It has been a summer of extreme heat throughout Arkansas and the Mississippi River Valley that has seen record high temperatures and many consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Rainfall has been sparse, and many have found themselves simply trying to hang on until the fall season and the arrival of cooler temperatures. And on a late Sunday night in Paris, a welcomed hope for rain quickly turned into disaster for the entire town.

On late Sunday evening, July 17, 2022, weather warnings for thunderstorms and eventually a “very dangerous thunderstorm warning” began to arrive on our cell phones, smart watches, etc. And just after midnight, it hit. There were no tornado sirens sounding in the middle of the night, and the people of Paris were hit virtually without warning.

With the wind force of a small tornado, straight line, or a possible downburst associated with forced high speed winds rushed into the town of Paris. Trees, power lines, signage, and structural damage occurred within minutes. Approximately 2000 citizens immediately lost power around 12:05 a.m. on July 18. All of the sudden, everything was dark, and the immediate concern became the high temperature that would surely be upon everyone starting at sunrise without the possibility of electrical power for air conditioning. Refrigerated and frozen foods became an issue, and, if all of this were not enough, the pumping station for the city’s water towers were without electrical power. The reserve water levels in the tanks would begin to drop dramatically without being replenished. So, in a matter of just a few short minutes, the city of Paris was in a near state of disaster.

But as it often occurs, in the face of tragedy arises some of the most inspirational stories. The City of Paris, led by their mayor, Daniel Rogers, immediately took action to begin the long process of cleaning up the city and restoring power. The electrical restoration of the water system was the first priority, as the city needed water immediately, both for its citizens, and for fire fighting protection. But when Rogers and the rest of the city officials and maintenance initially assessed the damage in the early morning darkness, the estimate was approximately 20 downed power poles. When daylight finally came the next day, that assessment grew to many more; approximately 60 downed power poles. Rogers commented that the city was essentially rebuilding much of the city’s power grid.

In the meantime, the people of Paris were suffering from extreme heat. Many were without power for approximately 18 hours, and another significant number of homes were without power for days. The city successfully repaired the water towers to operation by noon on Monday, but asked its citizens to conserve water due to the water towers being nearly empty. According to the mayor, the tanks were within just a few feet of being dry.

Mayor Rogers was gracious enough to provide some remarks for RNN, although he was extremely busy each day leading the recovery effort for Paris. When I asked the Paris mayor for his comments, he began by saying, “This storm was the worst wind-related storm in decades for the city. Sixty plus poles are being replaced due to being broken by the high winds. The last big wind event was June 2008 and it destroyed 32 poles. In March of this year, the city council passed a resolution that I recommended to enter into a mutual aid agreement with other AMPA (Arkansas Municipal Power Association) cities. That agreement allowed us to ask for aid from those cities which really helped the city restore power within 72 hours despite the large amount of damage to the electrical system. I was able to reach out and get commitments from Jonesboro and Conway to assist in the power restoration. We also reached out to MDR Construction which is a contract crew that specializes in storm recovery.”

Indeed, the proactive and visionary leadership of Mayor Rogers, the city council, city attorney Cory Wells, and the outstanding support of the Paris Area Chamber of Commerce, led by its executive director, Tonya Fletcher, served all of the citizens of Paris well and served as a model of leadership in extreme crisis for all to see and follow. But perhaps most inspirational was the drive and determination of the citizens of Paris and the support the city received from communities surrounding Paris. Mayor Rogers commented, “I’m so proud of the citizens for showcasing the city in such a positive way to the state through their willingness to volunteer and come together to help one another. I love how our community responded.”

Tonya Fletcher, executive director for the Paris Area Chamber of Commerce, reinforced the mayor’s comments by adding, “The biggest comment I would make about the recent storms is the willingness from the community and surrounding areas to bring support to help our community has been heart warming. Everyone from the City of Paris, Paris school district, local businesses, neighboring communities, churches, law enforcement, outside agencies and individuals have stepped up in a big way to help those in need. The Chamber staff was able to help organize many areas of need from water, cooling stations, food preparation, food delivery, notifications to the community, donations for needed items, and so much more.” Local businesses, such as the restaurant “Smokin Taters BBQ” provided meals and hydration for the power line crews who were working hard to restore power to the city.

Communities surrounding Paris, such as, but not limited to Scranton and Magazine have jumped in to provide aid and assistance to Paris in the aftermath of the storm. Many of those communities came to the assistance for Paris without being asked. It is just what good neighbors do, and Paris owes each of these communities a return of the favor if they are ever in need, as well.

Anyone who is familiar with Paris knows that the town is known for its beautiful trees. Unfortunately, many of those trees were damaged. Some fell on homes and businesses, some blocked streets and brought down both power lines and poles. Chism street was especially affected, but was certainly not alone as damage occurred all over the city.

