Buckner Park will be giving away FREE trees on Saturday April 8th, beginning at 9:00 am.
Charlie Little will be sharing some of his knowledge of figs and other trees at this event. Vendors will also be set up in the park.
On April 8th, starting at 7:00 am the Sebastian County area wide cleanup will be taking place with a large dumpster placed in the park.
Volunteers will be assisting with the unloading.
Buckner Park Celebrates Arbor Day
MHS Senior Boys Track Results
Levi Owens- 2nd in the 110 Hurdles
Moses Seer- 5th in the 1600 3rd in the 800
Joseff Buccella- 7th in the 200
Mansfield Senior Boys 3rd overall in the 4×400 relay
Bolton Signs with Ecclesia College
Mansfield High School student athlete, Makayla Bolton recently signed a letter of intent to play softball at Ecclesia College in Springdale, Arkansas.
Ecclesia College is a four-year Christian, federally recognized work college where Makayla will fit right in with her work ethic, athletic ambitions, and her future career plans.
Head Softball Coach, Savanna Colbert stated “For the short time I’ve known Makayla she has always been a hard worker and a determined player. Winning is always on her mind and she speaks up and leads the team if there is ever a dent in the overall plan to win. It was no surprise to me when she was offered to play at the collegiate level. She’s just a talented athlete and even started varsity volleyball her senior year after only playing the sport for one year prior. Some people just have the magic touch for sports, and Makayla is one of them. She currently holds 14 hits with an average of .538 batting average with a .571 on base percentage. She is leading the team with .885 slugging percentage: power of a hitter (total bases divided by at bats). She’s an outstanding athlete, and I pray she takes advantage of this opportunity and strives to be the best person she can be, on and off the field. Congratulations Makayla, your hard work has paid off! Just remember, you’ll always be a Tiger.”
We’re proud of you Makayla. Go Tigers!
Track Results Solid For Junior Tigers
In their first two outings, the Mansfield junior girls track team was in position for a top two finish. Despite solid finishes for much of the meets, it was the speed of the other contenders that passed the Lady Tigers in the end.
The hurdles have been kind to the Tigers. Danielle Lillie and Harleigh Mars have used the barrier races to give Mansfield a lift. Such was the case as Mansfield used the 100m highs and the 300m intermediates to climb to as high as second at the Paris Eagles Invitational on March 13. By the end however, that ultimate speed from the likes of Two Rivers, Paris, and Waldron dropped the Tigers to fifth in the final team rankings.
Lillie won the 100m hurdles at the Paris home meet. She followed that with a second place ribbon in the 300m hurdles. Mars, just a seventh grader, was nipping at her teammates heels for a strong fourth place finish in the longer barrier race. Together the pair pushed the Tigers forward with a 23 point burst in just those two races.
Ultimately, the collective yield of the junior squad was not enough. The visiting Tigers finished fifth overall like they did at Booneville a week earlier.
Lillie was Mansfield’s main weaponry. The versatile athlete produced in the long jump, 100m dash, triple jump, and sprint relay to go along with her hurdle skills. The eighth grader was second in the long jump at 14’ 5”. She was third in the 100m sprint at 15.02 seconds.
At the triple jump pit, Lillie bounded for a 28’ 7” marker good for sixth place. Then, she anchored the third place 4x100m sprint team at 1:00.23.
Mansfield’s other relay teams went seventh and fifth. The 4x800m team consisting of Mikayla Harrison, Delilah McKusker, McKenzie Griffin, and Lennon Woods were seventh. The 4x400m concluding relay team was fifth behind the combination of Harrison, Mars, Griffin, and McKusker.
Daniella Santander and Kiara Thomas squeaked over the opening height at the pole vault pit for a third place tie. The winter winds that blew in on that Monday night made progress in that vertical event near impossible.
Janna Coplin scored in the discus throw at 63’ 9”. Hailey Walker equaled a personal record of 4’ 6” in the high jump for another Tiger score.
Walker took a fourth place mark in the 200m dash. Lennon Woods went 6:18 for a fifth place 1600m run.
Seventh grader Haylee Helms placed in the top eight at the 800m run to round out the Tiger scoring.
Mansfield’s junior girls will host their own invitational on Thursday, March 30. The team expects a large amount of entries as local programs return from spring break.
Track Schedule “Quirk” puts MHS at Greenwood
(Above image caption) “Corrina Wesley and Makiah Holmes enjoy a fun splash in the triple jump sand.”
