Resident News Network

The Great Depression and Mayo

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2:02 am

Mayonnaise cake sounds crazy. The thought of mayonnaise, which is delicious on a sandwich or in potato salad, in a sweet like cake is just… bizarre. But during the Great Depression simple and easy to find ingredients for us, oil and eggs had rations placed on them.

When you think about what’s in Mayo- eggs, vinegar, and oil it makes sense that it was used in cake. It’s like combining the ingredients into one and shortening the recipe. Most cakes call for eggs and oil, and some call for buttermilk which is similar to vinegar in a recipe. It’s important to also note the no salt in the recipe is due to the salt in mayonnaise. A fun fact is during the Great Depression this recipe could be found on the Mayo jar!

When I told my husband I was making this he snarled his nose like I had lost my mind. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I had but I knew I wanted to try. The result was the most moist chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The topping was extremely rich, but delicious.

Ingredients

Cake

-2 cup flour

-1 cup sugar

-6 tablespoons cocoa powder

-2 teaspoons baking soda

-1 cup water

-1 cup mayonnaise

-1 teaspoon vanilla

Fudge Sauce

-3/4 cup heavy cream

-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together dry ingredients, add in water, mayonnaise, and vanilla. Mix until evenly combined.
Pour batter into greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Fudge sauce

Heat heavy whipping cream, dump chocolate chips in and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir together until smooth.
Pour over cake while warm, and serve warm. Excellent served with vanilla ice cream!

Obituary – Christopher “Scott” Dillard (1975-2022)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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10:25 pm

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Obituary – Christopher “Scott” Dillard (1975-2022)

Christopher “Scott” Dillard, age 46, of Rogers, Arkansas, was eternally healed on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He was born July 28, 1975, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Johnny and Debbie (North) Dillard. Scott was preceded in death by his Father, Johnny, paternal Grandparents Loyd “Chief” and Claudine Dillard, and his maternal Grandparents Jeff and Naomi (North) McElroy.

Scott was an honorable and passionate individual who will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife Jennifer (Sinele) of twenty-one years; his children Kristen, Madden and Kaitlyn Dillard; his mother Debbie North of Fort Smith; his sister, Jennifer Ham (Joseph) of Fort Smith; his half-brother, Patrick Dillard (Rachel) of Rogers; and his half-sister, Elizabeth Cain (Cameron) of Alexandria, Virginia. He also has five nieces Reagan, Addison, Madelyn, Zoey and Piper; and three nephews Landry, Luke and Connor.

Scott graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1998 with a degree in Management and Leadership. He also earned a Master’s degree in Business Management and Leadership from Webster University in 2000. He worked as a government contractor, having founded Central Research Inc., with his father in 2002 and most recently served as its Executive Chairman. In 2019, he was honored to be the Graham/Tucker Award recipient from the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce for his contribution to the betterment of the Lowell community.

Most of all, Scott took great joy and pride in his role as a husband and a Dad. His oldest daughter, Kristen, will cherish marathoning tv shows and movies and going on dinner dates with him. His son, Madden, will remember his Dad cheering him on at every game he played and their shared love of baseball. His youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, will miss the bedtime snuggles and reading stories with her Dad. Scott also enjoyed biking on trails, was a big music fan, and was a sports enthusiast. He was a member of Cross Church Pinnacle Hills.

Visitation with the family will take place at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills, with a funeral service beginning at 2:00 p.m. A private burial will take place at Pinnacle Memorial Gardens under the direction of Nelson-Berna Funeral Home Rogers. To leave an online tribute please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com

April Showers Tigers In Titles

Adam Hecox

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10:19 pm

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Pictured are Braxton Byers and Alyson Edwards

The month of April has been good to the diamond Tigers and Lady Tigers. Very good. So good that the Tigers and Lady Tigers have showered in winning streaks, metals, and championships on the diamond as they continue to set the bar higher for the 2A-4 competition. Their latest accomplishment was defeating JC Westside to win both of the Conference Championships for the second year in a row.

The Lady Tigers softball team cleaned house in the 2A-4 also as they finished regular season play by sweeping JC Westside in a double header on Friday, April 22^nd. Alyson Edwards solidified the final game against the Lady Rebels by hitting a home run over the fence and possibly into Mansfield City Lake earning the Lady Tigers two scores. Mansfield completed a perfect 10-0 record against conference opponents and their win Friday night earned them the 2A-4 Conference Championship for the second consecutive year.

