Hometown Madison - November & December 2015

Volume 2 Number 1 

nov/dec 2015 

ANOTHER PLACE AT THE TABLE 

______________________ 

The Legacy of Tilda Bogue 

______________________ 

The Sundial Santa 

______________________ 

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Hometown madison3

Enjoy a warm welcome at 

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42015

PUBLISHER & EDITOR 

Tahya A. Dobbs 

CFO 

Kevin W. Dobbs 

CONSULTANT 

Mary Ann Kirby 

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES 

Alicia Adams 

LeeAnn Evans 

Rachel Lombardo 

Misty Taylor 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Camille Anding 


Susan Marquez 

Emily Witcher 

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER 

Othel Anding 

LAYOUT DESIGN 

Daniel Thomas / 3dt 

Missy Donaldson / MAD Designs 

For all you football fans, you can be a bit envious if you like. In this issue, our Hometown Team 

has had personal contact with high school, college, and SEC coaches in our local area and state. 

We were thrilled with their willingness to participate and are over the moon with the results! 

It’s been exciting to step into their worlds of grueling work and competition, and I’ve 

witnessed, again, the powerful and enduring influence they confer on their players and fans. 

This issue also highlights back to school advertisers and all those 

families affected by the buses and carpoolers soon to be cranking up. 

For me, it continues to be nostalgic. I have a newlywed and a new 

son, a college junior moving to Oxford, and a freshman at Hinds. 

It’s not only back to school but on-with-life for all of us. Join 

me as we all step into new chapters of our lives and appreciate life 

in our hometown. 

 

www.facebook.com 

/hometownmadisonmagazine 

For subscription information 

visit www.htmags.com 

Contact us at info@HTMags.com 

601.706.4059 

26 Eastgate Drive, Suite F 

Brandon MS 39042 

 

All rights reserved. No portion of Hometown Madison 

may be reproduced without written permission from 

the publisher. The management of Hometown Madison 

is not responsible for opinions expressed by its 

writers or editors. Hometown Madison maintains the 

unrestricted right to edit or refuse all submitted 

material. All advertisements are subject to approval by 

the publisher. The production of Hometown Madison 

is funded by advertising. 

In this issue Thanksgiving Favorites ...................6 

The Attitude of Gratitude ................. 14 

Another Place at the Table. ............. 20 

The Sundial Santa ...............28 

GermanFest...............................32 

Big. Smart. Strong..................... 36 

The Legacy of Tilda Bogue. ............. 40 

Canton-The City of Light ............... 48 

Junior Auxillary Cookbook. ............. 51 


62015 

FAVORITE PLACE

My favorite place to spend 

thanksgiving is in 

Anniston, Alabama with 

my grandparents and 

cousins. My favorite dish 

is turkey and dressing! 

Connor Crews 


Thanksgiving is wherever my 

family will be. Whether at 

home or traveling, they make 

celebrating Thanksgiving 

memorable each year. My 

favorite dish is my mother’s 

homemade cornbread 

dressing. She makes it just 

right. I have tried to replicate 

it…and hers is always better! 

At Times Square in 

New York City! We had the 

chance to go a few years ago 

and will be going back this 

year to spend Thanksgiving 

Day watching the Macy’s 

Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

My favorite dish is 

crawfish dressing. 

Mark Metcalf 

My favorite holiday dish 

is my mother’s dressing! 

So that probably follows 

that I love spending 

Thanksgiving with my family. 

I have 3 brothers who are 

absolutely fantastic. 

Dr. Debbie Norris 

Kim Murphy 

Traveling to my hometown of 

Columbus to my parents’ 

house when my children were 

smaller was my favorite. Now 

that my kids are grown, 

gathering at our house is 

wonderful. My mother had a 

toasted white bread stuffing 

recipe that I serve at 

Thanksgiving. It tastes like 

home! 

Gary Maze 

My favorite place for 

Thanksgiving is where I go 

every year–my in-laws in 

Petal, watching football. 

My favorite holiday dish 

is my father in-law’s 

smoked turkey. 

Kevin Cooper 


Thanksgiving is my granny’s 

house! We have gone to her 

house (in Vardaman, MS) 

for Thanksgiving my whole 

life. It has a special place in my 

heart. But I am happy to 

spend the day anywhere as 

long as I am with my family. 

It is only fitting that my 

favorite holiday dish is sweet 

potato casserole. Vardaman is 

called “The Sweet Potato 

Capital of the World”. 


Thanksgiving is at home 

with my family. My favorite 

holiday dish is ham! 

Olivia Rives 

Michelle Johnston 


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madison 

Recipes 

Betty Upton’s 

Chicken & Dressing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: It doesn’t matter how you cut up the hen. Just 

cover it with water and salt with about ½ - 1 tsp of salt. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: If you need more chicken broth after you add 

all the ingredients, add one can cream of chicken soup 

and one can of water. Heat before adding it in. 

Cornbread 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


How to Cook a 

Frozen Turkey 

Breast 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama Upton’s 

Fresh Coconut Pie 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Thanksgiving nearing , I wanted to share 

some of my mother’s recipes just as she wrote them 

for me as a young bride, trying to help me learn 

how to cook. I treasure every word because I can 

just hear my mother telling me every step. 

All of these recipes are wonderful but the turkey 

recipe is especially handy. Several years ago, a 

friend from North Carolina shared a recipe for 

how to cook a frozen turkey breast and it is 

actually so good that I have used it several times, 

even when I wasn’t short on time. It's easy and 

delicious, juicy, and cooked to perfection. I hope 

you will enjoy all these recipes as much as we do. 

 


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attitude 

the 

of gratitude 


Staying positive in a negative world will not only better your life 

but will change it in more ways than you can ever imagine. 

I’m not sure I remember a time in my 

life that I’ve truly felt the “weight” of the 

world like I have recently. I’ve literally 

gotten to the point that I cannot bear to 

watch the news for the constant barrage 

of negative behavior, terrible stories and 

discouraging reports. Sometimes I think 

it would be best to just squeeze both my 

eyes shut and stick my fingers in my ears. 

La-la-la-la-la-la . . . . 

It’s easy to see all that’s wrong in the 

world. It’s everywhere–social injustice, bad 

politics, immorality, violence, persecution 

of Christians, lousy jobs, crime. And it’s 

certainly easy to get overwhelmed and 

consumed with worry and dread, not to 

mention that all of us have our own struggles. 

We all have mountains. 

So how do we stay positive in such a 

negative world? 

It has become my mission, particularly 

as we embark upon the season of thanksgiving, 

to focus on the things I’m thankful 

for. I’m deliberately turning a blind eye 

and limiting my exposure to all the things 

in this universe that can zap me of my joy. 

And at the risk of sounding cliché, it’s an 

attitude of gratitude that can move those 

pesky mountains that often seem to get in 

our way. 

