Year in Review Looking back on 2016 Continued

Photo by Randy Moll This farmer was busy baling hay on the property of Thomas and Rochelle Ritz, just southwest of Gentry on Thursday as the rain drops began to fall. Heavy rains last week made it difficult for farmers to cut hay and get it dried and baled before more thunderstorms hit. This week promises to be better haying weather, according to weather forecasts. — Reprinted from the July 20, 2016, issue.
Photo by Randy Moll This farmer was busy baling hay on the property of Thomas and Rochelle Ritz, just southwest of Gentry on Thursday as the rain drops began to fall. Heavy rains last week made it difficult for farmers to cut hay and get it dried and baled before more thunderstorms hit. This week promises to be better haying weather, according to weather forecasts. — Reprinted from the July 20, 2016, issue.

— It is amazing sometimes to look back at the plethora of stories and news events covered in just a year's time in the Westside Eagle Observer. And, indeed, much happened over the past year in Eagle Observer territory. What follows are a few more of the highlights of the year now come to a close. The second six months of 2016 are covered below.

The July 6 issue of the Eagle Observer reported on the July 4 Freedom Festival in Gentry, saying: "Though it was still raining a bit in the morning, the sun came out in the afternoon, and so did the crowds, to Gentry's annual Freedom Festival in the city park. It was, perhaps, the biggest crowd to attend the Gentry festival in recent history ... Eli Whitaker and Paige Carter, both 4, won the Little Mister and Miss Gentry titles for 2016 ... By the time Kaitlin Carlson took the stage to entertain with her guitar and folk-style music, the crowd extended a good way across the park. It grew during the performance of Kaylin Cripps and her band, and finding a place to sit or stand was getting a little tough during the Barrett Baber concert ... All rose for the singing of the National Anthem and then the sky was filled with brilliant colors behind the large flag which flies near the center of the park. The display, sponsored by McKee Foods and set off by the Gentry Fire Department, was the largest ever and the crowd clapped and cheered at its close."

The July 13 issue reported the July 7 opening of Decatur Farmers' Market at the Farmers Coop True Value Store with a ribbon cutting.

In the July 20 issue, weather and hay baling took front page, saying: "While the rains last week made the grasses grow, cutting, drying and baling was a bit tough to fit in between the numerous thunderstorms and downpours."

Also reported was a pursuit which began in Noel, Mo., and ended near Sulphur Springs. "Deputies with the Benton County Sheriff's Office responded to an agency assist call on Beaty Road, just outside the city of Sulphur Springs, at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to a release from the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Officers from the Noel (Mo.) Police Department had initiated a traffic stop inside Noel city limits; but the vehicle was then driven away from officers, leading to a pursuit through McDonald County and into Benton County. During the pursuit, a Noel Police Department car was rammed by the vehicle, with subsequent shots fired by the officer in an attempt to disable the vehicle. All three occupants of the vehicle being pursued fled on foot after their vehicle became inoperable at the intersection of Beaty and Craig Road in Sulphur Springs. No injuries were reported to law enforcement personnel or to those fleeing from police, the release states."

A new policy on the use of prayers at public school events in Gentry was on the docket for the upcoming school board meeting. The July 27 issue reported: "To be considered on its first reading at the August School Board meeting as a policy change for the Gentry School District are a number of statements relating to prayer in public schools based upon guidance materials published by the U.S. Department of Education. After a first reading, the policy would be sent to the district's Personnel Policy Committee for review and brought back to the board for a second reading and vote at its September board meeting. If approved by the board, the proposed policy regarding prayer and any approved amendments becomes a part of the school district's official policy." The policy was approved and is now in effect.

It was announced in the August 3 issue that "Gentry High School will open on August 15 as Gentry High School Conversion Charter. As such, it will continue to offer high school courses approved by the Arkansas Department of Education and general education college courses through Northwest Arkansas Community College but will add expanded programs of study in a variety of vocational fields." Also reported in the same issue was the news that the new welding program at Gravette High School was selected to receive $12,000 from the United Way.

The August 10 issue reported on the opening of a new Harps Food Store in Gravette on Aug. 3. The new store opened in the building which once was home to a Walmart Express in the city.

The August 17 issue featured photos of area youth in the livestock competitions at the Benton County Fair. The junior livestock barn at the fair was filled with local youth and their animals.

The August 24 issue covered a special Gravette City Council meeting in which needed library repairs were discussed. The Gentry School District received word that it had been approved for state partnership funding for the building of a new intermediate school classroom facility and for repairs to the roof there.

A truck accident on Arkansas Highway 59 south of Gravette closed the highway according to reports in the August 31 issue. No serious injuries were reported but products were spilled on the roadway. Another accident in Gentry on Arkansas Highway 12 resulted in spilled chickens.

The September 7 issue reported on students painting parking spaces at Gentry High School, on a Liberty Bell Quilt donated by the Gravette Historical Museum and on the unusual events leading up to the appointment of a new mayor in Springtown.

