Mark Martinez
March 14, 1983-May 12, 2024
Service: Services for Mr. Martinez were held Wednesday, May 15th at Southern Funeral Home, burial and a graveside service followed at Bethlehem Cemetery.

Chad L Taylor
December 11, 1970-May 14, 2024
Service: Services for Mr. Taylor were held at Southern Funeral Home, Saturday, May 18th. interment followed in the Garden of Memories in Winnfield, LA.

Ida Mae Hemphill
May 30, 1940-May 15, 2024
Service: Services for Mrs. Hemphill were held Saturday, May 18th, at Welcome Home Baptist Church. Interment will take place at Welcome Home Cemetery.

It’s “good news for Winnfield,” councilman Matt Miller began Tuesday night when he announced that the city has received a $3.5 million grant for long-needed sewer system upgrades and improvements.

“This is a large project,” Miller told the Journal. “We can’t get it all done (the entire system) but we can make some good headway. This is great news. There hasn’t been anything major done on this for the system in many years”

One main focus of the work will be replacing the generator at the sewer plant. This is a critical issue, notably in times of power outages, the councilman said. Involved will be updating technology which he called “antiquated” to help bring the system up to standard. Major improvements on lift stations will be part of the package.

Work from another portion of the grant will identify areas where rainwater is entering into the sewer system, burdening the equipment. “That problem will be remedied. This project will bring about a major improvement for the city and it’s all coming through a state grant.”

The council unanimously agreed to three motions made by Miller. The first, called “Bid 1,” was accepting the bid by Womack and Sons Construction Group, LLC, for $1.38 million for one phase of the overall project. A second was bid change, reducing Bid 1 by about $120,000 “from areas that could be saved and shifting that to other areas to better benefit the system.”

The third item was acceptance of the bid from Suncoast Infrastructures, Inc. of $2.57 million for the remainder of the grant contract work.

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Winnfield Senior High School saw 11 of its baseball Tigers named for All-District 3-2A honors.  In doing so, they also took all three of the top awards with the District MVP, Pitcher of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
Most Valuable Player for the district is infielder Canyon Compton, a senior.  Pitcher of the Year honor was awarded to Jake Hemphill, also a senior.  Coach of the Year for District 3-2A was awarded to Damion Herron who is in his first year with the Tigers.
Compton and Hemphill were also named First Team All-District, as were infielder Bricen Page (Sr), outfielder Daniel Luke Page (Jr), and Eli Little (Sr).  Named Second Team All-District are infielder Caplan Young (Jr), outfielder Jacob Whisonant (Jr), and Aron Guerrero (Jr).  Drawing Honorable Mention for All-District are catcher John Michael Pickett, outfielder Brody White and outfielder Daniel Martin.
Coach Herron said the team had a slow start this season but came together and played outstanding ball when it counted.  “This group of young men did not give up a run in five district games this year. They finished District play 5-0.”
Despite losing four First Team All-District players to graduation, Coach Herron told the Journal that WSHS has a strong core of younger player moving up to fill the ranks and he looks for another strong season in 2025.
WSHS saw 8 players total named to the First and Second Teams All-District.  Many also had 8.  Red River posted 10.  Lakeview had 4.  Mansfield had 2.  Jonesboro-Hodge placed 3.

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A good response of local citizens together with a turnout of students from Winnfield Senior High School and Winnfield Middle School gathered in the parking area by Stokes-Walker Stadium at 2 p.m. May 8 in an effort to recreate a community promotion photo for a poster like one done back in the 1980s.

The original photograph, taken under the administration of Mayor Max Kelley, was taken from the back row of the stadium, looking down into the crowd below. A number of residents who were in that vintage poster turned out last Wednesday to be a part of this recreation.

This time, under the administration of Mayor Gerald Hamms, photographer Brian Lewis had the advantage of getting closer to the crowd while still having a bird’s eye view when he carefully climbed the extended ladder of the Winnfield Fire Department’s Ladder Truck 1.

The theme of the current publicity poster is “Why Not Winn?” The theme of the original poster was “7,500 Reasons Why Winnfield Means Business.”