I started thinking about my son and 

how important it is to ensure that he 

understands the concept of being thankful 

in what I consider to be a largely thankless 

world. I don’t know about you, but I am 

keenly aware of the sense of entitlement 

that our young people seem to have today– 

and I believe it’s purely generational. It’s 

not even their fault. They’ve just never 

known what it is to do without. And we’re 

the ones that worked ourselves to death 

to give them everything! Think about it. 

Oh, the irony. 

Teaching a child to look beyond their 

one-person universe can be a challenge. But 

kids who aren’t taught to be grateful end up 

with those feelings of self-entitlement and, 

even worse, are constantly disappointed. 

And if that’s not reason enough, grateful 

people report lower levels of depression 

and stress, stronger immune systems and 

lower blood pressure, feel less lonely and 

isolated and have more joy, optimism and 

happiness. Who couldn’t use a good dose 

of optimism and happiness these days? 

So since they’re not born with it, how 

do you teach a child to be appreciative? 

The most obvious answer I can think of is 

to lead by example. We must live lives of 

gratitude if we want our children to really 


We are called to be a thankful people. 

learn to be grateful. We need to point out 

the positives in people and in situations. 

We need to criticize and complain less. 

I know I need to be more mindful of my 

grumbles and let my child hear me being 

more overtly thankful for things–often 

easier said than done when we’re so 

inundated with outside noise. 

We should also reward thankfulness. 

It may sound crazy, but thanking our kids 

for thanking us may go a long way toward 

teaching them that we appreciate them, too. 

If we consistently delight in their gratitude, 

it will reinforce that behavior and they will 

express it more often. 

By using everyday moments to make 

gratitude and thankfulness part of your 

family’s daily life, you’ll foster a confidence 

and gratefulness in your child that will lead 

them to become kinder and more appreciative 

people in general–which leads us back 

to where we started. In a world with 

countless negative forces, what if we all 

made it our mission to overcome them 

with loving, positive affirmations of 

gratefulness? 

The incredible thing about gratitude is 

that once we realize all the things we have 

in our lives and all the things we can do, 

we create feelings of contentment within 

ourselves. And it’s with these feelings of 

contentment that we live happier lives– 

because when we’re content, our thoughts 

are positive. And based on the law of 

attraction, when we think “thankful” 

thoughts, we bring more into our lives 

to be thankful for. 

No matter what the current circumstances, 

there’s always good to be found. 

Even when things aren’t at their best, count 

your blessings anyway and let them buoy 

your sagging spirits. Whatever you send out 

into the universe will come back to you. 

So, find the good–and teach your children 

to find the good as well. Surround yourself 

with encouraging, optimistic and grateful 

people and see what happens. 

And be happy about finding the positive 

and consciously cultivate more gratitude— 

so much so that your heart explodes with 

delight and contagiously stretches out to 

those around you. The people that you love 

in life deserve your gratitude the very most 

and they will respond in ways that are both 

encouraging and fulfilling. 

We are called to be a thankful people. 

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life– 

and turns what we have into enough. 

If you want to feel happy, try on an attitude 

of gratitude for a change in your mood, 

your outlook and your life. n 


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Another PlAce At the tAble 

Kerri Walker

Scott and April Selman found a new calling when they discovered 

the great needs of foster care in Mississippi. 

The Selmans have four adult biological children, three adopted 

children, and currently two foster children. Two of their children were 

adopted through foster care, and one was adopted internationally. 

When their four biological children began transitioning into 

adulthood, the Selmans began to wonder what was next. 

“We started hearing about the needs of foster care,” said April. 

“We listened to a sermon series by David Platt on the book of James. 

He talked about how his church in 

Alabama was basically emptying the 

foster care system. They were licensing 

families in their church to become foster 

families, and 

we started thinking that was something 

we could do. James 1:27 calls us to care 

for orphans and widows. We got started. 

It’s our next step.” 

The Selmans have cared for several 

children placed in foster care throughout 

recent years. “Group homes are not the 

best solution in my opinion, and that’s 

where a lot of kids end up,” said April. 

“I think that giving kids a chance to see a 

functioning, healthy family is way more preferable. It also brings you 

a lot of joy to see them heal and grow and start to flourish. There are 

kids every week that need a place to sleep. We’re a very affluent society, 

and a lot of us have extra bedrooms. Why not meld kids who need a 

place with us who have extra space? I think God calls the church to 

take care of vulnerable children and people. You just don’t get much 

more vulnerable than a kid in foster care who doesn’t have the support 

of his or her biological family.” 

Becoming a foster parent is not without its challenges. “Kids who 

come from traumatic backgrounds have many different behaviors than 

our biological children did,” said April. “The biggest challenge is 

learning how trauma affects children and how to best help them heal.” 

Despite the challenges, the Selmans have seen a lot of healing in 

their home. “It really is amazing to see a child that comes into your 

home withdrawn, introverted, closed off from building relationships, 

and completely at a loss for how to function, go through a complete 

transformation—to laughing, telling jokes, smiling, and wanting 

hugs. To go from almost being expelled at school to being a great 

student within a short period of time. The kids learn how to feel safe 

and how to count on people when they’ve never been able to count 

on someone before. They learn how to trust that they will have 

“Once our eyes are open to the need, 

we are commanded to respond.” 

–Scott Selman 

another meal that day and they will have clothes to wear and they 

will be protected and safe. It’s a big change.” 

This healing brings joy into the Selmans’ hearts. April said, 

“We’ve had kids come through who really had no idea how to give or 

receive affection, and we see that slowly start to change. All kids crave 

love–they need it. It’s incredible. I never expected to be able to 

witness that. You get so much joy out of seeing that healing take place.” 

“The ultimate goal is for the kids to gain the ability to become 

functioning adults—to break the cycle and to have the ability to 

come to know about God’s love,” 

continued Selman. “A lot of kids come in 

and don’t know the first Bible story and 

have never set foot in a church, which is 

unfathomable with us living in the bible 

belt. It really happens, and it’s great to see 

them learn about the Bible and God’s 

love. They become different people.” 

“One day after supper, we had a child 

who asked, ‘How do y’all always have 

food?’ I asked, ‘What do you mean?’ 

The child said, ‘Well at my house we don’t 

always have food, and we’re hungry. Y’all 

always have food,’” April recalls. “This 

child was trying to figure out how we 

could make that happen, and it kills your heart when you hear a kid 

say that. Here in Brandon, Mississippi, there’s a kid who is hungry. 

That seems crazy to us. There shouldn’t be a kid who is hungry when 

we all have so much to give.” 

“It’s bittersweet when a child goes back to his or her family 

because you do get attached and learn to love them,” said April. 

“In some cases, you can still have contact and in some cases you can’t. 

You just have to pray that you’ve done a little bit of good for them 

while they were with you. That’s the number one thing that people 

say to me: ‘Oh, I could never foster because I would get attached.’ 

You do get attached. But fostering isn’t supposed to be about the 

adults. It’s about the kids. If everyone decided they couldn’t do it 

because they would get attached, then we would just have group 

homes filled to the brims because kids have to have somewhere to 

go and somebody to take care of them.” 

