By Tammy Moore Teague
Many turned out, despite the cold rain and sleet, to be a part of the City of 
Mansfield’s first ever tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, December 8. West Fraser’s Mill Manager, James Travis donated the living tree and Heritage Funeral Home and Monuments donated the stone marker.
Mayor Mike Gipson welcomed everyone out, and introduced the pastor of the Mansfield Methodist Church, Richard Rogers. Rogers read scripture and shared about the sacred Bethlehem Star. Afterwards, Francine Litchford powered the large mounted star atop the gazebo.
Gipson shared how grateful he was to West Fraser and to Travis. “They do so much good for our town and community.” Travis and his family accompanied Gipson as they lit the town’s tree.
Pastor Phillip Slaughter, and several members of the First Baptist Church led the singing of Christmas Carols. Following this, everyone was welcomed back to city hall for cookies, hot cocoa and coffee.
Town Hosts Inaugural Tree Lighting Ceremony
Arrows Slay the Dragons!
Photos by Amanda Hall
Last night the Lavaca Golden Arrows traveled to Mountainburg and took on the Dragons. There were four games. Both Junior High teams and both High School teams played, and played big. The night started off with the Junior High girls. The junior Lady Dragons won this game 21–9. The junior Lady Arrows are getting better but still trying to find their rhythm. I have no doubt that they will make adjustments and get back in the winners column.
The Junior High boys are just amazing. They slayed the Dragon 51-19. Mountainburg just couldn’t beat the press. Avery Walker and Luke Watson were tenacious on defense. On offense the Arrows moved the ball well in the half court and used turn overs for fast break opportunities. The Junior Arrows remain perfect on the season.
Then it was time for the Lady Arrows of Lavaca. They Ladies answered the call by jumping out to a 16-0 lead to start the game before winning 49-38. Skylar Hyatt and BethAnn May led the team in scoring with 14 and 13 points respectively. The ladies were able to manage the game by minimizing mistakes. As long as these ladies continue to play as a team the way they did last night, they should be able to run through conference play and make a run at the post season.
The Arrows came into the game and established dominance right from the opening tip. Andrew Wright lead the team in points with 19. Jordan Fenner added another 16 in the 63-52 win. Cayden Hearn and Mark Miller were solid in the paint and Matt Melton also played very well. It was a total team effort. The Arrows ran the break well and stayed patient in the half court. This team is currently ranked 5th in class by Max Preps, but they are playing like a number 1.
If You Cant Stand The Heat, Get Off The Bulldogs Court
By Megan Hecox
Don’t stand too close or you might get burned because these Dogs are on FIYA! The (8-2) Bulldogs boys team absolutely killed in Friday nights game against the Dardanelle Sand Lizards. Winning by 4 points 53-49, the Bulldogs started the game out slow in the first half but come the second half, they picked it up big time offensively.
The first half was low scoring with the Bulldogs enduring some foul trouble causing Head Coach, Joshua Brown, to sit some guys early. “Payton Brown had 3 fouls in the first 4 minutes of play. Jacob Avila, Drew Dozier, and Mason Ford all had 2 fouls in the first half,” says Coach Brown. When the second half of the game rolled around, the Bulldogs were warmed up and ready for a ball game. During the last two quarters, Payton Brown scored 24 points for the Dogs. “Defensively we did a great job all night and that’s what helped us win the game,” said Coach Brown.
Ruben Valdez brought in 11 points for the Bulldogs and Drew Dozier made 9 points. Jacob Avila put up 6 points and Mason Ford and Gada Wagner made a combined 3 points for the Dogs. The entire team got some great minutes on the floor as well. At one point during the game, Coach Brown was going to put his Junior starter, Jacob Avila back in but Jacob turned to his coach and said, “No, its ok. They are playing really well.” To see a player be so selfless by putting others above himself was a proud moment for Coach Brown.
Coach Brown expresses his thoughts on the game. “It was a great atmosphere last night for our guys. We had a great turnout and the Dardanelle fans traveled well also. Dardanelle is a very solid team and very well coached. Coach Sturdivant does a great job. They are very sound offensively in their motion. They set a lot of screens and like to go inside to their big man. Defensively they are very good and that is why we had trouble scoring. That was a good win for our guys.”
The Bulldogs also put on a Toy Toss and Chili Supper Fundraiser. The Junior class was able to sell a ton of chili and the fried Oreos were a big hit. The money from the supper is going to help the Juniors with Prom expenses. The Toy Toss was a hit as well. The Bulldogs have a lot of stuffed animals that they will be able to hand out to children in need and for that, they will be forever grateful to their fans.
