“Southern Hospitality”

In this week’s Rollin’ Down The River feature I profile a recent kayak trip on the Chipola from the Highway 20 Bridge to Scott’s Ferry. Chris Matthews and I made this journey two weekends ago and as usual had talked several times during the week about the plans and details of the trip. One of my jobs was to bring Saturday night’s supper entrée. Now while I love to cook at the house, especially on the backporch grill, cooking on camp outs is usually stream line to the basics. So the Saturday night entrée was going to be hot dogs, the great American staple food for camp outs.
Well the hot dogs somehow got left in my refrigerator, along with the jelly for my peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, the other great great American staple food for camp outs. But Chris had a back up plan as we would be roughing it at a cabin at Scott’s Ferry and there is a little store at the Ferry. The store has frozen pizza that they can bake up right there. So it appeared our supper plans were in order.
After we had arrived at Scott’s Ferry and unloaded all our gear in the cabin we saw a large crowd gathering at the large pavilion. One of our sources leaked some information to us that there was going to be a fish fry taking place at the pavilion. As Chris and I made our way up to the store to pay for the cabin, we concocted a plan to use our social skills to see if we might garner an invite to the fish fry. When walking by the pavilion we spoke to the “chief fish fryer”. There was some small talk about us being on a kayak trip down the Chipola and he did not bat an eye before he uttered the magical words “Want y’all come eat some fish with us tonight,” he said. It turns out the family was gathering to celebrate the 65th birthday of “Nanna.”
If that was not good enough fortune, when we got back to the cabin we struck up a conversation with our neighbor. He had been frog giggin’ the night before and had down right nicely. When asked where he was from he replied from Cottondale. Of course we advised him we were from Marianna and started trading names to see who we all knew. It came out that his wife worked at Jackson Hospital, which is where Chris’s wife Debra works. Turns out that they actually work together in the same department at the hospital. Our neighbors, Gary and Robbie Finch, had also gotten an invite to the Birthday celebration.
So that night, instead of hot dogs or frozen pizza, we dine on fried mullet, fried scallops, french fires, hushpuppies and baked beans. I ate so much fish and scallops that I could not eat any of the 7 layer chocolate cake for desert. When it was all done we wished Nanna happy birthday and thanked the head chef. Simply Put, there is nothing like living in the south and that good ole Southern Hospitality.
From the front porch: Coach said laughter is the closet distance between two people.

“Strike It While the Iron is Hot”

The Times has been running a Yesteryear feature for the past three weeks dealing with Catgut Canyon. And this week’s Yesteryear is also on Catgut Canyon, so that is four weeks in a row about this mystical place in Marianna. In the 1 ½ years we’ve been doing our Yesteryear features, none have stretched into a four week run. And while some of our readers may have wished we’d moved on from the canyon by now, there have been a lot of readers that have expressed their enjoyment in recalling this former childhood playground.
So many folks, in fact, have called, e-mailed or talked to me that I felt we should run another story again this week. Clearly these articles have brought back a lot of fond memories. And I am proud that our paper could be a part in so many trips down memory lane.
It’s not a great secret that my job as Sports Editor at The Times is just one of three jobs that I hold down. I have a full time job, two part time jobs and a family. And to be honest there are days and times when all the work begins to pile up and I wonder if I can continue to juggle three jobs and a family.
But along comes a story like Catgut Canyon. Even though I have basically lived in Marianna most of my life, I had never even heard of this place until a month ago. But Al Padgett called with the idea and the rest as they say is history. So even though juggling this job at The Times can be tough, when I can be a part of something that brings so much enjoyment to our community, it reminds me why I do this job. Sure the extra money helps, but the main reason that I’ve continued to persevere is that it allows me the privilege and chance to bring enjoyment to the community in which I was born, raised and now live and raise my family. Thanks you to all those folks that have expressed their enjoyment to me.
If you’ve watched football you know that sometimes the offense runs an off tackle play for big yardage. So the offense runs the play again, then again and yet again, figuring we’ll run the play until the defense stops us. Well Catgut Canyon is kind of like that. Folks have been enjoying it so much that I just figured we’d keep running it until the readers stop us.
So this may be the last week or it may not. You, the readers, will decide. If anyone else has anymore Catgut Canyon stories, let me know. Simply Put, we’ll strike it while the iron (Catgut Canyon) is hot.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said the man who complains about the way the ball bounces is probably the one who dropped it.

“Great Job Marianna”

For the past two weeks the City of Marianna has played host to three different state baseball tournaments at the MERE Complex / Optimist Park. These tournaments include the Dixie Youth Ozone (11 & 12 year olds), Dixie Jr. Boys (13 year olds) and Dixie Boys (14 year olds) state tournaments. Over the course of the past two weeks a total of 36 teams, comprised of 12 players on each team, from all over the state have made their way to our little corner of the world.

