Farmer Jason Anderson announced, “We are officially open for the 2023 Vegetable season. We are excited and looking for a great season. HUGH Boston ferns are available and an assortment of colorful flowers. We have a great selection of Dan Cason beef again this year.
So come and enjoy the fruits of our labor.” Anderson Produce is open Monday-Saturday 8-5. Phone 318-932-1432.
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The River Parish School Board is accepting applications for the following position:
Reading Specialist/Interventionist (salary starting at 60K including supplements)
Qualifications:
Minimum of 3 effective years of experience as a certified ELA teacher. Teaching experience in 6-12 grade level. Proven results when working with struggling readers. Strong knowledge of how children learn to read. Knowledge and experience working with high-quality reading curriculum.
Certified in the following areas:
Secondary Grades 6-12
Reading Specialist 1-12
Louisiana Trained Mentor Teacher
Submit applications at the Red River Parish School Board and at http://www.rrbulldogs.com under “Employment”. Deadline for submission is June 2, 2023.
For more information, you may contact Nicole Eason by email neason@rrbulldogs.com or 318-271-3150.
Nicole M. Eason
Red River Parish School Board
Human Resources Department
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Red River public schools will be out Monday. They are celebrating Memorial Day. The private schools in the parish have already finished their school years.
It will be a busy weekend at Clara Springs Camp. This afternoon is the May Fourth Friday Fish Fry that begins at 5:00 pm. Saturday is a workday. If you can come volunteer for a few hours on Saturday.
The calendar for the 2023-2024 public school year has been updated. The changes are:
Addition of First/Last Day of School
Addition of 200-Day Employee First/Last Day
Addition of Maintenance Workdays.
The calendar is available on the school system website or social media pages.
Bulldog baseball player Tyler Hughes has been selected to the Upperclassman North Division All Star Team for the upcoming LBCA Tournament in June at Southeastern Louisiana University. Hughes was chosen as pitcher and utility player.
From the Crawfish King, “As We approach the END of Crawfish season we want to Show our appreciation to all of our customers. On this Sunday May 28 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm we just want you to stop in and fellowship with us FOR FREE. Menu: Chicken Wings, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans and sodas.
Amy Lee has been named director of Marketing and Branding at Northwestern State University, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System. Lee will be responsible for the university’s brand, graphics identity and social media presence.
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Tuesday was the last day for LEAP testing at Red River Elementary. The school posted, “We are Bulldog proud of our students for their hard work and doing their best each day.”
Before each testing day, there was a pep rally to motivate the students. Several members of the school system and members of the community were guest speakers. The list includes Superintendent Alison Strong, Brother Colin Wimberly, Pastor Martin Washington, Bennie Logan, Coushatta Mayor Johnny Cox and Mrs. Katina Lane.
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The Red River Sheriff’s Office has arrested Alexander Stevenson Travis on charges of animal abuse. His bond was set at $30,000.
The report from the Sheriff’s Office listed the charge as “sexual abuse of an animal” 140 counts. Travis was booked into the parish jail on May 16th.
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By Teddy Allen
The problem with making homemade ice cream when you were a kid is it seemed to take forever to freeze.
For-EVVV-er.
I scream, you scream, we all scream if the homemade ice cream won’t freeze.
It was like waiting for school to let out or Christmas morning to come. Though the object is the polar opposite, waiting on ice cream to freeze is the same metaphorically as waiting for the watched pot to boil.
“Is it ready yet?”
But some things are worth waiting on: A woman. Game 7. That first autumn day.
And homemade ice cream. The best things just won’t be rushed.
Seems like when we were kids that making homemade ice cream was about as common as shucking corn. On our back porch were muddy boots, a mop and broom, emergency dog food in case scraps were in short supply, a deep freeze filled with stuff in white packing paper and clear quart bags, and a gradually rotting wooden ice cream tub and briny crank handle contraption. Always in the bottom of the tub was the white rock salt residue that never quite came out.
