Lifestyle

During the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Christ Church in the city of Boston, Massachusetts was where Paul Revere and William Dawes were to signal that the British soldiers were coming. The Church is also identified as the more familiar name, The Old North Church, located at 193 Salem Street in the North End of Boston. This is where the famous signal, “One if by land, two if by sea” would be sent. The signal is related to Paul Revere’s midnight ride of April 18, 1775, which preceded the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

The church is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, and was built in December1723. The building was inspired by the works of Christopher Wren, the British architect who was responsible for rebuilding London after The Great Fire.

Desoto Historical Society President Kristy Cavett Jones with speaker and treasurer George Gilmer.

Sally Buford Owens, third from left on front row, stands by her granddaughter and in front of her brother Richie Buford with the DeSoto Historical Society.

DeSoto Parish 4-H Livestock Club members participated in a field trip to the Red River Sale barn located in Armstead, LA. The purpose of this trip was to educate the youth in how livestock are marketed in the state of Louisiana.

The youth was able to observe cattle being checked into the barn, examined by the veterinarian on staff, and they viewed the selling of cattle. The trip was hosted by Agents Joshua Salley and SarahJayne Driskill with the DeSoto Parish Extension Office in Grand Cane.

A special thank you to Red River Sale Barn for having us. If you are interested in joining the DeSoto Parish 4-H Livestock Club, please contact our office at 872-0533.

The Books and Biscuits Book Club met at Sunrise Cookie Company in Gloster, Louisiana for our May 2 meeting. We had a delicious lunch and tasty cookies. We all enjoyed a spirited discussion of our book, The Vanishing Type by New York Times Best Selling Author, Ellery Adams. The book is a new series featuring strong women, a touch of romance, and mystery. The mysteries include a cunning present- day mystery and a slowly revealed mystery from the heroines’ pasts. The book discussion was led by Ruth Ann Adams.

Books and Biscuits will meet again on Tuesday, June 6th at 11:30 am at Sunrise Cookies. Please join us for an enjoyable meal, great conversations with friends, and a lively discussion of our June book, The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris. For reservations, call Sunrise Cookies 318-9331401.

Bonnie Caston of Logansport was recognized for outstanding academic achievements by being named to Stephen F. Austin State University’s President’s Honor Roll for spring 2023.

Caston was one of 832 students named to the President’s Honor Roll.

To qualify for the President’s Honor Roll at SFA, the student must have earned a 4.0 semester GPA in 12 or more semester hours while a fulltime, degree-seeking undergraduate student.

Enrolling approximately 12,000 students, Stephen F. Austin State University offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 120 areas of study within six colleges - business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. SFA provides the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. Visit sfasu.edu to learn more.

Stonewall is the perfect place to host a new ice cream parlor named, what else but, Roll’ N Stone Rolled Ice Cream. The DeSoto Parish Chamber of Commerce honored the new business on Friday, August 26,with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate their Grand Opening.

Owners Peyton Massey and Muna Sofyan selected a location at 128 Diane Lane, Suite B, just behind the EMS Building on the Stonewall-Frierson Road (Hwy 3276). Sofyah is a real estate agent with Massey a former oilfield worker.

When you go to Roll’ N Stone, please take along your patience and prepared to be entertained. Don’t expect hand dipped or soft served ice cream. Unlike traditional ice cream, which is pre-made and ready to scoop, rolled ice cream is made to order and usually takes around 3 to 5 minutes to make. The staff, known as Rollers, at Roll’ N Stone are ready to customize your order and entertain you with their rolling skills.

What a beautiful day to spend with our community, with food, entertainment, and some helpful information for our DeSoto Seniors!

The DeSoto Council on Aging hosted a Senior Day out at DeSoto Multi-Cultural Center in Mansfield, with entertainment and a message provided by Rev. Richard Fuller. Sheriff Jayson Richardson and the DeSoto Parish Sheriff ’s Office provided, cooked, and served fish, fries, pork roast, egg rolls, coleslaw, and much more. Several tables were setup around the room from different local agencies to share some helpful information with our Seniors. To say the least, hugs and smiling faces were plentiful as everyone enjoyed the event! We can’t name all of the agencies involved, and we certainly don’t want to leave anyone out, so take a look at these pictures and checkout the fun! DeSoto Parish is blessed with some great people that love coming together....especially when good food is involved!

McNeese State University conferred degrees on 703 graduates during two ceremonies for the university’s 160th commencement Friday, May 12, in McNeese’s Legacy Center.

The ceremony for the colleges of agricultural sciences, liberal arts and science, engineering and mathematics were held at 9 a.m. and for the Burton College of Education and colleges of business and nursing and health professions at 1:30 p.m.

Area graduates is Amanda C. Hasty, Bachelor of Arts in History of Mansfield. Congratulations!

Northwestern State University’s School of Education recently welcomed 67 students into teacher candidacy during a Teacher Candidate Celebration.

“Teacher candidacy signifies the move from education major to teacher candidate within the School of Education,” explained Dr. Katrina Jordan, director of the School of Education. “During this ceremony the students receive a red apple pin to signify their status as a teacher candidate.”

When these students graduate, they will receive a gold apple pin, which was presented during an apple pinning ceremony.

Most School of Education students are accepted into teacher candidacy in their sophomore year. To be accepted into candidacy, the students must successfully complete their freshman courses (30 hours), maintain a 2.5 GPA, have no grades lower than a C and receive a favorable dispositions (professionalism) review by an education professor.

It would be an understatement to say that it has been an interesting few years for the Class of 2023. Due to the pandemic, many soon-to-be grads spent a significant portion of their school years adapting to a changing landscape, both at school and at home. While it is an accomplishment to reach graduation in a “normal” situation, students who have succeeded and thrived in the face of pandemic-related adversity are worthy of extra celebration.

Graduation gifts are a great way to show grads how proud you are that they stayed the course in the face of significant challenges. Here are seven gift ideas for graduates.

1. Journal: Graduates are about to start new chapters in their lives. Either a blank journal or one with writing prompts can help grads get their thoughts on paper to document both the many moments that will shape the next few years.