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Talk of the Valley

Talk of the Valley

By Alexe van BeurenReporter     Five years ago, retiree Don Dalrymple spent some time on the Internet looking for his ancestors.     “I was looking for dead Dalrymples,” he tells me as we sit in front of the computer in his home overlooking Enid Lake. “And I came across a name I recognized.” Thanks to…

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Pride In Country Big Part Of Navy Veterans Way Of Life

By Alexe van BeurenReporter     The odds are good that you’ve met Jesse Barnes. He frequents Turnage’s Drugstore about three days a week, and can be found at the Depot on Saturday mornings when the Lions’ Club hosts pancake breakfasts. And if he wears the same hat that he did during our interview, you already know…

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Rotenberry Has A Passion For His Restaurant And Small Town Vibrancy

By Alexe van Beuren     There are two subjects that Bill Rotenberry wants to talk about: his business and his town. Since he named his restaurant for the town, it’s hardly surprising.     “I came back here (to Water Valley) to retire and piddle,” Rotenberry tells me in his forthright way as we sit at…

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“Miss Etta” Knows Her Way Around Kitchen, Sewing Machine, And Shotgun

By Alexe van Beuren   Etta McWilliams Pass Hodnett knows her way around a kitchen, a sewing machine—and a shotgun. “I’ve enjoyed hunting since I was 12 years old,” she tells me as we sit in her living room. Her love of hunting accompanied her through the next eighty-one years—through two marriages, four children, twenty…

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Talk of the Valley

Mary Lou McCachren; Artist, Crafter, and Collector   By Alexe van BeurenReporter There are those who collect, and there are those who create. Mary Lou McCachren does both. Her home, which sits above a five-acre-lake in the woods outside Water Valley, has overwhelmed garden clubs, Sunday school classes, and writers from Mississippi Magazine; there is…

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Talk of the Valley

Ingram’s Passion Is Raising Fine Cattle By Alexe van Beuren Reporter D.R. Ingram is a cattleman. This becomes apparent when I cross the two cattleguards between the road and his house; one to keep the cows off the street, and one to keep them off his porch and out of his garage. We don’t spend…

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Trusty Wore Many Hats During His Work Life

By Alexe van Beuren Reporter When I call William “Bill” Trusty to set up our interview, he is not wearing his hearing aid. And so when I go to his house, he thinks I’m searching for a lost relative or friend like the many other people who contact him– after all, he is ninety-seven years…

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A Lifelong Passion, Aven Began Preaching At 15

A Lifelong Passion, Aven Began Preaching At 15 By Alexe van BeurenReporter Raymond Aven is already famous. When he started Compassion Food Ministries as the then-pastor of Springdale Church of God, the community – and not just the needy people – got to know him real fast. After all, nine Yalobusha County churches and two…

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Missouri Native Appreciates Water Valley Style

By Alexe van Beuren Chances are, if you’ve stepped into Turnage’s Drugstore, you’ve met Peggy Lebo. She’s the lady who serves up coffee and tuna sandwiches with a smile and a word for everybody. If you spend any time at the counter, it’s hard to believe she’s been working at the drugstore for a mere…

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