The economic impact this has on our little corner of the world can not be understated. I recognize that not all 36 teams stayed in Marianna as 6 teams were from Jackson County and several others were within easy driving distance. I would say though that ¾ of the teams did stay for at least a portion or all of their respective 5 day tournament. That’s staying in hotels, eating at restaurants, buying gasoline, site seeing and of course making the mandatory shopping trips to Wal-Mart to get the things that they forgot to bring. And even the teams that drove in from out of the county spent some of their hard earned cash eating at our restaurants and buying gasoline.

Last year the City of Marianna played host to the Dixie Girls World Series and I wrote a column about how well the event was organized and run. So I know I’ve said some of this before, but folks the reason that we can have these types of events in our small town, and reap the economic benefits, is because of the hard work of many local folks.

Chief among the locals is the City of Marianna Recreation Department. Clay Wells is the City Recreation Director and in my book has and is doing an outstanding job. The MERE / Optimist Park, as well as the other city parks, look great. His two trusty assistants are Jeff Faircloth and Jehron Clemmons. There may be others that I don’t know, but I do know that these three guys deserve a lot of credit. When you see them out and about, give them a pat on the back.

But the other thing that makes these tournaments so successful is the countless numbers of volunteers that have spent nearly two full weeks helping run these tournaments. Keeping scorebooks, pitching logs, doing public address, taking up tickets, running the hospitality room and working the concession stands are just a few of the things that non-paid volunteers do to keep the wheels of the tournaments running smoothly.

So to Clay Wells, the gang at the City Recreation Department and all the volunteers that have worked so hard these past two weeks, Simply Put, job well done. Now go kick back and relax somewhere. You’ve earned it.

From the Front Porch: Uncle Bob said it is true that all men are born free and equal, but some of them get married.

“rollindowntheriver.blogspot.com”

As we’ve been running our Rollin’ Down The River feature again this summer I continue to get a lot of positive comments from our readers about how much this featured is enjoyed. When I got to the office the other day there was a message to call one of our readers who thoroughly enjoys this feature and wanted to talk about it with me. I’m honored that you folks enjoy reading this feature as much as I enjoy doing the feature.
As I talk with folks about Rollin’ Down The River I am often asked if there is anywhere that the feature has been consolidated or compiled into one publication. My goal is to eventually put a DVD and maybe even a book with all the information and pictures. But in the meantime there has not been a central place to access all the articles and pictures that have been compiled so far.
Well, thanks to Stephanie Parker, Editor at the Jackson County Times, that has changed. Stephanie has put all her talent and skills into building a Rollin’ Down The River site on the internet. I got my first glance at it this week and I’m so excited about what she has put together for our readers and for that matter, anyone else who has an interest in the Chipola River.
So how do you access this site on the internet? There are two simple routes. One way is to type in rollindowntheriver.blogspot.com. The second way is to go to the newspaper’s website, jacksoncountytimesonline.com, and go to the sports section. There you will see a link title Rollin’ Down The River. Just click on that link and you will be in business.
The site has all the articles that have been written as well as a selection of pictures associated with the articles. So for those that have been waiting, the site is up and running. I must confess, I don’t know much about blogging. But I plan to brush up on it and I hope that you folks will tour the site. Once you’ve toured the site, blog me (which I think means give me your comments, suggestions, request, etc). There is a place on the site to do that and I would really enjoy reading your comments.
We plan to keep the site updated and I’ve even talked to Stephanie about having some sound effects (such as rippling waters or maybe a little background music, bluegrass of course, to add to your viewing and listening pleasure). So, Simply Put, fire up your computer and go Rollin’ Down The River.

From the front porch: Coach said most lessons are caught rather than taught.

“A Trip To Remember”

Two weeks ago I embarked on a two night / two day Chipola River canoe and camping adventure. I had hooked up with Chris Matthews, who is an avid paddler and outdoorsman. He, like many of us, have a passion for spending time on the Ole Chipola. I had hooked up with Chris because I haven’t traveled on the Chipola River much south of Johnny Boy’s Landing. So he served as my tour guide, and did an excellent job.
The adventure began with a Friday night rendezvous at Chris’s river property at Turtle Bend. After unloading our canoes and gear we spent the evening watching the river roll by on his riverside dock. We shared some good fellowship with Mike Hale, Greg and Madison Lambe, who came down for a few hours. A grilled steak and baked potato where on the menu and they were mighty fine. After supper, and with a big day ahead of us, our visitors departed and it was lights out at 9 pm.
Rising early the next morning, we dine on deer sausage and bacon before shoving off on our journey. The day was first warm, and then hot. But the Ole Chipola’s cool waters were the perfect remedy for chasing away the heat. Lunch was had at Tater Hill and we then continued our long day of paddling. We paddled 18 miles that first day and made camp at Lamb Eddy boat landing. A gentle breeze blew up our way, running off most of the mosquitoes and making for a nice evening of tent camping along the riverbank. The only little hitch in the night came at about 2 am when the party crowd showed up at the boat landing. They weren’t too considerate of the tent campers with the loud music and all, but they finally left and we were able to get back to sleep.
The next morning we got a visit from Newell Cheesborough, who we had seen on the river the day before. Newell, a Marianna native, retired a couple of years ago from Birmingham and now lives down on the river near Lamb Eddy with his wife. We had an enjoyable visit with him and then it was back on the river. Seven miles later we made it to our take out point at the Highway 20 Bridge. Chris’s wife Debra met us and we loaded up the canoes and gear and headed home.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing about some of the sites we visited and explored. But I’ll tell you now that the Ole Chipola was absolutely beautiful. We canoed, swam, explored, camped and had some great fellowship all along the way. Simply Put, it was a trip to remember.

