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Look Back In Yalobusha History

Skating Rink Opens At Park In July 1954


The skating rink located in the North End Recreation Park opened Monday, Aug. 2, at 7 p.m.
It would be open each day following – except for Sunday – from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. There would be two sessions at night; from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. and from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. Only one session was scheduled for Wednesdays, from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Admis-sion was 35 cents for strap-on skates and 70 cents for shoe skates. Cold drinks would be sold and the city had installed a water fountain just outside.
Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Skinner were appointed park managers and would be on duty at the park at all times.

Through The Years From The Herald


• 5 years ago, July 30, 2009 – Muralist Cristen Barnard of Senatobia did some touch-up work on the railroad theme mural on Main Street. Barnard said she has had to repaint a lot of things in her life. “But, I have never had to paint horse poop,” she said of the little piles depicted in the artwork.
Unemployment for the past month in Yalobusha County was at 16.6 percent, topping the 22 year high and holding steady as the seventh highest in the state.
Shirley Riley was pictured on the front page with a cake made from her prize-winning dessert recipe that she had turned into a commercially available cake mix. The sweat potato cake with lemon cream cheese frosting took top honors in the Mississippi Magazine recipe contest.
Nationally acclaimed vocalist and composer Effie Burt headlined the Watermelon Music Festival.
Electrical reliability went up considerably after the Electric Department installed new transformers at the north substation.
John Tiller was injured Thursday, July 23, when his Dodge pick-up left Stephens Street and struck a parked RV.
Davidson High School’s Class of 1970 celebrated 39 years with classmates Diane Cox, Quay Reeed, Jerry Jenkins, Geraldine Booker, Carolyn Wright, Delice Reese, Cleveland, Barbara Kuykendall and Emma Gooch.
Richard Baird celebrated his 82nd birthday on July 4 and was pictured with a special flag cake presented by his four daughters.
Cute little Louisa Tatum, 3, was pictured on the cover of the Watermelon Carnival special edition included with the Herald. She was having a watermelon picnic in the yard of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Parker, the family’s neighbors on Dupuy Street.
• 10 years ago, July 29, 2004 – Two capitol murder cases were on the August Circuit Court docket. The trial of Billy Bonner and Cassie Beckham was set for Aug. 16 and the trial of Jimmy Dale Story was scheduled for Aug. 23.
Watermelon Carnival preparations were nearly complete and the usual forecast for hot and humid weather was issued by the weather service.
Sheriff’s deputies busted a methamphetamine lab located on a deer camp near County Road 229 in Coffeeville.
Carl “Bit” Latham, Water Valley native, was elected as 2004 President of the Mississippi Funeral Directors Association.
The Blackmur Memorial Library reached a milestone with the issuance of the library card number 1,000 to Jackie Pat Charles.
Amanda Lynn Gilley, a 2003 WVHS grad, was accepted into the Surgical Technology Program at Northwest Community College’s Oxford Campus.
The Blue Devils began their pre-season practice under Coach Trent Hammond.
Brad Russell Sutherland, a 2002 WVHS grad, completed basic training at the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.
The Water Valley 13-year-old All-Stars competed in the Dixie Boys State Tournament. Team members included Dustin Person, Blake Beshires, Justin Zampella, Brandon Brooks, Cass Phillips, Shonquayle Jenkins, Josh Johnson, Taurus Conard, J. J. Woodard, Michael Barber, Tyler Jones and Coaches Antimo Zampella, Jeff Bynum and Rodney Johnson.
• 20 years ago, July 28, 1994 – Miss Hospitality Tina Hill was pictured on the front page with her tiny little fishing boat and a large stuffed fish. Miss Hill was on her way to Starkville for the state contest and her costume – built with the help of Jim Burress of J. B. Walls – represented the great fishing in the area.
WVHS FHA/HERO Club member Wednesday Elliott won a silver medal at the national FHA/HERO Leadership Meeting in Orlando, Florida. She won for her design of a food service business called “The Lunch Box.”
Recipients of the first Yalobusha County Habitat Home were Ann and Charles Gordon Jr. and their four children. The Gordon’s were picked by the selection committee; Bernice Minor, Aubrey Trusty, Lynn Morris and Rev. James Twiner.
Local artist Sue Cox painted “Vision of the Moment,” commemorating God’s watch over Bro. Guy Reedy and Curtis Berry during the tornado of 1984. Bro. Reedy was outside the church and Berry was working on wiring in the Baptistry. Neither was seriously injured.
Volunteers J. K. Gurner and Bill Forsyth were pictured with the eagle weathervane from the old Bank of Water Valley building. Gurner did the metal work and Forsyth painted the eagle. The project was started by Paul Parker who located the eagle after several years’ effort.
The new watermelon banners were pictured on the front page.
• 30 years ago, Aug. 2, 1984 – The Watermelon Carnival was set to get underway over the weekend. New rules had been adopted for the largest watermelon contest; contestants had to be residents of Yalobusha County and they had to be present to win.
At the same time as the carnival, the Bank of Water Valley was observing their 102nd birthday and sponsoring the street dance with music by “Dixie.”
