Westside 2023 in Review, Part 2
WESTSIDE — Having come to the close of 2023, we take this time to look back at some of the leading stories that appeared in the Westside Eagle Observer over the last six months of 2023.
July 5
A public involvement meeting was held at the McKee Community Room in Gentry to share information and receive public comments on an Arkansas Department of Transportation proposal to improve the intersection at Highways 12 and 59 in Gentry. This project would widen the roadways and add lanes to improve traffic flow. The project is a partnership between the Department of Transportation and the city of Gentry, with Gentry providing $250,000 toward the project.
First Baptist Church in Highfill again sponsored a huge fireworks display on Sunday night, and Main Street and the city park were filled with area residents who came out to enjoy the celebration and watch the show. The evening celebration was called “Let Freedom Ring” and began at 6:30 p.m. and lasted until the fireworks display at about 9:30 p.m.
July 12
Each year, the Freedom Festival in Gentry seems to get bigger and better, and the event again brought thousands to Gentry City Park to celebrate the July 4th Independence Day holiday. The celebration began at noon when the national anthem was sung and Old Glory was raised by American Legion Post 159 members in Gentry. Once again, children hammered in nails and built toolboxes and birdhouses in a Kid’s Carpentry Shop, sponsored by Meeks Lumber and Hardware. Children’s faces were painted, and many enjoyed the inflatable rides and camel rides offered throughout the afternoon.
July 19
At Decatur’s rescheduled council meeting on Thursday, council members discussed the positive impacts school resource officers have had in the past years and how the program has caused a ripple effect that expands outside of the schools. The council members voted to keep SROs in school for the upcoming school year.
Three Gravette police officers were honored at the July 11 meeting of the Gravette City Council Committee of the Whole. Police chief Chuck Skaggs presented a department lifesaving medal to Detective Travis Grant, who was responsible for extracting a person during a structure fire near his home. Meritorious service medals and plaques were presented to Officer Braxton Handle and Officer Curtis Mullen, who administered lifesaving CPR to individuals in two separate incidents.
July 26
The July Third Thursday, sponsored by the Greater Gravette Chamber of Commerce, had a patriotic theme. Several visitors to the event, held July 20 on Gravette Main Street, were seen wearing red, white and blue hats and clothing. Advertising signs also displayed patriotic colors. Two blocks of Main Street were blocked off to allow visitors to access the vendor booths without interfering with traffic. Vendor booths were set up along both sides of the street, offering various merchandise, including fresh flower bouquets, nuts, clothing and accessories, insulated cups, and many other gift items.
August 2
The Legacy Leavey 12u softball team repeated its 2022 success and won the 2023 United States Specialty Sports Association national championship again this year during play July 12-16 in Des Moines, Iowa. The team finished the Iowa tournament 9-0, scored 90 runs and allowed only 19 hits.
August 9
Powerlifters at Gentry High School received their 2023 championship rings on Aug. 1. Lifters receiving their rings and letterman jacket patches included Tucker Hodges, Jared James, Dyllen Labitad, Brian Lopez, Kydon Lynch, Dylan McReynolds, Houston Nance, Dalton Richardson, Isaac Stell, and Addi Taylor. The powerlifting team at Gentry High School competed in the 39th annual NASA High School National Powerlifting Championship meet in Oklahoma City, Okla., on April 15-16, and captured the team’s sixth national championship by winning nine out of 15 divisions to take the overall championship.
August 16
The ribbon was cut Thursday on a new office space at 220 E. Main Street in Gentry for the Western Benton County Partnership, a 501(c)3 organization seeking to create, promote and foster “growth and economic prosperity for the area’s communities,” according to its mission statement.
Gravette and area residents gathered Saturday, Aug. 12, to celebrate the town’s 130th birthday. The 2023 Gravette Day theme was “Growing and Learning since 1893,” and folks from miles around have learned that on the second Saturday of August, Gravette is the place to be to celebrate this popular annual event.
August 23
Members of the Maysville Extension Homemakers Club hosted a celebration Sunday afternoon, Aug. 20, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Maysville school building. The celebration was held in the building that was once the schoolhouse.
August 30
Teachers and staff members of the year were publicly honored and presented plaques at the beginning of Gentry School Board’s regular August meeting on Monday, Aug. 21. Those honored included Mary Jech for her 34 years of service in the Gentry School District; Karen Williams, district teacher of the year and intermediate school teacher of the year; Tonya Sweeten, middle school teacher of the year; Jennifer Ellis-Lundstrom, primary school teacher of the year; Andrew White, high school teacher of the year; and Kaley Nelson, classified employee of the year.
After deliberating, the city of Decatur decided on Monday, Aug. 14, to increase the wages of various government employees to combat the rising cost of inflation and supply its workers with competitive wages against neighboring towns.
September 6
The city’s 69th Decatur Barbecue Festival brought residents and neighbors to Veterans Park on Saturday, Sept. 2, to celebrate the town’s history and bring the community together. Visitors were treated to a full schedule of events which included activities, arts and craft vendors, food vendors, the 19th annual car show, a chicken cook-off, a cornhole tournament, Tiny Tots Pageant, Miss Decatur Pageant, the parade, raffles, live music, and a fireworks display.