From the front porch: Coach said every problem is an opportunity in disguise.

“Reflections on Spring Creek”

We have a little jewel in our small corner of the world, and that little jewel is called Spring Creek. Featured in this week’s Rollin’ Down The River segment, there is no place around like Spring Creek. Similar to my recollections last week about the Mill Pond, I have an abundance of fond memories about Spring Creek. It has long been a favorite swimming and recreation spot for local folks. Sites like Turner’s Landing, with its shallow clear spring waters are an open invitation to come and cool off with your kids.

I can’t recall the first time that I went swimming in Spring Creek, I just know that I have been swimming in it most of my life. Like the Mill Pond, many a hot summer night during my teenage years concluded with a trip down to Turner’s Landing to cool off. Long before folks outside Jackson County discovered the creek, me and my buddies organized many a flotilla that made its way down the creek. In addition to floating down the creek, I recall numerous camp outs down where the creek meets up with the river.

Spring Creek is right at the top of my list for places that I enjoy fishing. I don’t claim to be a big time fisherman, or to be very good at it either. But spending a day wading the creek and catching stump knockers is just about as good as it gets with me.

So all these fond memories about this precious little jewel in our community makes what’s happening to the creek these days even more painful. Much has been written about the trashing of Spring Creek. As the popularity of floating down the creek spread to cities like Tallahassee, Dothan, Panama City, the traffic on the creek during the summer weekends has exploded. I don’t think I am overestimating when I would speculate that as many as 1,500 – 2,000 folks are floating down the creek on a normal weekend.

While I’d like to think that most of these folks don’t trash our little jewel, even if 25-30% do, you’re talking 250-300 people trashing the place up every weekend. I know law enforcement has made some efforts to police the put in points and the take out points. But they’re not making a dent in the amount of trash left on the creek and river.

I applaud our local government and tourist development council’s effort to promote eco-tourism of local attractions like Spring Creek. But we need those same groups, or some civic organization, to take the lead and formulate a comprehensive strategy to help keep our little jewel clean for current and future generations to enjoy. Simply Put, if we don’t there will come a day when there won’t be anything to promote and our little jewel will be lost for good.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said he is about to the point where listening to music is tougher than facing it.

"Reflections on the Mill Pond"

You’ve all heard the saying "The ole gray mare just ain’t what she used to be." This week’s Rollin’ Down The River feature is about Merritt’s Mill Pond and that saying could well be said about the Mill Pond. It just ain’t what it used to be.
When spending time on the Mill Pond now, with all the hydrilla and algae, I find myself sounding old and a little cynical when I think that it just isn’t as pretty as it used to be. I think back to the many fond memories I have about the ole gray mare. My family briefly owned a house on the Mill Pond and I recall first swimming there when I was five or six years old. In my teenage years we used to spend time out there swimming, fishing and just kickin’ around. On some nights, especially when the moon was full, we would head to the Mill Pond after summer football or basketball practices for a moonlight swim.
In 1978 my parents bought me a 14 foot aluminum Jon boat with a 9 horse Montgomery Ward motor for my high school graduation. It wasn’t anything fancy and I’m pretty sure the motor was older than I was. You could sneeze wrong and the motor would shear a pin. You had to take the top cover off the motor half the time to rewrap the cord to get it to crank. But it was mine and I was captain of the ship. Many a carefree day was spent in my late teens and early 20’s serving as captain of the ship on that boat at the Mill Pond.
I remember the day that I was cooling off in a tube by the boat. My then girlfriend and now wife commented that there was a big snake in a tree not far away. Being the outdoorsman that I am, I kicked back in the tube and told her it was no problem. She then screamed as the snake made its way towards our boat. After scrambling to get aboard, I realized the anchor line was tied to the front boat handle, which was right at the water line and right where the snake was headed. I fought off the snake with a paddle and finally managed to get the anchor pulled up and we motored away.
The memories are too numerous to print. But the older I get the more of them I seem to recall. And I am still making memories on the Mill Pond as it is still one of my favorite places to spend time. And I find that my sons are making there own memories on the Mill Pond as the cool clear waters beckon them as well to come and enjoy the Mill Pond. So while the ole gray mare just ain’t what she used to be, Simply Put, the Mill Pond is still a treasure to be enjoyed by all.
From the front porch: Coach said there are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.