Funeral services for L.C. Chaney, 85, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 30, 2023, in the Labby Memorial Funeral Home of Leesville with Bro. Rod Buller officiating. Burial will follow in the Plunkaway Cemetery in Burr Ferry.
Visitation will be Thursday, November 30, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. until time of service at 2:00 p.m. in the funeral home.
L.C. was born on April 12,1938, in Slagle, Louisiana, and he passed away on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Emma Brister Chaney; brother, Elmer Chaney and his wife Rena Murel Chaney; sisters, Thelma McDonald and Velma Self; sister-in-law, Carol Chaney; and first wife, Mary Maggie Toney.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Gail Chaney of Leesville; brothers, Almer Chaney (Diana) of Rosepine, LA, Jimmy Chaney (Alfa) of Knight Community, Elbert Chaney (Twila) of Leesville, Clifford Chaney of Rosepine, LA; brother-in-law, Douglas Self of Rosepine, LA; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Now that high school football is over locally, sports fans in Vernon Parish can turn their attention to basketball. In fact, to win a state title in Louisiana small school ranks, you must go through Vernon Parish. It would take more pages than we can publish here to detail the rich championship history of high school basketball in Vernon Parish since the late 1970’s.
GIRLS In recent play, Rosepine lost in the 2022 Class AA semi-finals but rebounded to win the Division III non-select state championship in 2023 as the number one seed in their division. This season the Lady Eagles are 4-1 with wins over Fairview, 4-A Jennings, and 5-A Carencro.
The Hicks Lady Pirates lost in the 2023 Division V non-select quarterfinals after winning state Class C titles in 2022, 2021, 2020, and a Class B state championship in 2019. They’ve started this season 10-0. Anacoco’s Lady Indians lost in the Class B semi-finals in 2022. They are off to an 8-2 start this season with five wins in a row at the time of this publication.
This year among Class C schools, Simpson is off to a 7-2 start; Evans is 4-5; while Hornbeck is 6-2. Leesville (4-A) has just started playing but are 2-0 with wins over Peabody (4-A) and Pineville (5-A). Pickering (2-A) has just started their season and is currently 1-1.
Pitkin (6-5) in Class B has come alive lately, winning four in a row with three impressive wins at the Family Christian Tournament in Baton Rouge, where they defeated 5-A St. Joseph’s Academy, 3-A Parkview Baptist, and 3-A University Lab.
BOYS The boys’ side of Vernon Parish roundball is alive and well! In 2023, Anacoco lost in the Division V finals to Zwolle. They lost by two points in the 2022 Class B finals and they lost in the 2021 finals. Anacoco currently sits at 8-3 and they’ve won five out of their last six, including a 36-35 win over 5-A Sam Houston.
The Simpson Broncos won the 2021 state Class C title in overtime but lost in the 2022 quarterfinals. The Broncos are 4-4 early in the 2024 season. The Hicks Pirates are 6-3 with an impressive win over 4-A Tioga. Hornbeck sits at 5-3 while Evans is 7-2.
Rosepine (1-1), Pickering (1-2) and Leesville (1-1) are just getting their football athletes involved. Pitkin (7-3) is off to a quick start with a big win over Fairview.
The road to the LHSAA Marsh Madness leads through Vernon Parish. See the best the parish has to offer when the Annual Vernon Parish Basketball Tournament hits the gym at Rosepine High School on Thursday and Friday, December 21-22.
The City of Leesville invites area residents to visit their annual Jingle & Mingle event on Saturday, December 16, from 4-8 p.m. All the action takes place on the grounds of the Leesville City Hall complex on 5th Street.
Come and enter your favorite recipe for chili in the cookoff, hear live music, shop vendors for gift ideas, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays. Kids will enjoy the inflatables, the snow garden, and photo opportunities with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Live music will feature the Abigail Holt Band and local gospel choirs.
Buy a tasting cup and sample all the chili entries. Cooks set up at 3 p.m.; tastings begin at 6 p.m.; and awards presented at 7:30 p.m.
Come and celebrate the holiday season with your family and friends at the City of Leesville’s Jingle & Mingle, Saturday, December 16, 4-8 p.m. at the Leesville City Hall complex.
For more information on the chili cookoff or being a vendor, call City Planner Grant Bush at 337-404-4078.
Funeral services for Arlie Lorene Upshaw Hale, of Hornbeck, was held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 25, 2023, in the Grace Assembly Church in Hornbeck, LA, with Bro. Joey Remedies and Bro. Tinker Hillman officiating. Burial followed in the Prewitts Chapel Cemetery in Hornbeck.