Never did I know as a child what the rock salt was for, only that you “needed it” to “make the ice cream freeze.” That’s what the grownups said. Grownups took a lot of time not explaining stuff to us back then.
“But why?” a little person would say.
“Because I said so,” a big person would say.
It was a simpler time.
Naturally, we just assumed the salt kept the ice cream from contracting rickets.
I have since learned (off the streets) that the salt combines in some chemical way with the ice to lower the temperature a bit below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, thus assuring that the mixture inside the Magic Silver Tube, surrounded by ice, freezes.
It’s one of those science deals.
A couple of weeks ago at the beach, my high school friend J.C. Penney (the four-time Louisiana state 4-H Good Grooming Champ back in the day, which is another column for another time) ran out of salt and out of luck while attempting a homemade batch. He bought salt the next morning and added it to the ice. Less than 20 minutes of churning later, the ice cream was tight as Dick’s hat band and cold as a penguin’s nose. Sweet.
Folks don’t seem to make homemade ice cream as much today as they used to. And that’s a shame. Making homemade ice cream taught us some handy life lessons that today’s kids miss out on.
True, food folk have figured out how to make Food You Buy At The Store better. Preservatives and whatnot. Cake mixes are about as good from the box now as the ones you can make from scratch. What I’m saying here is that if you’ve eaten Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, I can pretty much rest my case.
But in the days before electric churns, making homemade ice cream taught you patience and safety. The first thing our dads had us boys do was sit on the top of the freezer while they hand churned. This took a calendar day and you couldn’t feel your frozen butt until Tuesday.
The next growing-up step was to sit on the churn and turn it at the same time. This required dexterity and skill, because you haven’t lived until you’ve been churning and accidentally hit yourself in a delicate area. Some things you can feel, even frozen. I scream, you scream…
(From July 2012)
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu or Twitter @MamaLuvsManning
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The River Parish School Board is accepting applications for the following position:
Reading Specialist/Interventionist (salary starting at 60K including supplements)
Qualifications:
Minimum of 3 effective years of experience as a certified ELA teacher. Teaching experience in 6-12 grade level. Proven results when working with struggling readers. Strong knowledge of how children learn to read. Knowledge and experience working with high-quality reading curriculum.
Certified in the following areas:
Secondary Grades 6-12
Reading Specialist 1-12
Louisiana Trained Mentor Teacher
Submit applications at the Red River Parish School Board and at http://www.rrbulldogs.com under “Employment”. Deadline for submission is June 2, 2023.
For more information, you may contact Nicole Eason by email neason@rrbulldogs.com or 318-271-3150.
To report an issue or typo with this article – CLICK HERE
By Red River 4-H Agent Jacque Fontenot
This month, Red River 4-H put on their running shoes and introduced a new project club, 4-h running club! 4-h members that attended were challenged to complete a Marathon in May by walking, running, or active play. They met weekly, talking about their progress, playing games, and getting active. As they completed miles, they were given a prize leading up to the marathon prize. If anyone is looking for a way to get active, they will put their running shoes back on in the fall when their project club takes off again for another Marathon! Families are welcome to come and walk/run.
In addition to the running club, the 4-H Explorer’s project club will introduce next year’s programming through an outdoor skills day camp June 2nd for 4-H members in grades 1-7. The Explorer’s club is a 4-H project club started by Mrs. Jacque to introduce younger 4-H members and Cloverbuds (Grades 1-6) to the wide variety of opportunities in 4-H. In the fall, the explorer’s club will concentrate on fishing skills and boater’s safety during their monthly meetings.
If you’d like to help, the 4-H office is looking for donations of new/gently used rods with closed faced reels, such as Zebco, that younger kids can use to learn to cast. They are also looking for anyone interested in helping with either of these two project clubs in the fall. Please contact the 4-H office @ 932-4342 with donations or to volunteer!
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By Royal Alexander
The lengthy report from Special Counsel John Durham regarding the Russia-Collusion Hoax is one for the ages. Its conclusions are both stunning and disturbing to all Americans who believe in equal justice under law.
