Winn Parish School Board Committees will meet Monday, November 29, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. in the meeting room of the Winn Parish-School Board.
Finance and Budget – Harrell, Carpenter, Howell, Long, DuBois
1. Surplus Property
2. Purchase Request – Darlene Green
Executive – Martin, Walton, Browning
1. Set AgendaTodd Martin
Executive Committee:
Todd Martin
Matt Walton
Joe Lynn Browning
Finance and Budget Committee:
Christy Harrell
Michelle Carpenter
Patrick Howell
Joe Llaine Long
Brandon DuBois
The City of Winnfield Recreation Department’s annual youth basketball league registration is open until Friday December 17th.
Registration is $40.00 per child. Tryouts will be held on Dec. 18th, with times TBD (check back for tryout times).
Boys and girls ages 4-15 are eligible for this exciting program. Don’t let this deadline pass you by. Sign your child up today.
Coaches are needed in all age groups.
For more information concerning WYBL Youth Basketball, contact Recreation Director, Anthony Hall at 318-628-3413. The City of Winnfield encourages any support that anyone can give to support the youths of today!!
Remember: OUR CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE!!!! SO COME OUT AND PARTICIPATE. I PROMISE YOU WILL ENJOY YOURSELF BY WATCHING KIDS PLAY BALL! WE HAVE A LOT OF TALENT IN WINN PARISH!!!!
The Winnfield Christmas Parade sponsored by the Winn Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis of Winnfield and the City of Winnfield will be Friday, December 3rd, at 6 PM on Main Street in downtown Winnfield.
The theme for this year’s parade is “Christmas in Whofield.” There will be a fireworks display following the parade.
Organizations interested in registering a float for the parade may pick up entry forms at Sabine State Bank, Winnfield City Hall, and Sunshine Cleaners!
The Pilot Club of Winnfield has begun its annual Memory and Honor Light program. Each year, a light is placed on a tree for individuals being honored or memorialized by loved ones. Lights are recognized as military, honor, memorial and civil servant.
The Social Coffee House located at 301 E. Main Street will showcase the Memory and Honor Light tree in their window. Those wishing to purchase a light can contact any Pilot Club member. If requested, a post card is available to announce your lighted Honor or Memory. Lights may be purchased through Christmas Eve.
For questions or more information, please contact either Kimberly Bruce Futrell 318-413-0040, Michelle Nugent 318-413-0344 or Kimberly Nation 318-729-6756. We would like to thank you for your support in this project.
City of Winnfield Police Department
Name: Sharon A. Bush
Date: 11-27-2021
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Age: 50
Charge: Aggravated Battery
Winn Parish – On November 25, 2021, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a fatal crash on U.S Highway 167 north of Dodson. This crash claimed the life of 23-year-old Zaria L. Griffith of Ruston.
The initial investigation revealed a 2004 Mazda 3, driven by Griffith, was traveling south on U.S. Highway 167. For reasons still under investigation, Griffith’s vehicle traveled off the roadway and struck a tree.
Griffith, who was restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. Griffith’s two passengers, who were also restrained, sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital. A toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis.
While the cause of this crash remains under investigation, distracted and inattentive driving continues to be a leading cause of crashes in our state. Louisiana State Police urges all motorists to stay alert while driving. A lapse in one’s awareness can have deadly consequences.
In 2021, Troop E has investigated 53 fatal crashes resulting in 55 deaths.
Christmas trees have been delivered!
Come down and get your live tree Monday-Friday 4-6 and Saturday 10-3. Trees as tall as 8.5 ft and fresh wreaths are also available.
We are set in the empty space to the right of the post office.
This December, explore the history of the Christmas bonfires on the levee and Louisiana’s Wild West past. Travel around Louisiana to see places found in The Green Book and learn about a soul icon that helped solidify our place on the musical map. This December, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) explores new stories and returning favorites throughout the month.
Here are some of the highlights:
PAPA NOEL: THE LEGACY OF THE LEVEEE BONFIRES – Wednesday, Dec. 1 @ 7:00 PM
This ritualistic Christmas Eve celebration, which dates to the 1800s, is told through personal interviews and storytelling sessions as the people of St. James Parish share a tradition that has been passed down generation after generation. Filmmaker Mark Niedelson was researching the bonfires when he ended up in the Gramercy police station. Unsure of what he had done wrong, Niedelson was greeted by the mayor, a man with a big smile and hands the size of baseball mitts! “He said, ‘Hi, I’m Ronald St. Pierre and I’m the King of the Bonfires!’ That’s when I knew I was going to be telling this story.”