 

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By Bob Holeman

As Diane and I made our 3-mile downtown walk on Monday, we arrived at our traditional stop at the Winn Parish Enterprise for a little rest and water.  While in the back, I spotted the bound edition of the 1974 Enterprise, open to May 15.  The headline caught my attention:

“Schools to Graduate 319”

I found the number a little unsettling.  Minnie Young at the front desk told me that Winnfield Senior High School would have just 74 graduating seniors while Dodson High School would add 24 and Calvin 20 for a parish total of 118.  I knew the parish has been losing population over the 40+ years that we’ve been here, so the school numbers would naturally fall as well.  But this seemed to be an alarming drop over this reported half century.

Good news of sorts came after we walked home.  I got into my car and drove back to the Enterprise to read more.  Lo and behold, when the Enterprise wrote about 319 graduates in 1974 (it had been just 271 the year before, the paper stated), they were talking about nine high schools, including neighboring Georgetown’s 20 graduates, Goldonna’s 22 and Montgomery’s 54.

Winn’s high school count at the time was six.  Atlanta had 28 graduates, Calvin has 32, Sikes had 7, Dodson had 18, Winn Academy had 7 and Winnfield Senior High School had 131.  So over those 50 years, the parish is showing three fewer schools.  The remaining schools are graduating 105 fewer seniors this month than they did back in 1974.  That’s better than the drop of 200 I’d initially suspected.

Note that school enrollment will trend with parish population.  According to internet figures,  Winn’s population in 1974 was around 16,200.  Although the numbers edged up for a time, since 2000 the census has shown a steady decrease and by 2022, stood around 13,200.

For interest, principals at the time of the 1974 story were Russell Sullivan at Atlanta High School, W.E. Carpenter at Calvin High School, Bill Willis at Sikes High School, Mrs. Virgie Williams at Winn Academy and Tommy Bankston at Winnfield Senior High School.

Congratulations to our 118 seniors who are moving on to the next important stage of their lives.

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After 12 years as daycare director at First Baptist Winnfield, Mrs. Linda Keyes will be retiring at the end of June. A reception will be held in her honor on Sunday, June 23, at 4 p.m. in the Fireside Room of the church. Everyone including current and former students, parents and teachers are invited to attend.

“Please join us in celebrating Mrs. Keyes’ years of service and dedication,” says Pastor Dr. Jerry Pipes. The church is now accepting applications for the positions of daycare director and teachers as well as students. Application deadline for the director position is Friday, May 31. For more information, contact the church office at 318-628-3544.

First Baptist students will be leaving for their annual trip to Mission Arlington on June 16. Mission Arlington provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn to serve in a mission field. Also on July 8, students will attend the Falls Creek Youth Camp in Oklahoma. Students who have completed 7th through 12th grades may sign up for either trip by contacting the church office.

And Vacation Bible School is on the way. Children, ages 3 through those who have completed 6th grade, are invited to join the excitement for this year’s VBS, with the theme “The Great Jungle Journey!” The dates are June 30 – July 3 from 5:00 p.m. through 7:30 p.m.

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The Kiwanis Club in Winnfield each month recognizes “Terrific Kids” grades Kindergarten through Grade 4 in schools across the parish by going to the schools to make the presentations personally to the young students. Shown today are winners of the April presentations.

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Families in Winnfield recently gathered to celebrate a milestone in their journey toward stronger relationships and brighter futures. On May 10, the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) held its most recent graduation ceremony at the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, where participants enjoyed a delightful evening of dinner and games.

SFP is a proven family skills training program aimed at enhancing communication, parenting practices, and the social and life skills of children and adolescents. Through structured sessions, families engage in activities that promote bonding, problem-solving, and positive interaction.

The program in Winnfield is facilitated through Winn Community Health Care, thanks to a grant obtained by The Rapides Foundation. By bringing families together and providing valuable resources, SFP aims to reduce risk factors associated with substance abuse, delinquency, and other behavioral issues.