In his report, Durham broadly concludes what millions of us have believed about this matter (and about many other false allegations about Pres. Trump) for many years now: There was never any basis for an investigation of Pres. Trump because there was never any actual evidence of collusion between Pres. Trump and/or his campaign and Russia.
Durham’s damning conclusion is one that should haunt the FBI and its mother agency, the Department of Justice (DOJ), for decades: by acting as it did, the DOJ and FBI “failed to uphold” its mission of “strict fidelity to the law” in the Trump-Russia probe.
Let me summarize the report.
The FBI lacked “any actual evidence of collusion” when it violated its standards and jumped over several steps to initiate a full investigation. In short, the FBI opened the probe without doing interviews, using any “standard analytical tools,” or conducting intelligence reviews—which would have shown that not a single U.S. agency had evidence of collusion. (Wall St. Journal, 5-15-23)
There was a strong bias against Trump. The Durham report makes clear that partisan hostility played a role in the probe. The report cites a “clear predisposition” to investigate based on a “prejudice against Trump” and “pronounced hostile feelings” against Trump by key investigators. (WSJ, 5-15-23).
Moreover, there were alarming double standards between the FBI’s treatment of President Trump and Hillary Clinton. The Durham Report lays out several instances in which the line FBI agents were concerned that representatives of foreign governments were seeking influence by donating to the Clinton campaign or the Clinton Foundation. Yet in one 2014 case, the FBI dawdled over obtaining a warrant from the secret FISA court because—according to an agent—“[T]hey were ‘tippy-toeing’ around HRC because there was a chance she would be the next President” and the FBI was concerned about interfering with a coming presidential campaign. (WSJ, 5-15-23).
Yet, the FBI gave a Clinton representative a “defensive briefing” about the risks of foreign actors. Mr. Trump received no such briefing even after the FBI was already investigating two members of the Trump Campaign, based on information provided to the FBI by Hillary Clinton’s Campaign and other political sources!
The FBI displayed willful ignorance and later, willing complicity. The report lays out numerous examples of the FBI ignoring evidence that it was being used by the Clinton campaign to execute a political dirty trick. This included intelligence the government received in July 2016 alleging that Mrs. Clinton had approved “a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services.”
Further, former CIA director John Brennan briefed this material to President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and FBI Director James Comey, yet the FBI ignored it.
It did the same when it learned that collusion dossier author Christopher Steele was working for the Clinton campaign and that Steele and oppo-research team Fusion GPS were spreading disinformation to the press. And it ignored exculpatory statements made by Trump aides in secret FBI recordings. (WSJ, 5-15-23)
The Wall Street Journal concludes:
“The Russia collusion fabrication and deceptive sale to the public is a travesty that shouldn’t be forgotten. That Washington’s establishment refuses to acknowledge its role in this deceit is one reason so many Americans don’t trust public institutions. It will take years for honest public servants to undo the damage, but the Durham accounting is a start.”
There’s not really much else to say. However, the story is incomplete without recalling other recent instances of FBI corruption:
FBI targeting of Catholics to identify informants in its supposed effort to fight “white supremacy” and “domestic terrorists” in Catholic churches; The Hunter Biden Laptop scandal; the failure to prosecute Hillary Clinton for the destruction of classified information; labeling devoted parents as “domestic terrorists” who objected to the Covid masking, vaccine mandates, school shutdowns and the pornographic materials and racial politics their children are taught in public school.
The American people have lost faith in the FBI and DOJ. The corruption identified here is the furthest thing from faithfulness to the law—it’s a mockery of it. As a result, these two institutions have, perhaps irreversibly, wounded themselves.
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On May 18, a banquet was held to honor the Quality Kids for the 2022-2023 school year. Red River Schools said, “An immense thank you goes out to Thom and Kristy Hoeflinger of Quality Companies in Coushatta for investing in and supporting our students of Red River Parish! Congratulations to all of the Quality Kid recipients.”
