Pulse - July, August, September 2020 by enterprisejournal

22 Vacation Bible School

ogity o B y t i g o o B peedway S y t y t i n g u o o o C B rns to Pike Racing retu

In this issue: • 2020 Seniors Reflections from a crazy final semester In Step With

• Distance learning Coronavirus brings virtual learning

Social distancing, hand santizer new protocol at VBS.

• Hidden Springs

Dr. Valerie Turner

Ranch/Resort is truly a hidden treasure

• Pulse Points Vines 2.0 opens in McComb

On the cover: After a hiatus of eight years racing once again returns to the Pike County Speedway. Cover photo by Matt Williamson

Staff From the Publisher

or almost all of us, 2020 has been the most unsettling year of our lives. The coronavirus and resulting economic shutdown upended many “normal” activities, and this edition covers some of the unusual situations that arose. Schools closed, and students and teachers adapted to “distance learning” by computer connection. High school and college seniors finished their education like no other class

has, including commencement ceremonies which each student and family basically attended one at a time. The good news is that a lot of people got creative, arranging parades and other keep-a-distance celebrations for birthdays, graduations and many other events. One day things will be normal. But there’s no need to wait till then to tell these stories.

Publisher - Jack Ryan Editor - Matt Williamson Advertising Manager - Vicky Deere Advertising sales-

Stacy Godwin, LeWair Foreman, Steven Sawyer, Christy Thornton & Margie Williams.

pulse is a publication of J.O. Emmerich & Associates Inc. and is produced in association with the Enterprise-Journal, 112 Oliver Emmerich Dr., McComb, Mississippi. For more copies or advertising information, call 601-6842421, write P.O. Box 2009, McComb, MS 39649 or e-mail advertising@enterprise-journal.com.

Volume 13, Issue 1

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Distancing learning

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Senior Class of 2020 has unusual end of year 2020 Summer Issue

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Graduating class of 2020 By Travis Conne lley

MHS student Delkevion Bonds lifts tassel to signify that he is now a graduate.

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To call the 2019-20 school year unusual would be an understatement, and this is especially true for graduating high school seniors. Senior years are supposed to be full of activities to create a multitude of memories as young men and women prepare to take the next step in readying themselves for their future. And while the coronavirus pandemic affected students all across the country, it dealt an even bigger blow to the Class of 2020 as many looked forward to their final year of high school. “It really did start out great, and it was super-exciting” recent Parklane graduate Alli Robinson said of her last year of high school. “But then it was cut short and I was upset because I didn’t get to experience all of it. It felt unfair.” Robinson was one of many who were frustrated due to the changes. One of the main ones was how the kids learned. Schooling was done via online lessons instead of in a classroom with a teacher present, and that was something Robinson said took some getting used to. Robinson, the daughter of Amelia Aguilar and Jeremy and Courtney Robinson, all of McComb, is majoring in nursing and has already begun summer classes at Southwest Mississippi Community College. “I’m taking classes on campus right now. I’m taking anatomy and physiology,” she said. “The reason I took summer classes is because they were going to be offered on campus. I didn’t want it to be like my (high school) spring semester where everything was closed down again and I have to take A and P online. I can’t learn online. You can’t learn anything from that. You have to teach yourself and I am not a good teacher.” She is one of four students enrolled in her anatomy and physiology class, all of whom are required to wear a face mask in class. “We are all spaced out about eight feet and we have to wear masks

when we get to our seats,” she said. “But we can take them off afterward if we want.” In addition to studying nursing, Robinson was also recently became a cheerleader at SMCC. She said the audition process was unique because she had to record a video of herself rather than performing a routine in person. “It was really tough because I didn’t know anyone else trying out except for one other girl from Parklane that did it,” she said. “I talked to her about it. We didn’t know what to do so we went online and did what we were supposed to do and we sent in a video. “It was awkward because you basically had to go out in your yard and hope that the neighbors don’t look at you weird because you are chanting ‘Go Bears.’ It was hard because you don’t have anyone to practice with because we were still on lockdown. Basically, I had my mom help me and she hasn’t cheered since she was in high school.” In addition to cheerleading, Robinson was also a member of Parklane’s softball team, which won state titles the past two seasons. She is thankful to get her season in during the fall but is upset knowing that many athletes

North Pike graduates await their turn to receive diplomas in outside ceremony.

