Parish Special Olympics program in special ceremonies Tuesday at Curtis Family Pharmacy in Many. At left is John Curtis and accepting the check for the Special Olympics is Becky Heard, center, representing the Sabine Parish School Board.
Carla Parrie, who was not present, is in charge of the program. Grappe is President and Ambassador of the Gray Ghosts Motorcycle Club. This is the seventh year the group has helped the Special Olympics and the third year that Curtis has played a major part in making a sizable donation.
Grappe uses those donated funds to purchase items for a raffle. He said Gray Ghosts chapters in five parishes helped in selling raffle tickets.
“This thing is far from over,” Sabine Homeland Security and Preparedness Chief David Davis told members of Pete Abington’s Vultures Club Tuesday. He was speaking of the Coronavirus. Continuing, he said he did not feel the plague would be brought under control until a vaccine is developed.
He urged folks to wear masks, wash hands often and to practice social distancing. “It is serious, folks,” he remarked, saying how surprised he is that so many people in Sabine Parish do not take it seriously.
In addition, Davis announced another death in Sabine Parish from Coronavirus, bringing the total now to four. On Monday he reported 351 cases in Sabine Parish, with 144 presumed recovered or over 14 days in quarantine. He said the number of cases were pretty well scattered across the parish.
Country music great Bill Anderson celebrated his 59th Anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday, July 15. A long-time friend, Bill wrote in a message to me: “I don’t know where those 59 years went… seems like I just got to town yesterday.” He continued, “I hope you and Laurie are staying well and staying safe during all this craziness. I’m sure looking forward to the time when things get back to normal… whatever ‘normal’ turns out to be.” Sounds like a song somewhere in there.
Bill is regarded not only as a great singer, but as one of the best, most awarded songwriters around. In addition to his work on the Opry, he has been a TV game show host on some different television game shows, host of “Country’s Family Reunion” on RFD-TV and at one time, had an interest in a chain of restaurants, among other various ventures.
We wish Bill well and hope his good health continues and that he has many more anniversaries on the Opry.
The annual Sale on the Trail will be held July 31-August 1.
The Sabine Parish Tourist Commission has announced it will withdraw sponsorship and promotion because of COVID-19. In a statement, they wrote they were withdrawing support: “With concern for our residents and potential visitors, changes in COVID-19 conditions in Sabine Parish, mandates on masks, plus the fact that our parish usually has the highest traffic count for this event, negating social distancing.”
Other parishes and counties in the El Camino Real Caddo Region will continue with the sale. Businesses and individuals in Sabine Parish can still participate. More information may be found by visiting Sale on the Trail on Facebook.
Our prayers and best wishes go out to Frankie Howard who is in St. Francis Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria with the Coronavirus. I talked to him early last week and he said he had been sick for about two weeks, but thought he might be getting better. His wife also tested positive, but we hear she is much improved.
Howard’s good friend and former Sheriff’s Deputy in Vernon Parish, Jim Wise, said Frankie was taken to the hospital Thursday night after he took a turn for the worse.
Frankie just completed a second term in the House of Representatives and was defeated in a bid last fall for Sabine Parish Sheriff. He served as Vernon Parish Sheriff for something like four terms.
The Sabine Parish Police Jury will meet in regular session for a public hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 9 a.m. in the Sabine Courthouse to consider levying additional or increased millage rates without further voter approval.
This means, if approved, the Jury will levy additional or increased millage rates without further voter approval or adopt the adjusted millage rates after reassessment and roll forward to rates not to exceed the prior year’s maximum.
The estimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $3,382,631.27 and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase in $45,485.86.
If you have an opinion or want your opinion known, be sure to attend the hearing.
REGISTRAR of VOTERS
Kristi McCormick, long-time highly-respected Sabine Registrar of Voters will retire Aug. 29. According to Police Jury Secretary Bill Weatherford, the Jury cannot appoint a new Registrar prior to an actual opening in the office. At this point, he said the Jury intends to make the appointment on Aug. 31. He adds, however, the Jury has a 90-day window to appoint after Ms. McCormick retires.
Last week Observations carried the names of 23 persons who have applied for the job. We inadvertently failed to list Joy Anne Scarborough, which brings the total to 24. We are sorry for the mistake.
Deep Pockets, a critic of the way the Village of Robeline operates, told Observations Monday that a conversation with Roger Harris of the State Auditors Office concluded with Harris saying the anticipated audit of the town’s finances would not take place. The informant relates to us that they were told “the amount of money is not substantial enough.”