Ikarah Reeves, a senior at Red River High was chosen as the recipient of the Quality Kid Scholarship, also from Quality Companies. Ikarah plans to attend the University of Louisiana in Monroe in the fall where she will earn a degree in education. Upon completion of her degree, she will return to Red River Parish as an educator to begin her teaching career.
2023 Quality Kids:
Luke Williamson
Brent Danzy
Akhyiah Sibley
Anyla Young
Mackenzie Caldwell
Morgan Housley
Peyton Ward
Madison Breedlove
Warren Bowman
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By Molly Seales
Tradition continued as the Riverdale Academy Senior Class of 2024 held its annual ring ceremony on May 12, the day after the class of 2023 graduated. This is always a very exciting time for the juniors, as it is the milestone where they officially become Riverdale seniors.
The members of the Class of 2024 were presented their rings or necklaces by family members or friends. 2024 seniors and their presenters were Landen Barrett, presented by his parents Michael and Christina Barrett and girlfriend Jadyn King; Georgia Carlisle, presented by her grandparents Tom and Linda Wood; Madison Chamberlin, presented by her parents Rob and Stephanie Chamberlin; Caleb Dabbs, presented by his parents Bill and Kym Dabbs; Kylie Donald, presented by her mom, Ashley; Jaxon Gates, presented by his mom Toni; Kyle Guillory, presented by his aunt Leah Johnson and his Mimi Debbie Johnson; Hayden Hillman, presented by his parents Brandon and Kayla Hillman; Ryder Huddleston, presented by his parents Matt and Celeste Huddleston; Will Jones, presented by his sister Mary Claire Jones; Brock Keith, presented by his parents Justin Keith and Ashlie Smitha; Sky McMullan, presented by her sister Mandy McCoy; Emily Nettles, presented by her dad Josh Nettles and her Mimi Lisa Eddy; Matthew Smith, presented by his mom Stefanie Hill and sister Haylee Smith; and Maddie Whittington, presented by her sister Baylee Whittington.
After the presentations, a slide show with pictures of the class through the years was shown to the class and the audience. A reception for the Class of 2024 and their families was held in the cafeteria immediately following the ceremony. Congratulations to the Class of 2024, and have fun next year as seniors!
Photo credit Leslie Johnson
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Child abuse and neglect are preventable, and all communities benefit when children and families are well supported. Extreme stress and uncertainty for families may increase the risk of child abuse and neglect raising the need to support families and prevent abuse before it occurs.
Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana (PCAL) stresses that all community members have a role in ensuring children have positive experiences and families have the resources they need when they need them, well before they are in crisis. By focusing on the importance of creating systems and programs that put children and families first, we can help prevent child abuse.
Working with PCAL, VIA LINK offers a statewide program, Louisiana Parent Line, which provides parents with free, confidential, 24/7 access to a live specialist. Translation services are available, and the Louisiana Parent Line can be reached through phone and text 24 hours a day.
“The Parent Line provides parents and other family members with a safe space to express their frustrations, ask parenting questions and get support,” explained LaVondra Dobbs, CEO of VIA LINK. “Parent Line specialists are well trained and experienced in offering emotional support to parents. They focus on de-escalation and crisis intervention. They listen and understand parents’ concerns. Specialists can provide information on different services and referral. Perhaps most importantly, they can help parents develop plans for coping.”
Yet, the Parent Line is more than a one-time call. Parents can call in as often as they want or need. The goal is to provide emotional support whenever parents need it. The specialists can also offer follow-up calls and help increase the circle of support for families. Throughout Louisiana, this free service is working to prevent child abuse by getting families the support they need.
**All Specialists on LA Parentline are Mandated Reporters through LA DCFS.**
The phone number is 833-LA-CHILD (833-522-4453). Y ou can also text us at (225) 424-1533.