“During spring break time everybody was doing great and we get that word when everyone is getting ready to go back to school,” he said. “We get the word that we are going to hold out a week. We wait a week then get a word that we are going to hold out another week. Then we hear that we weren’t going to go back. It was aggravating that we weren’t “It really did start out great, and it was able to go back and super-exciting. But then it was cut short and finish out senior year.” Cooksey said he I was upset because I didn’t get to experience took advantage of the all of it. It felt unfair.” extra time when not Parklane graduate Alli Robinson doing his schoolwork online to get more who play sports in the spring did not get to hours in at work. But when it came time to finish their respective seasons. completing his schoolwork online, it presentAnother senior who was affected by the ed an issue because it was not like he was pandemic shut down was North Pike’s Brady used to when in a classroom. Cooksey. Like Robinson, Cooksey was able to “Through North Pike we had some comwrap up his athletic season as a member of munication with our teachers, but it was a big the Jaguar football team. difference from being in class to being onBut not having the majority of the latter line,” he said. “It felt different to me.” half of his year not only caused some frustraCooksey, the son of Jason and Michelle tion but also prevented him from enjoying Cooksey of McComb, will attend Southwest several senior activities and the unusual periMississippi Community College in the fall od started while he and his classmates were and enroll in the electrician program. out on break. He said missing out on senior activities

was another frustrating factor during the pandemic. “It was pretty disappointing because every year, everyone has their senior skip day,” he said. “Everyone can get together with people that they have been going to school with in high school for four years. When you are in ninth grade you are looking forward to having a senior skip day or senior prom. Then all of a sudden we can’t have that this year.” In addition to missing out on these activities, Cooksey believes he also missed out on some schooling. He said he would have learned more in a classroom than online, even though he understands the reasoning behind the move. However, Cooksey said he is grateful for North Pike putting on a drive-thru graduation ceremony giving he and his classmates a chance to be recognized at the end of the school year. “I was very thankful for the school for what they did,” he said. “It was different, but they didn’t have to do any of that for us. It was really nice with the way that they had it set up. I was really pleased with the school for letting us have that. They didn’t have to do that at all.” n 2020 Summer Issue

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Unchartered territory By Ca le b McCluskey

Tammy Gillihan works with her children Mercy, left, and Newlon on their school assignments.

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With schools shut down for the coronavirus pandemic from mid-March to the end of the semester and many unknowns for the school year to come, school districts, parents and students are in uncharted territory and have to navigate obstacles they never expected. Most schools adopted distance learning to complete the 201920 school year. South Pike School District Superintendent Dr. Donna Scott said access to broadband internet is one of the biggest challenges for distance learning since the district is largely rural. “We never would have imagined that when we went out for spring break, we’d be done for the year,” she said. “Everyone wants us to have the answers, and I like to be transparent. We do not have all of the answers, but I believe, in God, that we will be able to work through it with guidance. ... We are going to get our kids educated.” That being said, she also noted that she and her district are doing everything they can to build a more prepared system for the fall “We want parents to feel safe to send their children back to school,” she said. “We are looking at the possibility of getting devices, so we can assist our students. We don’t have everything ready, but we are working on that to be more beneficial to our students.” Along with devices, Scott said the district is also giving teachers training on “blended models” of teaching, meaning holding in-class teaching as well as integrating distance learning. “We are working to ensure that we can educate our students,

School districts, parents and students having to navigate obstacles they never expected and we are here to support parents,” she said. Scott said teachers used packets and a video service called ClassDojo, an online behavior management system intended to foster positive student behaviors and classroom culture, to record lessons for their students. Summer school teachers are using the same methods now. Scott stressed the importance of learning in kindergarten through third grade. “That is a really challenging group and that is where we are getting our kids learning to read it is a key grade level,” she said. North Pike Superintendent Dennis Penton said that while students, parents and teachers did their best to keep the learning going, nothing can truly substitute for in-person learning. “I think we had a significant loss that will never come back,” he said. “We are going to work diligently to make up for lost time, but, quite frankly, the trama with the fear of COVID was crippling. Even when we had connectivity and a way to get packets in hands, the distraction of what was going on in the world kept students’ attention away from normal things in life.” When asked if he thinks schools will use distance learning in the fall, Penton said it is a “definite possibility.” He said he hopes federal funds approved in response to the pandemic will go to giving students devices and accesss to broadband internet. “Our biggest challenge is broadband and hardware,” he said. “Many of our students don’t have either of those, so as a school or a state, we have to think about how to not leave students behind because of things out of their control.” When asked if distance learning might push more parents to go to homeschooling, Penton said he hopes that is not the case. “The reality is that some parents are going to choose home-

McComb School District Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis said distance learning went well during the spring semester.

