Thursday, December 8, 2011
Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | New Photo Gallery
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Thursday, December 8, 2011 |
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Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | New Photo Gallery |
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SocietyCity Personals Franciscos rejoice over birth of baby boy Ed and Anne Salyerds Francisco announce the birth of their new grandson, Ryan Courtland Francisco, born November 7 in Denver, Colo. Parents are John Courtland and Megan Francisco of Morrison, Colo. Congratulations to the happy family and grandparents! Charlie Douglas and children, Caroline and Chandler, of Starkville, were weekend guests of Leigh and Dick Douglas. Once again, the Clydesdale Christmas Store party was a raging success! Santa’s elves worked hard in decorating, collecting auction items and gearing up for their annual event, which was held Saturday night. The proceeds from this wonderful party help families in need at Christmas. It is such a worthwhile charity and gives everyone that little reminder that it truly is better to give than to receive! A big thank you to the Luthers who work so hard in making this possible, along with their countless volunteers who scour the stores for items on lists of children who would not otherwise have a Christmas. The ladies of Belles and Books hosted their annual Christmas luncheon Saturday. With 13 tables decorated to the nines, locals and out of town visitors were able to enjoy a gourmet lunch, take in the decor, the beautiful artwork of Kate Freeman Clark and make Christmas purchases of Hedgefarm Candles or cookbooks, which were offered by the numerous churches and organizations in our community. If you were lucky enough to catch the Holly Springs Christmas parade, you were able to see all sorts of creatures and critters walking. The Audobon Society supplied the outfits for walkers to wear, bringing nature to the forefront. We have a little treasure in our midst located just a short piece from the city limits. The Hummingbird Festival held at Strawberry Plains brings thousands of visitors to our town each year. However, it is not just open then. They have fun summer activities for the children of our community to participate in where they can learn about the habitat of local birds, bugs, plants and critters. If you have not been to Strawberry Plains, it must be put on your “to do” list for 2012. It is a little piece of paradise. Having known Margaret Shackleford all of my life, she would be proud of the legacy that she left the town she loved so dearly.
Thweatt Jonathan and Jamye Thweatt of Byhalia are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Owen Drake Thweatt. Owen was born Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women in Memphis, Tenn. He weighed six pounds, 13 ounces and was 19 inches long. Maternal grandparents are Lisa and Gary Looney of Waterford and Mark and Tina Leak of Lamar. Paternal grandparents are Debbie and Charlie Roberson of Byhalia and Rodney Thweatt of West Memphis, Ark. Great-grandparents are Maxine Palmer of Waterford and the late Harold Palmer, Ecky Leak of Lamar and the late Kenneth Leak, Gatha Matlock of Pensacola, Fla., and the late N.D. Matlock and, Bonnie and Elroy Thweatt of West Memphis, Ark. Museuming 2011 Christmas in Holly Springs A special thank you to the entire community This is a thank you note to all who helped make the Christmas tour a success! The whole community pitched in and made it wonderful. Special thanks go to my office staff – Arty Ann Jones, the best artist in Memphis until she moved here, and my computer guru, Jennifer Bone, who is like a living encyclopedia. The homeowners, without their generosity we couldn’t have had a tour. Each house was dressed in Christmas splendor and each was awesome. The homeowners were, Jim and Martha Thomas, Whitfield and Tony Canale, George and Laurie Gwin, Walter and Jane Hubbard, Keith and Christy Owens, Park and Mir Dodge. Tom Phillips (Tom Terrific) and his efficient, beautiful wife, Lisa had the Antique Show and Sale on the square which was a thrill of things to come, maybe. The gala on the Friday night opening of the Christmas tour was funtastic (new word) and well attended. The Church of the Yellow Fever Martyrs was open with Jim and Sophia Dunworth and Margaret Holland sharing it with the public. It was the first Episcopal Church in town and then the first Catholic Church. The original Presbyterian Church, now the Little Sabbath School, were both built in 1837 and still clicking. The Town and Country Garden Club has just finished the remarkable renovation for that little building and had a great bazaar in it and about sold out. The Christmas parade was marvelous. One float with angels on top singing was a block long and I don’t know how it made the curves. The whole thing was astounding and each entry was super and showed lots of time, work and money had gone into them. The Dinner Theatre at the Baptist Recreational Center was heavenly. The food was delicious, thanks to Gloria, the best cook in town. The music was glorious and the whole thing was like a New York production right here in Holly Springs, thanks to the inspired genius of Robert Williams and his talented singers and staff. I’ll never get over Jimmy Thomas’s train set going round and round, through the tunnel and over the hills. The Thomases have worked miracles at their house and it is beautiful. Tuckahoe is where Grant’s army once resided. Did you remember that the movie “Big Bad Love,” with Debra Winger, was filmed there and they even staged a Vietnam War scene in the front yard? So who else can say that two wars were fought in their front yard? (Did I tell you that Tuckahoe’s twin house, Eastend, was across the road and Jack Jones and his family lived there when I was growing up?) In the house they had a unique “gentleman’s” Christmas tree, full of feathers and deer antlers. Finley was softly, serenely elegant and beautiful. Margaret and Ruth Finley lived here and they willed everything to Audubon. It is full of the original antiques. Everything in the house was left there, even Mr. Finley’s clothes. Gwydir was gorgeous and wonderful and was never so incredible before! It was built by Kate Clark’s grandfather in 1885 but the Forts bought it in 1890 and Janice Fort married Harris Gholson and that’s how it became the Gholson House. The Forts were kin to Sherwood Bonner and the Gholson boys are the only blood kin I know to Sherwood Bonner. Linden Hill, up high on a windy hill, was absolutely flamboyant and beautiful. They had a whole toy room and they’ve made a circle drive around a tree at the top of the hill at the first entrance made in 1841 so you wouldn’t have to back your car down the hill. History at its earliest in Marshall County showed at Herndon. Being the first two-story brick house in the county could be seen in its Federal style as the builder and first resident was Louis Thompson from Massachusetts. We used it for an art show and the art was amazing. None of the Christmas tours can ever be duplicated and every tour that we have had has been awesome. People, the public, have been wise to partake of such a treat through the years, as it was and it is a terrific tribute to the fantastic people who live here and their generosity, fortitude and strength in sharing what they have with the world. We thank the city for putting up the beautiful new banner over the street. Most of all, the generous donors who helped us create the tour in advance. They are listed in the brochure. Without the old faithful dependable South Reporter, the best newspaper in the world, nobody would have known anything. The Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism office worked diligently to spread the good word for us and put us on the Internet. We want to also thank others who helped in so many ways, some of them are: Larry Thompson, Joan Fitch, Sarah Graham, Betty Willis, Sophia Dunworth, Jim Dunworth, and always Nancy Hutchens. The county crew are all my friends and they are like having a magic wand. One person I want to thank is my Incredible Ira, my husband (we call him I-Daddy) who has helped carry me through all these preparations (and there were many). He kept me from starving, he ran my errands, safely chauffeured me to the television stations and back home again and he’s 93! He is an example for all to emulate. Absolutely, the main one I want to thank is the Lord Jesus, who made all this possible. He gave me the strength, the vision, the knowledge, and carried me through the whole thing. He even sidetracked the deluge on Sunday afternoon and only sent a few sprinkles. He is my partner in all that I do. |
     
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