Good chicken salad is like pornography. We can’t really define it, but we know it when we see it.

And taste it.

We live among a people bent on throwing wrenches into what should be the simplest things. Pee wee ball. Music awards shows. The high school prom.

And chicken salad. 

Instead of just playing, singing, dancing, or eating, we end up injecting everything with steroids, putting it under strobe lights, and driving people crazy.

These are the people our parents warned us about, the kind of complicated folk who mess up one-car funerals. And it’s not because they’re stupid. It’s because they want to add seven more cars, two taxis and a tow truck — just because. Too much time on their hands.

Big problem.

Nowhere is the disease more rampant than in your foodstuffs. I offer, for your consideration and contemplation, chicken salad. So simple, yet so misunderstood. It falls into a troublesome category of food that can be either really good or really bad. Usually, it turns bad when people try to glorify it and lift it above its reason for being. 

Think of a jacked-up VW with chrome and mud flaps. Some things just aren’t meant to be. 

My friend Ma Parker came back from lunch this week lit up like a Christmas tree. The reason was music to my ears.

“I just had,” she said, “some really, really good chicken salad.”

Sweet. It’s hard to come by in these modern times, so hard that, when you find it, you have to seek out a friend and comment, spread the love.

Chicken salad need not be complicated. I am no pro but when I think chicken salad, I think chicken, a little mayo and hint of mustard, some ground pepper, a smidge of lemon juice, and you’re ready to roll. 

Remember when you were little and you got sick and had to go to the doctor, and your mom always tried to do a little extra something special for you to get you over the hump? 

Mine bought me a chicken salad sandwich at a pharmacy that had a grill in the same town that had a doctor. Spoiled me for life. David’s Pharmacy in Mullins, S.C. They had a sandwich press deal and it would toast the bread with your “chick sal” stuff already inside and it came out crisp and heavenly.

The word I’m looking for is succulent. So succulent. It was almost worth getting sick just to get one.

On the panini sandwich deal, they were 40 years ahead.

Forty YEARS.

So I had David’s when I got sick, and every other day I had my momma’s understated chick sal in a clear Tupperware bowl in the icebox at the house. You just snatched a bit, put it on a piece of white bread, fresh and lush, folded it over and went back to your bicycle. 

Sweet.

But today … cranberries and grapes and nuts in chicken salad? Apples? 

Seriously? Would you put pork butt roast in your jello mold?

No doubt there are different strokes for different folks. To each his own and to and fro and all of that but …

I’m on a campaign to get celery, whose popularity defies logic, out of tuna fish sandwiches and chicken salad and I know my work is cut out for me there, but grapes? Nuts? Really? I love trail mix. 

But not in chicken salad.

Where we error is when we think “adding stuff” makes things better. Not always.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

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.

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.

Ronald “Ron” Dale Liles
May 23, 1944 – October 23, 2024
Services: Funeral services for Mr. Lies were held Saturday, October 26th, at 11:30 AM in the Chapel of Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home. Interment followed in the Woodland Cemetery (Jena, LA).

Joann Kinney
April 5, 1941 – October 26, 2024
Services: Funeral services for Mrs. Kinney took place Monday, October 28th 10:00 AM at Southern Funeral Home. Interment will follow within New Union Cemetery (Tullos, LA).

Katherine Guillot Grantadams
March 4, 1933 – October 27, 2024
Services: Graveside services for Mrs. Grantadams will take place at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church Cemetery in Echo, Louisiana, Interment will follow under the direction of Southern Funeral Home of Winnfield.

Lynn Underwood Holden
September 29, 1976 – October 29, 2024
Services: Funeral services for Mrs. Underwood are set for 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 31, 2024, at Southern Funeral Home in Winnfield, with interment to follow within Fellowship Cemetery (Sikes, LA.)

Mr. Adrion “Bubba” Smith
December 19, 1988 – October 21, 2024
Services: There are no final arrangements on Mr. Smith’s behalf as of yet, please check back at a later date for further information. Thank you. 