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schooling because of fears of exposure to the virus, but our hope is that our students come back because school is much more than an academic institution. It is a social institution as well,” he said. Penton said North Pike uses Google Classroom, which is a free web service that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments. He said eighththrough 12th-graders have used it before and it will be used in earlier grades. McComb School District Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis said he believes distance learning went well, noting that district officials had also printed out academic packets because they did not know how many students had access to broadband internet. “I think that schools will forever be changed because we are rethinking how we provide instruction for children,” he said. “We want students to have access 24/7 ... that is going to be our new norm and our new reality.” The district has since surveyed parents on the children’s internet and device accessibility, and the district plans to bring online learning across the grades. “Given the conditions, we have to deal with it is going to be challenging, but a challenge is an opportunity to show how great you are,” Ellis said. He said another challenge the school faced was that parents did not understand the importance of the packets at first, so some students missed out on the first few.

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“Early on, some of the parents thought those packets would not be used in the calculation of the final grade,” Ellis said. “Later on, some parents came back to us to have the first academic packets so that the scholar could receive the proper amount of credit.” Ellis said the school district can't teach the same as previous years. The community has to come together to help. “This is not something that the school district can do alone but the community,” he said. “Our community is going to have to help us think this through and assist us as we move forward.” He said a benefit of distance learning was that the school learned how to prioritize the curriculum. “There may be some things teachers taught in the past that they may not be able

to teach anymore,” he said. “What is it that a fifth-grade scholar needs to do to be successful? “If we are honest with ourselves … sometimes teachers could’ve stretched something out but now they have to be specific and intentional with what they do every day because there is a strong possibility of distance learning in the fall.” Kimberly Butler, the parent of a Summit Elementary fourth-grader, praised the district for its response. “Once we got in the groove and made sure we had internet and the kinks worked out, it went very well thanks to her teacher,” she said. Butler said she would be comfortable with sending her child back to the school in the fall — if the district can find a way to properly socially distance the children. n

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Pandemic Graduates ride on a boat down Robb Street in Summit during a parade held in May for local high school seniors.

A McComb fire engine travels along West Street in McComb during a parade for graduating seniors who attend J.J. White Memorial Presbyterian Church.

North Pike High School graduate Lauren McDaniel rides in the back of a pickup truck during a parade for local high school graduates in Summit in May.

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Parades McComb School District teachers drive through east McComb as they parade by students’ houses before the end of the virus-shortened school year.

Kennedy Early Childhood Center teacher Pamela Poole and her son Austin decorate her car before leading a parade by students’ houses before the end of the virus-shortened school year.

World War II veteran Algie Boone waves to well-wishers during a parade held in May to celebrate his 96th birthday.

Ashlynn Troutman poses for a photo with her brother Jace McBeth next to Michele Ward’s decorated truck after friends and family held a parade in honor of Troutman’s 15th birthday in April. 2020 Summer Issue

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By Ca le b McCluskey Friends wave signs as they drive by Ashlynn Troutman’s house during a parade held in honor of Troutman’s 15th birthday in April.

Parklane Academy graduate Gracie Senner receives gifts from members of J.J. White Memorial Presbyterian Church, which held a parade for its members who were graduating from high school.

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Instead of wearing masks for Mardi Gras, some people participanting in pop-up parades held throughout the spring are wearing face masks. With health restrictions in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, events such as birthday parties, graduation ceremonies and other festivities have been cancelled, replaced by celebratory parades. It seems every holiday has evolved into a parade or drive-by event, from graduation and birthdays to shows of appreciation and nursing home visitations. Former City Administrator Dirkland Smith and first responders held a parade down Marion Avenue to support the Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center and its employees in April. “It was an idea I had been floating around for a while,” Smith said, adding that his military history gave him an insight into the stress that some frontline workers face. “We did it just to show appreciation for our employees and frontline workers in the hospital. A thank-you goes a long way.” He said the parade was a low-cost way to show support but noted many other ways to support frontline workers at the hospital, mainly through following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control. “People should look at it that it isn’t about you, it is about that next person,” he said, adding that wearing a face-covering has shown to cut the spread of the virus. “Front line workers kind of have that mindset. Firefighters will say it is not about them. That is why they will go into that burning building.” He said the parade was a way to boost morale, noting that working in the frontline workers in the pandemic have a lot of stress placed on them and the mental health of them is critical “This is an unprecedented time, and it is going be taking a toll on our mental health," Smith said. “Any time you can cheer someone up, it will help them.” North Pike High School held drive-by graduation for their

graduating seniors, and North Pike Superintendant Dennis Penton said though it was not traditional graduation, he felt it was the best surrogate the district could give their students. “We got lots of positive comments about graduation,” he said. “While I understand wanting a traditional graduation, I am glad there was more acceptance of the plan we implemented after the fact.” He said only three of the graduating students missed the graduation and felt proud of the participation level of the students and staff. “There was confusion with the meaning of a drive-by graduation, but we tried to make it as nice as we could for the graduates,” he said. “The students and the parents did a fantastic job in participation. They were flexible and positive, and everything went smoothly.” Penton said the district held a hybrid drive-thru graduation, noting that students got out of their cars to pick up their diplomas, and the speakers still did their speeches on a podium. Penton said the graduation was also filmed in much the same way as previous graduations. “When you watch the video, it appears to be a normal graduation, but families could drive by and watch students get their diploma,” he said. McComb Nursing and Rehabilitation Executive Director Rhonda Smith said their first parade in Mid-May was so popular that the nursing home is planning another one. “The residents and staff talked about it for several days. It really lifted everybody's spirits,” she said. “We think it went great the residents loved it, the staff loved it and the families loved it. It was nice to