September 13
Police officers, firefighters and city employees in Gentry have lost an excuse not to work out and stay in peak condition because they now have their own gym and exercise equipment on Gentry’s Main Street. What began as the brainchild of the police and fire departments grew into a full-fledged gym for city employees, located in the city building that once housed the library and then the court clerk’s office.
Birthday balloons and other festive decorations greeted visitors to the Sulphur Springs Public Library on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 9, as they arrived for the library’s first birthday celebration.
September 20
Members of the Gravette and Maysville fire departments and officers from the Gravette police department gathered in the parking lot at the Harp’s grocery store in Gravette Monday morning, Sept. 11, for their annual 9/11 memorial observance. This is the fifth year the ceremony has been held to honor the memory of those firefighters and first responders who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
A car show was held Saturday, Sept. 16, in the parking lot at Gravette’s Lion Stadium. Ninety-one vehicles were entered, and trophies were given in several categories. Proceeds will benefit the Gravette Bright Futures organization and the automotive service program at Gravette’s Western Benton County Career Center.
September 27
Gravette High School’s girls’ golf team, coached by Bryan Bearden, took the district championship on Sept. 19 and plays this week in the state tournament at Cherokee Village. Teagen Muldoon won first place overall in the girls’ division. Bearden was named the 2023-2024 4A-1 Girls Golf Coach of the Year. The Gravette boys’ team took third in the district tournament. Drake Madison and Hale Stamps qualified as Individuals to compete at the state tournament in Jonesboro next week.
October 4
The First Christian Church in Gravette opened its doors for a second time on Sunday, Sept. 24, as its members held an afternoon celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of their church. Congregation members, former members and many visitors gathered to help celebrate the church and its rich history. A banner had been posted in front of the church for several days, inviting all who passed by to come share in the celebration.
Homecoming was celebrated in Gentry on Friday, and Gentry High School senior Kinzie Hill was crowned homecoming queen at special ceremonies on Friday night in Pioneer Stadium. Football captains were seniors Dillon Owners and Addi Taylor.
October 11
About 25 ladies gathered in the dining room at the First Christian Church in Gravette on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 8, for a Mad Hatters Tea Party. The guests enjoyed tea and snacks as they worked creating hats for children who are patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
More than a hundred spectators at Eagle Watch Nature Trail in Gentry witnessed a spectacular event on Sept. 24 as a rehabilitated bald eagle soared back into the wild. SWEPCO and Northsong Bird Rehabilitation joined hands to orchestrate this remarkable release at Eagle Watch Nature Trail, a nature preserve open to the public at the picturesque SWEPCO Lake in Gentry.
October 18
Ella Moorman, a senior at Gravette High School, was crowned homecoming queen at ceremonies in Lion Stadium on Friday night. Ella is the daughter of Tracy and Jennifer Moorman. She was escorted by Cameron Bedwell and Eric Vogt. Other queen candidates were seniors Keeley Elsea and Allie Hunter.
The city of Highfill is suing Northwest Arkansas National Airport to stop the airport from leaving the city. Airport officials voted last month to begin de-annexing from Highfill. Earlier this year, the Arkansas Legislature passed a law allowing the airport to de-annex by a two-thirds vote of the airport authority board. The law permits regional airport authorities to detach from a city without being annexed into another city. The airport has about 2,600 acres, and all but about 35 acres of that are within Highfill.
Members of the Hiwasse community welcomed visitors from throughout the area for their annual fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 14.
October 25
It was two months in the planning, but the week-long celebration’s success rivaled that of the recent Decatur Barbecue. The community flocked to the first Multicultural Day Celebration at Decatur’s middle and high school campuses on Friday night. The celebration began on Oct. 16 with students from both campuses donning native dress and headgear and wrapping themselves in multinational flags. All these preparations culminated in the Friday celebration.
November 1
Terrie DePaola, superintendent of Gentry Public Schools, tendered her resignation on Monday, effective at the close of the current school year, and the school board accepted it. Following an executive session to discuss personnel matters, the board approved a list of personnel changes, including the resignation of DePaola at the close of the current school year, which will be June 30, 2024. No reason was given in the open session, but DePaola told the Eagle Observer after the meeting that it was for healthrelated reasons.
More than $13,000 was collected at a fundraiser held Saturday night, Oct. 28, at the Maysville Community Building. The event, hosted by members of the Maysville Extension Homemakers Club, was held to raise money for repairing the roof of the gymnasium at the building, which was once the old Maysville school. Despite the rainy night, a good crowd turned out to bid on homemade pies and cakes donated by area bakers.
The Gentry Youth Organization has a team of young super kickers who delight in the opportunity to participate in the GYO sports program and get out on the soccer field and kick the ball into the goal. The Super Kickers team practices on Sundays. Melissia Cartright, a lover of kids and sports, brought the idea of a special needs soccer team to the Gentry Youth Organization in the fall of 2022. According to Melody Thompson, president of the GYO, Melissia thought all kids should have the opportunity to play a sport, Thompson said.