After three days of Early Voting, 1,114 Winn Parish voters have cast a ballot whether in person or absentee by mail, reported Registrar of Voters Bryan Kelley as the Journal’s deadline approached this week.  

He went on to compare, “In the 2020 Presidential election 1,069 voters cast their ballot after three days of Early Voting (in person and absentee by mail).  Both of these Presidential election cycles had ten days of Early Voting.  In 2016, 1,758 voters cast an in-person ballot during the entirety of Early Voting which took place over a seven day period.  Absentee by mail ballots received were 275 bringing the total for Early/Absentee voting to 2,033.

In a breakdown of the current 1,114 total, the registrar indicated that 897 were in-person while 217 were absentee (mail).  There were 982 White voters, 123 Black and 9 Other.  Males totaled 500 and Females were 614.  Democrats were 282, Republican 632 and Other 200.

Early Voting for the November 5 Presidential election will continue in the Registrar of Voters Office in the Winn Parish Courthouse through Tuesday, October 29, from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.  (except for being closed Sunday, October 27).

Voters will have their choice for President and Vice President of the United States. The Republican ticket offers Donald Trump and “JD” Vance.  The Democratic ticket offers Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.  

There will be candidates for other parties on the ballot, including the Green Party; the Libertarian Party; American Solidarity Party; the Constitution Party; the Godliness, Truth, Justice Party; the Justice For All Party; the Socialism and Liberation Party; the Socialist Workers Party; and the We The People Party.  

Also on the ballot is the race for Congressional Representative.  Due to redistricting, Winn is no longer in the eastern District 5 where Julia Letlow (R) is incumbent but now in the northern District 4 where House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) is incumbent.  He faces a challenge by Joshua Morott (R).  

Finally there will be a Louisiana Constitutional Amendment (No. 1) offered for voter approval.  That amendment would require federal revenues received by the state, generated from Outer Continental Shelf alternative or renewal energy production, be deposited into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund.

The Journal will report the total number of ballots cast (in-person plus absentee) at the end of Early Voting in its October 30 edition next week.

There will be “Meeting at the Pole” event for the community on Monday, November 4.  That flagpole will be the one located at the Farmers Market in Winnfield.

Regardless political affiliation, anyone may be involved in this gathering for community prayer set to begin at 6 p.m.  Prayer will be for our nation, for the Nation of Israel, for the State of Louisiana and for the Parish of Winn.

The 126th Hudson Camp Meeting will open tonight, Wednesday, October 23, and continue for a three-night experience through Friday, Friday, October 25. Each night will start at 6:30 p.m. and all area churches are invited to attend.

The Hudson Camp Ground is located on Leach Road off Hwy. 34 in the Hudson Community, just south of Gaar’s Mill/Dodson.  

Preaching on Wednesday will be Bro. Charles Wesley, pastor of Welcome Home Baptist Church. Thursday and Friday night preaching will be Bro. Craig James, Mission Strategist/Director of Missions of North Central Baptist Association. 

Leading the services will be Curry brothers, Norris, David and Tom. Playing the piano will be Norris’ wife, Mitzi. Special music is planned for each night. Wednesday night Whosoever Will, contemporary band from Hodge Baptist Church will provide. Singing Thursday night will be L.I.F.E. (Daneen Beaubouef and her two children Robert Jones and Sarah Theall). Maggie Womack will be singing on Friday night. The Curry Brothers will also be singing.

David and his wife Cherry, live in Abilene, TX where they are both musicians in the orchestra at First Baptist Church, Abilene.  Tom and his wife Linda live in Louisville, KY. Tom is pastor of Ekron Baptist Church in Ekron, KY. Norris and Mitzi live in Sikes and Norris is pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Hwy. 84 East, Winnfield.