Balloons in honor of the class of 2020 are seen during a parade for local high school graduates in Summit.

see everyone even if they couldn’t get out of their car. Rhonda Smith said around 100 cars came through to see the patients and she hopes that the next parade will have the same enthusiasm. She said though the nursing home has yet to pick a date for the next parade, they encourage everyone with family or friends in the home to come to support their residents. The director also said the parade is not the only thing family and friends can do to cheer up residents. She encourages people to call or send mail to their families. “We strongly encourage our families to mail letters, cards, snacks and gifts. It is good to have some form of communication even if it is not physical,” she said. n

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Bracelets show ‘colors of salvation’ at West McComb Baptist Church VBS.

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By Ernest Herndon What do you do when it’s time for vacation Bible school and there’s a pandemic underway? Adjust. Area churches are taking many approaches to the beloved summertime tradition, from canceling it entirely to holding modified versions — with one eye on bodily health and the other on spiritual growth. West McComb Baptist Church will have a compressed program — two days instead of the traditional week, said children’s minister Julie Bass. Classes are 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 31, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. “I’ve got some large classrooms and we’re going to break up into separate classrooms,” Bass said. The theme is “Colors of Salvation:” black for sin, red for the blood of Christ, white for purity, green for growth and yellow for heaven. At the end of the course, students will take home bracelets with beads of each color. “We will of course still be doing the social distancing and we will clean before they come and after,” said Bass, who works at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center. “We have a large enough fellowship hall where we can separate them out.” Adults will check temperatures as people come in. Masks are optional. “If the children feel comfortable wearing masks or the parents want them to, of course they’re more than welcome to,” Bass said. Classes are for K-4-5, first through third grade and fourth through sixth. West McComb Baptist resumed its regular services on Mother’s Day. VBS teacher Debbie Hodges, who teaches science at Parklane Academy, will work the subject into her teaching with science projects for each of the colors. For white, students will add black coloring to white frosting to see how sin taints the soul. “You can add white, but you can never get rid of the black,” Hodges said. To illustrate the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, she wil have students combine all colors in water, which will turn black, then add bleach to make it clear again. For green, students will get to plant seeds in cups. “They will take those seeds home and take care of them, which symbolizes growing in Christ,” Hodges said. Kids will also get wooden crosses made by Ray Woods which they can paint, decorate and keep.

Debbie Hodges, left, and Julie Bass sit with array of VBS materials at West McComb Baptist Church.

The program will include hot dogs, snow cones and outdoor games. West McComb normally has 80 to 100 kids at VBS, but with the coronavirus, this year’s attendance is anybody’s guess. “This is just going to surprise me,” Bass said. “We are inviting the community. We are putting it on Facebook and we’re putting out flyers.” So far they’ve only heard encouragement from parents. “We’ve had a lot of positive,” Hodges said. “A lot of people are excited because so many churches have canceled.” While the leaders are taking precautions, they’re not worried about the virus. “To be honest, we feel like God’s going to take care of us,” Hodges said. “We’re going to sanitize. We’ll do all the things we should do, but we’re going to trust in the Lord.” n n n Terry’s Creek Baptist Church, Magnolia, is also compressing VBS into two days this year. Normally VBS would have been held the week of June 14, but it was moved to Thursday morning, July 23, and Friday night, July 24. “I thought about canceling, but I said, no, we need to give the kids something,” said VBS director Merry Burrow. The theme is “Outlaws for God,” a five-day curriculum. “We’re going to try to get three lessons in on Thursday (morning), and Friday night I’ll get two lessons in with families, so I’ll get my five lessons in,” Burrow said. She’ll divide kids into two classes, with older ones in the sanctuary and younger ones in the old fellowship hall, both of 2020 Summer Issue

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Merry Burrow stands in a fellowship hall that will serve as a VBS classroom at Terry’s Creek Baptist Church.