“The team played great in both games last night to finish out the regular season,” said Head Coach Donnie Eveld. “Cole Smith stepped up big time for us by giving us some awesome pitching in both games. Our defense has really picked up and been playing well lately. Alyson Edwards hit two big shots for runs to get the offense fired up in the second. The girls are playing really good right now and we hope to keep our momentum up going to districts.”

Mansfield’s Baseball team caught the final trophy shower by defeating JC Westside Friday, April 22^nd. Braxton “Boomer” Byers and Trey Vaughan signed JC Westside’s pitchers up for the Navy as Byers sailed a home run out of the park and Vaughan sent a missile to the back of the park’s fence. The Tigers went undefeated against conference opponents going 10-0 and finished the regular season with an 18-4 overall record.

Head Coach Layton Robinson had nothing but praise for his team after the game. “Last night we got 2 great pitching performances from Zayne Dugan and Drew Elmore. Both threw complete game shut outs for us. Our defense stepped up big time and played smart baseball. We started off a little slow offensively but when Westside did a couple of things to get our guys fired up, then we came alive and put them away.”

“It’s been a great year so far,” Robinson continued. ”The guys come out and work every day looking to get better than the day before. We finished 18-4 while playing some good non-conference opponents. The team knows what it takes to win and feels like we have a chance to win every time we step on the field. We’ve been battle-tested for sure but never get our heads down when we fall behind early. They’ve proved that never give up attitude by going 5-1 in two run games and coming back from behind to win 8 games. We’re excited to start postseason play and see where the chips fall.”

Mansfield will load up the buses next week and travel to Magazine as both teams hope to keep their winning streak alive at the District Tournament. The tournament begins on Wednesday, April 27th and Mansfield will face all of the same familiar foes from the 2A-4. With both teams being the #1 Seed in the tournament, both will play the winner of the #5 and #4 Seed game as their Game1 on Thursday, April 28th. This isn’t the Tigers and Lady Tigers’ first rodeo though. The Lady Tigers won District, Regionals and finished as State Runner-Up Last year while the Tigers earned the District and Regional Titles in 2021. They’ll be ready to take on all comers at the District Tournament.

Photos courtesy of Crystal Thomas

Obituary – Hubert Lawson (1954-2022)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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10:18 pm

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Hubert Lawson of Booth, Arkansas passed from this life, Thursday, April 21, 2022 in Booth with loved ones by his side. Hubert was born January 23, 1954 in Riverside County, California to Donald Lawson and Thelma O. (Lang) Lawson. He was 68 years old.

Hubert Lawson was from the old school of “a man is only as good as his word”. If he gave you his word, consider it done. A man of few words, Hubert strived daily to pass on a legacy of hard work, determination and following through with the task at hand to his family. He loved his family and enjoyed time with them.

Hubert leaves behind to cherish his memory, his sons: Seth Lawson of Booth, Arkansas and Phillip Nolen of Greenwood, AR. Grandpa will forever remain in the heart of his grandson Colton Scott Lawson. Hubert will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of extended family and friends.

Hubert was preceded in death by his parents: Donald and Thelma Lawson, his wife , Cindy Jo Lawson, one daughter, Jessica Lawson and two brothers: Bill Lawson and Randy Lawson.

Hubert’s life celebration will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at Cedar Grove Cemetery with Donny Hamilton officiating. Interment will follow in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Booth, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Hubert’s pallbearers will be Dustin Clopton, Austin Coe, Justin Johnson, Derek Elmore, Kenny Williams and Cody Robles.

Hubert’s visitation will be Monday, April 25, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Booneville Survives Late Paris Rally, Defeats Eagles 8-7

Resident News Network

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4:38 pm

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Booneville Survives Late Paris Rally, Defeats Eagles 8-7

It has been said many times before, and it still holds true. Regardless of sport, anytime Paris and Booneville get together for a contest, it is going to be hotly contested. And Friday’s game at Paris was no exception. It was a game that was well-played by both schools, and the quality of play was exceptional. Both teams are very good and should go far in the weeks to follow in post-season play.

And if it were not enough to play Booneville in the final regular season game for the Eagles, it was Senior Day in which seven outstanding Paris seniors were honored. The 2022 class of Eagles have made significant impacts in the sports of football, basketball, and baseball, and as a result, have been one of the most successful senior classes in recent memory for Paris athletics. Each senior is an outstanding person as well as athlete, and they will all be sorely missed next season. The Paris seniors have set a high bar of expectations for Eagles athletics, and it will be a challenge for future classes of athletes.

