Society

It is absolutely amazing what a small world it is, as you never know when you are going to run into someone who knows a friend or acquaintance. The Lady Patriots traveled to Starkville Saturday for an all-day tournament. After the last game, some of the group decided to eat at Peppers. After placing our order, a sweet lady asked how the girls did in the tournament. I naturally checked her wrist for the blue band, which allowed fans in and out of the gate. She did not have one, nor did her husband. Further into the conversation, she told me she was Juanita Thomas’ sister! She never gave me her name, although I did introduce myself. She was as sweet as she could be and was genuine when asking about the girls.

Earlier in the day, former Holly Springs resident Charlie Douglas rode out to the park. He brought along their new family pet, a precious little pup named Riley. For the last game of the tournament, John Tomlinson and Hank Owens appeared to cheer on the girls.

Al Ray, former Marshall Academy coach and teacher, was also at the tournament. He is now in Greenville working at Washington Academy, which happened to be our last opponent of the day. His daughter, Anne Langdon, is a senior. I remember when she was a wee little thing in a car carrier!

When living in a small town, it is often nice to dream of having the big city life with movie theaters, malls, a variety of eateries and all of the “extras” big cities seem to offer. It is days like Saturday, however, that remind me of why we chose the small town life. Everywhere you go, you are bound to run into someone either from Holly Springs, kin to someone from here or grew up visiting friends here.

(To put your news in City Personals, please e-mail maryclayb@yahoo.com; mail to City Personals, The South Reporter, P.O. Box 278, Holly Springs, MS 38635 or call 662-252-4261. You may also e-mail your City Personal news to south@dixie-net.com).

Catie Fairchild and Shane Campbell

Catie Fairchild to wed Shane Campbell September 3

Fay Fairchild of New Castle, Ind., is pleased to announce the engagement of her daughter, Catie Fairchild, to Shane Campbell, son of Mark and Jessie Campbell of Olive Branch and Vicki and David Algee of Holly Springs. Catie is also the daughter of the late Jim Fairchild.

Catie is a 2008 graduate of New Castle Chrysler High School.

Shane is a 2008 graduate of Marshall Academy in Holly Springs.

The wedding will be held at 5:30 p.m. on September 3, 2011, at the First Christian Church in New Castle.

Mark and CJ McCoy and Chris and Becky McCutchen, all of Booneville, announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Candice McCoy to Stephen Campbell, the son of Ruben and Pam Campbell of Ashland and Juanice Burton of Red Banks.

The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Tom and Sandy Sanders of Booneville; Eugene and Ann McCoy of Potts Camp; Bruce and Becky McCutchen and Larry and Faye Payne, all of Booneville; and the late Shirley Dodds of New Site.

Candice is a 2005 graduate of Booneville High School and is currently employed with BancorpSouth in Olive Branch.

The prospective groom is the grandson of Bobby and Eddie May Burton and the late Ashby and Mary Alice Campbell.

Stephen attended Marshall Academy and is currently enrolled in the National Elevator Industry education program. He is employed at ThyssenKrupp Elevator in Memphis, Tenn.

The wedding will be held on September 10, 2011, in Destin, Fla. A reception will follow the ceremony.

Clark

Billy and Amy Clark are proud to announce the birth of their son, Billy Zane Clark IV, born July 27, 2011, at 1:53 p.m. He weighed nine pounds, five ounces, and was inches long.

Sharing the joy of this birth are grandparents Danny and Billie Mills, Billy Zane and Rose Clark, all of Potts Camp, Loretta and David Blansett of Pheba.

Great-grandparents are the late Helen and Bill Garner of Blue Mountain, Mary Mills and the late Billy Mills Sr., the late W.G. and Ollie Mansel, all of Potts Camp, James and Frances Shumaker, Barbara Blansett and the late Neal Blansett, all of Pheba.

Zane was welcomed home by his big sister, Zoe.

In the beginning, Holly Springs was a planned on paper community. The early entrepreneurs came from Virginia and the Carolinas. After the Treaty of Pontotoc in 1832, the white settlers moved in when they discovered that this was the highest hill around.

The Indian royalty had already discovered this and they lived here rather than down in the lowlands. Lowlands were associated with malaria and other sicknesses. On every original deed of town is the name of a royal Indian.

On the map of this planned town, Holly Springs was laid out. The plots for the public school, the cemetery and the public square were given. The depot wasn’t included in the original plans as railroads weren’t available until later.

Van Dorn Avenue was a boulevard that had beautiful greenery and flowers in the center median strip. Van Dorn was called Depot Street when I was growing up and before that it was Church Street. I hate that the median was removed because it set us aside as being different and beautiful. The median was there until a few years ago.

Before the railroad, the street originally stretched over to East Boundary Street. When the depot was built in 1857, some people wanted to put it in the center of town, but Colonel Walter said no, it would be on the east side of town (he lived on the west side), as that would make two business areas rather than one.

Today at the Marshall County Historical Museum we have a new armadillo. It is truly prehistoric and has on a coat of armor to protect him. We had to buy this artifact. Most things are given but I bought him at an antique shop.

Do you remember up to the 1950s we didn’t have any armadillos? They were all west of the Mississippi River. Then one day an armadillo ended up in Eugene Saxon’s yard in Waterford. He nor anybody else had ever seen one before. We thought they had gone out with the dinosaur. Eugene killed it and his picture was in The South Reporter, holding it up by its tail.

Also at the museum, My daughter Farrah gave us a big wasp nest with all the wasps head down in the nest. (Was it a mass suicide? Or did they get sprayed?) It is awesome. She also gave us a mockingbird nest that was made of grass, sticks, trash, gum wrappers, etc. It, too, is awesome.

Our visitors have been slim, which always happens when school starts. The slump used to be in September, but things change and now school starts in August and the slump is in August.

We are beginning to work on the yard and are going to lay concrete memorials for Helene Doxey and Jack Beck. If you would like to give a memorial for someone, let us know if you are interested in doing so.

Robert Humphrey, son of I.C., and his son were in from Stuttgart, Germany, recently. He was telling me that his daddy was a trapper here east of town, and once caught a bear in his trap. He said the trap was set underneath the water to catch a beaver, but the bear was caught in it instead and the bear died by drowning.

This museum is like one of the wonders of the world and you need to visit us and see for yourself. Come on, we are open five days a week and most of the time on Saturdays.

Oh yes, remember, if you want to get rid of bugs and mice, put “Bounce’ sheets around. Those varmints hate the smell of Bounce, as it makes them vamoose!


Thursday, August 25, 2011
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