Article by: Kimberly Boyd
Lots of smiles and shouts of joy rang through the air at Mansfield Elementary School yesterday, October 1st, when Angel Mounts was surprised with her wish from Make-A-Wish Mid-South. Students, teachers, family and friends gathered on the playground to make it all happen. With the help of others through donations, Make-A- Wish Foundation is able to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Mansfield third-grade teacher, Mrs. Spicer, encouraged Lawanda Mounts to refer Angel for a wish grant. When asked what type of wish Angel would want, Angel’s family knew she would simply just want to be able to play with her friends on the playground at her school. Make-A-Wish typically grants trips for most children’s wishes; however, Angel’s mother, Lawanda, said, “We asked them to consider something she would use much more with her peers.”
Make-A-Wish Mid-South grants a wish every 32 hours to a child diagnosed with a critical illness. There are four steps in making that wish happen. First, a referral must be made by a medical professional, parents, or children themselves. Next, a medical eligibility must be determined with the help of the treating physician. Then, one of the team members from Make-A-Wish travels to meet the child and find out what his or her one true wish would possibly be. Lastly, the wish granters schedule and plan the moment to make the wish come true. They work hard at creating a memorable experience for each child.
For Angel Mounts’ wish, Arkansas’ FBLA District 1 Senior Level Division sponsored the wish grant. They gave funds from their fundraisers from their annual projects to be able to purchase the swing for Angel. Radio station, KTCS 99.9 and DJs DC & Lil P, went live on Facebook, and the FBLA District 1 Seniors at the Senior High Fall Conference at the Fort Smith Convention Center were able to watch as Angel received her wish.
Angel Mounts was all smiles as her Mom and Dad gave her that first initial push in the swing. She loved it. Thanks to Make-A-Wish Mid-South and the FBLA District 1 Senior Level Division of Arkansas, Angel Mounts can now swing at recess just like the rest of her classmates!
Photos Courtesy of Mel Ecklehoff, 99.9 KTCS
A Wish Is Granted
Tigers Support Make A Wish
By Raine Hecox
At the first High School Game against Waldron, FBLA Middle School teamed up with Tiger Cheer to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation.
During half time, the Mansfield Cheerleaders carried buckets around and the fans donated $172.65. Megean Newman (left) and Alayna Turner (right) are shown above holding the buckets that they used to raise money.
Thank You to the people who donated for this wonderful cause and Thank You to the cheerleaders along with everyone else who helped.
Friends of the Sebastian County Public Library Host Halloween Door Prize Event
By Tammy Moore Teague
Fall is here, and so are the Halloween Door Prizes sponsored by Friends of the Sebastian County Public Library. Each branch has a family prize and also a kid’s prize. Go visit your local branch in order to get registered!
The drawing for the winners will be held the week of October 22. Here is a list of locations within our coverage area:
-Greenwood – 18 N. Adair Greenwood, AR 72936
-Hartford Branch Library- 22 Broadway Hartford, AR 72938
-Mansfield Branch Library/ Sebastian County Library – 220 North Sebascott Avenue, Mansfield 72944
-Lavaca – 100 South Davis Lavaca, AR 72941
Friends of the Sebastian County Public Library Host Halloween Door Prize Event
By Tammy Moore Teague
Fall is here, and so are the Halloween Door Prizes sponsored by Friends of the Sebastian County Public Library. Each branch has a family prize and also a kid’s prize. Go visit your local branch in order to get registered!
The drawing for the winners will be held the week of October 22. Here is a list of locations within our coverage area:
-Greenwood – 18 N. Adair Greenwood, AR 72936
-Hartford Branch Library- 22 Broadway Hartford, AR 72938
-Mansfield Branch Library/ Sebastian County Library – 220 North Sebascott Avenue, Mansfield 72944
-Lavaca – 100 South Davis Lavaca, AR 72941
Hackett Hunter Arrows Arkansas Black Bear
Hackett Senior, Brady Hester scores with his Balck Bear archery season harvest this past weekend in Zone 2.