For more information about PCAL, VIA LINK, or the Louisiana Parent Line, please contact Sherrard Crespo, LCSW, Director of Outreach and Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana at screspo@vialink.org or visit our website http://www.vialink.org.
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Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for May 12-18, 2023
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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Lance Christian Bryan
April 17, 1975 — May 15, 2023
Funeral service was held Friday, May 19, 2023, at 10:00 am, at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Coushatta.
The Red River Parish Journal publishes “Remembrances” with unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers and to social media. Contact your funeral provider or RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication.
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Red River Parish Librarian Trey Lewis reminded everyone that the library will have their second Bingo afternoon on May 23rd beginning at 1:00 pm. Come in for a few rounds and maybe luck will shine on you. Hope to see you in the meeting room.
Tomorrow is opening day for Anderson Produce on LA 174. Farmer Jason Anderson said that the first fruits and veggies of the 2023 season are ready and will be on sale on Thursday.
Elizabeth Full Gospel Baptist Church will hold Women Conference 2023 this weekend. The schedule is Saturday, May 27th 10:00 am and Sunday, May 28th 11:00 am.
On Saturday wear the women conference t-shirt. On Sunday the colors are red, orange, yellow, and red orange.
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The annual Community Health Fair sponsored by the Red River Council on Aging was Tuesday morning. They had a large turnout of people from the community and a great turnout of vendors.
Health Fair workers told The Journal that people started coming as soon as the doors opened. When we visited at mid-morning there were lots of folks getting information and participating in the health screenings.
The nineteen vendors offered services ranging from blood pressure checks to help with Medicare and other services available to people of the parish. Several home care and home nursing agencies were represented. Or people could get information on various options with Medicare.
Red River 4-H was there with nutrition and other information. The Louisiana National Guard’s Youth Challenge program was represented and so was the Louisiana Department of Health.
Christus Coushatta had an information booth on breast cancer awareness. The hospital was also performing the blood pressure checks and offering various blood panel screenings at extremely reasonable prices.
And many of the vendors brought door prizes. Always fun to register for a big basket packed with goodies.
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By Molly Seales
Coming off of a runner-up finish last year, Riverdale’s boys’ doubles tennis team of senior Luke Greer and junior Will Jones went to Mississippi with a goal in mind-to bring home the first ever tennis state championship to East Point, and through much hard work and dedication, they did just that!
On April 25, they traveled to the South AA championship at Lake Providence Country Club where they first defeated the Sharkey team of Allen/Jacks by a score of 6-1 and 6-0. Later in the day, they beat the Briarfield team of Martin/Holt 6-2 and 6-0 to advance to the Class AA state championship tournament.
On Wednesday, May 3, they traveled to the Vicksburg Tennis Center to compete for the Class AA title. In the semifinals, they defeated the West Memphis team of Gehman/Hodges 6-1 and 6-0, which set them up for a rematch with Briarfield for the state title. In the championship match, Luke and Will once again defeated the tough team of Martin/Holt 7-5 and 6-1 to secure Riverdale’s first MSAIS state tennis title.
Luke and Will have both taken private tennis lessons and have worked hard for several years chasing this title. They are proof that hard work and dedication pays off. Congratulations to them for starting what will hopefully be a tennis legacy at Riverdale Academy. We are proud of both of you!
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By Brad Dison
It was 1957 in Long Beach, New York. Billy’s father had finally decided to trade in their old 1948 Chevrolet for a new car. Although it was the only car Billy could remember the family owning, he was glad to see it go. Billy described their old car as a “big, black, boxy,” “ugly automobile” with a sun visor over the front windshield which made the car look like it was wearing a fedora. It reminded him of a getaway car from gangster films of the 1930s. Brimming with pride, Billy’s dad called home to tell everyone to be out in the driveway precisely at noon to welcome the new car. Everyone in the household—Billy, his two brothers, and his mother—could hardly stand the anticipation. They argued playfully about which make, model, and even the color of car dad was bringing home. Mom hoped for a Chrysler Imperial. Joel wanted a Ford Fairlane. Rip wanted a Chevrolet Bonneville. Billy hoped for a Cadillac regardless of color or model. His siblings and mother each held firm to their preferred choice. Suddenly, they heard a HONK! HONK! Billy’s dad turned the new family car into the driveway. Billy, his mother, and brothers stood there in silence. Their jaws had dropped. Billy’s dad pulled into the driveway in a brand new…two tone gray Plymouth Belvedere. Although it had big fins, red leather interior, and push-button transmission, it was far from the car of their dreams. Billy’s dad loved the car and named it “Nellie.”