“I think it’s good when you can step in and be a safety net for a 

family and give the parents time to stabilize so they can get their kids 

back,” said April. “That’s good because kids should be with their 

families. That’s the ideal solution. It’s bittersweet because you miss 

them and think about them, but if their parents are able to get things 

right and have their kids returned, then that’s where the kids should 


e long-term. That is the goal of foster care—to help families fix what 

needs to be fixed and reunify. When a family is able to do that, it’s a 

good thing. And sadly, sometimes they’re not able.” 

“You don’t have any idea what you’re getting into if you haven’t 

been exposed to it,” said Scott. “It’s a lot of work, a lot of energy, a lot 

of sacrifice. But at the end of the day, you have to look at what you’re 

sacrificing for. We all take for granted the luxuries in our lives. There 

are so many people who don’t have those. If you educate yourself and 

get exposed to it, it’s hard to turn away. Once you’re aware, it takes a 

pretty hard heart to back away from it. I went into it thinking these 

must be some bad kids. I don’t know why I thought that. But once you 

get into it, you realize that these children have done nothing. They 

don’t deserve the hand they’ve been dealt in life. It breaks your heart 

because they didn’t ask to be born into these situations or handed 

disabilities, diseases, or whatever. But here they are, and a lot of times 

they just have no chance. I think we should all do something to help.” 

“At one point, we wrote down verses that jumped out at us,” said 

April. “We were filling up books with verses. If God puts something 

in the Bible over and over, clearly it’s very important to Him. Isaiah 

1:17 tells us to bring justice to the fatherless. Ephesians 5:1 says to be 

imitators of God. That’s so simple. If you’re going to imitate God and 

He’s commanding us over and over to care for children, then we ought 

to care for children.” 

“At some point, Christians abdicated compassion to the government. 

I think it is up to us as the church to pull it back,” said Scott. “The 

story from Biblical times is that if Romans had a child that they didn’t 

want, they would set that child beside the road or outside at night and 

it would die. It was the Christians that would pick these children up, 

care for them, and show value for them. I think that’s what we are 

called to do today. There are a lot of children that are being cast aside 

by society. It’s up to us to show compassion and take them in.” 

Danny and Dede Walker of Madison share the Selmans’ passion 

for caring for displaced children. They became interested in foster care 

by spending time with four sibling brothers who were in the care of a 

foster family in Brandon. They built a relationship with the brothers 

and became foster parents in order to bring them into their home. 

The Walkers have three biological children, and during the 

application process to become a foster family, a couple of their children 

expressed concern and hesitation about the transition. “My daughter 

was concerned about the chaos and what it would look like for her as 

the only girl in a family of what was going to have six boys,” said Dede. 

“She wondered if it would take away her parents from what she’d 

known her whole life and if we would be different to her, which is 

typical for a 12-year-old girl.” 

“To this day, she’s had a 180 degree change of heart,” said Dede. 

“She feels like our job is to take care of the boys. She’s constantly 

concerned about if they’re being taken care of and loved. When the 

boys went back to their mom after two years with us, it was a bittersweet 

transition for her because she had come to love them so much.” 

“I was pretty naive going in,” Dede admitted. “I thought I could 

love the children through pretty much anything that they’ve been 

through. I thought that if I provided this great structure and loving 

environment of what a family is supposed to look like, then that 

would fix all the things they had been exposed to and that would take 

the place of them not having their family. But I was wrong. I had to 

readjust and adapt to their immediate needs. They’re so riddled with 

emotions about what’s going to happen next that a sense of normalcy 

isn’t even in their vocabulary.” 

“You can do anything God equips you to do,” said Dede. “A year 

prior, it was not our intention to become foster parents. But it was so 

evident that it was what we were supposed to do once we met those 

boys. It is very important that both spouses are on the same page with 

fostering. Once God lays it on your heart, you can’t deny what He 

wants you to do, and He equips you. There are days when I feel like 

I can’t make it through another day, and that’s where He provides 

those needs. People come in to help you or it’s a good day when you 

feel like you’ve made a difference and you’re making progress with 

the children. It’s such an ebb and flow of emotion throughout the 

whole process.” 

“Don’t let the fear of commitment scare you off because you get so 

much more out of it than you could ever give. There’s such a blessing 

in fostering, and it changes your family,” said Dede. 

There are a number of ways that we can help foster families. 

Clothing and school supplies donations are great when a new 

placement arrives. Families can also become licensed to provide 

respite, allowing foster families to have a safe home to temporarily 

keep the children when the foster parents, themselves, must go away 

overnight. Delivering meals, mowing the grass, and visiting the 

children are also thoughtful ways help. The possibilities for lending a 

hand are endless. 

“Not everyone is called to full time foster care, but we are 

commanded to care for orphans and widows,” said Scott Selman. 

“There’s not more clarity than that.” 




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The 

Sundial 

Santa 


“God makes 

everyone unique; 

God just made me 

to love Christmas.” 

- HAYDEN RICHA R DSON 


While most of us are pulling fall arrangements 

from the attic, picking out pumpkins at the 

market, and planning hayrides, Hayden 

Richardson, a senior at Mississippi State, is 

pulling out Christmas inflatables, picking out new 

LED lighting, and planning the layout for the 

Richardson Light Show at 219 Sundial Road. 

Hayden wasn’t born a Santa, but the spirit of 

Christmas captured him at the innocent age of six 

while on a shopping trip. He spotted a lighted 

plastic nativity scene and two wire-framed deer. 

His parents complied with his request to buy them 

for their yard and so began Hayden’s Christmas 

story of lights and music–and we’re talking 100,000 

lights by this 2015 season. 

While the family lived at North Bay, Hayden 

would add new decorations each Christmas. In 

2002, he saw his first Christmas inflatable–a giant 

Santa at Kroger. Carol, his mom, asked him to wait 

until after Christmas to see if it was still there. It 

was, and Hayden purchased it at a 50% discount 

and headed home with his first inflatable. This 

year’s display will showcase 200 inflatables. 

By 2012, the word was spreading about the 

Richardson Christmas lights on Sundial Road and 

the traffic increased. He called Mayor Mary to help 

with the traffic problem, and she graciously responded 

with the needed officers and signs. 

The collection of lights, decorations, inflatables, 

and electrical supplies that fill two storage rooms, 

one giant garage and attic, has been costly, but 

Hayden makes the purchases with his income from 

Richardson Lawn Care. He is the owner and operator 

of the business during his summers. 


He’s become so involved in the Christmas lighting 

that he’s met most of the vendors who construct 

the decorations. Fort Worth, Texas, holds an annual 

Christmas Expo where Hayden buys some of his 

collection. He’s also been an instructor at the Expo, 

teaching classes on the how of inflatables and the 

operation of drones for videoing displays. 

When Hayden graduated from Hinds and enrolled 

at Mississippi State his junior year, Carol 

assumed a larger part of the assembling task. She says, 

“We look at it as our gift to the community.” Hayden 

comes home on weekends and breaks to make sure 

the display is ready to turn on the day after Thanksgiving. 