which are large enough to allow youngsters to spread out. Children will participate in crafts three or four at a time to avoid crowding, added church secretary Sarah Williams. On family night, folks will meet outside with a bonfire. There will be an abundance of hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, Burrow said. “I’m a hugger when it comes to those kids, but this year I’ll really have to back off,” Burrow said. “We’ll have to air-high-five.” She had planned a water slide and a snow-cone truck but canceled both. “It’s changed everything,” Bass said. “It’s changed our whole way of thinking.” The church has a checklist of safety measures in the foyer that apply to VBS as well as regular services. “We’ve got a sheet on several things that we’ve done that are going to stay permanent until we know different,” said the Rev. Laverne Summerlin, pastor. Those include hand sanitizer throughout the building; alternating pews closed off; inside doors left open so people don’t have to touch the knobs; and extra cleaning. “No hugging, no handshaking, all that kind of thing — which is hard to do,” Summerlin said. “Waving you can do, or you can bump with your elbow, but don’t touch anybody.” Terry’s Creek resumed its Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services May 17 and Sunday school on June 21. n n n Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church on McComb-Holmesville Road usually has a bustling vacation Bible school, but not this year. “We normally do it in June, but we are not going to do it this year because of the pandemic,” said the Rev. Gerald Matthews, pastor. VBS usually draws 50 to 60 kids at Little Rock, but this year the church will turn to social media. “What we’re going to do this year is mostly by phone and Facebook,” Matthews said. “I call them up and let their parents know what we’re about to do

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on Facebook so they can be a part of it. “Then, too, we had thought about doing a little something from the outside, setting up chairs on the outside where they can keep their distance, give them something to do education-wise.” After all, Christian education is what vacation Bible school is all about, Matthews said. “I believe in that, that every child should have a Christian education as well as adults, and we do a lot of teaching at Little Rock to enlighten people about the Lord Jesus.” Some children have no other exposure to religion than at VBS, and are often baptized there. “We’ve even had adults show up and want to be baptized,” Matthews said. “It’s very important to have vacation Bible school.” The church resumed regular worship services in early June. “We’re certainly practicing social distancing and no hugging or handshaking and all that, and we’re wearing masks,” Matthews said. “Attendance is down real low, and Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are part of that’s understandable.” Matthews also has a pavilion at his the protocol at West McComb’s VBS. house where members can meet in an outdoor setting and study the Bible. “We can’t just shut down because of the pandemic,” he said. n n n Holmesville Baptist Church is small, but vacation Bible school is a big deal there, said the Rev. Lee Mathis, pastor. The church went ahead and ordered everything for a week-long program this summer but is in a wait-and-see mode. “We’re on hold from that till we get a little more guidance from the education system as far as what they’re going to do with schools,” Mathis said. “We usually have a lot of kids there. Even though the church is small, we have a lot of neighborhood kids, and that’s a huge outreach. But my thing is I don’t want to put those kids in jeopardy or our congregation. We’ve got a lot of elderly.” The church may wind up doing a shorter VBS session, or wait and hold it in the fall. The church will use school system guidelines for its model, Mathis said. “We’re just trying to figure out what’s the safest way to do this and get the most response,” Mathis said. When the pandemic erupted, the church switched to outdoor services, allowing people to sit in their cars or outside in chairs. In mid-June it resumed indoor services Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. Sunday school remained on hold, and Sunday morning service was moved to 10 a.m. to avoid the heat. “Our sound system outside will still be there for those who want

Pastor Gerald Matthews

Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church, pastored by the Rev. Gerald Matthews, canceled VBS because of the pandemic and is exploring alternatives. to hear the service and be part of the service,” Mathis said. “I don’t just stay behind the pulpit all the time. I may wind up outside.” Another option the church is considering is a sound system that goes through AM radio for about $450-$550, with a range about as far as the parking lot. “You can actually broadcast our sermon on AM radio and members can sit in their cars with their windows closed and air conditioners on and look out their windows and hear you preach,” Mathis said. “There are so many adjustments we’ve got to do, and the churches need to make those adjustments.” n

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Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go racing! 22

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Racing returns to Pike County Speedway By Travis Conne lley The fast-paced action, roar of engines, clouds of dust and the smell of exhaust are back at the Pike County Speedway after an eight-year hiatus. “I know that everyone has been wanting the track to come back and they’ve been coming out — the fans and the racers,” track owner Brian DeRoche said. DeRoche, a former racer with more than 21⁄2 decades of experience behind the wheel, decided he wanted to change his point of view from a driver’s perspective to a track owner. “Being the first time doing this, I’ve never been a track owner, you have a few glitches. But for the most part it has been

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pretty good,” he said. The speedway opened on May 30 with a “play day.” It was slated for an earlier start this season but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event gave the drivers a chance to run their cars and fans an insight to how special racing is in Pike County. A number of different classes of cars compete at the track during the season — street stocks, limited modifieds, ump modifieds, crate late models, super late models and mini wedges, which are kid-driven gokarts that are replicas of actual race cars. Even though the track hasn’t been open again for long, DeRoche has already received some positive feedback from fans

and suggestions for improvement. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and I’ve had some constructive criticism,” he said. “I’m glad. I want somebody to tell me where we need to improve.” During the opening of the race season on June 6, thousands of spectators came to the track south of Magnolia. DeRoche faced his first big challenge. Earlier in the day a brief downpour left his dirt track muddy, causing the track crew to shift into high gear to get the surface ready to race. After a brief delay, cars ventured onto the track and the season officially kicked off. “You have to deal with that, it is like playing poker. You are dealt that hand and you either have to fold or play it,” he said.