Paris trailed for most of the game until Eagles junior Mason Bradley tied the game with a deep, two-run home run over the left field fence. Bradley’s blast tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning at 5-5. Bradley had a big week, pitching over five innings of stellar relief on Wednesday to give the Eagles a chance to win over Dover, and then contributing offensively on Friday against the Beaarcats. Booneville answered with three runs to re-take the lead at 8-7. But the Eagles would not quit, and that has been their signature all season.

The Eagles scratched for two more runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run aboard when the inning and the game came to a close. Booneville would hold on to win the game, 8-7. It was a tremendous game by both teams, and considering the competitiveness that both schools have for each other, it was well-played with minimal fireworks from either team.

Resident News Network will have more next week on the upcoming 3A-4 district baseball tournament that will be held next week at Cedarville. Stay with RNN Sports for the best coverage of the high school baseball playoffs!

“Just Roll with It” Serving Up Recipes and Humor

Featured

Tammy Teague

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2:30 am

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“Just Roll with It” Serving Up Recipes and Humor

By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor

Hello everyone! Such a beautiful spring day this Friday, birds are singing, and the sun is shining. Our heavenly Father sure made us a beautiful place to live. I believe it was back in 1982, give or take, that I worked in Fort Smith at an engineering company. Curtis Feimster also worked there and we rode to work together. Fun is not a strong enough word to describe our time at that establishment. I have a story or two to tell on Curtis, but I will wait for another time.

One day while there, I was reading the paper and spotted an advertisement for a trip to Nashville. It was going with a group on a tour bus, and it was like a three-day trip. I called Lisa Smith Favela and asked her if she wanted to go. We paid our money and could not wait till the time to leave. We hadn’t been anywhere so we were so excited. We were to meet the bus at Central Mall and leave from there. Guess what? Lisa and I were late getting there. Thankfully they didn’t run off and leave us. They were not happy when we got there. They loaded our luggage and we went to get on the bus and this is the kicker. The bus was loaded with senior citizens. Now here we are two teenagers and a bus full of senior citizens.

While we were getting on the bus they all acted mad at us for being late and they were giving us the snake eye. We go on our fun-filled weekend with a busload of senior citizens. There was only one other young couple maybe in their early 20s on the bus. They were on their honeymoon of all things on this bus. I love elderly people and I am now one of those elderly. We loaded up and decided to make the best of it. Needless to say, we ended up having a blast. We went to the Grand Ole Opry, Twitty City, Opryland theme park, we met Johnny Cash’s mother, toured Elvis Presley’s airplane–the Lisa Marie, saw Graceland from the road, and went down one of the famous strips in Nashville. We didn’t let them old folks slow us down. We were late for almost everything but they decided to just deal with us. Even the bus driver liked us before it was over. I will never forget that trip, it was so much fun. Lots of laughs for sure.

Y’all know I am on a poke cake kick. I love a good ole poke cake. They are easy and quick to take somewhere. This week we are doing a coconut one. Coconut is my favorite. When I was a kid I always requested a coconut cake for my birthday.

COCONUT POKE CAKE
1 White Cake Mix (if you can find it, use a coconut flavored cake mix)
1 Can Cream of Coconut (this is not alcohol, but is found with the drink mixes)
Sweetened flaked coconut
Make the cake mix according to the package directions. Poke holes in it and pour the cream of coconut on top. When the cake is cooled, spread Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with flaked coconut. Keep the cake in the refrigerator. Enjoy the cake and have a blessed week.

Sebastian County Fire Association Honors Longtime Service Leaders

News

Tammy Teague

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7:47 pm

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Sebastian County Fire Association Honors Longtime Service Leaders

At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Sebastian County Fire Association meeting, held on Thursday evening, April 21, long-standing President Gary Lawrence was honored for his years of service.

Lawrence, who had served as President for many years, stepped down from that position last month.

The association also honored former Vice President Noel Yowell and former County Training Officer Duane Logsdon for their leadership roles within the association.

Pictured from left: Secretary/Treasurer – Mary Yowell (E.M.P. VFD; Vice President – Gary Lawrence (Huntington VFD); President – Gina Condren (White Bluff- Rye Hill VFD)

Members voted unanimously to appoint Gina Condren from White Bluff’s VFD as President. The new board will also consist of Lawrence as Vice President, and Paul Sanders from Lavaca’s VFD as Training Officer. Mary Yowell from E.M.P. VFD will continue to serve as Secretary/Treasurer.

Paris Softball Senior Day Re-scheduled to May 2

Resident News Network

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6:38 pm

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Paris Softball Senior Day Re-scheduled to May 2

Rainy weather in the last weeks of the regular season has forced the re-scheduling of the Paris softball Senior Day ceremony and game.