Hester knew he was in a good area when he found plentiful bear sign deep in the woods on an acorn flat. “I seen the sign, and hung a stand” stated Hester.
After hunting for about a week, Hester didn’t have an exact time to hunt specifically. It was more of a specific window of time. But, being a wild animal, and a black bear, nothing is certain. “I got in the stand around 11:45am and the bear came in around 3:45pm. After the shot, the bear went straight down a steep hill” added Hester.
Hunter Post accompanied Hester on the hunt.
Learn more on Arkansas hunting regulations, season dates, and real-time harvest data at AGFC.com
Grant Money Provides MVFD with New Gear
By Tammy Moore Teague
On Sunday evening, the volunteer crew of Mansfield’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department suited up for the first time in crisp, clean new gear. That gear was a recent purchase, paid for by a matching grant obtained by the city.
In total, the department received nearly $20k worth of new turnout gear. “Each fireman has $2,442 worth of new turnout gear,” stated Fire Chief Stephen Haysmer. Gear packages will include a “Darley Armor AP Gear Coat and Pant, Interceptor Hood, Ripstop 3XL Turnout Gear Bag, Pro-Tech 8 Fusion Gloves, Fire-Dex Footwear and EV1 Traditional Helmet.”
The grant providing the new turnout gear will help keep the department modernized and up-to-date with quality protective suits.
Busy Lavaca Sports Week
It’s going to be a big and busy week for Golden Arrow sports. We want to wish all of our Arrows good luck. The Volleyball teams will finish up their District schedule and be competing for the number one seed this week, Tatum Rhinehart will represent Lavaca golf in the State tournament, the Cross Country Team will be running in the Greenwood Invitational, and Lavaca Football will take on Western Yell County in a District match up. Come out and support these Arrow athletes.
October 1 Volleyball at Booneville 7th, JR B, JR A, SR A 4:00 pm
October 2 Volleyball at Hackett 7th, JR B, JR A, SR A 4:00 pm
October 4
Golf State Tournament (Tatum Rhinehart) at Burns Park in North Little Rock
Cross Country at Greenwood Invitational
Volleyball versus Decatur at home JR A, SR A 4:30 pm
JR High Football versus Western Yell County at home (7th grade at 5:30 pm, JR high at 7:00 pm)
October 5 SR High Football at Western Yell County 7:00 pm
October 6 Volleyball At Paris Invitational SR A
As Aways,
Go Arrows!
Arrow Pride!
Rookie Runs 6000m in Kansas
Above, 2018 Mansfield graduate Megan Rose stands (2nd from right) with her fellow Southeastern Oklahoma State freshmen.
In her first race at 6000m, Southeastern Oklahoma State freshman Megan Rose moved up in team rankings once again. Through the first three races at her new school, the former Mansfield cross country runner has steadily climbed the pecking order of her college team.
At North Texas a few weeks ago, the rookie distance runner was fifth on her scoring team. A week later she moved to fourth on her squad at the Chile Pepper in Fayetteville. This past weekend in Lawrence, Kansas Rose moved to the third place Savage Storm finisher in the KU hosted Rim Rock Farm Classic.
The distance at Rim Rock was 6000m. Rose has been running a 5000m distance for her entire high school career and the first two meets of her newborn college career.
“”It was nice going into a race with no exact expectation for my time,” spoke Rose via a text message. “I’m really happy with my team.”
Rose took the KU course in 24:50.3. That landed her in 74th place overall among nearly 150 competitors.
Tigers Host 29 Teams at Cross Country Run
Mansfield hosted over 700 athletes for the Mansfield Invitational Cross Country on September 29. Pictured above, is the start of the Junior girls race.
Mansfield had a busy week of sports. With home volleyball, homecoming football, and host cross country duties, it was a full schedule of activity this past seven day stretch for the Tigers.