Mansfield’s senior girls track team was supposed to run at Greenwood later in the spring. A scheduling conflict by the Bulldogs moved their home meet to March 13, a day before Mansfield was to attend the Paris Eagle Invitational. So, not wanting to lose a meet, Mansfield sent a small lineup to the Bulldog’s newly remodeled track for a couple of runs.
Purposely avoiding a high volume of events, Mansfield competed in a selection of field events and races. The idea was to shake out the cobwebs and ready for the Eagle Classic the next day.
Weather halted those best laid plans as Paris ended up canceling their annual showdown on March 14 because of frigid temperatures.
Mansfield did however get in some competition at the Bulldog review. Namely high jumpers Eden Jones and Audrey Walker capitalized by going one-two in the vertical discipline.
Jones won with a 4’ 10” clearance. Walker was second at 4’ 8”. Teammate Haylee Buckner cleared 4’ 4” but was left off the tally sheet due to limitation rules.
“It was good to see Eden get a chance to just concentrate on high jump without all those races before hand,” commented Coach John Mackey. “Her form is coming around after a long layoff from last season’s injury.”
Walker enrolled in a couple of other events as the second year hurdler wanted to get reps. The strategy seemed to be productive as the senior took second in the 300m intermediates and fifth in the 100m highs.
Junior Megan Rose took on a lighter load than usual with a two event slate. The distance guru ran a 6:24 mile and a 3:05 half mile for her night’s competition. She scored fourth in the first and ninth in the second.
Fellow junior Corrina Wesley took fifth in the triple jump while first time triple jumper Makiah Holmes experimented with the horizontal hop.
“Makiah can do a lot of things,” said Mackey. “We just don’t want to leave any stone unturned before we set the district roster. This was another experiment that I think went well.”
Holmes measured nearly 26 feet for her first landing into the triple jump sand. Wesley scored fifth with a mark of 27’ 5”.
Faith Schwartz and Emily Parish competed in the pole vault. The Tiger pair went second and third with jumps of 7’ 6” and 7’ 0” respectively.
Mansfield will resume their intended schedule by hosting a home meet on March 28. The 13th Annual Tiger Relays will welcome area teams from Arkansas and Oklahoma. Staring time is scheduled for 4:00 PM.
First Year Girls Hit Track Again
After making an impressive start to their collective track careers at the Bearcat Relays, the first year Mansfield seventh grade track athletes hit the ground running again at Paris.
The annual Eagle Ribbon Run afforded Mansfield and at least a dozen other schools including Ozark and Van Buren a chance to compete one more time before local schools took to Spring Break. Mansfield’s rookie Lady Tigers took home a second place team trophy from the Booneville meet a few weeks ago. This time the Eagle classic simply issued ribbons to top performers but no total team scores were calculated.
Like she did before, Mansfield’s Sadie Roberts shined at the high jump pit. The first year player won her previous competition with a 4’ 2” leap. This time the lanky seventh grader recorded a personal record 4’ 8” to win the event.
Roberts eventually took ribbons in six events. Her next best output was the 4x100m relay. The combination of Haylee Helms, Roberts, Kiara Thomas, and Skyla Honeycutt rounded the one lap cooperative for a first place award in their heat.
Thomas had her moments as well with a third place finish in the high jump and a second place union in the 4x400m relay. Teammates Helms, Harleigh Mars, and McKenzie Griffin joined Thomas for the red ribbon reward in that last relay event.
Thomas, who has been showing signs of the second best Lady Tiger hurdler from grades seventh through ninth, took a tumble in her premier event. Pushing through the 100m hurdles in a four step pattern through seven hurdles, the developing competitor lost footing over the final barrier. A fall just before the finish line left her at a disappointing fifth place in her heat.
Falls seemed to be linked in pairs as fellow hurdler, Mars, found the pavement in a practice session the day before the meet. Hobbled a bit by the incident, the 300m hurdler pushed through the discomfort to take another silver medal in her favored event a day later.
“Harleigh has really been all about the 300’s of late,” commented Tiger coach John Mackey. “She has been running both junior high and seventh grade meets; and scoring in both. She’s following a path played by many a talented Tiger hurdler.”
Griffin has been another bright spot for the Mansfield prep team. The successful cross country runner has been scoring well in all the distance events at both junior and seventh grade outings.