Arlie Lorene Upshaw Hale, born October 27, 1939, in Leesville, LA, passed in her home with her family on November 22, 2023, at the age of 84. She resided in Hornbeck.
She was proceeded in death by her parents, Noah Edgar and Cassie Marie Brown Webb; siblings, Ruby Pauline Upshaw, Paul Webb, Barbara Webb Clark, Dennis Webb; and sons-in-law, Mike Smith and Ricky Stewart.
She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Wayne Douglas Hale; son, Tommy Burns and wife Sondra; son, Wayne D. Burns and wife Cherri; daughter, Vickie Wright and husband Dennis; daughter. Joanna Stewart; daughter. Bonnie Smith; daughter, Dot Hale; and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She enjoyed cooking, working in the yard, shopping, and watching grandkids play ball. She was a Jack-of-all-trades. She drove a log truck, retired from Hornbeck High School Cafeteria, and then worked at Role Play at Fort Polk where she was loved by all and called Mrs. Congeniality.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers are Aaron Dowden, Bogie Mitchell, Christopher Ezernack, Madex Dowden, Clayton Sparks, and Ace Bowling. Honorary pallbearers are Brad Wright, Russell Smith, John David Huckaby, Wayne Curtis Huckaby, Cooper Wright, Maverick Mitchell, Drake Walker, Zeppelin Mitchell, J Paul Remedies, Nolan Garcie, Azah Remedies, and Jiles Bowling.
A graveside service for Melitta Rodriguez will be held Wednesday November 29, 2023, at the Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Leesville, LA at 11:00 AM.
Melitta was born in Braunschweig, Germany on March 31,1943, and passed away November 19, 2023, in Leesville at the age of 80. After leaving her family and moving to the United States in 1960 from Germany, Melitta worked multiple jobs across the country before joining the Womens Corp in 1967 and served in San Fransisco, CA. Melitta would later move to Leesville and open and run J&M Upholstery for over 20 years in Leesville. After retiring, she enjoyed making macrame and crocheting gifts for all the businesses she frequented around town. She was always looking to give to everyone she met to brighten their day. Along with her love of giving was her love for animals. She never met an animal she did not love and was known to find injured animals and take them to her vet for treatment to get them better and release them back into the wild.
Melitta was preceded in death by her daughter, Donna Kating of Prior, Oklahoma.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband of 28 years, Gilberto (Rod) Rodriguez of Leesville; daughter and son-in-law, Tanya and Michael Edds of Leesville; grandchildren. Kyla Clemons and Hunter Clemons of Leesville; a host of extended family in Braunschweig, Germany; and her loving animals Daisy and Zeva.
A meeting was held on Wednesday, November 15, at GALLERY ONE EIIIEVEN in Leesville attended by many civic and nonprofit groups in the area to discuss and address their multiple ongoing projects and programs and to better coordinate information and activities for the groups and the public. In attendance were members representing the Leesville Junior League, Civitan, Kiwanis, Friends of Main Street, Fort Johnson Spouse and Community Club, Lions, Pilot, Rotary, GALLERY ONE EIIIEVEN, Jubilee Park, C.A.S.A, and the Chamber of Commerce. The round table discussion provided an opportunity for each group to present their most recent upcoming events and provide a short talk on their club, their focus, and their activities in the community.
Chamber members introduced the Community Calendar feature on their website: http://www.greatervernon.org/events/commmunity-events. The calendar is interactive and is available for even non-chamber nonprofits to post their events and use as a marketing and coordination tool. The posts on the calendar have a 24-hour lag time for a moderator to approve the content of the postings. All in attendance were encouraged to take advantage of this tool for their events.
Other topics of discussion were finding and using grants to finance community projects, developing a common project for group participation, cross marketing and participating in each other’s events, involving school clubs in civic projects and how to best market to the public on social media and other means.
The meeting adjourned with a commitment to meet at a minimum each quarter and to communicate throughout the coming months to improve the quality of life in the area. The next meeting is set for Wednesday, January 24th at 5:00 at GALLERY ONE EIIIEVEN.
The Leesville Main Street District in downtown Leesville presents their annual Christmas Market on Saturday, December 9. The day will be full of family fun, beginning with the Pilot Club’s Annual Reindeer Run at 8 a.m. Participants are encouraged to dress in costumes. For more information on the run, go to the Pilot Club Facebook page. Vendors with a super selection of gift items will be set up at the Third Street Market from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The market will also have kid activities and food trucks to feed your hungry family.
The Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade will roll through the downtown area at 5:30 p.m. The theme for this year’s event is “Angels Among Us” and will honor first responders and emergency personnel for their efforts, not only during the recent wildfires but for their everyday service to the Vernon Parish community. Don’t miss this colorful, light-filled parade, which ends with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs and loot bags for goodies received from all the units.
JUBILEE PARK LIGHTING
The Jubilee Park Committee invites the public to their Annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony Friday, December 1 at 5 p.m. Jubilee Park is located across from Vernon Middle School in Leesville. The Vernon Middle School dance line and choir will perform. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available for all. There is a BIG SURPRISE at the end of the ceremony!
EIGHTH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA
The Eighth Annual Christmas Extravaganza happens Saturday, December 2 at the West Louisiana Forestry Festival fairgrounds. The event features a staggering array of local artisans and small business owners with great Christmas gift ideas for all ages. The Shriner’s Building and the local area will be full of vendors with exotic foods, handmade arts and crafts, and more; all by local vendors and residents. Shop from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Remember, Santa will be there for pictures with the kids! Open to the public and all Christmas shoppers.
CPKC HOLIDAY EXPRESS TRAIN
Leesville is once again fortunate to be on the schedule for a stop by the CPKS Holiday Express Train. This elaborately decorated set of rail cars carries characters and goodies for all area children and will arrive in Leesville at the train depot at 4 p.m. on Sunday December 10. It should take them about an hour to be ready to see children. They will not leave until all kids have gone through the train. This can take time, so parents be prepared to wait a while. Your kids will enjoy going through the cars and meeting the characters on board.
This event is free and open to the public. The West Cenla Shrine Club is scheduled to sell hot chocolate and drinks during the train’s stay.
Wesley Lavon Coffman, 91, of Slagle, LA passed away November 22, 2023. After a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Wesley fought a gracious battle. Wesley, or as most of us called him, Bo, was born February 6, 1932, in Oil City, LA. After graduating from Oil City High School, Bo was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War where he received the Purple Heart. He valued this service highly and attained the rank of Master Sargeant E-8. In 1953, Bo met Marion in Houston, Texas, and after their marriage, they had four children: Steve Wesley, Guy Michael, Jeffery Dale, and Beverly Carol. Their loving marriage spanned 70 years of utter and complete devotion. Bo departed the Army with aspirations of taking the family away from Leesville and moving them to Houston. He accepted a job with Saunders Trucking. After a short time, he realized that he and his family were from Vernon Parish. Back at home, Bo took several jobs with the Louisiana Civil Service Commission. He secured a position as an agent for the Employment Office and later on hiring at Probation and Parole. At age 55, Bo retired from the State Civil Service Commission; and just after retiring received the call to be a Vernon Parish special education teacher at Leesville Junior High School. He stayed there for a decade, where his goal was to prepare his students to function in society. His retirement from teaching was short-lived, and Bo took a position in the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office for decades. At the time of his retirement from the military, his passion was raising Polled Hereford cattle. For over 40 years, he developed a nationally recognized line of registered Polled Hereford cattle. Bo loved his life and his family. He will be missed by them and the many friends he has made.
Bo was preceded in death by wife of 70 years, Marion Estelle Coffman, and his parents.
Those left to cherish his memory are his sons, Steve Coffman and wife Melody, Mike Coffman and wife Vanessa, and Jeff Coffman and wife Sarah; daughter, Beverly Carol Bliss; grandchildren, Kyle Wesley Coffman, Leslie Coffman Goodwin and husband Alex, Chad Coffman and wife Joy, Codi Coffman Hindman, Ray Stutts, Matthew Bradley Coffman and wife Sarah, Grace Elizabeth Coffman, Jason Randall Mount, and Nicholas Paul Gerber; great-grandchildren, Kynli Brooke Coffman, Nora Brooke Goodwin, Maxxon Phillips, Keegan Wesley Coffman, Kennedy Ann Coffman, Wesley Paul Hindman, Abigal Bree Hindman, Elijah David Coffman, Josephine Grace Coffman, Matthew Blayne Mount, Sawyer Marie Mount, and Wesley Mac Mount; and numerous friends.
Memorial Services for Lloyd Atchison will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the East Leesville Baptist Church with Bro. Tommy Kiker and Collin Edwards officiating.
Lloyd was born on April 3, 1937, to his parents, Earnest and Jessie Atchison in Leesville, LA. He passed away on November 24, 2023, at St. Francis Cabrini Hospital.