The Fall Fest in downtown Winnfield on Halloween night has a new attraction sure to be a winner for youngsters, as well as their parents and grandparents.  It will be an 8-block hayride, set back one block from the heavy pedestrian traffic on Main Street.

Shonna Moss at the museum explains that school groups have responded to requests to participate by decorating and manning each a block along the route to be theme-appropriate for the season.  Mrs. Moss points out that the Hayride is constructed for safety, with chaperones on board.  There will be no interaction between the riders and any “performers” in their designated blocks.

The Hayride is a coordinated effort by several community groups and will be free to riders.

The route will begin on Church Street and go down to Beville Street before turning up Beville Street to Boundary Street, then to Abel Street and back to Church Street.

“Organizers are pleased with the volunteer response received for decoration along the route,” says Mrs. Moss, “but we can certainly find room for others who wish to be involved.”  For details, call 628-0169.

Folks driving past the Winn Parish Courthouse will notice that the crepe myrtle trees that had stood in front of the building are now gone.  This is part of a planned, major re-landscaping project of the Police Jury, explained Secretary/Treasurer Karen Tyler.

This action was not a sudden one by the jury but one that has been under discussion all year as they sought idea, quotes and a contract.  The trees themselves had issues with aphids and blight.  The ground is uneven, sidewalks cracked by roots and drainage is a problem, Mrs. Tyler said.

“When a prospective new business looks at our town, the first thing they see is the courthouse.  The police jury wants this to be a pretty spot here in the middle of downtown,” she said.  “They decided to start over.  They’ll leave the oaks but fix the sidewalks and drainage.  Level the landscape, bring in dirt.  They want people to see grass, not roots and dirt.”

Landscaping plans aim for a low-maintenance final product including flower beds, some with rocks, some with pinestraw.

Laure Derr is calling it “Project No. 2” as Winn residents work together to put together another shipment of relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Helene that devastated areas of North Carolina in late September.

The first “project” saw water, supplies and equipment taken to the Ashville, NC, area.  The new effort will target a gathering of sweatshirts to help that area’s residents as winter fast-approaches.

“Kelly Fannin was contacted by the pastor of a small church at one of the North Carolina drop off points.  It read, ‘We need sweatshirts now.  It’s cold.’  It breaks my heart that snow is already falling,” she said.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church will be collecting sweatshirts of all sizes, children included.  If no one is at the church when you arrive, Mrs. Derr said that shirts should be left on the bench at the front door.    The Wattsville Center store will also be a drop off point.

Financial donations can also be made for this drive, she said.  Checks should be made out to Kelly Fannin who will coordinate the online purchases and deliveries.  Financial donations can be given directly to Fannin or dropped off at Wattsville Center but not at Our Lady of Lourdes.

“Let’s step up again, Winn Parish,” Mrs. Derr challenges.

By Jasmine Jones

Photos Courtesy Tigers Snaps

The Winnfield Tigers dominated the game last Friday night against the Many Tigers 48-0. The longstanding rivals didn’t have a chance on Senior Night as the offensive line came out strong first thing and the defensive line held Many to a shutout.

The late October chill had long set in by the time the game started. It was the very first quarter and Many was getting confident as they drew nearer and nearer to the end zone. They were just ten yards away from a touchdown when a tackle by Zaelyn Thomas brought their progression to a halt followed by Javen Jackson, Josh Hayes, Logan Brister, and Joe Lewis who drove Many backwards. This combination of well executed plays handed possession over to the Winnfield Tigers.

Following this, the Winnfield Tigers had a number of successful plays starting with Damascus “Tank” Lewis who ran, dodging Many’s defense, into the end zone early in the first quarter bringing the Tigers their first touchdown of the night. This was followed by an excellent kick from Noe Vasquez putting Winnfield ahead 7-0. Then, when the Tigers thought their possession was over, the Many Tigers fumbled on the return and Logan Adams recovered the ball continuing the Tiger reign where after another series of drives by John Micheal Pickett, and Detavious Williams, Lewis was able to run and score another touchdown bringing the score 13-0 early in the game.