To celebrate their new car, Billy’s dad took the family to their favorite Chinese restaurant in Long Beach. Billy’s dad strategically sat the family in the front booth of the restaurant so he could stare out and admire the new Plymouth through the large picture window. Nothing, they thought, could spoil Billy’s dad’s mood, and they were happy for him. Suddenly, they heard a horrendous crash. They looked out of the window, and, for the second time that day, their jaws dropped. A brand new 1957 Lincoln Continental had just crashed into the back of Nellie. The force of the impact slammed Nellie into the car in front of it. Billy’s dad’s pride was almost as crushed as his new car. They instantly recognized the man who staggered out of the driver’s seat of the Lincoln Continental as Big John Ormento, one of the most dangerous gangsters who lived in Long Beach. Against the advice of his whole family, Billy’s dad left the restaurant booth and went to look at his precious Nellie. Big John, so inebriated that he could hardly stand, looked at Billy’s dad, then at the damages to all three cars. Without saying a word, Big John ran back to his damaged car and fled the scene.
By this time a crowd, which included Billy’s family, had gathered around Nellie and the other damaged car. A policeman arrived and asked Billy’s dad what happened. Billy’s mother was confused for only a moment when Billy’s dad replied that they had heard the crash but by the time they got to the car the culprit was gone. Billy’s dad, never one to tell a lie, was protecting his family. The cop concluded that some kids driving too fast had caused the accident. That should have been the end of the story.
The next morning, Billy’s family sat quietly in the living room saddened by the crumpled car parked in their driveway when the doorbell rang. Billy opened the door and was shocked to see Big John standing there. “Can I see your father, please?” Terrified by the thought that Big John was there to kill his father and maybe the whole family, Billy somehow replied that he would see if he could find his dad. Billy nervously closed the door. Big John was unaccustomed to this type of behavior but took it in stride. Billy ran to his father and told him Big John wanted to see him. Billy tried to tell his father to escape through the back door or maybe a window, but Billy’s dad just said to let Big John in the house. The small living room made Big John seem even larger than he was. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Big John said, “How fast do you think your car was going when it backed into my car?” Everyone froze. Big J began a deep hysterical laugh. Big John was only joking. He apologized for the damages to Nellie and thanked Billy’s father for not “ratting him out” to the policeman.
To show his appreciation, Big John offered to buy Billy’s dad a brand-new car of any make and model he wanted. Billy’s thoughts returned to Cadillac. Mom thought of the Chrysler Imperial. Joel imagined a Ford Fairlane. Rip daydreamed about a Chevrolet Bonneville. Billy’s dad, however, thought only of Nellie, his precious Plymouth Belvedere, and politely declined the offer. Billy’s dad explained with a certain sense of pride that Nellie was the car he had worked and paid for. Billy’s mother put her arms around his father. Big John was not in the habit of being told no, but Billy’s dad was firm. Billy’s dad finally relented and allowed Big John to have the car repaired. Two weeks later, Big John returned Nellie to Billy’s family. The family cautiously checked to ensure that there was no body in the trunk. Billy’s dad proudly drove Nellie, the two-tone gray Plymouth Belvedere, for the next decade. This story was kept secret in Billy’s family for over 50 years. It took a while, but Billy eventually saw the humor in the situation, which we should expect. You and I know Billy because of his skills at acting, comedy, and filmmaking. His name is Billy Crystal.