Racing returns to Pike County Speedway on Hwy. 568 near I-55.

“We chose to play it and that was a huge night.” DeRoche thanked the fans for sticking it out and waiting as final preparations were made to get the track ready. “Most of your dirt car racers are hard core racers and the fans are hard core fans,” he said. “For racing to be gone for so long and then to come back, I just think that everybody was waiting for it.” Since the re-opening, fans have traveled many miles to witness the thrill of racing. “I love it,” said Brent Poche of Livonia, La. “I came here many years before it closed, and this is a wish come true that it would open back up. It always had good car counts and it will stay open as long as it is run right. And the people that have it now, they are racers and they know what they do. I think that they will make a really good go of it and I think that it is a good family-fun thing to do.”

James Hatfield of Amite, La., agreed. He too attended races in Pike County prior to it closing in 2012. “I was here when I was a kid and I’ve just been waiting for it to open back up,” he said. “It’s bringing back some memories.” The re-opening has also been special for racers as well. Ryan Fowler and his team travelled all the way from Milton, Fla., to compete in his ump modified car. Fowler won his heat during the qualifying round during the opening week. “It was a pretty good haul to get here and this was the only racetrack racing within about five hours,” he said. “We started on the pole which is always a plus and this is a onegroove racetrack. We’ll be back if they have a big money race, for sure.” Richard Makenzie, who drives a street stock car, is happy to be back on the track in Pike County despite less-than-favorable con-

ditions brought on by Mother Nature. “It was great,” he said. “I wish for better conditions. I raced here when I was a kid and I am glad to be back and I’m glad that they have some good people who opened the track back up. I think that they are going to do really good with it. Tonight, they packed the stands and it was a good turnout and it proves that they are going in the right direction.” Brookhaven-native Josh Lambert also used to attend races at the track as a kid but he did not know that he would one day be driving. “I came here as a kid and never thought that I would be out here racing, but here I am,” he said. “I’m glad that it is open and I’m hoping that it will be better next week, it is a little sloppy now.” Lambert said the muddy conditions requires a careful approach from a racing perspective. “The track is really slick right now and you really have to baby it,” he said. “Go easy on the gas and slide through the corners. I pushed up into one car and I had to go apologize.” Being involved in the racing scene is nothing new to DeRoche but owning a track is a whole new ballgame. The first few weeks of operating the track as an owner has been rewarding for DeRoche and he is hoping to keep it going strong. “I’ve been a racer for 27 years and I always knew that side and knew what to expect when I went to the racetrack,” he said. “And now I am trying to apply that to running the track. I know that you can’t please everybody, but I am doing my best.” n

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Dr. Valerie Turner

In Step With:

Dr. Valerie Turner

Dentist, Chef, Mother By Mack Spe ncer Simply put, Dr. Valerie Turner is a busy woman. “It’s hard to find a balance sometimes,” Turner said. “I have two full-time jobs, and when I get home, I have another fulltime job.” By day, she is a dentist, serving young clients at Mississippi Dentistry for Children on Highway 51 in Summit. That choice of career, she said came in a roundabout way from a childhood desire to be an artist. “Being a dentist is kind of a crossroads between health care and art,” Turner said. “When you’re able to give someone a good smile, it’s like a work of art.” She enjoys her specialty in pediatrics, which she calls the “front end of dentistry,” where she can “teach good habits and mold young people. “Dentistry is good, but pediatric dentistry is really rewarding,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d go into pediatrics, but it’s been great. It couldn’t be better.” Her second full-time job outside the house was completely unexpected. Her husband Terrance wanted to open a restaurant, and that resulted in the Sweet Tooth Cafe, on the south side of Robb Street just west of the railroad tracks. That was supposed to be Terreance’s project, but Turner got sucked in in short order. “I am way more involved in the restaurant than I thought I would be,” Turner said. “When he opened it, I thought I might go and wait tables sometimes, just to help out and support him. “I ended up being in the kitchen. I have really learned to cook now. I spend time working on my cooking skills and watching the Food Network at home now. I can fry some mean chicken wings.” Though the restaurant has become a time commitment she wasn’t counting on, she said she enjoys her experiences there, as well. “I’ve met a lot of people I never would have met if it weren’t for working at the restaurant,” Turner said. “It gives me a different perspective. It’s different from the (dental) office, but it’s still rewarding.” She said fewer people make the connection between her