November 8
The Arkansas Department of Education gives each school a letter grade to help parents understand a school’s strengths and weaknesses and make better-informed decisions regarding their children’s education. Overall, schools in the coverage area of the Westside Eagle Observer are averaging a “C” grade, though two schools in Decatur received a “D” grade, and one school in Gravette received an “A.” The results are based on test results and statistics from the previous year. All of Gravette’s schools received a letter grade of “C” in the most recent ADE report card, with the exception of Gravette Middle School, which received a grade of “A.” All four campuses in the Gentry School District were given a grade of “C” on their ADE report card this year. According to information shared with the Gentry School Board, the primary school shares the grade of the intermediate school. In the Decatur School district, the primary and middle schools received a grade of “D” on their ADE report card, with the high school receiving a grade of “C.”
The Gravette Upper Elementary School, at 500 Eighth Avenue S.E., welcomed a newcomer to the school faculty. Finn, the school’s new labradoodle therapy dog, has become a part of the school. According to Cory Briggs, fourth-grade math and science teacher, Finn has been having a positive effect on the school’s students. The school obtained Finn through the DEB Project.
November 15
The beginning of a new project to more efficiently provide electricity to Gentry and the surrounding area was celebrated on Tuesday, Nov. 7, with a groundbreaking event at 21475 Gann Road on the northwest side of Gentry. After speeches from engineers and project managers from Liberty Utilities and local dignitaries, the ground was broken on a new substation to serve businesses and homes in Gentry and the surrounding area.
The Lions won their first-round playoff game Friday night in commanding fashion, defeating the visiting Stuttgart Ricebirds, 55-10. Led by scoring from Gabe Holmes, Kyler Austin and Kayden Brown, the Lions were able to swing momentum their way and advance to the second round of the Class 4A state football playoffs.
November 22
The ribbon was cut Friday at a working art studio and gallery at 229 E. Main Street in Gentry. Lori Weeks Art and the Natural State Gallery were officially welcomed to Gentry’s Main Street at a ribbon cutting sponsored by the Gentry Chamber of Commerce.
The school board in Gentry, at its Nov. 13 meeting, approved a project that will include major upgrades to Pioneer Stadium, including a new track and a turf football field. The football stadium improvements are projected to cost $3,965,153, with an estimated completion time, from start to finish, of six months, according to information provided to the board by Flintco, project manager for the work. The project is expected to begin at the beginning of the new year, with the work to be finished before the start of the 2024 football season.
November 29
Representatives of Habitat for Humanity of Benton County and Build with Strength gathered in Gravette Friday, Nov. 17, to kick off a building project for a Habitat home using insulated concrete forms (ICFs), a sustainable, noncombustible concrete building system that will reduce upfront expenses and on-site construction time while maximizing the structure’s durability and energy performance. The dwelling, located at 1185 Dallas Street S.W., will be the home of single mother Jennifer Peralta and her three children, Bella, 18; Marco, 17; and Olivia, 12.
December 6
The city of Gravette hosted its annual Christmas parade and celebration Saturday evening, Dec. 2. The theme of this year’s parade was “Winter Wonderland,” and several groups entered floats in keeping with the theme, turning downtown Gravette into a real winter wonderland. Scattered showers brought several raindrops off and on throughout the day but, fortunately, they stopped falling shortly before parade time at 4:30.
The 4A junior high and the varsity teams took first-place awards in the cheer competition at Gentry High School on Nov. 29. This was the junior high team’s last time on the floor for the season because five freshmen were moved up to the varsity team to compete after their junior high performance.
December 13
While it may have appeared to neighbors as if a significant arrest was about to be made, the police in Gentry gathered on Comanche Drive in Gentry Friday afternoon for a different reason: to welcome home a young Gentry resident who underwent lifesaving surgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock to remove a kidney and cancerous tumor. When 6-year-old Asher Foreman arrived home with his parents, Tommy and Leslee Foreman, on Friday, he was greeted by police cars, flashing lights and sirens to put a smile on his face. And smile he did when his father lifted him from the car and showed him the police cars and officers who arrived on the scene to welcome him home.
On Saturday night, Main Street in Gentry was lined with spectators who had come out to enjoy the annual Gentry Christmas Parade, and the parade did not disappoint, as floats, vehicles, horses, emergency vehicles, and more passed by for 45 minutes celebrating the parade theme, “Sleigh Bells Ring.”
December 20
Visitors came from throughout the area to enjoy Gravette’s Hometown Christmas celebration on Saturday evening, Dec. 16, sponsored by the Greater Gravette Chamber of Commerce and the Furlow family. There were lots of activities and plenty of shopping opportunities, offering fun for both young and old.
December 27
Students at Gravette Middle School started a new club this year. They chose the name Kids 4 Kids for the club since their aim is to help others in creative ways. These seventh-grade students decided to focus on helping Ronald McDonald House Charities as their first project. They have been collecting aluminum pop tabs and making “tie” blankets since September to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Arkansas.
The Lions and Lady Lions added to their win columns during play against Huntsville on Dec. 19 and Shiloh Christian on Dec. 15. Following the Huntsville games, the Lady Lions were 10-3 overall, and the Lions were 6-3 for the season.