CLECO, it seems, is putting the finishing touches to the Loring Substation located at 450 Chris Alford Rd., just of Hwy. 171 north of Many. The substation is located adjacent to the gas-purifying plant there. Observations asked CLECO for information concerning the substation, but they did not respond.
We hear a lot of folks are looking forward to the Social Distance Social planned for Friday evening, July 24, in downtown Many. The music starts at 6:30 p.m.
It all began when James Wagley of The Turn-Ups approached the Town of Many about presenting music on the sidewalk in front of the Many Community Center [Sabine Theater] at the end of June. They thought it was a great idea, so he and his band plugged in, cranked up and passersby enjoyed a real treat listening to songs from their parked cars and social distanced lawn chairs, and as they went into and out of Bayou Crawfish Restaurant for dinner.
Shortly after, a small group of core sponsors banded together to finance a series of Turn-Ups performances to be held once a month until mid-November.
It’s called a Social Distance Social for obvious reasons and attendees should be mindful of the mask directive now in place by the governor’s office.
Bayou Crawfish will feature their “Turn-Up Cocktail” on special this Friday as well as All You Can Eat Boiled Shrimp.
A number of San Antonio Ave. merchants plan to stay open until 8 p.m. on Friday to serve shoppers. Those include Southern Comfort Boutique, San Antonio Antique Mall & Café, Gypsy Boutique and others.
So, plan to mask up for Many and take a social distanced stroll on San Antonio this Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. to the music of The Turn-Ups.
Core sponsors for the Social Distance Social are Mayor and Mrs. Ken Freeman, Attorney Verity Gentry, Vanguard Behavioral Health Consultants LLC, John and Betsy Godfrey, Wagley Companies LLC and Laurie Gentry Designs.
To add to the evening’s enjoyment, Attorney Verity Gentry will have free bottles of water outside her office directly across the street from the Sabine Theater, and Laurie Gentry Designs has you covered. She’ll be giving away free face masks and hand sanitizers.
After the first Social Distance Social to be held this Friday, July 24, remaining sidewalk music dates are Aug. 21, Sept. 25, Oct. 23 and Nov. 20.
It is very heartbreaking to see the lawlessness that is running rampant in our country. It hurts to see the rioting, looting, arson, and other crimes as well as the disrespect for our law enforcement officers.
We were recently in Hot Springs National Park, AR and ran across this sign: “It’s The Law. Graffiti is a crime against nature! When you are caught you will face federal criminal charges to include up to one year imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine. Help us to stop vandalism.”
Why aren’t arrests being made for all the graffiti we see in news reports? Why is there such an uproar over troops being sent to protect federal property? And what are we going to do when the anarchists reach our front door?
The 28th Annual Marthaville Heritage Society Good Ole Days Festival and Parade set for Sept. 18-19 has been canceled because of the Coronavirus, according to the head man Fuzzy Hennigan.
Miss Good Ole Days Queen Jordan Rodriguez has agreed to continue representing Marthaville until the next pageant.
The 2020 Membership Drive is now underway, and we will carry full details in next week’s Observations.
Sabine Parish Schools will be back in session on Aug. 6, and students will be divided into two groups. Group A will attend school on Tuesday and Thursday. Group B will attend school on Wednesday and Friday. Children living in the same household will be assigned attendance on the same days. Mondays are reserved as dedicated distance-learning days, in which teachers will report to school to deliver lessons, provide feedback and prepare any materials needed for students.
Sabine Online K-12 will also be available to families interested in a full-time online setting instead of returning in person.
Many folks we’ve heard voice opinions are very disappointed schools will not be open full-time. It seems that a student will only be taught two days a week, leaving three school days up in the air. We understand those three days are supposed to be devoted to home study, but a lot of folks feel students will not truly study at home and if they do, it will be only enough to get by. Students have already lost about two months of structured education in the classroom last school year.
It seems like with this two days a week in the classroom plan, students who have a stable home life with committed parents are most likely to succeed. Those without structure and oversight at home are likely to fall farther and farther behind or slip through the cracks of our education system altogether. What a shame.
We do live in strange times.
Overheard:
“Due to the recent coin shortage, no one is allowed to put in their two cents anymore.”
That is all for this third week of July. Thank you for faithfully reading. To print, save or send this week’s Observations, click on the appropriate icon below. To share your ideas and suggestions for future articles, call me at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. I always love to hear from you. To read columns of the past few years, follow the pages below. To see older, archived Observations, visit our Facebook page.
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