Throughout his lifetime he touched the lives of many along the way. At the age of 16, Lloyd was ordained at Cooper Baptist Church in Leesville, beginning a journey of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. He received a scholarship to attend Louisiana Baptist High School of Eunice, Louisiana where he worked in a boarding house and the train depot to pay for his housing. Lloyd attended Southern Louisiana Institute, now known as University of Louisiana at Lafayette, for two years prior to joining the United States Army. He spent 4 years serving his country throughout the Cold War in Germany. After his service, he returned to University of Southern Louisiana where he met and married his wife, Joyce. Together they owned and operated two mobile home businesses located in Lafayette and Leesville.
Finally, he returned to Leesville to the family farm to raise his family and pastor many churches in and around Vernon Parish, such as Pinehill, Mt. Carmel and Canaan Baptist Church just to name a few. In addition to farming, he attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, finishing his Bachelor of Arts in Education and Speech. He went on to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, graduating with his Master of Divinity. After graduating in 1976, he moved to Houston, Texas, where he pastored and planted many small churches throughout and around the Houston area until 1994. Following his service in Houston, he returned home to the family farm in Leesville, continuing to serve as a pastor in and around Vernon Parish.
Upon his retirement, he dedicated years running towards natural disasters in his role as Chaplain for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Disaster Relief. He still was able to find time to enjoy his favorite hobbies of hunting and fishing. Lloyd spent several years working as a civilian role player in training environments for the U.S. Army at Fort Polk in Leesville. He spent many years enjoying worshipping at East Leesville Baptist Church where he taught Sunday Bible Study, sang in the choir and praise team, and greeting on Sunday mornings.
Lloyd faithfully served the Lord freely and eagerly, loving people along the way and telling them how much they were God’s creation to live in eternity with Him.
Lloyd is preceded in death by his parents; siblings: Charlie Atchison, Ernie Atchison, Tom Atchison, Jerry Atchison, Bobbie Atchison, Nina Belle Atchison.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 63 years: Joyce Atchison; son: Lloyd “Skip” Atchison; daughter: Rae Edwards and husband Lynn; grandson: Collin Edwards; granddaughter: Sara Atchison Garner; great grandsons: Maveryck Garner, Jasper Garner; great granddaughter: Emmyrald Garner; brothers: Dan Atchison, George “Obie” Atchison and wife Teresa and a host of nieces, nephews, other family and friends.
The family requests in lieu of flowers to consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association alz.org/donate.
The Vernon Parish Police Jury met for a regular meeting on Monday, November 20, at 10 a.m. A public hearing was called for Monday, December 18, at 10 a.m. on the proposed ordinance to change the speed limit on Holly Grove Road in District 2. The speed limit would be 35 mph for the length of the road. The second proposed ordinance would change the speed limit on Holly Estates Road in District 2 to 30 mph to the intersection of Dogwood Drive, Holly Estates Road Ext., McRae Road, and Lonesome Lane, which will be 15 mph.
The Police Jury adopted a resolution to finance a 2024 John Deere 670G Motor Grader for District 5. The terms are 6.85% APR for 60 payments of $6,291.36. Jurors also authorized payment of all invoices approved ty the Finance Committee.
The Capital Properties Committee received a quote from Pat Williams Construction of Leesville for various repairs to the interior and exterior of the Judicial Building downtown. They also received three bids for repairs to the Vernon Parish Health Unit and will take them under advisement.
Brian Davis of Waste Connections addressed the Police Jury to let them know the company has hired several new drivers and will take delivery of new trucks for the Vernon route in the second and third quarters of 2024. The company will also look with the Police Jury at putting in a compacter station in the Simpson-Slagle-Leander area. Jurors recently visited Sabine Parish, which has no house-to-house pickup but does have 19 compacter stations. This would be a pilot program for Vernon Parish.
Holiday hours for Police Jury employees are December 25-27 for Christmas and January 1-3 for New Year’s.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, countless individuals are eagerly preparing to hit the roads and reunite with loved ones. The American Automobile Association estimates over 49 million people will embark on journeys of 50 miles or more by car during this time. With this in mind, Louisiana State Police will be actively patrolling our state’s highways throughout the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
Troopers will be on the lookout for aggressive and impaired drivers, as well as motorists who neglect to wear seat belts or secure their children in appropriate restraints. Shockingly, statistics from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission reveal the majority of fatalities on Louisiana roadways involve the 15 percent of vehicle occupants who choose not to wear seat belts (based on observational surveys). While not all crashes are survivable, wearing a seat belt remains the most effective measure individuals can take to minimize the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Louisiana law states that all occupants in the vehicle must utilize a seat belt and children must be properly restrained in the back seat in a safety child safety seat or booster seat appropriate for their age and size. Children who have outgrown a booster seat but are younger than 13 must be buckled up in the back seat, if one is available. Remember: Click It or Ticket, both day and night. The Click It or Ticket campaign will begin November 18 and is a statewide enforcement campaign.