As of press time for this story, much, if not all of the power for the town has been restored. The Thursday morning temperatures from last week cooled a little with much of the morning being overcast and providing welcomed cloud cover for the town and the many electrical crews that were still working to install new poles and power lines. But the morning clouds gave way to extreme heat again that afternoon.

All in all, the town of Paris and its people were blessed that the damage was not any worse that it turned out to be. In fact, I can’t help but to have a renewed sense of compassion and empathy for those people and towns who have gone through a devastating tornado. This event was bad enough; I cannot imagine it being any worse.

The town was blessed by so many who came running to us to help clean-up and restore our town. They possibly saved lives by restoring power, air conditioning, and water to the citizens of Paris. The out of town power crews worked many long, hot hours on a power system that was not that of their own home towns, but they came to our aid, and we are grateful.

And to our mayor and all of the civic leaders in Paris, thank you from a grateful town. Your actions were a model for great leadership, and we are lucky to have you serving our great town. Thank you for taking time to post video updates on social media each day, so that we were not left wondering what was happening, and when things would be better for all of us. And thank you to the great towns throughout Logan County and the surrounding region for being awesome neighbors and coming to our assistance. Each of you is why western Arkansas is such a great place to live.

Perhaps Chamber director Tonya Fletcher summed it up best by saying, “One thing is for sure, we as a community joined together as family in time of need. I hope that momentum continues and we all remain thankful.”

So, citizens of Paris, you have banded together to quickly restore your town from an unexpected, violent storm, and you have much to be proud of. Better times are coming as the fall and the start of a new school year are just around the corner. Hang in there, but take pride in how you have all persevered through a very tough time. You are…PARIS STRONG!

When Paris head football coach Jeff Weaver was hired in 2021, he brought with him the reputation of being a “program builder.” Since his hire, Weaver has brought several new events to Paris to help build interest and support for the Eagles football program. One of the most popular, and perhaps the most fun event for the coach, is its annual “Moms 101” Night.

“Moms 101” has been held each summer in late July, preceding the official start of practices for the upcoming football season. Weaver brought the event to Paris, along with another that will be held this week when the Eagles sponsor the two-night “Pee Wee Football Camp” at Eagles Stadium. In holding each of these events, Weaver is quickly building support from his football parents, interest and support from the community, and is building a base of football athletes for the future of the program. That point was illustrated again last week when the Eagles football moms turned out with near perfect attendance to run drills, offensive football plays, and hear a word from the head coach on what he wants from his players.

The Paris football moms and their sons who play on the team, had a great time. Smiles were abundant and laughter could be heard all over the gym. The event is normally held in the football stadium, but this year’s edition was held indoors due to the extreme heat.

At the end of the night, players sat with their moms and reflected on the thoughts that Coach Weaver had about the program goals. Coach Weaver has repeatedly said that if all we are doing is teaching our players how to be good football players, then we have failed them. His desire to to see his players grow into fine men, treat women respectfully, and go on to becoming good husbands and fathers. If his players do that, then he feels like to program has met its goals.

As a reporter who has followed Coach Weaver and his staff over the past few seasons, I would simply add that he is meeting his goal. His kids love him and play hard for him, and he enjoys great support from the players families and the Paris fans. This is a program that everyone in the community can be proud of.

And by the way….players….your moms showed they have football skills too!

The Paris Lady Eagles ended the 2021 season with a culminating victory in the state tournament finals to win the Class 3A state championship. Many seniors who had contributed for several years in the program ended their high school careers with a state title. Those were heady days for the Lady Eagles volleyball program, but that year has been long over, and for the past several months, a new generation of Lady Eagles has been working hard to continue the championship pedigree of the Paris program. And for Paris, it will not be easy.

Paris graduated several seniors from last year’s team, and the Lady Eagles will face a determined Hackett Lady Hornets team that certainly has not forgotten the loss in last year’s final, and has a strong nucleus of returning players in 2022. Paris will have their work cut out for them, and to be ready to compete this year in post-season play, the Lady Eagles will have to improve and come together as a unit more and more with each passing week of the season. There is unquestionable talent on the roster, but their is also a significant number of players who will be playing their first year of varsity volleyball that must step-up early for Paris to be successful.

The Paris schedule will again be very challenging, as the program will face a good variety of good 3A programs from around the state, as well as some 4A programs. The conference favorite will be the Hackett Lady Hornets, but an improved Booneville Lady Bearcats program, and a Charleston Lady Tigers program that is always in the competitive mix in the upper tier of the conference will certainly be factors. But, again, for Paris, the focus for the Lady Eagles will be on one match at a time, looking to improve with each opportunity on the floor.