From then until near the first of January, the 

display is on from 5 to 9 p.m. weeknights and 5 to 11 

or 12 p.m. on the weekends, complete with synchronized 

music that you tune in to on 99.9. 

The sparkle in Hayden’s eyes when talking 

about this display convinces you that it’s not a job 

but a joy. Will it continue to grow? Hayden answers, 

“If you can count your Christmas lights, you don’t 

have enough!” 

On or near the first of January, Hayden, his dad, 

and mom, will take down the display and pack it away 

for the next Christmas. Hayden states a heartfelt 

motive behind the hours, labor, and money invested 

in the display: “It makes a lot of people’s Christmas 

very special.” As for his unusual captivation with 

Christmas, he explains, “God makes everyone 

unique; God just made me to love Christmas.” 

Visit the spectacular event this year, and Hayden 

will show you just how much he loves Christmas. 

Like them on Facebook at Richardson Light Show 

or Richardson Light Show.com for additional 

information and to check schedule in case of 

inclement weather. 


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601-853-8978 • www.calistogawine.net 

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GermanFest 

St. Joseph Catholic Church • Gluckstadt 

September 27, 2015 

Going strong for 29 years, GermanFest attracts thousands of 

revelers of all ages from the metro area, nearby states, and 

even a few from Germany. 

Each year, this event brings together many to 

enjoy German music, cuisine, brews and wine, 

and dancing…so much dancing! 

Gluckstadt was settled in 1905 by German 

Catholic families relocating from Klaasville, 

Indiana, and means “lucky town” in English. 

German Fest is held each year on the 

last Sunday of September. 





Big. 

Smart. 

STRONG. 

LITTLE GIANTS 

Developmental 

& Play Center 

changes the way we view playtime. 

Susan Marquez 


With bright, primary-colored walls, fun 

toys, and playhouses to climb and slide on, 

Little Giants Development and Play Center 

in Madison looks like a child’s paradise. 

There’s no doubt that children who visit 

the center have a great time—it’s apparent 

by the big smiles on their faces. But at 

Little Giants, play has an important purpose. 

Playing is the most important way to 

encourage a child’s growth and development, 

and at Little Giants, the purpose is 

to promote learning and growth through 

play. “We want to bring learning, play, fun 

and socialization, and so much more into 

our little ones’ worlds,” said Little Giants 

founder and owner, Sharon Silverman. 

“We are committed to encouraging 

parents, little ones and entire families in 

every way possible through the art of play.” 

Silverman is a neonatal nurse practitioner 

and a mother of five. When her 

fourth child, Wade, was six months old, 

she noticed he wasn’t meeting standard 

developmental milestones. “I sat on it at 

first, but after a while, I took him to our 

pediatrician. She wasn’t too concerned, 

and said we just needed to watch him. 

But I knew in my heart something wasn’t 

right.” Silverman sought additional help 

and learned that Wade was on the 

autism spectrum. “Now at age three, he 

is extremely high functioning.” Much of 

that is credited to the intense research 

Silverman did, learning ways to help Wade 

through the very thing children do best—play. 

And that’s how Little Giants came to be. 

Silverman opened the doors of the 

center April 1, 2014. “We are a place where 

all children can come,” she said. “We want 

to keep typical children typical.” About 85% 

of the children who come to the center 

are considered “normal,” while the others 

are generally on the autism spectrum or 

are diagnosed with Down’s syndrome. 

The children are not separated, but instead 

children with all abilities play together. 

“Children are children. We teach kindness,” 

said Silverman. 

Little Giants is not a daycare center. In 

order to be a Little Giant, parents purchase 

memberships. A full membership includes 

unlimited classes. Lindsey Rasmussen is 

the gym manager and play director, and 

she conducts most of the classes. There 

are a variety of classes, including Smart 

Giants, for ages three to five. Trophy Giants 

incorporates kinesiology for movement. 

Artsy Giants is a true fine art class, where 

children are exposed to the master artists, 

making an early impression on the mind. 

A board certified music therapist presents 

the Musical Giants class. 

Silverman designed all the lesson plans. 

“We begin at the introductory skill level and 

work towards mastery of a skill. We’ll start 

children as young as two months with 

sensory skills. We do things like put their 

hands and feet in water beads and other 

exercises. As they get older, we’ll learn 

prepositions, like above, below, high, low, etc.” 

The membership also includes 

developmental milestone screenings. 

“I do the screening, along with Bridgette 

Bland, our on-staff occupational therapist,” 

said Silverman. “We give a report to parents 

who can, in turn, give it to their pediatrician. 

It fills that gap between the doctor and 

parent, because the pediatricians simply 

don’t have the time to spend with each 

patient.” 

One of the services Silverman provides 

at Little Giants is a Giants Night Out. 

Silverman stressed that it’s important that 

parents have at least one child-free night 

a month to reconnect. “When you have 

children, it can take over your life. And 

that’s not a bad thing, but you also have 

to remember the key relationship in the 

home. The parents need time to focus 

solely on each other every now and then. 

We do that to encourage families to stay 

together.” The center also hosts birthday 

parties. 

Little Giants is a one-of-a-kind center. 

Silverman said there are similar places in 

Birmingham and at Tulane in New Orleans, 

but she believes Little Giants to be the 

only developmental and play center in the 

state. “We’ve applied for a patent,” she said. 

“We are the only center of its kind in the 

United States. I patterned this after the 

Centers for Disease Control’s developmental 

lifestyles. As a nurse practitioner, I read 

constantly about pediatric development 

and I go by the CDC guidelines.” 

The idea is to help develop a child’s 

cognitive, social/emotional, language and 

physical skills. “We have added sensory 

integration in all of our classes to decrease 

ADD in children.” While it may look like 

nothing but fun to play in shaving cream, 

stack blocks or crawl through a tunnel, 

each activity has a purpose. 

__________________________________ 

Little Giants is located in the Colony Crossing 

Shopping Center on Colony Crossing Way in 

Madison. For more information, visit the Little 

Giants website at www.littlegiantscenter.com. 


TheLegacy 

of 

Tilda Bogue 

Nancy Grogan was a 

passionate historian. 

And now, her family 

lovingly continues 

what she startednearly 

40 years later. 

Hidden under a canopy of native Spanish 

moss in north Madison County is a second 

generation family treasure and historic gem 

called Tilda Bogue. Built in the mid-1830s 

out of hand-hewn oak logs, this house 

showcases the history of Mississippi and 

how the common man lived in the state’s 

early history. 

Cared for by Julie and Nolen Grogan 

and their children Berkley and Will, the 

main home was discovered one mile east of 

the family property in the late 1970s. It was 

acquired and moved by Nolen’s parents to its 

current location in the 1980s. Nolen’s late 

mother, Nancy Grogan, was a passionate 

historian and collector of southern antiques. 