As one chapter ends, another begins. The program will resume in the fall, offering a fresh opportunity for families to participate and grow together. Anyone interested in joining the upcoming sessions should reach out to Shonna Moss at 318-628-0169.

The graduation ceremony not only marked the accomplishments of the participants but also highlighted the importance of family support and community involvement in nurturing healthy relationships. Through programs like SFP, Winnfield continues to strengthen its families and build a brighter future for generations to come.

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Local ministry Caring & Sharing in Unity marked a milestone last week, celebrating the 5th birthday of its main program which it calls Tuesday School. This is a combination Sunday School-Vacation Bible School with the mission of teaching children in our community about Jesus Christ. The program officially kicked off on May 4, 2019, and the birthday was celebrated on May 7, 2024, at First Assembly of God on Highway on Hwy 167 N.

The celebration included a program in which the kids showed off their drill skills and the Bible verses they have memorized through this medium. The youngest children in the program led the opening prayer by using American Sign Language to recite the Lord’s Prayer with their leader, Diane Holeman.

The program concluded with Ms. Mary Lou Blackley, the current coordinator of the program, briefly remembering the program’s history, beginning with the idea formed by Jane Purser and Annette Skains, and carried forward by Shelia Mitchell’s enlisting children to attend the program. After the kickoff party in 2019, the program met every Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church. The First Assembly of God volunteered to provide everything needed one Tuesday a month. Then the following March, although COVID stopped the meetings in-person, the members of Caring & Sharing prepared a written Bible lesson along with a care package which they delivered to all of the children who had attended Tuesday School at least twice in-person.

Then in January 2022, First Assembly’s pastor, Rev. Shaun Garner, offered use of their facilities to begin meeting again. In February, the First Assembly vans began picking up children for Tuesday School, and the program has been able to continue and thrive ever since. Indeed, Ms. Blackley said the program has grown so that a third van or bus is needed to pick up children each Tuesday. East Winnfield Baptist Church drives an extra van on the second Tuesday of the month, First United Methodist drives its bus to pick on the third Tuesday, and First Baptist provides the extra bus and driver on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

Last week’s celebration concluded with the presentation of T-shirts commemorating the 5th birthday to each of the 17 teachers, assistants and helpers in the program, followed by a pizza party generously donated by Winnfield native Emma Jean Bush and her brother, Charles Williams, who delivered the pizza. Sheriff Cranford Jordan, who has supported Tuesday School since its beginning, attended the celebration and provided gifts to all in attendance to mark the occasion. Organizers thanked all who have participated in and donated to it for the past five years.

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The City of Winnfield, the Mayor and Recreational Department in conjunction with the Red River Youth Football League, is opening discussion on a tackle football program for city and parish youngsters ages 7 through 13.

A registration and discussion session will be held next Monday, May 20, in a Town Hall format to be held in the Allen Building on Main Street. Time will be 6 p.m. The meeting’s purpose is to “discuss all important information” relating to the program. Age divisions in the league are Midget Division (ages 7-8), Minor Division (ages 9-10) and Major Division (ages 11-13).

Organizers report, “In order to achieve this goal, we need all the support of the community.”

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It’s only mid-May and Louisiana temperatures are already warming up and will continue to climb as summer nears. The Winn Council of Aging realizes that many residents are not fortunate enough to have “climate control” in their homes so the council has launched its annual Fan Drive to help them through these hot and humid months.

Working with Hand in Hand Hospice Care on this project, the Council says that businesses and individuals wishing to assist residents 60 and older may drop fans off at the Winn COA office now located at 200 North Church Street (behind the Methodist church). COA has reached out to the community and people have already donated “quite a few” fans.

There will be a celebration Friday, June 7, from 8 a.m. until noon when the donated fans will be distributed at Winnfield First Assembly of God on Hwy 167 north. The Council hopes to give our 40 or 50 fans that day, though “more would be wonderful with community support.” Food and entertainment will be featured during the pickup time at the church.

Should there be any fans remaining at the end of the June 7 drive, they will be kept at the Council on the Aging office, available to residents 60 and older who missed out. Limit is one per family.