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2020 Summer Issue

being a dentist and the restaurant’s Sweet Tooth name than might be expected, but she enjoys the play on words and the humor it can create. “I call it job security,” Turner joked. “It takes some time for a lot of people to catch on. It’s funny to see their faces when the light comes on.” As a dentist, Turner said she follows her own advice and brushes and flosses daily, but “I do like sweets.” Some people might think two jobs is enough to do outside the house, but Turner finds the energy to be active in the community. She is a member of both the Pike County graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which she serves as assistant scretary, and the McComb Junior Auxiliary, where she serves on the food committee. Working with both groups — frequently, that means AKA on Saturday mornings, and JA on Monday afternoons — is something she sees as a privilege. “They both are groups of phenomenal ladies,” Turner said. “I’m surrounded by women who are superstars. They’re smart and driven, and they inspire me to be better.” She also helps to organize the annual Summit Mardi Gras parade, which is already planned for Feb. 5, 2021. “That was a happy accident,” she “Everything I do in- said. “It started as a celebration of our troduces me to a new restaurants, and it just got bigger and bigger.” set of people. It brings Tuesday nights during much of the more people into my year she indulges some of her artistic circle that I wouldn’t passion by playing tenor saxophone with the Ole Brook Wind Symphony, know otherwise.” under Leroy Smith’s direction, at its practices for its four annual concerts. “I started playing tenor sax in seventh grade,” she said. “I played for Mr. Smith in junior high, and now I’m playing for him again. He is one of the most talented people I know. There are some superstars there.” And as with her other endeavors, she appreciates that she gets to meet more people by participating. “Everything I do introduces me to a new set of people,” she said. “It brings more people into my circle that I wouldn’t know otherwise.” That all still leaves that one last full-time job: mother. Turner has three children — 12-year-old Hannah, 10-year-old Troy and 7-year-old Gia — and while parenting does often have all the hallmarks of a job, she has relished the time she has been able to spend with her children while precautions against spreading COVID-19 closed down schools and medical practices, among other things. “Being home during the pandemic, I’ve had time with my kids that I don’t always have,” Turner said. “I have a new appreciation for them.” “We still have our home, we still have my office, we still have the restaurant,” she said. “God provides. Life is good. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good. “I always look for ways to help. There are times when I’m tired and need sleep, but as long as I’m still here and something needs to be done, I’m going to go try to do it.” n

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Peace and quiet on the river

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2020 Summer Issue

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By Ernest Herndon

Three rental cabins sit in a secluded location at the north end of the park.

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Hidden Springs Resort really is hidden, it really has springs, and it really is a resort. And now that it’s under new management, it’s easy for folks to sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet of this lovely campground along the Bogue Chitto River. Hidden? The 127-acre privately owned park is located at 16 Clyde Rhodus Road, which is located off Mesa Walker’s Bridge Road, which is south of Highway 98 between McComb and Tylertown on the east side of the Bogue Chitto River. Springs? In addition to about a mile of river frontage, the park is laced with clear, cold, spring-fed streams that run into the Bogue Chitto. Resort? Consider two swimming pools, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, sand beaches, boat ramp, 70 full-hookup RV sites, 20 primitive sites, propane filling station, three rental cabins, kayaks and tubes for rent. New managers Don and Charlene Mathis

came here 14 months ago and have been busy ever since. “It was really rundown and we’ve doubled the business since we’ve been here — more than doubled it, really,” Don said, taking a break from a job on his tractor. He’s originally of Water Valley and Charlene hails from Georgia. They’ve been managing parks for 25 years. “This is my last hoorah here,” said Don, Don Mathis Park manager 63. He was working out of state when the owners offered him the position. Don jumped at it. “I love Mississippi, always have,” he said, noting he and Charlene have children and grandchildren in Jackson and Meridian. But the park needed a lot of work. “You couldn’t even drive down the roads; buildings falling down,” Don said. He put in an office and a beach and did away with abandoned RVs.

Camper Bryce Martin of Foxworth grills hamburgers for a family outing.