She convinced her husband, Bill, that the 

structure was worth saving, thus starting 

a lifetime of restoration and collecting of 

log structures. 

“My family bought this property in the 

1970s and we used it as a weekend get-away 

from our home in NE Jackson”, Nolen says. 

“We came up every chance we got to work 

the property and cut firewood and ride 

3-wheelers.” 

“When my mother convinced my dad 

that we should restore the log house, no one 


ever expected that we would end up living 

here full-time. And I certainly never thought 

that I would be married to a Texas girl raising 

two children here 35 years later”, says Grogan. 

Restoration took nearly three years and 

the family made it their full-time residence 

in the mid ‘80s. Over the next 25 years, 

Nancy continued to find log structures from 

this period and moved them to the property. 

In all, five log buildings are clustered in the 

area around the original log home named 

Tilda Bogue. 

“Tilda Bogue is the Cherokee phrase for 

Rocky Creek. This was the name used on 

the earliest tax records we could find on the 

property”, says Grogan. 

After Nancy passed away, Bill invited his 

son and daughter-in-law to move into the 

house and begin taking care of the property 

with him. “I promised Julie I would never 

move her to Mississippi when we got married 

and, well, that didn’t exactly hold true” laughs 

Nolen. “We decided to get out of the rat-race 

of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and move to 

the country and it was the best decision we 

ever made.” The couple packed up and moved 

to Mississippi in the summer of 2006. 

When the interior of the house was built 

in the 1980s, it was designed to earn a place on 

the National Register of Historic Houses– 

not to raise a family of small children. The 

first thing the couple did when they moved 

in was to personalize the space to make it 

their own. “Julie loves to cook and be together 

as a family at meals so the first order of 

business was to rip out some walls and put 

in a real kitchen. The main problem is, 

anything you do in an old house takes twice 

as long as planned and costs twice as much as 

budgeted”, Grogan says. 

“We are working our way through the 

house room by room, updating it. And every 

year we take on a room as a special project. 

Sometimes it is simply updating lighting 

and paint. Sometimes it involves tearing 

out a bathroom and starting over from the 

ground up.” 

The Grogan’s have taken special care to 

blend the new with the old, just as Nancy 

would have done. They have used locally 

sourced timber and recycled materials, 

where able, to keep the original look intact. 

“Our biggest project was integrating the 

pool into the landscape as to not rob the 

historic nature of the house and its outbuildings” 

said Nolen. “We tucked it into 

an area between three outbuildings and used 

the storehouse to hide pool equipment.” 

The results are amazing and the pool feels 

like it fits its surroundings. The storehouse 

was used as a post office during the Civil 

War outside of Raymond, Mississippi. The 

corn crib, used for grain storage, is from the 

Bull Homestead just across the Big Black 

River in Yazoo County. The guesthouse was 

one of the last remaining slave houses from 

the Ratcliff Plantation. 

“Julie loves to garden and she has done a 

magnificent job. She has a great eye for 

landscape design and together, we love to 

spend the spring and summer filling in the 

yard with a variety of shade plants.” 

This past year, with the help of his friend 

Terry Powell, the Grogans added stone patios 

and a fire pit that blended with the original 

stone and brick patio that Nancy had built. 

“We stay outside as much as the weather 

allows. The fire pit and the expanded patios 

around the pool were a great addition. I could 

not be more excited for fall than I am now.” 


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Aiming to DefenD 

Yourself 

ELIZABETH BENNETT 

kKim Condon is a woman 

who wears many hats. But her 

latest venture, Boondocks, is a 

new business created with her 

husband, Dr. Mark Condon, owner 

of Urology Associates in Flowood. 

Boondocks is a firearms training 

facility for civilians wanting to 

learn to effectively use a firearm. 

It is a school with a controlled 

environment and is only available 

for those registered for the 

training classes. There are three 

different class levels: beginner, 

intermediate and advanced, with 

some of the advanced classes even 

including home invasion simulation. 

The purpose of Boondocks is to teach civilians how to defend themselves 

with a firearm. “It is your God given right to own a firearm. We are supporters of 

the 2nd Amendment,” said Kim. “We want people who own guns to be trained, 

prepared and know how to use them effectively.” 

The idea for Boondocks actually originated after a very tragic event. When 

the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting happened in 2012, it really struck 

a chord with Kim. She said she’s keenly aware that the world is getting crazier 

and she isn’t getting any younger and just wants to be prepared and ready to 

defend herself should the need ever arise. “I feel it’s important to do whatever 

you need to do to make yourself feel safe. We all wear a seatbelt, not wishing 

to be in a wreck, but to be as safe as possible just in case. We all have a fire 

extinguisher–not that we hope we have a fire, but just in case. Personally, 

I choose a firearm as my means of self-defense because I know for sure if I am 

ever in harm’s way, the best equalizer will be a firearm. Some people may choose 

martial arts. Some people choose to carry a knife or Mace. Whatever your choice 

may be, training is the key. The skills you lack may be the very ones you need to 

save your life.” 

After much thought about the theater shooting, Kim decided she wanted to 

properly, and safely, learn how to use a gun. She told her husband, who has been 

Kim Condon – Owner & Founder 


around guns his whole life, and off they 

went to the Gun Site Academy in Arizona 

for training. After her very first training, 

she had a completely different outlook on 

guns and wasn’t afraid of them anymore. 

She has been back three times for 

additional defensive classes. 

Back in Mississippi, she took a class in Edwards to get her enhanced-carry permit. 

It was at that time that Kim realized there wasn’t an official training center anywhere 

in Mississippi like the Gun Site Academy in Arizona that she had visited. So, one 

night over dinner, she and her husband explored the idea of opening up their own 

gun training facility. She suggested using the land in Raymond that they have owned 

for over six years. The very next day, the Condons had an architect draw up plans. 

Boondocks provides classes for ages 21 and up. All students must wear eye and 

ear protection and additional mandatory gear is specific to the class taken. Kim and 

Mark Condon are the owners of Boondocks and Cliff Cargill is the range-master 

and training coordinator. Michael Frazier is the facility manager and there are 

currently forty instructors on the roster from Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties. 

It should be noted that Boondocks is also very female friendly. Kim is a leader in 

The Well-Armed Woman Clinton/Raymond Chapter which educates, equips and 

empowers the female gun owner. “It is empowering to have the ability to defend 

yourself,” she said. “A tragic event in Colorado transformed my thought process of 

gun use being recreational into something that is educational and beneficial to our 

community and state” said Condon. 

Miranda Blanton, Pearl resident, is an instructor at Boondocks. “Boondocks is 

fabulous! In my opinion, there’s nothing like it in this region. We offer a great 

selection of classes for men and women. I enjoy teaching the Well-Armed Woman 

class and Enhanced Permit classes.” 