For the most up-to-date information on road conditions, including closures and construction, please visit http://www.511la.org or dial 511 from any phone within Louisiana. Additionally, a 511 Louisiana phone app is available for download, and motorists can sign up for traffic alerts from the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD).
We encourage motorists who witness hazardous road conditions and/or reckless drivers to call *LSP (*577) and report the activity to the nearest Louisiana State Police troop location.
The Louisiana State Police extends warm wishes for a safe and joyous Thanksgiving holiday to all.
Kimberly Coutee, age 38, of Hineston, was arrested and charged with one count Theft of Motor Vehicle and one count Criminal Trespassing. Bond was set at $6295. Coutee remains in the Vernon Parish jail.
Cory Makala Young, age 50, of New Orleans, was arrested on a fugitive warrant from Orleans Parish. Young awaits transportation back to Orleans Parish and remains in the Vernon Parish jail.
Hugh Brian Street, age 41, of Leesville, was arrested and charged with one count Violation of State Burn Ban. Bond has not been set. Street was also arrested on a Bench Warrant for Failure to Pay Probation Fines & Fees. Street must pay $1,518 or serve 60 days in jail. He remains in jail.
Samka Chantell Smith, age 30, of Many, was arrested and charged with one count Driving on a Roadway Laned for Traffic, one count Possession of Marijuana, and one count Open Container. Bond was set at $2,675. Smith posted bond and was released.
Dennie Ray Midkiff, age 64, of Leesville, was arrested and charged with one count Illegal Possession of a Stolen Firearm and one count Possession of a Firearm or Carrying of a Concealed Weapon by a Felon. Bond was set at $30,000. Midkiff posted bond and was released.
Ambrose Akers, age 31, of Beaumont, Texas, was arrested on a fugitive warrant from Hardin County, Texas. Akers remains in the Vernon Parish jail awaiting extradition to Hardin County.
Alan Keith Addison, age 60, of Leesville, was arrested on one count Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Bond had not been set and Addison remains in the Vernon Parish jail.
ALL PERSONS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.
In the divisive landscape that is American politics, let us step away from it this time of year and take a look at food! Food is a great common denominator among Americans. We really do love to eat!!
We are so good at eating that even when we try to lose weight and eat foods that are better for us, marketeers are making substitutions for your cravings look better all the time. They may not be better for you, but they sure look tasty! We all like our burgers, sandwiches and casseroles a little differently, but there are some things we can find common ground on when it comes to American classic foods. There is one food, however, that can easily break apart an extended family…THE TURKEY!!
Yes! The turkey is the most divisive bird in America. Take a quick poll and ask six friends how they like their turkey prepared. Two of them don’t like turkey, two of them could care less about it (meh), and the other two will differ on how to best prepare it! Does anyone really go gaga over turkey?
Think of the possibilities: roasted, fried, smoked, injected. To Brine or Not to Brine…that is a question for some, although I wonder if Hamlet ate turkey. Will you cook it whole, cut up, quartered, or will you go exotic and spatchcock it? Just don’t forget to season the bird! We have all heard the bland talk at the table!
Your mom and grandma most likely just roasted their birds. All manner of treatments have popped up in the last 25 year as we search for the perfect turkey. Now roasting is an art unto itself, mind you; to cover, to baste, to show patience, and to achieve the ultimate bird. Might as well go tilt at a windmill with DonQ.
Here in the Old South we are fond of deep frying that bad boy after injecting it with goodness. TASTY, and it makes for a good video clip when they try to fry it while still frozen!
We really don’t have a consensus on a favorite cooking method, do we? Turkey cookers will either try a new-fangled way or gadget to find turkey nirvana. Smart cooks stick with something tried and true. JUST DON’T SCREW IT UP!!!! That is a heavy burden to lug around the kitchen.
My favorite turkey cooking tale happened years ago in Mountain Home, Arkansas. We were dining, by chance, with a urologist and his wife, a friend of a friend. The hostess was cooking a 25-pound-or-more turkey and was a little flummoxed at how long it took to cook a bird that big! We just raided the doctor’s wine cellar ‘til dinner. When we sat down about 10:15 p.m. for dinner…well, it was pretty good turkey…so was that wine cellar!!
By now you are starting on your repast for the BIG DAY. Smile, do your baste…er best, toast the turkey gods, and hope for the baste…er best. Can you tell how I like to cook it? Enjoy the moments with family and friends and be thankful for all blessings, large or small.