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Park employee Scott Malchak works on renovating one of the rental cabins. “Now I’m just doing fine-tuning,” Mathis said. That includes remodeling the three wooden rental cabins at the north end of the property. “They’re on the river. That’s the good thing. We’re all on the river,” he said. “We’ve got a “When a person comes beach down here that draws oocoodles of kids.” camping out here, they The park, midway besit on their own lot, they tween Bogue Chitto Wafish, they don’t bother ter Park to the north and anybody. You’re social Walker’s Bridge Water Park to the south, recently distancing when you’re out here in your camper. started renting kayaks and People come out here for tubes. The coronavirus outrelaxation.” break put a temporary Don Mathis, park manager halt to activities. “We were closed for 1 about 2 ⁄2 weeks,” Mathis said. “Since then I don’t think it’s really affected us because we’ve been busier than ever.” Campers naturally tend to practice social distancing anyway, he said. “A lot of them get out there and tube and kayak and fish. They swim, that’s the main thing. We’re a family-oriented park,” Mathis

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Bogue Chitto hideways • Bogue Chitto Water Park, 1068 Dogwood Trail, McComb, 601-684-9568 • Hidden Springs Resort, 16 Clyde Rhodus Road, Tylertown, 601-876-4151 • Paradise Ranch and Resort, 660 Highway 48 W., Tylertown, 601-810-8448 • Canoe and Trail Outpost/Sweetwater Canoe and Tubing, 117-118 Dillons Bridge Road, Tylertown, 601-876-6964

said. “They get out there and cook out, They just fellowship. It’s quiet even when we’re busy.” He said most of his customers come from Louisiana. The park offers a 10% discount for veterans and first responders. He said it’s a good spot for Boy Scouts as well. “When a person comes camping out here, they sit on their own lot, they fish, they don’t bother anybody,” Mathis said. “You’re social distancing when you’re out here in your camper. People come out here for relaxation.” Case in point are Bryce and Rebekah Cabin porch looks out over a creek Martin of Foxworth, that flows into the Bogue Chitto. here for a multi-day campout with their children and parents. “We like the quietness of it,” Bryce said as he grilled hamburgers with a sweeping river view beside him. “I like the peace and quiet and friendliness.” He and others praise the cold swimming pool, river fishing, clean bathhouse, and the wildlife, including passing deer and a bald eagle lighting on a sandbar. “This is our second time to come here,” said Rebekah. “We all came in the fall. It was real quiet, and that’s why we came back.” n

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Pulse points

By Mack Spe ncer Pike County devotees of Vine Brothers Quality Meats and Smokehouse in Centreville can rejoice. Now they can get their fix right here in McComb. It’s a somewhat different experience in McComb from that Centreville homebase, though. That’s why the new location is styled Vines 2.0, a new updated version of the existing, like the latest cellphone or the newest incarnation of a favorite video game. “The ‘grocerant’ is the future of food,” said manager Leo Caire III. “You can get your food how you want it, fresh or cooked.” The original location in Centreville, a gas station and convenience store, is renowned for its buffet offerings, meat processing and smoked meat selection. In McComb, without gas tanks outside, the vibe is decidedly closer to grocery store, with produce and freezer sections, shelves of jarred sauces and pickled vegetables, their own branded Vine 325 coffee to brew at home, and various kitchen items and cooking aids. There’s also a beer cave for good, cold brews. While there’s no buffet, there is a hot bar for selling breakfast and lunch plates, as well as a case for “grab-and-go” lunches or side items, plus tea and soda fountains. And then there’s the store’s main calling card: the meat case. A day before the store’s soft opening on June 19, it was stocked ready for the next day with one of the more popular of Vines’ items, Tomahawk ribeye steaks, as well as other delectable cuts.

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Benny Vine and Leo Caire stand in front of meat counter.

The smoker was already hard at work, as well, producing ribs, chicken and other products for the meat case. The store has three sizable freezers among its 7,000-ish square feet to hold meat that can keep the smoker busy. The building had several retail incarnations before becoming Vine’s meat emporium, including a Honda motorcycle dealership, Rogers Western store and the Women in Need of God’s Shelter (W.I.N.G.S.) thrift store. Benny and Heidi Vine made extensive renovations to the building to get it ready, including crucially the installation of the freezers and the cooling equipment for the beer cave. The walls in the retail section got a makeover as well, though the Vines didn’t

have to look far for the materials. While the genesis of the store might seem quick to those in McComb in the know about its coming, it feels like a much longer process to the Vines – because it was. “We’ve looked at doing this for about eight years,” Benny Vines said. “Dad had a barbecue place here (in McComb) for about 20 years. We looked for places and we prayed about it. When we saw this one, we said, ‘this is the spot.’” Even with COVID-19 wreaking havoc across the country, causing precautions to prevent its spread to be put into place, the Vines continued forward. For everything put into the new location, though, the Vine’s stores are working toward making it possible to get all their signature products without ever actually stepping inside the door if the customer doesn’t want to. “With our new website, people can order online and we’ll have it ready for them to pick up, or we can ship it across the country,” said Daycy Swearingen, the store’s assistant manager. n