The September 14 issue featured a story on a dog hero who helped rescue an elderly neighbor in Gravette. The issue also included a story and photos from the fall show of the Tired Iron of the Ozarks held at the club's showgrounds on September 9-11.

A new aquaponic system at Gentry High School was the lead story in the September 21 issue. Also pictured was a sinkhole which opened up behind Grumpy's coffee shop in Gravette.

Harps opened for business in Gentry at its newly-renovated store in September. "A large crowd was on hand Sept. 21 as Amber Parker, manager of the new store, cut the ribbon. She was accompanied by Harps' executives and associates, city officials, Gentry Chamber of Commerce members and local residents for the special event."

Also reported on September 28 were the results of the school election on Sept. 20. "Voters in the Gentry School District agreed to a 3.1-mill increase in their taxes ... with 250 voting for it (68 percent) and 118 voting against it (32 percent). The money will support a $9.5 million bond for an addition at the intermediate school, a career and technical education building, electrical upgrades at Gentry High School and at the vocational agriculture building, and lighting and sound upgrades in the auditorium, according to the district. Additional funding will come from money which will become available when an existing bond is retired in 2017.

Another truck rollover at the same corner of Arkansas Highway 12 in Gentry resulted in spilled packages of frozen poultry products on September 29, according to the October 5 issue. Pickin' Time on 59 began on October 6 in the Westside communities.

The October 12 issue reported that Lali Estrada was crowned homecoming queen in Gentry. Also reported were a Springtown fire which destroyed the shop building of former mayor Paul Lemke and the sudden and unexpected closing of the EZ Mart in Decatur.

A glow ride was held in Gentry, with bicyclists gathering in the park and then taking a ride around Gentry on the evening of October 15. Steve Womack visited the city to discuss politics and Chuck Skaggs was named Gravette's new police chief, according to the October 19 issue.

An EAST Initiative night out in Gentry was featured in the October 26 issue, as well as Gravette's HVAC program of study. Alex Krewson was crowned homecoming queen in Gravette at ceremonies on October 21.

The November 2 issue featured a historic house renovation in Gentry. The report said: "Work continues to restore an old house, located at 105 N. Rust Ave., in Gentry. It is currently up on blocks while foundation and utility work is completed. The W.D. and Kate McGaugh House in Gentry is one of the oldest houses in the city and is in the process of restoration. It was listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places in April and is destined to be the future home of the Gentry City Archives."

The November 9 issue featured Freda Wilmoth and the beginnings of the Wild Wilderness Safari near Gentry and announced that the Gravette Fire Department would be getting a 1997 ladder truck from a department in Canton, Conn. Also featured was the Gravette Chamber's fifth annual Renaissance Festival in Old Town Park on the previous weekend. In Decatur a Veterans Day Parade was held to honor those who have served in the U.S. Military. Decatur High School and other area high schools also honored veterans on November 11.

Gentry High School gathered stuffed toys for the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter in Highfill at its November 18 basketball game. When the Gentry girls hit their first two-pointer, the toys were tossed to the gym floor as a part of the drive. The November 23 issue also featured the work of Ozark Canine Academy in Decatur, where dogs are trained to be service dogs and good family pets.

The November 30 issue reported the resignation of Randy Barrett as Gentry superintendent of schools after the close of the current school year. Also reported was a new proposed fire station to cover properties west of Gentry on the north side of SWEPCO Lake.

And, last month, the Eagle Observer reprinted a story from the Gentry newspaper following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It also reported on two new fire trucks for the Decatur Fire Department and on underground movies shown in the Old Spanish Treasure Cave. Eden Hosteter was crowned homecoming queen for Gentry. Gravette's Christmas parade and celebration were featured in photos.

The December 14 issue reported on a rezoning ordinance which will make it possible for apartments to be built in Gentry to house Simmons employees being recruited from Puerto Rico and elsewhere. Photos were included of Santa visits and Christmas parades in Gentry and Decatur.

Elizabeth McKenzie was crowned homecoming queen at Gravette's basketball game on December 16. A new pavilion was built at Eagle Watch to give visitors a second location to watch eagles and other wildlife in the area preserved by SWEPCO's Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry. Pre-kindergarten students at Decatur Pre-K school took a magical ride to the North Pole aboard the "Polar Express" on Dec. 16 in the classroom of Joyce Turnage at the school in Decatur. Guiding the students through the movie created by actor Tom Hanks was Mike Eckels, conductor, and Joyce Turnage, engineer.

Last week's paper, the Dec. 28 issue, announced the retirement of David McNair as Gentry's public works director and featured photos and a story from the visit of the KCS Holiday Express train in Gravette on Dec. 13. Also featured was a review of the first half of 2016 in the pages of the Eagle Observer.

General News on 01/04/2017