Recently, I asked the Lady Eagles’ head coach, Jordan Devine, to respond to a list of questions that I had for her and the program as they prepare for the 2022 season. Devine, who had announced last school year that she was stepping down and “retiring” as a coach in the district, was asked later in the year to return as the Lady Eagles’ coach. She agreed to do so for this season, and her presence will bring continuity to the program in a year that is already labeled as a transition year with the heavy loss of players from a year ago due to graduation. Coach Devine cares greatly for her players, especially those remaining players from last year’s roster, as well as the newcomers to the program. She wants them all to have a good year during this year of change.

When I asked Coach Devine what she thought her team’s strengths and weaknesses were for this year, she commented, “This year’s team will be a fun group to watch. You can tell they all love to play the game and are out there putting out their all on every point. I think we will compete well. I see our strengths being our returning players in key spots. Our weaknesses may be that we have a lot of new faces. We are a brand new team that has to learn how to play together.”

Key returning players will have a heavy load on their shoulders this year. Coach explained, “Our key players include Brailey Forst at middle blocker. She is an all around player that you will see do just about everything this year. She is confident and wants the ball. Reagan Lowery and Rachel O’Neal at the DS/Libero (defensive specialist) position will be key for us. They are both great leaders on the floor with a lot of experience. Abbigail Walker is our returning setter from the end of last season. She is a hard worker and has a huge drive to win games. Karsen Hart will return for us at middle blocker; she keeps getting bigger and bigger at the net and can hammer the ball. We will also see her at serve and receive.”

There are several key newcomers that must work to fill the shoes of last year’s senior class. Coach Devine continued, “For us to be successful, key newcomers will be Claire Zeiler, Annabelle Perry, and Lauren Reames. All sophomores, they will be taking over the front line for us at outside / opposite hitters. Faith Sanders will be a senior that you will see on the floor this year. Juniors Carsyn Johnson and Kendri Martinez will play at the setter and DS positions. Both are upperclassmen but are new to the varsity roster.”

There are several important non-conference games on the Lady Eagles’ schedule that will play an important role in giving the new team experience against very good competition. This will be an important phase of the team’s development as they compete in the conference and in post-season play. Highlighted non-conference games include Russellville and Pulaski Academy that will be played at Paris Gymnasium. Coach Devine said, “In September, we will be playing Greenwood and Greenbrier on a Saturday which will be two good challenges for us. We play Episcopal in Little Rock during the month of September, as well.”

Looking forward to conference play, the 3A West conference will look the same for the Lady Eagles with the exception of losing Waldron to the 4A classification. The member size of the conference will be smaller in 2022. Coach Devine remarked, “We can absolutely compete for a conference title.” The Hackett Lady Hornets will be the favorite to win the regular season conference title, but the two matches with Paris, plus possibly a third in the district tournament should prove to be very important to both schools. Hackett has had the upper hand in the previous meetings between the two schools with the exception of a stunning win by Paris in the finals of last year’s district tournament, and in the state championship final in Hot Springs. All of this just adds to the intensity of what has already developed into a vicious rivalry the past few years.

For Paris fans who are used to seeing their Lady Eagles dominate opponents, it may be a season of patience that is required each week. The team will get better with each week, but may struggle early as the team develops chemistry with the new members of the starting lineup. I asked Coach Devine if she thought there would be growing pains early in the season and she said, “Yes, probably some growing pains early. I am already seeing some during the camp season. Key with this young team is to keep their confidence up early. We will go through some growing pains but will be patient and work through it. We will take the leadership from our seniors, buy into it, and then…get after it!”

The personality of this year’s team is in stark contrast to the seriousness and the often reserved emotions of the past two years. This group, from observation, seems to be much more loose and relaxed. Coach Devine told me that what she likes about this team is, “They are a really fun group. I love their support for each other. At Branson (summer camp) they supported each other through every game. Rachel, Brailey, and Reagan have definitely emerged as the team’s leaders. Claire Zeiler has had a great camp season so far. She has a lot of power and is working on her control. Lauren Reames has only played volleyball for a year and is giving hitters fits with her blocking.”

In a program with a championship pedigree, the goals are the same each year. According to the coach, “Our goals and expectations never change. I don’t have to set those; the girls do. And realistically, we can reach our goals. Do we have the work to do? Yes. But I believe in this team and their abilities.”

And Coach Devine, the Paris faithful believes in you! In just a few short weeks, the 2022 Lady Eagles will begin a new era of Paris volleyball. The Paris coach concluded by saying, “Come out and watch this awesome group of girls play the sport they love! I promise you won’t be disappointed!”

The season begins Monday, August 22 when the Lady Eagles host Trinity at 4:30 p.m. I will see you then, and good luck to Paris for a successful 2022 campaign!