The Bulldogs will have their first conference game in West Fork on Tuesday, December 11th at 4 pm.
Top Dog Tournament Supports Salvation Army
The Mansfield Middle School basketball court was full of “3 on 3” teams this morning from all over the area in support of supporting the Salvation Army Christmas Tree kids.
In total, 17 teams played for the coveted title and prized t-shirts. Organizer Bobby Polk stated, “This is something we love to do, and gives us the opportunity to support those who can use it.”
The contributions will be donated to the Salvation Army for their efforts regarding children’s gifts and presents for the upcoming Christmas season.
Polk added, “The Top Dog tournaments growth is in direct response to the support of the teams that come to play. We’re very thankful for their generosity.”
Seven Swans a Swimmin’?
By Jack James
One Christmas, many years ago, my Christmas presents were stolen. They were wrapped, sitting beneath our lovely live cedar Christmas tree, hear one minute and gone the next. My mother and I went to Fort Smith from my home in Huntington and were searching for last minute gifts for extended family. We came home and found the presents were gone. I knew what the presents were: blue jeans, shirts, socks, clothes that I had picked out myself since I had to try them on before Mom would get them. Money was always tight but my sweet parents found the money to buy something for me. In mid-January, an extended family member came to visit along with his family. Two of the boys were wearing my clothes. Mom didn’t say anything in front of me but she did say that they were very poor and must have needed them pretty badly to steal from us. I heard later that he brought the clothes back but mom wouldn’t take them. I wasn’t so forgiving. Nobody steals my husky Wranglers and not expect a stern look from me, by golly.
But I have wonderful memories about Christmas time too! I treasure the memories of the times my Dad and I would spent most of a morning, driving all over the southern part of Sebastian County, in search of the perfect cedar tree for our living room. After finding one suitable to both of our tastes, Dad would cut it down and we would haul it home. Once we were back at the house, Mom would have dug out all of the ornaments in preparation for an afternoon of decorating for the season. Most of the ornaments were old, antique by today’s standards, hand-me-downs from past generations of Goff family. When the tree was complete, it was just as beautiful as it was the past year. In fact, it looked exactly the same as the last year, and the year before, and how it would look the next year as well.
As a young boy, I sang the songs but some of them put my brain in motion. For instance, what exactly is a “Round yon” virgin? Even in my youth, I understood what a virgin was. I remember how we would drop an octave or two when we sang “that word” in the carols. And while we are out it, what is a “bough” of holly? We call it a “ball” of holly. Our minds couldn’t understand why anyone would wish to decorate their hallways with balls of holly. To each their own.
There is one carol that I never understood as a child. What do leaping lords, French hens, ladies dancing, calling birds and a partridge sitting in a pear tree have to do with Christmas? I did some research and found out some very interesting facts about this song.
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.Each part of the carol is code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit–Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit–Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. And finally the twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.
It’s amazing how many things we take for granted that had religious overtones from a time with practicing religion was something that could get you thrown into prison or maybe even killed.
I hope you will all remember what Christmas is all about. I can’t help but grin when I hear of atheists who celebrate the season but don’t believe. It must be very conflicting. May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas day filled with good memories and traditions that will last a lifetime.
Johnson Featured in Hometown Highlight
By Tammy Moore Teague
A passion to serve, and a heart for the community. That’s an accurate description of Zach Johnson. “My passion is simply to serve others. I enjoy helping people out and have been blessed to find so many great groups, and folks, who help me to do this very thing,” stated Johnson.
Johnson and his wife of 19 years, Angela, have three children: Trystan, 19, Connor, 16 and Jordyn, 8. Johnson currently calls Fort Smith home, however he is active through all of Sebastian county. He currently serves as the President of Focus on Greenwood;
Board member for Kiwanis of Fort Smith; Positive People of Fort Smith Administration member; Salvation Army Advisory Board; President of the Western Arkansas Veteran Coalition; Member of VFW 8245 (Hartford/Huntington); Board Member for the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of the Lavaca Chamber of Commerce.
He is an alumnus of Van Buren High School and attended Ottawa University in Kansas, on an Athletic Scholarship. Additionally, Johnson served 20 Years of military service as an Aircraft Electrician with the 188th Fighter Wing. Throughout that time Johnson served on two deployments to Afghanistan and one deployment to Iraq.
