Herald Columnists

There was a time when the supply of locally grown watermelons in the county almost dried up. Joe Pullen doesn’t remember exactly when it was, maybe 10 or 15 years ago. “Nobody had any local melons for that carnival,” Pullen told me. “I went and bought a load and I said, ‘Ain’t no sense in…

What a weekend! In any other rain-out situation, I would opine that even the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. But this saying doesn’t mention anything about watermelons. So maybe that’s why, despite the stormy weather, the 56th annual Water Valley Watermelon Carnival not only endured but prevailed! My outlook wasn’t so positive on Friday,…

For all the school and college students, children and teachers getting ready to start school, or who already started this week, I pray you have a safe and successful year. It’s hard to believe Christmas will be here in just five months. The way the weeks are flying by, we’ll be singing “Jingle Bell Rock”…

A couple of years ago, I attended a conference where one of the speakers told us that our downtown area reflected the mental state of our people. It made sense to me, but I didn’t believe it was necessarily so. Oakland has had some downtown buildings that were being held by people who had no…

We hated to cancel our Memorial Day Tribute Walk honoring those who died in service, but we will incorporate a tribute into our July 4th Celebration. In the meantime, the Oakland Area Lions Club has a virtual tribute on their Facebook page. Let’s hope the weather cooperates a bit better for July! As a part…

Once again, Thanksgiving proved itself to be the greatest of all holidays. Honestly, though, did we expect anything less? Thanksgiving is well into its second century of holiday dominance. Who would have thought that of all the adorned and elaborate holidays with their theatrical storylines — some having to do with the founding of a…

I should have posted this last week about the Tillman family reunion. We had a great, happy crowd, lots of good food, and lots of hugs. We had folks from six months old to 90 years old. How did it feel being the oldest one there, Ann Hudson? I am already looking forward to next…

I’ve really enjoyed sitting outside—or inside with the doors open—this week. The temperatures have been amazing, and I hope you all are enjoying them too. We had a great day Sunday celebrating Tate Person’s 3rd birthday. A special guest, Spider-Man, even stopped by, and the kiddos were awe struck seeing him. It was a wonderful…

Well, Dave’s World Is on Its Third Strike! Strike one came a few weeks back when I speculated that an electric rate increase might be on the horizon as work continues on long-needed upgrades for the electric department. Water Valley Electric Commission Chairman Brandon Presley put that one to rest in his monthly report to…

I woke up Thursday morning to a nice, slow rain and cooler temperatures. After finishing all my laundry, I couldn’t decide whether to go back to bed or pick up my crocheting. The bed won. I hope everyone enjoys a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend. Our friend Larry Franklin of Hardy visited with us…