Next, the Tiger defense proved to be incredibly effective at their work, when Jeremy Mamon and Richard Williams worked together to stop a Many carrier and brought the Many offense to a grinding halt. This caused the carrier to fumble and Winnfield recovered the ball yet again, handing possession back over to Winnfield.

After this, an astounding run by Detavious Williams covered an incredible 55 yards into the end zone for the third touchdown of the night. Then, another quick job by the defense ensued when a pass was broken up and Jordan Washington caught the ball charging down the field all the way up to the two yard line. Then, a run by Pickett got the Tigers into the end zone once more and the two point conversion following this feat was completed by Lewis.

On the Tigers next possession, the quarterback Nickalas Mockosher made a long pass to Javen Jackson who was able to score yet another touchdown. Then Mockosher, with an excellent read of the field, kept the ball on the two point conversion bringing the score 35-0 right at halftime.

Early in the second half, Mockosher kept the ball and maneuvered all the way from the 16 yard line into the end zone for another touchdown. Afterward, continuing the theme of the night’s short but ever effective defense, just a few plays into Many’s possession Washington intercepted another pass. Directly following this, Detavious Williams ran an astonishing 60 yards for yet another touchdown.

Finally, this was followed with a good kick from Vasquez bringing the Winnfield Tigers into a comfortable lead. The defensive line continued to hold the Many Tigers in a complete shutout 48-0.

“I was very pleased with tonight’s approach to the game,” stated head coach Jay Watson in a post-game interview. “I always get nervous about distractions but our boys handled it well.” About the night’s offense he stated, “Offense is coming around, Nickalas Mockosher did a good job managing the game and Detavious is coming into his own making reads he couldn’t make earlier in the year.” He also said, “Coach Herron and Coach Chesney had both groups well trained. When you can hold a district opponent to a shutout that’s always good. Josh Hayes, Javen Jackson, Tank, and Pickett did very well.” Finally, “Our boys are starting district off 1-0. I’m looking forward to a big, physical game next week, it’ll take a big effort from us.”

Next week, the Winnfield Tigers play Mansfield at home at 7 p.m. Currently Mansfield is 3-4 in their record for the season. The weather for next Friday night will be a comfortable 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Consider coming out to support the Winnfield Tigers!

Local police departments have responded to a plea for uniforms for first responders in the North Carolina area recently hit by Hurricane Helene.  Many of them had lost their own homes but were constantly working to assist their communities, most having only the one uniform they wore when they left home with prior to the storm.

A Facebook post by retired Deputy Sheriff Greg Franklin of Lincoln Parish (now a deputy city marshal in Ruston) informed his contacts that a North Carolina Sheriff’s Department had contacted Ruston’s 5.11 by Karl Malone store, seeking second-hand pants or uniform tops for the first responders. 

He explained that Chief Bill Pace of West Sterlington Fire Department was loading up two of his personal over-the-road truck & trailers to deliver supplies earlier this month.  The goal was to send new and old pants along with boots “as theirs are full of water.”  

Both the Winnfield and Dodson Police Departments responded.  Between the two departments, 10 full bags of clothing, shirts and pants, were delivered to Ruston, along with two boxes of dry towels and sheets from the Rodeway Inn here.

Assistant Chief Charles Curry of the Winnfield Police Department explains, “I have known Greg Franklin for over 30 years as we served together in the 527th Engineer Battalion stationed in Ruston. We worked on many Humanitarian relief efforts together and deployed overseas during Desert Storm. 

“I knew that we had many duty and tactical uniforms stored away from the past, usually left by officers who had left the Winnfield Police Department. Knowing that our community suffered this same destructive force four years ago when Hurricane Laura hit, I felt the need to send as many of these uniforms as I could.”