Source:
Crystal, Billy. 2005. 700 Sundays. New York, NY: Time Warner Book Group.
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The National Weather Service office in Shreveport has issued a statement on possible storms on Friday. Scattered strong to severe storms will be possible late Friday afternoon through the evening over portions of Northeast TX, Southeast OK, Southwest AR, and possibly extreme Northeast LA. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats, before the storms weaken late Friday.
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Red River Elementary School announced, “We have been chosen as a Capturing Kids Hearts Showcase School for 2022-2023. This is our 6th year in a row to receive this title. We are BULLDOG PROUD to continue demonstrating a high level of performance and a positive culture and climate for learning.
The school explained, “Because of the rigor of our evaluation process, the Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools® Award is both a high aspiration and an exemplary recognition of excellence. Capturing Kids’ Hearts® is proud to recognize the outstanding educators who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the lives of our children. The Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools® Award recognizes and celebrates schools producing exemplary outcomes using the Capturing Kids’ Hearts® Process. Award winners demonstrate a high level of performance and a positive culture and climate for learning.
For the 2022-2023 school year, the Capturing Kid’s Hearts National Showcase Schools® Award was granted to 468 school campuses across the United States.
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By Steve Graf
Tournament bass fishing is an emotional roller coaster to say the least! It’s very similar to golf in that it will humble you in a heartbeat. No matter how good you think you are, the fishing gods, as I refer to them, will bring you back down to earth in a matter of minutes. There are days that you will think you’re the greatest bass fisherman of all time, those days when you totally figure them out and no bass is safe while you’re in the zone! Every decision you make is the right one! Every decision you make results in catching not just a lot of fish, but quality as well! You are the king, the master of all bass in the lake! You might be the greatest angler of all time! Not even Kevin Van Dam, who is the GOAT, would stand a chance against you!
Then the day comes that you question why you even fish. Why am I out here on this body of water wasting my time and money? Your mind, which is the greatest tool an angler can have, starts to question what you’re doing. You begin to doubt yourself and your ability to catch those little green fish we call bass. I mean how can catching fish become such a difficult task? After all, I am the best to ever hold a rod!
Then we look for excuses…like maybe a cold front came through and shut down the fish. Maybe the full moon has them messed up. Maybe the rising water has made them hard to catch. Maybe the lake is falling and has put the fish in a funk or maybe there’re just too many anglers on the water and the fishing pressure has caused them to either move or just not bite. That’s it! Too many anglers on the water! I knew there was a reason… because it couldn’t be me!
Then you get to the weigh-in and realize other anglers figured them out and had a great day as they weigh-in their 20-pound sacks, while you are standing in the weigh-in line with your small 10-pound bag wondering what the heck was I doing wrong. You hope no one sees what you’re weighing in that day. The embarrassment and shame of it all…I mean those guys are not as good as me! How did they catch those big fish today and I did not?
This is the humbling part of the sport of tournament bass fishing. Just when you think you know everything about those little green fish, they let you know that you know nothing! Then two weeks later, you go out and snatch everything in the lake that bites. You are the king once again! It’s just like golf…the gods allow you to hit a great shot occasionally, just so you’ll come back and play again. You think you’re Tiger Woods, and no one is better. Bass fishing is no different, it will humble you and bring you back to reality. Till next time good luck, good fishing and make sure to say an occasional prayer to the fishing gods…maybe they’ll reward you or maybe they won’t.
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The Red River Parish Library is conducting their annual book sale this week. The selection is tremendous. As always the prices are incredibly low.
Tables set up in the library’s meeting room are stacked high with books of all description. Fiction, Fact, Adventure, Inspiration, Fun, and unlimited other varieties are all on sale right now.
What are those incredibly low Prices? Paperback books are a dime. Hardback’s just a quarter.
And today, Friday, you can fill up a big box with books for just a dollar. That’s right $1.00 per box today.
The annual Book Sale ends today at 5:00 pm.
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