Johnson currently serves as Sebastian County Assessor. “I had worked in or around the Assessor’s office since the late 90’s,” added Johnson. “I’ve been blessed to work with many great elected officials. Whether they realize it or not, they have all influenced me and helped me to become the person I am today. When it became time to decide on running, I knew that my heart was called to serve others and that with the experience I’ve been blessed to gain over my time, this was the position where I could do the most good.”
Johnson has spent his lifetime in service to others. It’s been an honor and privilege to feature him in our Hometown Highlight!
If you would like to nominate someone you can contact us here.
“YESTERDAY, December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy”
Today we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor and the lives that were lost during the attack as well as those who sacrificed so much over the 4 years that followed to bring about a peace from the hells of war. The following is a transcript of President Roosevelt’s speech following the attack. The transcripts can be found in the US Library of Congress, US Archives, and the President Roosevelt Library.
President Donald Trump also Tweeted earlier today the following: “Today, we honor those who perished 77 years ago at Pearl Harbor, and we salute every veteran who served in World War II over the 4 years that followed that horrific attack.”
See President Trumps full statement at: http://45.wh.gov/AK2T95The President Requests War Declaration 125 ( “December 7, 1941 A Date Which Will Live in Infamy” Address to the Congress Asking That a State of War Be Declared Between the United States and Japan. December 8, 1941
“Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:
YESTERDAY, December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.”
The President Requests War Declaration
“Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong: Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.
As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces with the unbounding determination of our people we will gain the inevitable triumph so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire”
NOTE: Less than 24 hours after the receipt of the first news of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the President drove to the Capitol to deliver the foregoing message to a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The President spoke grimly for six and a half
Jr Tigers Give It All They’ve Got
By Megan Hecox
The Mansfield Jr High Tigers took on the Cedarville Pirates in last nights away game. Playing 7 games in a little over a week, you could tell that the Tigers were starting to get exhausted. The Lady Tigers lost 20-12 and the Tigers lost 36-25. Don’t fret just yet. The Jr High Tigers still have a lot of fight left in them. Taking tonight off, they will be back with a vengeance and ready to play on Saturday.
Boys Head Coach, Kent Elmore, explains the Tigers game against the Pirates. “In all aspects of the game, we were very sloppy. We have had 7 games in the last 9 days and you could really see the fatigue settle in last night. There is no excuse. As a Coach, I have to do a better job preparing our players for success. We will continue to work hard for our community.” Ethan Pettus was the top scorer for the boys’ team, bringing in 14 points.
Girls Head Coach, Erica McKay, says of her girls. “We played with a lot more effort against Cedarville but had some key aspects to the game that really cost us. We have to focus on our free throws, not giving up any offensive rebounds and not committing unnecessary fouls. Our post, Skylynn Harris and Alyson Edwards, had a big challenge ahead of them and they performed really well. Sadie Roberts had multiple offensive cuts and drives that scored almost half the points for the team. And guards Kynslee Ward and Olivia Bouse stepped up during key moments of the game offensively and defensively.”
The Jr Tigers will wrap up the Waldron Arvest Classic on Saturday, December 8th. The Lady Tigers will play Ozark at 130 pm and the Tigers will play Ozark following the girls.
Bulldogs To Host Toy Toss During Game
By Megan Hecox
The Waldron Bulldogs are lacing up their hightops and getting ready to take on the Dardanelle Sand Lizards. The Bulldogs will be hosting the Sand Lizards tonight with game time starting at 4 pm. Today’s game is going to be a jam-packed full of fun evening that you’re not going to want to miss.
A Chili Supper fundraiser will be held during the game with proceeds going to help the Jr class with Prom expenses. Along with the Chili Supper, the Bulldogs will be hosting a Toy Toss. The Toy Toss will be held during the Sr High Boys game after the Bulldogs make their first basket. The Bulldogs are asking that everyone please bring a stuffed animal to litter the court with. All stuffed animals collected will be given to local children for Christmas.
The (7-2) Bulldogs and the (1-6) Lady Bulldogs are excited about the events surrounding their game tonight and hope that everyone will come out to watch some great basketball, partake in a Toy Toss for a wonderful cause and enjoy a yummy Chili Dinner!
SCSO Sponsors “Cocoa with a Cop”
By Tammy Moore Teague
Saturday was a very busy day for Sebastian County Sheriff Kevin Nickson and the department’s deputies.
Nickson and several deputies from the department visited Christmas shoppers during “Cocoa with the Cops.” This event took place at Central Mall’s food court and allowed shoppers to take part in the Child ID fingerprinting while enjoying free cocoa and cookies.
Nickson is passionate about community service and has demonstrated a continued commitment to those whom he serves.
-See related story.