Curry re-posted Franklin’s request on the Winnfield Police page. Responding to the call was the Dodson Police Department and the Rodeway Inn of Winnfield whose donations were taken to the 5.11 Store in Ruston and loaded onto the trucks to be sent to those first responders in need.

“It was a privilege to be able to assist another community of first responders, knowing first-hand the difficult tasks they were experiencing,”  Curry concluded, thanking Dodson Chief Daniel Hagan and the Rodeway Inn for their support. 

By Daniel Simmons

Nestled away in the woods in northwest Louisiana lies one of our state’s best-kept secrets, Briarwood Nature Preserve. Located just south of Saline, in northern Natchitoches Parish, about halfway between Natchitoches and Ruston, a stone’s throw from the Winn Parish line, the preserve has just as much to offer in history as it does in beauty of the flora and fauna.

Briarwood was the home of naturalist Caroline Dormon (1888-1971) who was a very influential conservationist. She was the first woman to be hired by the United States Forest Service. She also played a major role in the establishment of Kisatchie National Forest, which includes Briarwood but also covers a much larger area of northern Louisiana, Winn included. Dormon spent a large portion of her life at her home in Briarwood, observing and writing about nature.

One of the most famous attractions at the preserve is the Louisiana iris, a species created by Dormon. They come in many different colors and are a species of iris found only at the preserve. The irises are located in what is called the Bay Garden.

Coming up on October 26, the preserve will hold its bi-annual Tom Sawyer Day, a day where many local volunteers come out and help do work to keep the area in shape, and taking care of the Bay Garden is a critical part of the job. It needs to have weeds and invasive species removed to make the garden as clear as possible for the flowers. The bulbs also need to be rearranged and replanted. The irises bloom in April, and they are a sight to behold when in bloom, a very popular attraction among visitors.

Another fan favorite is “Grandpappy,” a pine tree that at one point held a Louisiana state record for tree height and tree diameter. Briarwood has never been used for timber harvesting, so the forest at the preserve is designated as an old-growth forest, one of very few remaining in the United States. Grandpappy has been estimated to be about 500 years old, and it is possible that it first began to grow even before Christopher Columbus arrived in America.

Shortly after Tom Sawyer Day, on Saturday, November 2, will be the annual plant sale fundraiser. The fundraiser was a success last year, as several people even ordered plants from out of state. “This year we are welcoming new vendors from across the state to have a more diverse variety of plants, seeds, and homemade items such as canned goods and art,” said Bayli Brossette, Curator of the nature preserve. “We are also in the process of getting a greenhouse, so we can propagate rare and endangered species native to North Louisiana. Briarwood is open for tours by appointment, all year. We also welcome volunteers at any time.”

First responders supported their first annual Meet & Greet for the “Bridging the Gap” program this past Saturday, October 19, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Winnfield Police station. The Winnfield Police Department, Winnfield Fire Department, and the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office were in attendance to fellowship with community leaders, residents, and children

There was plenty of assistance in making this program successful.  Teen Challenge personnel were on hand to provide authentic jambalaya.  Other participants included the CASA program and the “Operation Save a Kid” foundation.  Many businesses provided donations of food, gifts, and trinkets for all to enjoy.  Those businesses included the Family Dollar/Dollar Tree which is also a national sponsor of the National Night-Out Program.  

First Responders used this event to introduce this program for future participants.  The National Night-Out Program is a community-based program that encouraged neighborhood and block parties such as this one to allow the communities to meet and interact with first responders.  A real fellowship atmosphere was developed this year that included prayer by Fire Chief Brian Montgomery and release of balloons dedicated to victims of gun violence over the last few years.  

Community Liaison Officer Jessie Phillips has spent a lot of time and effort to put this program together with the goal to push for a better Winnfield, along with a better understanding of the roles of all first responders. He and his wife, Councilperson Teresa Phillips, have always been supporters of events as they relate to their community, and run the “Operation Save a Kid” organization to fund the Annual Shop-with-a-Cop program every year for the past 18 years.