For details, contact Mary Adams at Winn Council of Aging at 628-2186 or 318-413-9731.

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Since COVID, volunteers have been in short supply so that is a need at the moment. Hospice operates with nurses, CNAs, chaplains and volunteers. The volunteers do many things such as check in by phone with the patients, go by and visit with them or do whatever the patient needs. Hearing and sense of touch are the last senses to leave so volunteers can sit with patients as they get ready to pass away, especially if they have no family to be with them in that moment. A new program that just started is pet therapy and Mrs. Frederick is working on a music program.

They honor veterans so they would like to recruit and train veterans to help hospice veterans. They have a pinning service for veterans that honors their service.

Mrs. Frederick shared about another program she is trying to implement which is called Legacy Book.

This is a book filled with blank pages with questions on each page about things that have happened in their life. It can be filled out by the person who is on hospice or family members can help fill it out or volunteers can help the patient fill out the book. This book is a gift to the family members after the patient has passed away. Volunteers are needed to help put the books together as well as help hospice patients to fill them out. 

Hospice is covered by insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. The patient or their family never receives a bill for hospice.  Kiwanis members thanked Mrs. Frederick for an informative program about hospice.

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On April 22, Lincoln Parish lost a man to death at age 88 who was a visionary in the truest sense. Fredric Lee Hoogland was the founder of one of the most popular attractions, not only for Lincoln Parish but for the surrounding area and regions far removed from the hills of north Louisiana. It was Hoogland who located and promoted and worked for the parish to purchase the area and that would become Lincoln Parish Park.

I had the privilege of visiting with Hoogland some 20 years ago after the park was up and running and attracting visitors from everywhere. I wrote a story about our visit that appeared in Lincoln Parish Park Notes newsletter and in honor of his memory, following are excerpts of that article.

“When I stepped up on a bluff that spring day in the late 1970s and saw what lay before me, I’m sure if somebody had heard me, they’d have thought I was an evangelist praising the Lord. I’ve never had an experience quite like that and I was overcome with emotion, realizing that my prayers had been answered. After walking thousands of acres around Ruston for the better part of three years, I realized that God had led me to the right spot and it was just about more than I could handle,” Hoogland recalled.

“That’s not all; the further I walked into the woods, the better it got. There was no doubt in my mind that here was the site that would ultimately become the park I’d dreamed about since high school.” 

Once the property was located, there were hurdles that had to be crossed. First of all, the property, no matter how perfect it was as a park site, was privately owned and not for sale.

It took a lengthy period of negotiation and persuasion and, according to Hoogland, another Divine miracle or two, the owners finally agreed to sell. Hoogland was an elected member of the Lincoln Parish Police Jury and the jury formed a Parks, Recreation and Tourism Committee and the obvious choice to chair this committee was Fredric Hoogland. The jury had the amount of money in the bank needed for the purchase, took a vote and five members voted for it; unfortunately seven voted against it. Not about to give up, Hoogland lobbied the seven no-voters and three weeks later, votes were cast again and the final count was seven for; five against. The property was purchased in February, 1982.

After all the legal requirements were met, the park was opened on a limited basis in 1989 and for the seven years following the purchase, it took a plethora of planning and work to turn this rugged hunk of Lincoln Parish property into the jewel it is today.

You can just imagine what was involved into turning the rough piece of land into something visitors could utilize. Concession stand, restrooms, shelters, nature trails and bike trails all had to be planned and constructed. The park became fully operational in March, 1990 and by 1995 was averaging approximately 70,000 visitors a year.

Current park Director, James Ramsaur, saw the potential to adding to the park bike trails and today, Lincoln Parish Park is home to one of the most popular mountain bike trails in the United States with the most recent addition being a Flow Trail Hub. 

The park is also home to a 3-D archery range, a lake for swimming and fishing and camping sites from tents to recreational RVs.

“Looking back now,” Hoogland told me, “I know that it was the Good Lord who made this place beautiful. We just massaged what He had already made.” 

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This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation or arrested and charged with a crime have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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