At Paris, Griffin collected a fourth, third, and two second place ribbons. The 800m run, according to her coach, was her best showing of the night. Her 2:58.59 clocking put her right on the heels of the winner of that two lap sprint.
Kelsey Holley and Sarah Fisher both took a first place reward for their respective heats in the discus throw. Each made point production at the shot put circle as well.
Helms managed two blue ribbons from a solid long jump landing and a lead leg start on the 4x100m team.
Faith Rainwater scored in the 800m run and the 4x800m relay. Her late in the evening 3:18.78 measure in the 800m run was a faster pace than her 800m split in the 4×800 and 1600m races earlier in the night.
Honeycutt, Lexi Horn, and Sarah Willis all took home ribbons in the sprint events. Horn scored in the 400m dash while Honeycutt and Willis pointed in the 200m sprint.
Mansfield will host a seventh grade ribbon run when schools return from spring break on Monday, March 27. Field events will begin at 4:00 PM and running to follow at 5:30 PM.
Hackett Police Dept. recognizes Daniel Boyles
Late February, Hackett Chief of Police, and Resident Press Contributor, Darrell Spells reported how Daniel Boyles took it upon himself, to fight a grass fire, which saved several structures. Original article HERE
His actions did not go unnoticed.
Last night, at the Hackett City Council, Chief Spells presented Daniel with a plaque honoring his actions, a Challenge Coin that’s typically given to Police Officers who have gone above and beyond, and a shirt that states “Send Me.” .
As an added note, we’d like to personally congratulate Daniel, not only for his actions, but also Chief Spells, and the City of Hackett for their commitment to their community. Good job, Daniel!
Mansfield City Council Meeting – March
Madison MacNew, Resident Press Contributor
The Mansfield City Council held their regularly scheduled meeting, Thursday, March 16th at Mansfield City Hall. In attendance were City Council members – Dave Johnson, Nathan Sterling, Beverly Lyons, Rick McDaniel, Sheri Hopkins, Georganna Mabry, Mansfield Recorder/Treasurer – Becky Walker, Mansfield reported – Larry Austin, Mansfield Fire Chief – Stephen Haysmer, as well as a many citizens, and business owners of our area. Mansfield Police Chief – Boyd Farmer was absent from the meeting.
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m.
Reading of the Minutes, and Financial Statements
No questions or comments regarding the February minutes. Motion made to accept, and seconded. All in favor of the February minutes.
No questions or comments regarding the November Financial Statement. Motion made to accept, and seconded. All in favor of the November minutes.
Mansfield Public Works Department
Wes Thomas reported on the state of the Public Works Department. Thomas commented on the state of the water lines that were compromised in February, stating that the leaks were taken care of. The city has not yet been reimbursed for the damage that was done by an outside company.
“Our crew did an excellent job,” Mayor Austin said of the Mansfield Water Department’s work on the water leak.
Mansfield Police Department
Mayor Austin relayed a message from Police Chief, Boyd Farmer, who was absent from the meeting. Counterfeit money has been showing up at several businesses in Mansfield in the form of both $10 and $20 bills.
Mansfield Fire Department
Stephen Haysmer, Fire Chief, reported that one of the Fire department’s trucks had been repaired. All trucks are to pass a pump test in April.
All personnel will be undergoing training very soon, including CPR and “Jaws of Life” training.
There are still tankers needing repairs and vehicles needing new tires.
The Fire Department has recently recruited two new crewmembers, Dave Thomas and Hunter Pyles.
City Attorney – no report
Mansfield Recorder/Treasurer – no report
Unfinished Business
- Water Line (Henley Road) – Estimate of $46,000. $35,000 approved to come from the depreciation reserve fund.
- Waste Water Improvements – $7690 estimate for wastewater plant repair.
- Budget Amendment – Dixie Theatre Project, Jail Administration, and Police Station Remodel. $5045 needed for Dixie Theatre electrical work, $1525 local cost, the remainder will come from grants.
New Business
- The Affordable Housing Act is requiring city planning and zoning for manufactured homes. Mayor Austin expects approximately 90 days for a report for the planning and zoning prospects.
- Brooks Norris, owner of the trailer park, came forward to speak on his plans for the future of the trailer park. “I want to attract a better quality of living than we have now,” Norris said when telling the council about his plans for multifamily housing in the location that is currently the trailer park.
- The council reviewed the Water Department audits from 2015-2016. The report came back with positive reviews.