PLEASE, don’t burn the bird AND let’s not even talk about side dishes or desserts!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2023 FROM VERNON PARISH JOURNAL STAFF, Rick and Mary Lou.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development today provided an update on repairs to the Vernon Lake Dam in Vernon Parish.
Vernon Lake Dam operates with a double gate management system, with the rear gate providing redundancy for emergency closures. It is typical and necessary to close only one gate when the lake is not in a drawdown period. During the last closure, the rear gate was closed.
While operating the front gate at the dam structure in August, the hoisting mechanism began to malfunction. Subsequent damage to the gate hoisting components was discovered. The front gate was kept in the open position in order to allow for water management utilizing the rear gate.
Since that time, efforts have been underway to repair the mechanism and other components, a process that has proven to be somewhat lengthy due to the specific nature of the parts and the availability of a supplier.
However, DOTD has identified a supplier and the necessary parts have been ordered to repair the front gate, which in total, is anticipated to take approximately one month.
Once the front gate is repaired, it will also be closed. That will allow DOTD to assess the structure for any further repairs that may be necessary to the rear gate as well, which is currently allowing a nominal amount of water to flow through the management structure.
It is important to keep in mind that water levels at all regional lakes are below pool stage due to the extreme drought conditions that have impacted our state. Vernon Lake is no exception and is currently approximately 2.5 feet below pool stage.
Further updates will be issued when additional information becomes available.
On November 16, 2023, James B. Tuck, President of the Vernon Parish Police Jury, signed the following order, which rescinded the burn ban that has been in effect since August 25, 2023:
WHEREAS, Vernon Parish has been under a parish wide burn ban since July 5, 2023; and
WHEREAS, the State of Louisiana issued a state wide burn ban on August 25, 2023; and
WHEREAS, upon reviewing the most recent data from the National Weather Services and the Office of State Fire Marshal; and
WHEREAS, conditions have improved in Vernon Parish due to the rain and moisture in the area; now
THEREFORE, I, James B. Tuck, by authority vested in me by the Vernon Parish Police Jury and the State of Louisiana do hereby order; That the Burn Ban issued by the Vernon Parish Police Jury is hereby rescinded and that the Vernon Parish Police Jury opts out of the state wide burn ban issued by the State of Louisiana.
HOWEVER, we ask residents to exercise caution and discretion when they burn as conditions may change quicky. If conditions warrant, the burn ban may be reinstated.
Issued, with concurrence from Vernon Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, on this the 16th day November, 2023 and effective at the time of issuance.
Funeral services for Brenda Joyce Gibson were held on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at Family Worship Center with Reverends Mike Jackson and Brad Prichard officiating. Burial followed in the Leesville Cemetery under the direction of Jeane’s Funeral Service.
Brenda was born on November 15, 1950, in Pasadena, Texas, to Fred and Ruby Leach. She passed away on November 14, 2023, in Hornbeck, Louisiana. Brenda worked for many years for the Vernon Parish School Board as a cook and as a Paraprofessional working with special needs children. She was an avid gardener and loved to care for her rose garden. Brenda was one of the most genuine souls you would ever meet. It mirrored Jesus after all. She truly lived to serve others, prayerfully walking beside the suffering, rejoicing in the highs and in the lows, carrying a heavy burden for the lost, and always lending a helping hand to those in need. When family was gathered at her table, she never sat down to rest and made sure everyone had a heaping pile of food on their plates. You would hear her famous words, “Is that all your gonna eat? Now getcha some more.”
Brenda was a prayer warrior like no other. She was the greatest comforter, going alongside you through the deepest of hurts and celebrating the greatest achievements, and gently pushing you back in line when you weren’t doing things right. Her legacy lives on through her family and friends. She greatly impacted the Kingdom of God.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Brenda was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Carroll Gibson; grandson, Bo Scroggins; and brothers, Hollis Leach and Terry West. She is survived by daughters, Samantha Scroggins (Vernon), Sabrina Langston (Jimmy), and Stephanie Pozas (Arvin); sisters, Sandra Habingreither and Kathy Prichard; grandchildren, Kaci (Jacob), Kelby (Treazure), Brett, Kaley (Shawn), Jonathan, and Summer;
The City of Leesville invites area residents to visit their annual Jingle & Mingle event on Saturday, December 16, from 4-8 p.m. All the action takes place on the grounds of the Leesville City Hall complex on 5th Street.
Come and enter your favorite recipe for chili in the cookoff, hear live music, shop vendors for gift ideas, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays. Kids will enjoy the inflatables, the snow garden, and photo opportunities with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Live music will feature the Abigail Holt Band and local gospel choirs.