Boondocks Training Academy is all about attitude, ability and awareness. If you 

are looking to learn something new and find out how to properly and safely use a 

firearm, then look no further than Boondocks Training Academy in Raymond. They 

are located at 11771 Highway 18, in Raymond, Mississippi, or you can reach them by 

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phone at (769) 972-2382. Check them out on the web at www.boondocksfta.com. n 


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CANTON 

-The City 

of Lights 

Susan Marquez 

 

 


While it may or may not be seen from space, 

Canton, Mississippi is known as The City of Lights, 

and for good reason. 

 

Simply take a drive any evening from I-55 

off the Canton exit towards the historic town 

square and the thoroughfare is lined with 

period cast-iron lights. As you approach the 

Square, each of the buildings, on all four sides, 

are lined with bright white bulbs. 

Jo Ann Gordon, the City’s director of 

tourism, had the idea to line the buildings with 

lights in the 1980’s as a way to highlight the 

City’s historic architecture during the holidays. 

The response was so positive, the lights stayed 

up year ‘round. In the early 1990s, Gordon 

placed a $9.99 blow-up Santa on the 

courthouse square and that was the beginning 

of the annual Victorian Christmas Festival. 

Around the same time they started adding lights 

around the light poles on the Square, and 

each year more displays were added. 

Now Canton has become a major tourist 

destination during the holiday season, with over 

50,000 people coming during the holidays 

each year to see the beautiful lights—not just 

lining the buildings, but suspended over the 

street, and throughout the courthouse square. 

Visitors from all 50 states and from many 

foreign countries have come to take part in 

Canton’s famous holiday festivities on the 

square. “It’s growing all the time,” said Jana 

Padgett, the assistant director of the Canton 

Convention and Visitors Bureau. The displays 

have become much larger and more elaborate 

with each new year. “This year, we’ve added a 

42’ candelabra with giant lighted candles and 

poinsettias on the courthouse square,” said 

Padgett. “Our last big addition was two years 

ago with another major display.” 

Padgett said that a new addition to the 

display is added every two years. “As a matter 

of fact, we actually change out all of the light 

bulbs on all the displays every two years, so 

that everything has a fresh new look when we 

add something new.” That’s 200,000 

glistening lights. 

In addition to the amazing spectacle of 

lights, Canton also puts on quite an event for 

folks of all ages. From November 27th through 

December 23rd, the festivities in Canton all 

take place around the historic courthouse 

square, which is honored as a landmark on 

the National Register. 

A major project has been underway to 

renovate the square and, to date, more than 

$20 million has been reinvested into the 

preservation and continuation of the unique 

hub of activity. “The renovated courthouse 

will have much more visibility this year,” said 

Padgett. “We are excited that it will be done 

in time for the Victorian Festival.” 

Visitors to Canton also enjoy the famous 

Canton animation museums. The museums 

began with just 22 antique window decorations 

and a vision to create a holiday fantasy which 

would highlight the area’s rich history, diverse 

present, and promising future. Today the 

museums include 135 life-size animated figures 

that transport visitors to a world of fact and 

fairy tales. From historical representations of 

life in Canton throughout the 20th century to 

whimsical scenes depicting favorite children’s 

stories, the museums’ displays are lovingly 

handcrafted and a joy for all ages. “When it 

began, all the displays were put together by 

volunteers,” said Padgett. “As the festival has 

grown, we are actually able to employ Canton 

citizens, which is something we are very 

proud of.” 

There are carnival rides for kids, as well 

as the popular historic trolley rides and horse 

& buggy rides around the Square. There will 

be holiday open houses with merchants on 

the Square, and the Sip ‘n Cider event is 

always much anticipated. Scheduled for 

December 11th from 4pm to 8pm, 

participating merchants will each offer up their 

own version of Christmas hot cider. 

Down the road a bit, a detailed model 

train exhibit can be seen at the Canton Train 

Museum in the old depot. The historical 

exhibits includes a talking “O Scale” model 

of the Illinois Central passenger trains that 

serviced the main line of Mid-America, 

Chicago to New Orleans from the 1900s 

to the 1970s. 

One of the highlights of the Victorian 

Christmas Festival is the night time Christmas 

parade, held often throughout the season. 

“This year we’ve added more characters to 

our light and character parade,” said Padgett. 

“We’ll also have a professional dance company 

doing choreographed dances in the parade. 

We are fortunate that a former choreographer 

for the Disney parades has moved to the area 

and she’s been helping us.” 

This year Santa will be on hand each 

night of the festival in a special spot next to 

the animation museum. “He’ll be in ‘Santa’s 

Workshop,’ where children can see the elves 

working on Santa’s sleigh, getting it ready for 

his trip around the world on Christmas Eve,” 

winked Padgett. 

Decorating the Square so elaborately and 

setting up the animation museums takes a 

great deal of time. “We generally begin the day 

after the fall Flea Market (which is the second 

Thursday of October), but this year we started 

in July,” Padgett explained. “It never gets old 

for me. There’s something very special about 

watching this little town transform into a 

magical wonderland each year.” 

For more information on the Victorian 

Christmas Festival, visit the Canton 

Convention and Visitors Bureau website 

at www.cantontourism.com. 




Cooking with the Junior Auxiliary 

of Madison County 

Cooking with the Junior Auxiliary 

of Madison County, Mississippi is a 

new cookbook containing a collection 

of recipes by Madison County’s Junior 

Auxiliary. 

This Auxiliary was established in 1986 by Norma Carroll Ezell. 

Norma’s daughter, Rebecca Norma Carroll Harrison (owner of 

Soiree Gifts and Floral in Madison) helped us stage our photo 

shoot which highlights several of the recipes in the cookbook. 

All the dishes were lovingly prepared by Auxiliary members. For 

more information on these recipes or to purchase your copy of 

Cooking with the Junior Auxiliary of Madison County, Mississippi, 

check out their website at www.jamadison.org. 


Pepper Jack 

Cheese Roll 

Bethany Gough 

Rolled out pie crust 

Apricot peach preserves 

Half a block of pepper jack cheese 

(sliced down the middle to make 

it thinner) 

Wrap the cheese up well with the 

pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees until it 

browns. Top with preserves and serve 

with crackers. 


White Chocolate 

Party Mix 

Ava Aycock 

10 oz. salted pretzels 

5 cups Cheerios 

5 cups Corn Chex 

2 cups peanuts 

24 oz. M&M’s Milk Chocolate candies 

24 oz. white chocolate chips 

3 T. vegetable oil 

In a large bowl, combine pretzels, Cheerios, 

Chex, peanuts, and M&M’s. Set aside. 

In a microwave safe bowl, heat white 

chocolate chips and oil on high for 60 

seconds. Stir and microwave for another 

30 seconds. Stir until completely melted 

and smooth. Pour melted chocolate over 

cereal mix and stir until all cereal is evenly 

coated with white chocolate. Spread 

cereal mix on 2 large baking sheets lined 

with wax paper. Let cool and break apart 

into chunks. Store in air-tight container. 