The regular season game with Acorn has now been cancelled and the Lady Eagles softball program has scheduled Lavaca to play in a non-conference game in Paris on Monday, May 2. Senior Day ceremonies will begin at 4:30 p.m. and the game will begin at 5 p.m.

RNN will be in Paris to bring you coverage of both Senior Day and the game with the Lady Golden Arrows in its online edition on May 3.

Alma Defeats Paris 9-1 in Non-conference Game on Thursday

Resident News Network

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4:06 pm

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Alma Defeats Paris 9-1 in Non-conference Game on Thursday

It has been a tough season for the Paris softball program this year, and on Thursday, their struggles continued with a 9-1 five innings loss at Class 5A Alma. The Lady Eagles’ offensive troubles continued against the Lady Airedales. With the loss, Paris drops to 11-14 on the season as they now turn their attention to next week’s district tournament.

This year has been a bit of a surprise for Paris softball fans. The Lady Eagles returned all starters from last year’s state semifinal team with the exception of all state pitcher, Jayden Hart. Hart was clearly the difference last year for Paris, and that loss due to graduation in 2022 has only been amplified.

With all of that said, Paris is still an experienced and talented team, and will be a dangerous out in post-season play. The post-season is a chance to wipe the slate clean from a disappointing regular season, and more often than not, a team can get hot just at the right time and make a run through the post-season. Just look at St. Peters in the NCAA Mens’ Basketball Tournament this year as the low seeded St. Peters team upset the giants of the tournament and lost just short of making the Final Four. I would not count out the tournament-experienced Lady Eagles.

As of press time, there is an issue with a possible make-up game with Acorn to celebrate Senior Day for the Lady Eagles. As soon as that information is know, RNN will let our readers know of the re-scheduled date.

Resident News Network Sports will be in Paris today for the Eagles baseball game with Booneville. Senior Day ceremonies will begin at 4:15 p.m., and the first pitch is slated for 5 p.m.

Stay with RNN Sports for the best coverage in baseball and softball post-season play that begins next week!

Obituary – Edna Jo Jett Johnson (1935-2022)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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12:45 am

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Obituary – Edna Jo Jett Johnson (1935-2022)

Edna Jo Jett Johnson was called home, Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Waldron, Arkansas with family by her side. She was born in a small house in Hon, Arkansas, on August 10th, 1935. She was born the fifth child of George Delmar Jett and Jenny Tellie Cole Jett. At the age of six, her father passed, and her mother married Tom Cheek, who raised her as his own his remaining years. She spent her childhood fighting her sister, Anna over scarce undergarments (something they both laughed about decades later). She attended Waldron Schools walking two miles, uphill, in the snow both ways.

On August 16th, 1951, at age 16, she married a handsome cowboy, John (Jake) Johnson. Together they had two children, Ronald David and 21 years later, Shanna Lynette. They spent 53 years driving each other nuts. She spent her years working at various places in Waldron where she made life-long friends.

Granny Jo spent her leisure time hunting yard sales, riding her lawnmower, spending time with her crazy family, and attending Temple Baptist Church. She was known for being a perfectionist in appearance, home décor, and her flowers. She was always ready to offer sweat tea, her famous mac-n-cheese, and a long talk. On more than one occasion she has made her family laugh until they cried (even at a couple of funerals).

Jo is truly a treasured piece of the Johnson family and community. To have known her is to never forget her, never forget her words of wisdom, and never forget her laugh.
She was preceded in death by her parents, spouse, and siblings, Iva Ridenhour, and Eursell, Lester, and Cliff Jett.

She is survived by children, Ronnie Johnson and wife, Terri, and Shanna Smith all of Waldron; grandchildren, Cassie Deer and husband, Joey of Greenwood, Crystal Casey of Huntsville, Kelly Scott of Waldron, Zakary Smith and wife, Brittany of Mena, Jessica Hattabaugh of Russellville, and Kaylee Smith of Waldron. Great-grandchildren, Dilan Powell, Devin Powell, Hayden Deer, Preston Scott, Gavin Scott, Jaymz Scott, Gracelyn Scott, Brody Scott, Grant Casey, Tinley Smith, Emery Smith, and Chevelle Smith. Great-great-grandchildren, Cayden and Charity Deer. Siblings, Anna Jett of Grass Valley, CA. and Eugene Jett of Wittier, CA., and loads of beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, April 23rd, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home Chapel with Brother, Jackie Smith officiating.

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