Thumbs column
It is hard to believe that the 11th month of the calendar year has arrived in the resort city, but the signs tell us it is certainly so.
November brings us brisk temperatures, inviting late fall décors, inviting social activities, and a host of seasonal things to see and do.
Let’s start off the month of Thanksgiving with a “Thumbs-up” and a grateful heart for the opportunities to serve others and with a salute to the discerning leaders of the area’s nonprofit organizations.
These men and women and their virtual army of dedicated volunteers are the real “difference-makers” here. How very different our community would be without them.
By the same token, here is a “Thumbsup” and a personal word of “Thanks” to the two ladies who last week made my going in and out of the Dollar Tree (next to the Kroger Store on Airport Road) a most congenial experience.
One held the door as I entered the store and the other did likewise as I exited and both smiled in so doing — not often the case in this day and age when so many people seem to be in such a hurry that they haven’t time for the little courtesies of life.
We also send out our congratulations and a definite “Thumbs-up” to the three local projects that will receive formal recognition from Preserve Arkansas at its 2017 Arkansas Preservation Awards banquet in Little Rock in January.
Preserve Arkansas will honor The Waters Hotel, once the vacant Thompson Building at 340 Central Ave., with the Excellence in Preservation Through Rehabilitation Award for a commercial structure; The Excellence in Personal Projects Award for a commercial structure will honor the restoration of a vacant building at 236 Ouachita Ave. Its owners, Zac Smith and Cheryl Roorda, are transforming the site into the SQZBX Brewery and Pizza; and the Outstanding Service in Neighborhood Preservation Award will honor the Historic Park Avenue Walking Tour, organized for the past three years by the Park Avenue Community Association or PACA.
Meanwhile, here’s a hearty cheer and a “Thumbsup” to Jessieville senior Noah Eskew, who was recently named a state winner in the Wendy’s High School Heisman program.
Eskew, the son of Cory and Tami Eskew, is a standout track and cross-country runner who now will receive at least a $1,000 scholarship and advances to the national level where he could receive $10,000 in educational assistance. The High School Heisman program selects 10 male finalists and 10 female finalists per state on the basis of community service, treating others with respect, continuing their education and excelling in sports. Best wishes, Noah.
And, finally, a “Thumbs-up” to Hot Springs resident Chris Covington for his Oct. 24 letter to the editor expressing his dismay about seeing pets “bundled in their owners’ arms” in the produce sections of local grocery stores “where food is in the open air, exposed.”
We all recognize the legitimate need for service animals in retail stores, restaurants, etc., but as Covington noted in his letter, “dogs, long or short hair, carry a number of things (mange, ticks, lice, etc.) that I don’t want the possibility of transferring to food I am purchasing.”
This is a sensitive subject and Covington wrote that the employees he queried explained it is their policy not to say anything to the pet owners.
The Thumbs Column appears in The Sentinel-Record the first and third Wednesday of each month. The newspaper welcomes readers’ comments and suggestions, which should be submitted with a name, telephone number and home address, for verification and contact purposes. This information is kept confidential.