Pumpkin Crunch 

Sherrye LaCour 

Cake 

15 oz. can pumpkin 

12 oz. can evaporated milk 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1 cup sugar 

3 eggs, beaten 

1 box yellow cake mix 

2 sticks butter, cut into pieces 

1 cup chopped pecans 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 

pumpkin, evaporated milk, cinnamon, 

and sugar until well combined. Add eggs 

and mix well. Pour mixture into greased 

9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly 

over entire top. Sprinkle nuts evenly over 

cake mix. Top with butter pieces. Bake at 

350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Set aside 

to cool. 

Frosting 

8 oz. cream cheese softened 

1 cup whipped topping 

½ cup powdered sugar 

½ tsp. cinnamon 

In a large bowl, whip cream cheese with 

a hand mixer until light. Add in whipped 

topping and continue to whip until fully 

combined and thickened. Add powdered 

sugar and cinnamon and whip until 

smooth. Scoop out a serving of the 

cake and top with a dollop of the cream 

cheese frosting or frost the entire 

pumpkin crunch and cut into squares. 


Sharp Cheddar 

& Chive Puffs 

Lindsey Montgomery 

1 cup water 

½ cup butter 

1 cup flour 

½ tsp. kosher salt 

4 eggs 

1 ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, 

divided 

2 T. fresh chives, chopped 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pot, 

bring water to a boil. Add butter to boiling 

water and melt; quickly fold in flour and 

salt. Stir until a ball forms that does not 

separate. 

Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

Add eggs one at a time, beating after 

each until smooth. Add 1 cup of cheese 

and the chives. Blend well. Place heaping 

tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on 

a greased jelly roll pan. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden 

brown and puffy. Remove puffs from 

oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. 

Turn oven to broil; broil puffs for 1-2 

minutes or until cheese is melted and 

bubbly. 


Crock Pot 

Red Beans & Rice 

Anna Garlets 

1 package of dried red beans 

1-2 jalapeno peppers – seeded 

and diced 

1 small white onion 

1 small bell pepper 

4 T. Cajun seasoning 

A dash of salt and pepper 

2 tsp. minced garlic 

Water (the amount on the bag 

of dried beans) 

1 package of andouille sausage 

(sliced) 

Rinse and drain your red beans (do not 

soak). Place all ingredients in crock pot. 

Pour into crock pot the amount of 

water suggested on the bag of red 

beans. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Serve over rice. 


Squash Casserole 

Hannah Shelby 

6 yellow squash 

½ cup butter 

½ cup grated cheddar cheese 

1 tsp. salt 

¼ tsp. pepper 

½ small onion 

3 eggs, beaten 

½ Ritz cracker crumbs 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook squash 

until tender; drain and mash. Melt butter 

and cheese; add to squash. Add salt, 

pepper, onion, eggs, and cracker crumbs. 

Pour into casserole dish. Top with a few 

Ritz cracker crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Serves 8. 


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Bows 



Never Abbreviated Camille 

Anding 

“Her name is Dot,” Mr. Durham said to the Greenville 

doctor that delivered his infant daughter. 

“And that’s short for Dorothy?” the physician assumed 

audibly. 

“No, her entire name is Dot Durham. Not Dorothy and no 

middle name. She’s Dot Durham.” 

Dot may have been given an “abbreviated” name, but her life 

was to be full and overflowing with blessings as Dot reflects 

over her 84 years. 

She still has fond memories of her rural Greenville home, 

growing through childhood with her younger brother. When 

she was eleven, her dad, who had suffered with cancer for three 

years, died. Dot’s mother was overwhelmed with her loss and 

left their rural home with their two children and never entered 

it again. She asked family members to move their belongings 

to a duplex in Greenville, which Dot would call her second 

home until she married. 

The young, widowed Mrs. Durham got a job as an alterations 

seamstress even though she had never sewn. With the help of 

her employer, she soon learned the art of sewing and opened 

her own alterations business a few years later. 

Dot graduated from Greenville High School and attended 

the “W” for two years. Then it dawned on her that an all-girls 

college was probably not the best place to find a husband, so 

she transferred to Mississippi College her junior year. 

While Dot was unpacking in her dorm room on her first 

day at the college, her roommate suggested they go outside and 

meet some new friends. The two sat on a park bench a short 

distance from the boys’ dorm. Suddenly Dot was jolted with a 

shrill, piercing whistle next to her. Her roommate had just 

spotted a friend and was signaling for him to come and meet 

Dot. His name was Charles Byrd. He asked Dot for a date the 

next night and asked her to be his bride two years later. The 

college transfer was a huge success. 

The following years were counted in blessings – a son and 

daughter, 21 years of elementary school teaching, a kindergarten 

director and 21 years as secretary in the church administration 

department for the Baptist Convention in Jackson. 

There were also valley experiences. A grandchild, Amanda, 

was born totally deaf with cerebral palsy. The doctors gave her 

parents no hope of a meaningful life for the child. Six months 

later, Charles’ doctor told him that he had stage four Lymphoma 

with no more than six months to live. The doctor’s advice: 

“You need to get everything in order.” 

Charles turned to his doctor and replied, “I have a sixmonth-old 

granddaughter who needs me. I can’t die now.” 

He later confided in Dot that he would fight to live until 

Amanda showed improvement. 

Ten years later, Charles came inside from a full day in his 

greenhouse and told Dot, “Amanda is going to be fine, and I’m 

really tired.” He died three weeks later. 

Today, Dot is a productive resident at Sunnybrook Estates. 

She takes great comfort in the care and protection she enjoys 

in her apartment there. “The fine dining with friends is always 

a treat.” She still recalls visiting several retirement homes 

before driving through the large gated area of Sunnybrook. 

“You feel like you’re in the country.” 

At her church, Broadmoor Baptist, she’s an assistant Sunday 

school teacher and president of the widow ministry, New 

Journey. Every Friday morning she’s volunteering at the Baptist 

Cancer Center in Jackson, fulfilling a wish that Charles made 

while he was undergoing treatment at M.D. Anderson. “He 

wanted us to be able to encourage others like those volunteers 

encouraged us.” 

She says, “I smile a lot and make lots and lots of coffee,” when 

describing her job. Charles would be very pleased and proud 

– just like her family, friends and gifted granddaughter, Amanda. 


? 

Special Thanks 

to all of our 

Readers and 

Advertisers. 

We appreciate 

you! 

FOR ADVERTISING INFO, CALL 601.706.4059 


A Worthy Name, An Exceptional Education 

The Jernberg Scholarship 

Jackson Academy is accepting applications for 

the James Peter Jernberg, Jr. Scholarship from 

students entering fifth through eleventh grades 

in 2016–17. Jernberg Scholars will receive full 

tuition and fees to attend JA. Applicants must 

demonstrate some financial need, and scholars 

will be selected based on academic excellence, 

enthusiasm for success, and determination to 

excel in a challenging, innovative environment. 

Apply now at jacksonacademy.org/jernbergscholars. 

