Henleyfield Newsletter

August 2008

Community Meeting

HENLEYFIELD.COMmunity, Inc. hosted a “standing room only” community meeting on 28 February 2008.  Sheriff David Allison and District Two Supervisor Charles Culpepper were guest speakers.  Chief Deputy Frank Vaccarella and County Narcotics Agent Donnie Saucier also spoke.  They reported a lot of progress has been made in the Sheriff’s Department since Allison took office.  Two officers are working full-time in narcotics and Sheriff Allison plans to bring in at least one more.  They said that illegal drugs are a real problem in the county, as well as, the illegal sale of prescriptions and prescription drugs.
Mr. Culpepper said he and other Supervisors had just returned from Washington where they asked for help with several issues within the county.  He said the Board had voted to put Chimney Square back on its original site.  It will be a two story building.  There will be about 130 parking spaces.  He feels that building codes are here to stay.  When asked about his position on the landfill in Millard, he said he would think about the best interest for Pearl River County before he made any decisions.

Community Center

Thanks to some wonderful volunteers and good neighbors, the Community Center has truly undergone a transformation over the past few months.   James Fortenberry spent several nights laying new tile.  Kris Cooley installed lights on the porch and Steve Hespen, made and installed new doors for the cabinets.  Ken Newburger painted the frames.  Thanks to Supervisor Charles Culpepper, the county repaired sheet rock and painted the interior.  It is so beautiful!  This Community center is for everyone in the community and should be used and cared for by everyone in the Community. 
The county also painted and repaired the Concession Stand.

Walking Trail

Many of our neighbors are enjoying the walking trail.  Every day young parents are bringing the kids to enjoy the playground and meet other kids.  The children play and the parents get their exercise.  I see people of all ages at all times of the day.  The flowers have been pretty all year and it is just a good place to visit.

T-Ball

26 youngsters 4-6 years old registered for the spring t-ball league.  Misty Penton and Chris Wise are managing the group and there was a good turnout of kids and parents.  It was great to see all those young people and families at the ball park on Saturday. 

Jimmie Stockstill Benefit

On Saturday, March 15, our “community” came together in an unbelievable outpouring of love.  Byrd’s Chapel United Methodist church hosted a benefit to raise money for medical treatment and expenses for Jimmie Stockstill who was undergoing cancer treatment.   People who moved into our community and had never met Jimmie came, wanting to help.  Just as I’ve always seen in this “community”, people come and they give freely and lovingly when someone is in need.  More than $15,000 was raised for Jimmie, and oh what a blessing this was.  Sadly, Jimmie passed away on July 19. 
 I am thankful every day to be a part of this community.  I hope that we will all continue to work and pray to make it even better.

Animal Control Officer

Did you know that Pearl River County has an Animal Control Officer?  If you have stray animals on your property you can call 601-749-7700.  If you know who the animal belongs to, they will send a Deputy out to talk to the owner.  If you do not know who the animal belongs to, they will send animal control out to pick it up.

Voting

There are more than 1000 people registered to vote in the Henleyfield (district 2) voting precinct.  We traditionally have one of the highest voter turnouts in the county.  We should be very proud of that.  This year’s election will be held on November 3, 2008.  Let’s work to have the highest voter turnout percentage in the county.

Memorial Day

The Memorial Day celebration at the Community Center on Saturday, May 24 was enjoyed by many.  There was food, entertainment, activities for young people, a plant sale and a bake sale.  If you missed the bake sale, you missed a real treat.  Many of our wonderful cooks baked, cakes, pies and cookies that were sold as a part of our fund -raising.  Our T-ball teams treated us to an exhibition game and they were awarded their trophies afterwards. The NJROTC Color Guard from Picayune High School participated in the ceremony recognizing our community veterans. Mary McCullough has done a wonderful job of gathering pictures of our Veterans.  The pictures were beautifully displayed inside the Community Center.  If you have pictures and/or information that we can use in building our Veterans History display, Please call Jan Bowen at 601-799-5112 or e-mail at janbowen@bellsouth.net.

Exercise Classes

Exercise classes are being held at the Community Center on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00 am and on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 pm.  Line Dancing lessons are being held on Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm.  For additional information, you may contact Miriam Allen at 601-798-7284 or e-mail at miriamallen@bellsouth.net.

Boy Scouts

A new Boy Scout troop has been chartered at Byrd’s Chapel United Methodist Church.  If you know anyone who is interested, you may contact Pastor Carl Heberg at 601-772-9972 or 601-770-2793.

Henleyfield Heritage Cookbook

Henleyfield Community is proud to announce the publication of its Henleyfield Heritage Cookbook.
The book contains recipes gathered from many cooks in our community with photographs illustrating our history. Bound in a unique easel-style cover, the collection makes a wonderful gift for all occasions. It will make its debut at the Henleyfield Fall Festival, November 7, 8, 9. The cost for the book will be $15 each. You may preorder copies by sending your check, for as many copies as you like. Please make checks out to: HENLEYFIELD.COMmunity, Inc., c/o Ann Bell, 81 James Jarrell Road, Carriere, MS 39426

Henleyfield Fall Festival

Mark your calendars!  November 7, 8, and 9 are the dates for our second annual Henleyfield Fall Festival at the Community Center.  Last year’s Festival was a huge success, and the three day event this year has been expanded and improved.  We’ve added a juvenile horse show (open to ages 17 and under), special activities for children, and a community/church day (Sunday afternoon).  A complete schedule of events will be available soon.

Cell Phone Towers

It appears that we may be getting at least two cell phone towers in Henleyfield.  We are told that improvements in coverage and digital signaling are aggressively moving forward.  When we have more definitive information, we’ll be sure to pass it along.

DSL Expansion

The area of DSL availability in Henleyfield is being expanded.  AT&T is currently laying fiber optics down Carey Byrd Road.   Equipment is scheduled to be installed near the corner of Carey Byrd Road and Old Ness Plantation Road in the next few months.  This should bring broadband service to that area.  The area covered should be about 2 miles in a circle from the Corner of Carey Byrd and Old Ness Plantation, but the exact area will depend on how the cable is laid and other factors.   We should have an update on the construction of the equipment as the date nears for completion.  At that time, if we have your e-mail address, we will send you the name and phone number of someone at AT&T who you may contact to see if service is available at your location.

Pavilion

HENLEYFIELD.COMmunity, Inc. has ordered and paid a deposit for a 40’x60’ pavilion to be built on the Community Center property.  We hope to have the foundation poured before the Fall Festival and to complete the building by the end of the year.  We are so thankful for the many people who have so generously contributed to this and to the volunteers who have worked all the fundraisers and special events.    The pavilion will accommodate all sorts of events – family reunions, barbecues, scheduled events with music, etc., etc.  It will be a truly wonderful addition to the Community Center for events that can be protected from the elements – rain or hot “shine”.

Newsletter

This is the first HENLEYFIELD.COMmunity, Inc. newsletter.   We hope to publish them quarterly.  If you have items you would like included in the newsletter, you may contact Jan Bowen at 601-799-5112 or e-mail janbowen@bellsouth.net or Ken Newburger at 601-798-3676 or e-mail knewburg@bellsouth.net.  We also welcome your comments and suggestions.
HENLEYFIELD.COMmunity, Inc.                                         
Jan Bowen, President