Announcements / Public Comments
- Mayor Austin reported that he expects the walking trail to be completed within 30-45 days.
- Dixie Theatre electrical work will include the addition of lighting in the concession, lobby, and exit areas.
- After the most recent crisis involving the water department, the city council has come up with a plan for public notification. An answering machine has been implemented on city phones for any after-hour announcements. In case of any major notifications, the city will also notify television and radio news stations in order to reach the citizens of Mansfield.
Adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Waldron Nursing Home News
Article provided by Christine Lees LSW/ADC
Is it really the “King” that has all of these 50’s girls awe struck during the “Sock Hop” at Waldron Nursing Center?
The “Flu” bug has landed again at Waldron Nursing Center and we are asking that all visitors unless it is an emergency not visit your loved ones at this time. You may call the nurse desk at any hour to ask about your family member. Thanks again to all of our Community groups for understanding with having to be rescheduled because of this “bug”. If you do have to enter the facility you must put on a mask and use the hand sanitizer before going down the hallway and then use the sanitizer when you exit. Hopefully everything will be passed again soon.
Waldron Nursing Center residents are having a great time with the “Leprechaun in hiding” activity. Three Leprechauns are hidden throughout the facility and the resident must find him to receive a prize. As a resident finds the Leprechaun they are ineligible to find another one until the next day. That way it makes it more fair to everyone. So far there have been two of the Leprechauns found leaving one still in hiding. The first day Janis Hull found one of the three and today Paul Davis found the number two Leprechaun. So far today as the news is being written the third one is still in hiding. As soon as all three are found and turned in for a prize they will again be hidden. We are giving extra special prizes for this activity.
Other activities enjoyed was Sunday afternoon singing with Rick Byce, Reminiscence with Billie Strozier as Diane Miller will be out for a bit, we are all wishing her a speedy recovery and looking forward to her return as our group really look forward to her coming each Monday morning. Bingo was on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon with our ever faithful Volunteers Doyle Wayne & Joanna Strozier helping out with the games. Pat Morales also helps on Friday afternoon along with helping at the craft table. Temple Baptist group was here Monday night for their weekly service, nail painting with Billie & Alex, Exercises, worship with David Hines, lots of Art work, scrap-booking, Red hat meeting, table games and Thinking Saturday. Our residents truly enjoy these trivia games especially the new morning cart that Alex Carter has started doing each morning to pass out magazines, word puzzles, trivia questions as well as the adult art pages. He often reports that the residents are turning the puzzles back in all finished and telling him they are turning in their homework. The magazines that everyone has been donating has really been nice for this cart that makes the rounds to each resident in each room.
The Special activity of “March Madness” was a big hit according to all of the photos that Billie and Alex took while I was away for the monthly Activity meeting in Fort Smith. It consist of basket ball. It looked like we have some great “ball” players in our facility. Each one received a string of colorful beads as a prize as this is the month for beads and what knot. We are so thankful for those that have donated us the Mardi Gras beads that we can uses for different activities.
It was reported that the “sock hop” with “The King” was great fun and the residents really enjoyed the milkshakes, hamburgers & hot dogs along with the music. It was reported that the “King” was quiet good and that several of the staff became quiet “awe struck” during the “Hop”. A special “Thanks” to Connie & staff in the dietary for all the good food and for working over doing this event so our residents could enjoy some great fun.
Big “Thanks” also goes to Marie Payton & Teresa Brixley for the great box of bingo items, art & craft activities. These two wonderful ladies helps keep our residents delighted when they see the things they keep bringing for them to enjoy. Thanks also to Lydia Holland for the wonderful things she left outside my office door.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families of Annabelle Bottoms and Freda Carter. Both residents have been dearly loved through the time they were with us and will be greatly missed.
In closing I want to say a personal “Thanks” to our fellow employees, especially Connie our Dietary manager, who planned the menu, and all citizens in our community for contributing to our fund raiser for the Strozier family, Billie, David & Charles all who are employees here. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them for their loss.
MES Good Citizens of the Month – February
Mansfield Elementary School word of the month for February – Trustworthy
Back row: Kaylee Ward, Drew Holland, Zander Bowlin, Zander Walters
2nd row: Jakob Morris, Kyla Carlton, Aidan Fildes, Lincoln Allison
Front row: Dixie Wingate, Peyton Meyers, Brody DesOrmeaux, Kaylynn Piyapho, Trenton Clay