Lifestyle

The grim aftermath of a Civil War battle will be displayed during a night tour of the Mansfield battlefield on Saturday, October 23, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tour guides will lead visitors onto the park trail, where period scenes will be acted out at stops along the way. Ongoing tours 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM; last tour departs at 9:15 PM.

Multiple tours will be taken out during the program’s two-hour run, with the last tour departing at 9:15 p.m. Tours last app. 25 minutes.

NOTE: Tours are onehalf mile in length over uneven ground— appropriate footwear is recommended. Admission is free.

Mansfield State Historic Site is located at 15149 LA Highway 175, three miles south of the town of Mansfield, Louisiana. For more information call 318.872.1474 locally, tollfree 888.677.6267, or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ma nsfieldshs

Angela Burch Cleveland is beginning her tenth year as an educator. She currently teaches second grade English Language Arts at Stanley High School, her alma mater. This is her fourth year at SHS. Angela received her degree in Elementary Education, PK-5th grade from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She recently started an alternative pathway to pursue her Educational Leadership certification. She is the proud mother of two sons—Evan who is eight and Hayden, age five—both are students at Stanley High School. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, reading and recently began taking piano lessons. Angela attends University Church of Christ in Shreveport, Sunshine Committee Chairperson at Stanley High School, secretary of Mt. Olivet Community Cemetery Committee and volunteer at Stanley Community Center.

St. Joseph’s Altar Society will host a Bazaar on Saturday, October 16th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in St. Joseph Catholic’s Church Hall at 305 Jefferson Street in Mansfield.

A wonderful variety of homemade items and baked goods will be available as well as lunch plates. Lunch will be pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and a cookie for $8. Raffle tickets for a beautiful full/queen quilt with throw pillows are available now with members or call the church office at 318-872-1158.

Proceeds from the event will be used for repairs and replacement of the roof, air conditioning, and parking lot at St Joseph’s Catholic Church.

St. Joseph’s Altar Society will host a Bazaar on Saturday, October 16th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in St. Joseph Catholic’s Church Hall at 305 Jefferson Street in Mansfield.

A wonderful variety of homemade items and baked goods will be available as well as lunch plates. Lunch will be pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and a cookie for $8. Raffle tickets for a beautiful full/queen quilt with throw pillows are available now with members or call the church office at 318- 872-1158.

Proceeds from the event will be used for repairs and replacement of the roof, air conditioning, and parking lot at St Joseph’s Catholic Church.

On Saturday, October 23, Mansfield in Motion will present another great event drawing people to downtown Mansfield. This event will be held around the Courthouse Square from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and will feature local artisans, crafts, produce, food trucks, and musicians. Local Gospel favorites “Men of the Way” of Mansfield will perform beginning around 9:00 a.m. All of the musicians are affiliated with different churches, but come together to praise God with their love of Jesus and Gospel music. Pictured in no particular order are Douglas Hunter, who serves as manager and lead singer; his cousin Don Lewis, who provides the bottom with bass vocals; cousin Scotty Hunter, who also sings lead with his baritone vocals; and brother Craig Hunter, who sings tenor. Not pictured is Lance Ray, who provides vocals and plays lead guitar. If you’re interested in booking this group who will play for a love offering at your church or gathering, call 318-518-7169.

Mansfield in Motion announces the return of the popular Polk Street Market on October 23 from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The location will be at 115 N. Washington Avenue, on the DeSoto Courthouse Square. There will be free parking and free admission with children’s activities, local artisans, crafts, produce, and food trucks. One of the main events will be Gospel Music and Live Vocalists/Bands. Volunteers are needed in all areas.

For more information or for vendor applications contact Mansfield in Motion by calling 318-510-8567 or emailing mansfieldinmotion@gmail.com. You can also find information about the Polk Street Market on Facebook and on www.DiscoverDeSoto.com‘s website. Buy Local!!

October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mansfield Main Library has a beautiful display depicting this sad disease, hoping to raise more awareness toward helping the growing number of survivors. In 2021, an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. as well as 49,290 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Sixtythree percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage (there is no sign that the cancer has spread outside of the breast), for which the five-year survival rate is ninety-nine percent. This year, an estimated 43,600 women will die from breast cancer in the U.S. (submitted)

“The Book of Lost Friends” by Lisa Wingate was the book of discussion at the recent Books and Biscuits club meeting. The novel, which was inspired by historical events, is a story of three young women on a journey in search of family amidst the destruction of the post-Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who rediscovers their story and its connection to her own students’ lives. Pictured are (standing) Diane Cook, Joyce Smelley, Tedine Soule, Marcia Calhoun, Carole Canfield (seated) Linda Sibley, Linda Callia, and Ruth Ann Adams. (Absent from picture, Debbie Carr)

The next Books and Biscuits will be held October 5 at Village Cuisine Catering and Café. This meeting will be used for our next book selections. It begins at 11:30. Reservations must be made.

After a darkness of 18 months the BackAlley stage lights are on and the curtain drawn to begin the 20th season. It began with a gospel and patriotic music program honoring God and Country. The show opened with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by Kathleen Davis followed by a pledge of allegiance to the American and Christian flags. The talented musicians sang southern gospel favorites and patriotic anthems. The musicians included faces familiar to BackAlley Theater goers as well as newly discovered local talent. The program ended with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.SA.” All musicians joined in on the last verse and the audience on the familiar chorus. The performers as well as the audience demonstrated a strong sense of pride in being an American and a knowledge that we are “One Nation Under God.”

If you Google Kent Gill, the first thing that pops up is his website. Yes, he actually has his own website www.kentgill.com This man is no stranger to fame and certainly no stranger to DeSoto Parish. You can be up close and personal to our famous native at our first show in September.

Kent has been playing and writing music pretty much his whole life while growing up on a farm in southwest Louisiana. He helped his dad with the crops, and played guitar and wrote music as often as he could. He credits traditional country and gospel as his main musical influence, flavored with a measure of rockabilly, early rock and roll, and Cajun.