Buy a tasting cup and sample all the chili entries. Cooks set up at 3 p.m.; tastings begin at 6 p.m.; and awards presented at 7:30 p.m.
Come and celebrate the holiday season with your family and friends at the City of Leesville’s Jingle & Mingle, Saturday, December 16, 4-8 p.m. at the Leesville City Hall complex.
For more information on the chili cookoff or being a vendor, call City Planner Grant Bush at 337-404-4078.
The Leesville Main Street District in downtown Leesville presents their annual Christmas Market on Saturday, December 9. The day will be full of family fun, beginning with the Pilot Club’s Annual Reindeer Run at 8 a.m. Participants are encouraged to dress in costumes. For more information on the run, go to the Pilot Club Facebook page. Vendors with a super selection of gift items will be set up at the Third Street Market from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The market will also have kid activities and food trucks to feed your hungry family.
The Vernon Parish Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade will roll through the downtown area at 5:30 p.m. The theme for this year’s event is “Angels Among Us” and will honor first responders and emergency personnel for their efforts, not only during the recent wildfires but for their everyday service to the Vernon Parish community. Don’t miss this colorful, light-filled parade, which ends with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs and loot bags for goodies received from all the units.
CPKS HOLIDAY EXPRESS TRAIN
Leesville is once again fortunate to be on the schedule for a stop by the CPKS Holiday Express Train. This elaborately decorated set of rail cars carries characters and goodies for all area children and will arrive in Leesville at the train depot at 4 p.m. on Sunday December 10. It should take them about an hour to be ready to see children. They will not leave until all kids have gone through the train. This can take time, so parents be prepared to wait a while. Your kids will enjoy going through the cars and meeting the characters on board.
This event is free and open to the public. The West Cenla Shrine Club is scheduled to sell hot chocolate and drinks during the train’s stay.
Headstone for Sambo Sanks in the McInnis Cemetery in Vernon Parish
By Rickey Robertson
Editor’s note: Rickey Robertson retired from Louisiana State Police and upon his retirement became a historical researcher/writer for Stephen F. Austin State University. Rickey is a proud Peason Ridge Heritage Family member and currently is Pastor of Cold Springs Baptist Church in Anacoco, Louisiana. Rickey has written many articles on the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941 and speaks to groups on this great historical event that affected our state and nation. He and his wife reside in Peason, Louisiana.
Throughout the state of Louisiana, in every community and every parish, there are legends that have been left to us. In the little Cold Springs Community in northern Vernon Parish there is the old legend of Sambo Sanks. But just who was Sambo Sanks?
Sambo Sanks first came to Rapides Parish as a very young boy as a slave. Sambo then came to Vernon Parish where he would live most of his life. As I looked back at the story of Sambo he would have come into Alexandria, Louisiana, by way of the Red River. This was how he was transported to another world that he did not know about. When Sambo got to Vernon Parish, he could not speak correct English, for when he was captured and sold as a slave, his tongue was split and cut, and he could not pronounce words correctly. And when he came to the McInnis Family home, he got a good washing in the nearest creek with good lye soap. And guess what. He had been dyed with potion made up of boiled walnut shells and was dyed deep brown. But that lye soap took the dye off him and he was not black! When asked what his name might be, all he could say was, “Sambo all me know”. When asked where he came from, he would say, “Me don’t know, ma’am. All me know cross big water. Little boy, men, stole me, clip under tongue, black me, sell me slave, master see black coming off, take me to creek, help me wash, set me free.” So, Sambo had been captured in some faraway land, had his skin dyed, and came across the ocean to be sold as a slave as a very young boy. Looking back into Sambo’s history and what little we know, he would have possibly been born around 1830 far from Louisiana. But Louisiana and Vernon Parish were to be the only home he would ever know.
Sambo was set free but he did not have a home or a family. He could not read or write and when he talked, he was hard to understand. Sambo was known throughout the area for coming and working in the fields, gathering crops, plowing the crops, cutting stove wood, and riving out wooden shingles. All Sambo would ask for was bed and board and some food for his work. And talking with some of the older folks and family members around Peason, it is noted that Sambo also came into the Sawmill Town of Peason and would work for those folks needing a handy man for a day or so, and he even worked on the farms around Peason. One lady told me that her mother would make Sambo his favorite, an apple pie, when he would work for them at Peason. He was known to always be smiling and happy no matter what the circumstances, and he was a friend to everyone he came in contact with. He would play with the children and about dark he would go possum hunting with the boys and their dogs.