IRMA THOMAS: THE SOUL QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS – A CONCERT DOCUMENTARY
Saturday, Dec. 4 @ 7:00 PM This captivating one-hour concert documentary highlights the successful life and career of the legendary New Orleans Soul Queen and Grammy-award winner Irma Thomas. Enjoy a candid interview with one of New Orleans’ most celebrated music icons as well as never-before-seen footage of Irma in concert with songwriter, producer and arranger Allen Toussaint. Irma’s close friends and contemporaries tell the story of her humble beginnings in Ponchatoula, her days living with her grandparents in Greensburg, how she sang in the Baptist church choir as a young girl, and how she quickly rose to national stardom. Says Irma Thomas: “’The Soul Queen’ is a nice title. I appreciate the thought and energy that went into that honor, but I don’t get hung up on the title. You know, I’m just Irma!” Encore: Monday, Dec. 6 @ 9:30 PM
NO MAN’S LAND LPB Monday, Dec. 6 @ 7:00 PM It’s a story of outlaws, bandits, pirates and brave pioneers and it all happened right here in Louisiana in a place that was fittingly known as No Man’s Land. Slow to be settled, and marked by a pivotal moment in history, the Neutral Strip (as it was sometimes called) was used as an official buffer between Louisiana and Spanish Texas for years. The film explores western part of the state as a separate folk region made up of groups – like Native Americans, remnants of early Spanish colonies, Scots-Irish pioneers, African Americans, and others – who, to this day, fiercely hold on to their multi-generational traditions and notions of identity. Emmy Award winning filmmakers Bill Rodman and Flo Ulmer-Rodman explore how No Man’s Land is best understood as a bastion for those cultural groups who wished to preserve the unique way of life they cherished. Encore: Thursday, Dec. 9 @ 9:00 PM
SAFE HAVEN: EXPLORING LOUISIANA’S GREEN BOOK LPB Tuesday, Dec. 14 @ 7:00 PM LPB brings this digital-first series to broadcast as we explore the Louisiana businesses and places found in The Green Book. The guide made travel possible for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. The program is hosted by LPB’s Kara St. Cyr, who traveled across Louisiana visiting historically significant businesses and places, from Shreveport to New Orleans and points in between. Encore: Monday, Dec. 27 @ 8:00 PM
Along with these premieres, LPB will broadcast a number of returning favorites throughout the month.
“We are excited to showcase these four new documentaries and some viewer favorites this holiday season,” says LPB Director of Programming, Jason Viso. “We are offering viewers a wide range of options that are both entertaining and educational.”
For complete program listings, visit www.lpb.org/schedule.
In this webinar via Zoom, we will discuss the importance of hope in career planning. Learn how to use self-reflection and self-clarity when education and career planning. Discover how to use self-clarity to envision future possibilities.
November 30th, 11 am – 12 pm
Natchitoches Parish:
Ilene Francine Kay
September 22, 1960 – November 26, 2021
Service: Wednesday, December 1 at 10 am at Provencal United Methodist Church
Christmas trees have been delivered!
Come down and get your live tree Monday-Friday 4-6 and Saturday 10-3. Trees as tall as 8.5 ft and fresh wreaths are coming this week.
We are set in the empty space to the right of the post office.
Way before the likes of Ebay, Facebook Marketplace and Craig’s list there was a relic that was distributed once a week called the classified ads. My parents were the type of humans who pounced on the paper as soon as it was printed just to see what was for sale. I distinctly remember it being separated into categories. Some of the notables were: cars, guns, furniture, clothes and homes for rent or sale.
If you have ever met my father then you are aware he was probably looking at the gun selections and my mother was consistently looking at furniture. Having to raise three children on meager salaries left very little money for the luxury of paying full price for anything. It wasn’t out of character for us to come home to a new-to-us piece of furniture or something that was purchased second hand.
On one particular day after I had already moved out of the house, I stopped by my parents’ house for a quick visit. When I walked in I noticed that my father, with a polishing rag in hand, was carefully making his was around a new-to-us table and chairs. He was methodically moving around and wiping as my mom directed.
“George, you missed a spot,” I can still hear her saying this in her soft but almost panicked and firm tone. And, then he would circle back until it met her approval.
I couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in her eye as she stared at this table. It was as if she wanted me to ask questions. So, I did.
She went on to tell me that it was a solid maple table made by the company, “Tell City”. She had wanted one of these tables ever since she got married and that everyone, she knew had this kind of table while growing up. She also explained that it was owned by the parents of one of the owners of a furniture store in Natchitoches so it had to have been well taken care of.
She was completely smitten and mesmerized by this table and I was so tickled to see the pure joy in her eyes as she explained how to tell if it was Tell City or not. As of today, I still have an eye for this distinct style of furniture. I never will forget our holidays gathered around that second hand table.
Many years after my mother passed away, I answered a call from a cousin to assist in the packing up of my aunt’s home while she made the transition to assisted living. That day many cousins showed up and helped pack and liquidate decades of memories. While she knew she could not bring all of her belongings with her, she wanted to make sure that everyone who purchased something from her home, knew where it came from and how well it had been cared for. It was possibly the sweetest estate sale of the century.
Over a two-day period almost everything had sold as she planned except for her dining room table and chairs. My cousin had mentioned that she did not want to part with it because it was solid maple and well crafted.