Keith Larson was named a 1984 United States Achievement Academy winner in football.
Winners at the mud races held in connection with the Jaycees Summer Festival wereJohn Fly and Don Johnson, first place tie; Thomas Scroggins, second; and Keith Cobern, third.
Mrs. Earline Melton and Mrs. Mary Green were honored at a luncheon in the Union Hall on their retirement from Big Yank. Mrs. Melton had worked there for 31 years and Mrs. Green had worked 34 years.
Kris Aune of Water Valley was one of three electrical engineering students at Ole Miss who built a telephone intercom system that tied together 20 offices in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Tammy Foster and her pony, Doc, won the pony barrels class at the Northwest District 4-H Horse Show held in Cleveland. Tammy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Foster, was a first-year member of the Yalobusha County 4-H Horse Club.
• 40 years ago, Aug 1, 1974 – The Water Valley Courthouse took some hard criticism from the Grand Jury when they issued their report. The members wrote: “We do not have enough paper to write down all of the repairs that are needed.” They called its condition “deplorable” and called on the Board of Supervisors to take immediate action to secure plans for the erection of a new courthouse. “It is a disgrace to the City of Water Valley and Yalobusha County.”
 Customers in the Water Valley Post Office delivery area benefited from a new rule that allowed rural postal carriers to travel a mile off their normal route to serve a family. Postmaster Paul Parker said that the variance allowed many additional families to be served and showed the Postmaster General’s deep concern to provide good mail service.
Country Music World was celebrating it 10th anniversary with a special “super show” at their home in the old skating rink building.
Larry Carr was pictured with “Carr’s Blue Ridge Sue,” judged Best of Class and Best of Breed at the show in Sommerville, Tenn. The titles were just the latest in a string of wins for Sue.
• 50 years ago, July 30, 1964 – Editor Edward B. Shearer noted in his “Shearings” column that the Herald had been honored for an editorial on the subject of Barry Goldwater for President. The honor was from the Weekly Bulletin, an editorial service dedicated to free enterprise and constitutional government.
Three men involved with a shooting incident that left Tal Brower and Deputy Loyd Hughes wounded were in court at Coffeeville. Ray Hylander received a term of five years in the state pen and James Langham received three years. The trial of John True resulted in a hung jury with the case being continued in the next term.
Sweepstake Winners in the flower division of the Home Demonstration Flower and Vegetable Show were Mrs. Clyde Robison and Mrs. C. V. Landreth of Oakland.
Former resident Roger Brinegar of Roxie was injured in a car crash on a narrow road during a rainstorm.
New officers in the Water Valley Home Demonstration Club were Mrs. Joe Buchanan, president; Mrs. Wallace Helmke, vice-president; Mrs. C. L. Gardner, secretary; Mrs. J. K. Boggs, treasurer; and Mrs. Vernon Johnson, parliamentarian.
In baseball news, Brad VanWinkle hit a pair of homers to help the WV Cubs beat the WV Giants, 11-6.
• 60 years ago, July 29, 1954 – Water Valley is known for its water, but local officials were having trouble getting it to the surface because of problems at the large well at the water plant. Mayor O. T. Hamner was urging local folks to cut down on water usage as much as they could.
The mayor told the Herald that there were 1,131 water consumers in the city. Twenty refrigeration system in the city used, according to their meters, 853,000 gallons during the month of June. Twenty-five other businesses and institutions in the city have water meters and they used a total of 600,850 gallons. The 1,086 unmetered customers should have used no more than 5,430,000 at $2 each (for 5000 gallons max).
City records showed that during June, 45,000,000 gallons were pumped through the system and the city only received pay for 6,884,350, Herald editor Edward B. Shearer warned not to be surprised if the city installed meters to each and every customer.
Joe Ford and Paul Shearer were among 24 Explorer Scouts from the Yocona Area Council who went to Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
Mississippi reported 21 traffic deaths during the month of June. Twenty of those were on rural roads. The total represented a decrease of seven from the previous June when 28 were killed.
• 70 years ago, July 27, 1944 – Lt. William S. Perkins of Coffeeville was killed in action in Italy with the Fifth Army. The 10-year veteran and hero of the battle of Vino Hill, was wounded in the fighting before Rome, but had returned to combat duty on June 18.
Another soldier killed in Italy was Sgt. Edgar Johnson, whose parents had moved to Water Valley from Pickwick two years before.
Senator Theodore G. Bilbo boarded the Panama Limited at Jackson for Chicago and the Mayo Clinic. The senator had jaundice and gall bladder trouble and said that he would “make a paperweight out of it” if they operated on him for gallstones. Some suggested that many who went to the Mayo were there to have the hot air let out.
• 80 years ago, Aug. 3, 1934 – Miss Dorothy Brown, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. George Brown, was selected as Miss Water Valley.
The Volunteer Food Store was opening in Water Valley.
The first open cotton boll of the season was brought in by E. D. Shelton from a field west of the city.

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