Achieve your full potential at JA! | 601.364.5450 


Gift Guide 

Madison Fireplace 

1. Egg and Yeti go together 

2. Christmas tree 

Delta State 

Calistoga 

Sanctuary 


Gift Guide 


The CHALKBOARD 

MA DIS ON C OUNT Y SC HOOL DISTRICT 

MRA 

Kindergarten 

Ms. Page’s K4 class at Madison-Ridgeland Academy had a great 

first day of school and got to share with their classmates what 

they want to be when they grow up! 

MRA 1st Grade 

Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s first grade service project this year 

is for the Webster Animal Shelter in Madison, Miss. The students 

donated items for the shelter and the shelter brought some friends 

to visit when they picked up their donations. 

Top, L to R: 

Sims Strong 

Alden Metcalf 

Bottom, L to R: 

Levi McPhail 

Lily Grace Ladner 

Top, L to R: 

River McInteer 

Sam Chew 

Bottom, L to R: 

Blair Britt 

Molly Marie Biggers 

L to R: Riley McInteer, Brock Kennon, Addie Trundt, Ellie James Kirk 

MRA 2nd Grade 

The children in Mrs. Mann’s second grade class at MRA recently did 

a “Who Am I” project. For this project they wrote a brief description 

of themselves and then drew a picture of their face. They also 

included a photo of themselves on their first day of second grade. 

Top, L to R: 

Grayson Guy 

Katelyn Ensminger 

Bottom: 

Gracyn Gardner 

L to R: Jack Dalton, Claire Thompson, Reagan Graham, Leighton Jones 



Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.

MRA Baseball 

For their efforts as baseball players for Madison Ridgeland 

Academy during their 2015 junior season, Tanner Propst and 

Hayden White were selected to the MAIS AAA-Division 1 All 

State Team. This award was selected by league coaches. Propst was 

selected as a pitcher while White was selected as an infielder. 

St. Joe 

St. Joe students are loving the new engineering class being taught 

this year. Students built a Rube Goldberg machine for their first 

project. Here Reese Newman, teacher Christopher Callahan, 

Will Foggo and Cole Green test one of the machines. 

L-Tanner Propst 

R-Hayden White 

MRA 5th Grade 

The Middle School cheerleaders performed at Meet the Bruins, 

where all the sports teams were introduced to the fans. 

MAJ (R) Patrick Wooten discussed his deployment and role 

with the 66th Troop Command during Hurricane Katrina with 

Madison-Ridgeland Academy fifth graders. The fifth grade science 

class and STEM Lab have been learning and doing activities 

about weather. 

Front, L to R: Augusta Hirn, Elizabeth Mangialardi, Chyna Mannery, 

Lily Burgess, Clare Cole, Kendyll Gouras 

Back, L to R: Tramia Rogers, Clay Blanchard, Amelia Ladner, 

Aly Praytor, Grace Goodloe 

L to R: Evelyn Wooten, Patrick Wooten, Caroline Koski, Madeline Duncan 

Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion. 



The Time Coin 

It wasn’t often that my big brother, Jack, 

asked his eleven-year-old sister to go 

fishing with him, so there was no 

hesitation in my reply. The early spring 

weather was melting the winter chill – 

so the fish had to be biting! 

I was surprised that Mother allowed me 

such a venture. The bottom was a mile 

walk from our house and covered in dense 

woods. I followed as closely behind Jack 

as my cane pole would allow, hoping the 

tall brush would soon give way to the river. 

Suddenly the sound of barking dogs 

caused Jack to stop. My brother was already 

an adept woodsman, and I had learned to 

keep quiet and still whenever he stopped. 

The barking clamor was getting closer. “They’re chasing a deer!” Jack 

said in an excited whisper. “Don’t move, we may get to see it.” 

My adventure was suddenly exceeding my expectations. Would 

the deer run upon us? Would the chasers be stray dogs or a pack of 

wild ones? My heart was racing as I strained to see through the thick 

wilderness. 

“Look!” Jack said pointing to a clump of thick undergrowth. It 

couldn’t be what I thought, but it was! A tiny deer lay curled up in its 

only defense mode. As Jack rushed closer, the infant deer jumped up 

to run but Jack was quicker. 

“He can’t be but a couple days old,” Jack said as he nestled the 

small animal in his arms. 

“What are we going to do with it?” I asked. For me, without the counsel 

of my parents, it was a monumental question. It wasn’t for Jack. 

“We’re taking him home. Those dogs would find him and . . .” He 

didn’t finish the sentence. A baby deer had just been placed in a new 

home. 

Much transpired in the next few days. Our parents agreed to let us 

keep him since we, with the dogs’ help, had made him an orphan. 

Daddy found a baby bottle and showed us how 

to warm the milk and remind us that the fawn 

was our responsibility. 

Ownership changed too. The deer cried for 

its mother for the first night, so my brother 

“let” me move his blanket-lined box to my 

room. From that night on, Bambi, (my original 

name choice) was the family’s joy, but he 

belonged to me. 

As Bambi grew, he pulled at the leash to 

run, but I pulled back to keep him close. One 

challenging day, Daddy said I should remove 

the leash and let him run like a real deer. The 

thought horrified me. What if he ran away or 

raced back toward the bottom? Daddy finally 

convinced me to free Bambi. 

We watched in amazement as Bambi streaked away in magnificent, 

graceful strides. He circled our giant lawn several times, demonstrating 

his amazing talent to his family and then disappeared into the woods. 

I bit my jaw to hold back the tears. Then within seconds Bambi broke 

through the woods and back to my side. Bambi still belonged to me! 

The next winter, all of Bambi’s spots were gone and tiny horns 

were sprouting. Daddy said that enclosing Bambi inside the ten foot 

garden fence would protect him during deer season. He mustn’t be 

let out of the fence. 

One morning during deer season I made my early trek to check 

on Bambi. He wasn’t there. I called and waited but no Bambi. I left 

for school with a heavy heart. My beloved pet still wasn’t back when 

I rushed home from school. 

Days later, Daddy heard a hunter brag on shooting a deer in an 

open field adjacent to a garden. I refused to believe it was Bambi. 

I look back on that memorable summer and am convinced that I 

had the most loving and perfect pet a child could ever have. I’ll never 

forget the bond we had – a bond of love that taught me how to let go 

but never stop loving. n 


CELEBRATING 115 YEARS OF LASTING IMPRESSIONS 

No matter where our location – from above a Chinese Laundry, to East Pearl Street, 

to 500 Steed Road, our door is always open. 

Offering full-color printing to specialty finishes, to addressing postcards and providing 

complete variable one-to-one marketing campaigns, Hederman Brothers is your one door shop. 

If you are looking for a marketing partner and not just a print vendor, call Hederman 

Brothers at 601-853-7300 and let us open the door to creative and innovative solutions. 

PRINT 

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DIRECT DIGITAL GREEN DESIGN 

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500 Steed Road • Post Office Box 6100 • Ridgeland, MS 39158 

601. 853. 7300 • f 601.853.7335 • www.hederman.com 


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Hometown Madison - November & December 2015

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