Sambo was known for getting up very early in the morning. He would say, “Bray right ma’am! Bray right! Brit up!” (Day light ma’am; day light, get up). Sambo was known far and wide for his wood splitting. In his day everyone’s cook stove was a “wood stove” fired by split wood. Sambo would cut and split the finest stove wood, and he could also rive out the finest and best wood shingles to go on the roof of people’s houses. While cutting stove wood for J.M. (Jim) McInnis, he told Jim, “If you don’t rike it I pit.” (If you don’t like it I quit). From around 1919 until his death on January 2, 1930, Sambo lived with Jim and Lydia McInnis.
Christmas time in 1929 was a very harsh and cold winter. Many of us have been told by our fathers, mothers, and grandparents of the terrible pneumonia epidemics throughout the 1920’s and 30’s and of the children and adults who died of this disease due to no antibiotics such as we have in today’s world. While at the McInnis Home in the Cold Springs Community, Sambo became sick with possible double pneumonia. While sick and laying near the fireplace to stay warm, Sambo told Aunt Lydia to read to him out of the Good Book. As she finished, he pointed to one of the large sycamore trees in the McInnis homeplace yard and said, “When me die plant one (he pointed to the sycamore tree) on my grave.” Sadly, on January 2, 1930, Sambo passed away. He was carried just the short distance to the McInnis Cemetery where he was buried. But the legend of Sambo still lives on. Each year at the McInnis Cemetery and Bonnet Chapel there is a Memorial Service held in the old Chapel built in 1914 during the time Sambo lived in this community. This service is held to remember our ancestors and all those buried in the McInnis Cemetery and is held the second Saturday of each October. Everyone goes and pays their respects to their family members buried in the cemetery and a prayer is uplifted to the Lord while we stand at their gravesites. And yes, everyone has to go and pay their respects to Sambo Sanks, the little, small, smiling, hardworking man who impacted Vernon Parish and surrounding communities.
Retired Major General Erbon W. Wise has written many fine historical books, and in one set of books he wrote information about Sambo Sanks. In ’30 Was a Good Year in Vernon Parish Louisiana, under the deaths, the following is listed in the Leesville Leader dated February 13, 1930: Sambo Sanks, died in Anacoco. He was called a “most unique character: and was thought to have been brought to this country from Africa as a slave, His true age was not known but it was about 100.
Sambo has been gone for 93 years but his name is still mentioned. Talking with Lane Belsha, near his home are two areas where Sambo helped to clear the forest land by “girdling” the timber. These areas are known as the “Sam Deadening”. The method Sambo used was by cutting around the bark of the tree and letting it die in that manner. Once the tree died, it could be cut for wood and the land cleared for farming.
So, as you read this story of the little vagabond who was brought to Louisiana from a far country as a slave, be thankful in this season for everything you and your family have to hold onto. Sambo had nothing but was happy wherever he was, and he had friends who watched out for him everywhere. Don’t you think we all need to have a little of Sambo’s good cheer and hard-working ethic in us every day and to be as thankful as he was for what little he had? We remember you, Sambo!
Funeral services for Beverly Tonnette Prince will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 25th, 2023, at New Willow Baptist Church in Leesville, Louisiana. The burial will follow in Leesville Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Jeane’s Funeral Service.
Beverly, lovingly called Nette, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on August 1, 1966, and transitioned on November 14, 2023. She was currently living in San Antonio with her daughter. Nette was known to be a very shy child and grew up to be very outgoing and outspoken in her adulthood. Nette has travelled all around the United States and made the most of life the best way she could. She loved her family and enjoyed spending time with family and friends most of all. She was a feisty woman with a big heart and loved to shop. There was no occasion where a new outfit wasn’t needed. Only a select few people were blessed to be able to see her silly side because she loved to make her loved ones laugh. Laughter always got her through any tough times. Nette could talk on the phone for hours with her grandkids, cousins and siblings.
She is preceded in death by her grandmother, Pearlie B. Flanagan; grandfather, Curtis Marsh; mother, Mary Alice Williams; father, James Peate, along with several other relatives over the years.
She leaves behind her daughter, Shalonda Patrice Williams; granddaughters, LaDaisha M’Che Williams and D’Naijah Aaliya Lashay Williams; grandsons, Michael Tyree Williams (Fiance Sobeida Silvas), JaCarius Williams (wife Serena Williams), and Ty Eric JaQuay Cobb; great-granddaughters, Anais Patrice Williams and Iyanna Jean Silvas; siblings, Brenda Faye Lowery (husband Reginald Lowery), Levy Darrell Williams (Girlfriend Tempest), Reginald Kimble Marsh (Wife Esmeralda Marsh) and Tameka Nichole Williams; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends to cherish her memory.