On Saturday morning, September 29, the Tigers welcomed 29 registered teams and 728 registered athletes to the 15th annual Mansfield Invitational.
“We are used to big events around here,” said meet director John Mackey. “This was just a fun way to end a busy week of Tiger athletics.”
Mansfield’s younger teams made the most noise during the four race schedule. Both the junior high girls and boys teams finished in second place in the small school divisional matchup.
The Tiger senior high girls also earned a second place team award but were denied individual medal status among the large field of competitors.
Faith Rainwater, Shelby Cole, Ethan Chapman, Steven Perez, and Mikeal Harrison all made the medal stand within their junior high grouping.
Rainwater was fourth in the 1A-3A girls race. Her time was 13:07.53 for the 3K distance.
Cole was tenth. She moved up in the Tiger ranks landing as the team’s number two scorer. Her finish was 13:56.33.
Chapman stood on top of the award boxes as the number three runner in the 1A-3A junior boys 3K event. Perez was seventh while Mikeal Harrison was ninth.
Chapman clocked in a 10:58.95 along the 3k junior course. Perez came across at 11:32.43. Harrison closed strong at 11:47.43.
West Fork, a new league foe because of this year’s reclassification, won both championship trophies in the junior high ranks.
Alyssa Berry was Mansfield’s top scorer in the senior women’s race. She was 18th among the small school 5K racers. Her time was 26:40.5.
Jessie George, also of Mansfield, produced a 20th place crossing. Her time dropped to a season best 27:41.66.
Artem Zirka, an Ukrainian exchange student, was the Tiger men’s best finisher. He was 14th overall in the lower division with a 21:44.59 measurement.
Tiger teammate Renden Emery was 25th. His timed slowed a bit from last week as he posted a mark of 24:03.62.
Mansfield junior girls completed their scoring with strong production from Olivia Bouse, Harleigh Mars, and McKenzie Griffin. Jadelynn Wood and Hope Rainwater served as first blockers.
The Tiger junior boys scored with John Branche and Tommy Phang rounding out their top five. Ashton Hinkle was the only blocker.
Addison Goetz ran her season best for the Lady Tiger women. The junior class runner produced a 29:19.13 mark to finish as the third ranked runner for the MHS senior high squad.
Josefin Lofving and Anina Ruetter rounded out the Lady Tiger senior high score. Janna Coplin was the lone blocker.
Collectively Mansfield earned 36 points for a runner-up plaque in the senior girls race. Lavaca took the team championship with 19 points.
Bentonville West won the senior high girls and boys races in the class 4A-6A division. Greenwood won the big school junior high races for both gender groups.
Mansfield’s other runners in competition at the event included Alyssa James, Raine Hecox, Darby Jones, Heidi Ebarb, Lita Hecox, Eden Mounts, and Lauren Poston.
Recycling Fort Chaffee Ammo Boxes, Building Houses!
By Jack James
If you haven’t noticed already, there are quite a few houses in the towns along Highway 22 that are small structures, or were before people began to build on. There’s a reason for that: ammunition boxes!
After World War II in the 1950s, Fort Chaffee was left with a tremendous amount of wooden ammunition boxes. So many, in fact, that the Army began to give them away. Enterprising Lavacians such as Guy Britian, Blant Rambo and Todd Sosebee began bringing them home by truckloads, breaking them down and built houses around Lavaca and Central with the lumber. Barling, Bloomer and Charleston have similar structures as well.
The boards were 33 inches long so they made the walls and the roofs with 2x4s being 33 inches apart instead of the standard 24 inches. Perry Johnson built himself a garage with them. Jake Patterson took the lids from the boxes and used them as a way to haul berries. Those were shipped across the United States.
These two room houses went up quickly and were rented or sold to families. Some still exist around town, most with additional rooms added as families grew. The area is full of resourceful people, who were recycling before recycling was cool!