Uh oh, I knew exactly what this meant. I told my cousin that it was probably Tell City, and once she climbed out from under the table she looked at me with an affirmative nod. At the time I did not need a dining room table but I told her I would try to help them sell it. To no avail, a few days went by and I received a call from my aunt. I was tasked with telling her that I could not find anyone to purchase the valuable table so she asked if I decided if I needed one and If I did she would make me a really nice deal. I was silent for a moment as I was thoroughly thinking about it, then she quietly said, “Reeber, your mom always liked this table.” She has always called me,
“Reeber”, and I have always loved the way she says it. I could hear the sparkle in her voicewhen she offered me this treasure.
With those few words spoken all I could say was, “Sold, when can I pick it up?”
I couldn’t stand the thought of this second-hand-solid maple block-once loved by my mom-table going to another home other than my own.
This Thanksgiving It doesn’t matter if you gathered around a second-hand table that has held decades of memories in the past or celebrated around a new table with new memories to come. As long as you were thankful and grateful. Breaking bread with family can happen in the best of times or the worst of times but there is nothing more precious than family.
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts praising God.”Acts 2:46
Now that we have carved the turkey and taken a nap while watching the Dallas Cowboys traditional Thanksgiving Day game, we can now turn our attention to Christmas. But before we begin to think about jolly Ole St. Nick, let’s take a look at why I’m so thankful. No one appreciates more than me the opportunities I’ve had over the years to pursue and chase largemouth bass all across the southern United States. As a bass fisherman, I am truly blessed in so many ways. While I’m sure I’ll probably leave something out, here’s my list of what I’m thankful for.
1. My health… At the age of 60, and still in decent shape, I’m able to get in and out of my boat without busting my butt. I can still make that giant leap onto the front deck and drop the trolling motor in the water. I can fish all day and still feel pretty good the next day, as long as I’m taking my joint supplements and Aleve!
2. My boat… As a young man growing up, I looked forward to the day I would be launching my 20-foot Ranger bass boat with a 250 HP Yamaha engine on the back and the best Minn Kota trolling motor (Ultrex)… that with the push of a button will lock you down on a brush pile in the middle of the lake. It is a boat fully carpeted with awesome seats that rides like a luxury car and the best state of the art electronics that could probably help navigate your way to the moon and back.
3. The best rods and reels…. Another blessing is being a part of an awesome company like Daiwa. They have a tremendous line of rods and reels that I have used for the last six years, that just might be the best on the planet.
4. My relationships with certain companies…. Over the years, I’ve forged relationships with companies like Ranger Boats, Daiwa, SPRO, Gamakatsu, V&M, Seaguar fishing line and Santone Lures. Great companies that are staples in the bass fishing industry. What a blessing!
5. Great tournament organizations … I love competition and today anglers have a multitude of options to choose from. Organizations like B.A.S.S. and Major League Fishing (MLF) offer a wide range of tournaments for all skill levels from high school to college to professional. At no time in history has there been so many bass fishing opportunities that allow anglers to compete.
6. The best lakes in the country….Take a pen and draw a 150-mile radius around Natchitoches, Louisiana, and you will have circled three of top 10 lakes in the country. Located right here in our own back yard are legendary lakes like Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn and Caddo. But just outside that radius in East Texas sit Lake Fork, Lake of the Pines, Lake Monticello, and I’ll even throw in the Red River, just because of its history of hosting the Bassmaster Classic twice and a place I love to fish.
7. Friends and fellow competitors…. This is what makes tournament bass fishing special. The friendships and connections I have made through bass fishing is insane. While all of us want to win every time we launch our boats, there’s something special about the relationships you form with fellow anglers that cannot be explained. Just like any other sport, there are “clicks” or groups of guys that will help each other during an event like maybe sharing a technique they’re using or sharing information about a bait they’re getting bites on. Within each of these clicks though, is a word called trust. Bass anglers are a funny bunch when it comes to sharing info and before they will share, trust must be established. Just like a marriage, if trust is broken, that bond is severed forever.
One more thing, as an outdoorsman I’ve had the joy of watching some of the best sunrises and sunsets ever seen. God paints an awesome display each and every day on a giant blue canvas. There’s something special in the air on a tournament morning just before take-off with the sun rising in the east and anglers sitting on the water. It’s an indescribable feeling of how good God is and what a privilege it is to get to do what I do. I’m truly thankful for all of this, and so much more, that I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy during my long bass fishing career. Till next week, good luck, good fishing and don’t forget to set the hook! Make sure to check out the Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show for the latest news and information related to the great outdoors every Wednesday at 11:00 and Saturday mornings at 6:00 on AM 1130 The Tiger or go to hutdshow.com
Hook’n Up & Track’n Down Show | Shreveport, Louisiana
hutdshow.com
The Winnfield Christmas Parade sponsored by the Winn Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis of Winnfield and the City of Winnfield will be Friday, December 3rd, at 6 PM on Main Street in downtown Winnfield.
The theme for this year’s parade is “Christmas in Whofield.” There will be a fireworks display following the parade.
Organizations interested in registering a float for the parade please contact Shonna Moss at 318-628-0169.