WATER VALLEY – Get ready to celebrate this year’s Watermelon Carnival in style! The 2025 Watermelon Carnival t-shirts have arrived and are now available for purchase at the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce office. This year’s theme, “From the Vine to the Valley,” is featured on a fresh new design that captures the spirit…

WATER VALLEY – Consideration for adopting an ordinance regulating special events in the county including trail rides continues to gain momentum following ongoing discussion by the Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors. Complaints about problematic trail rides – an event people attend to ride ATVs and UTVs and enjoy music and food on private property –…

By Jessie Gurner Herald Contributor WATER VALLEY – When Madison Bryant sat down to write an essay about recycling plastics, she probably didn’t expect it would take her all the way to the top of a national competition—or earn her a day named in her honor. But that’s exactly what happened. Bryant, a student from…

OAKLAND – The Town of Oakland invites the community to its annual Juneteenth Celebration, a two-day event filled with music, dancing, and meaningful fellowship to honor freedom, unity, and cultural heritage. All events take place at the James Riley Swearengen Park and Walking Track at 61 Walnut Street in Oakland. Both days feature music and…

Do you remember when Dan Hopper operated a hot dog stand on Main Street? He launched the business in the fall of 2006 and Steven Stewart and Zachary Stewart were among his first customers. Each day Hopper would roll the stand out from the Main Street building where the Herald office is now located. He…

This summer will mark three years since Water Valley historian and alderman-elect Grant Thompson launched a project to digitize old editions of the Herald. When he started, his goal was to preserve 84 years of history recorded in the pages of the Herald – from 1930 to 2014. He has made considerable progress, taking a…

It’s a Wagner Week and this column is for everyone who is into Broadway plays. This letter is between two college-aged friends (one of which is our own George Wagner) who are about to have a great time in New York City going to comedy shows and boxing matches! Brooklyn, NY Sept 1903 Dear George,…

This morning began with betrayal. One moment I was basking in the gentle breeze of my ceiling fan, sprawled across my memory foam mattress with my delightfully lumpy pillow tucked beneath my chin. Then I heard it. The unmistakable click of non-walking shoes. Then came the rustle of Real Clothes. And finally, the most ominous…

• 20 Years Ago, June 23, 2005 – The largest earth-moving project at Enid Reservoir since its construction was underway with the construction of the new fish hatchery. Benny Martin took the title of Park Manager at George P. Cossar State Park. He had worked as the park’s assistant manager for eight years prior to…