In conjunction with partners across the trail, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association (ElCaT) will be hosting its inaugural El Camino Real Day (ECRD) on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The inaugural ECRD is intended to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Camino Real being designated as a National Historic Trail (NHT) by the U.S. Congress on October 18, 2004.  As an NHT, El Camino Real is part of an elite group of trails that make up the National Trails System.  The system was established in 1968 and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson to create a network of trails considered nationally significant to the American people.  In the case of El Camino Real de los Tejas, it is because it is the road that led to the founding of Texas and Louisiana!

The Caddo Region of the Trail will celebrate ECRD at sites along the trail all the way from the Nacogdoches, Texas to Natchitoches, Louisiana. Events will vary from site to site and will consist of activities such as crafts and food demonstrations, presentations, walks along the historic route of the trail, and more! 

Steven Gonzales, executive director of ElCaT states, “El Camino Real Day is the first time that sites across the trail will collectively be celebrating the Camino and what it means to our states and citizens.  It is a great way for people to see and explore the trail, in numerous ways, and to learn about its role in these places that we cherish!” 

Participating Sites in the Caddo Region: Fort Jesup State Historic Site in Many, La; Adai Caddo Indian Nation Cultural Center in Robeline, La; Oakland Plantation in Natchez, La; Los Adaes State Historic Site in Robeline, La; Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site in Natchitoches, La; The Durst Taylor House in Nacogdoches, Tx; The Stone Fort Museum in Nacogdoches, Tx; The Caddo Mounds Historic Site in Cherokee County, Tx.

Interested parties are encouraged to visit toledobendlakecountry.com/event/el-camino-real-day to learn about an event near them.

The NHT is administered by the National Park Service in conjunction with numerous partners across the trail.  ElCaT is the official nonprofit 501(c)(3) partner of the NPS and ElCaT seeks to protect the historic integrity of the trail, to educate the public about its significance, and to promote resource development, interpretation, and tourism along its path. 

The highly anticipated 44th Annual Sabine Freestate Festival will be held from Nov. 1-3 in Florien. This family-friendly festival, which celebrates the rich history and culture of the Sabine Parish area once known as No Man’s Land, promises a weekend filled with exciting activities, live music, historical demonstrations, and much more.

Festival Highlights:

Friday, Nov. 1

• The festival kicks off with a Veteran’s Breakfast at 8 AM, followed by a Veteran’s Program at 9 AM, paying tribute to the heroes of the community.
• A BBQ Cook-Off Meeting will be held at 5:30 PM, allowing competitors to gear up for a weekend of delicious grilling.
• For those looking for action, the first Shootout takes place at 6 PM, with a clue released for Midkiff’s Treasure Hunt.
• The evening wraps up with a fun Block Party at 6:30 PM and Bingo at 7 PM.

Saturday, Nov. 2

• Start the day with the 3rd Annual Ben D. Peterson Memorial Trail Ride at 9 AM, or get moving with the Midkiff’s Gold Run 5K at 8 AM.
• A lively Parade will march through the streets at 11 AM, followed by the announcement of the Festival Queens.
• Throughout the day, visitors can enjoy Car Shows, a Woodsmen Skills Demonstration by Vernon Parish 4-H, and the newest addition, Mr. Nick’s Dinosaur Takeover Show.
• The BBQ Cook-Off competition will heat up throughout the day, with the winner announced at 6:45 PM, just before a live performance by the Justin Merritt Band at 7 PM and a show by the Cajun Company Band at 9 PM.

Sunday, Nov. 3

• The final day will begin with Gospel Singing and a Community Church Service at 11 AM.
• Fans of the Shootout will have one last chance to catch the action at 1 PM.
• Mr. Nick’s Dinosaur Takeover Show will have two additional performances at 1:45 PM and 3 PM, offering family-friendly entertainment.
• The festival closes with a Movie Night showing God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust followed by the conclusion of the Big Buck Competition around 8 PM.

In addition to these scheduled events, festivalgoers can enjoy Roller Car Rides, Laser Tag, Hot Air Balloon Rides, and much more. This year’s festival will also feature Historical Demonstrations, Axe Throwing, Western Shootouts, Bumper Cars, and an Acoustic Jam Session.

The Sabine Freestate Festival offers a unique opportunity to experience the history, culture, and spirit of the area, making it a perfect outing for families, history buffs, and adventurers alike.

Well, the day has arrived when one of the professional bass fishing organizations has made a major decision that will impact a lot of professional anglers both young and old. This decision was to ban forward-facing sonar. Finally, someone has grown a set and decided to level the playing field….or have they, and will it?

Let’s first look at who has decided to step up and save the sport of bass fishing as so many legendary pros think needs to be done. The NPFL (National Professional Fishing League) recently announced that forward-facing sonar will NOT be allowed for official practice or tournaments in 2025.

It will not be allowed for scouting (practice) or at any other time. It must be removed from your boat, along with the black box and the transducer. As one joyful pro angler said, “Time to go back to old school fishing!” No longer will anglers be able to look at bass on a screen like a version of Xbox and catch fish.

Is this good for the sport or is this decision holding the sport back? Well, the answer you get will depend upon what angler you ask. Majority of the old school guys will defend this decision and say “yes” it is good for the sport. Most compare this decision to the banning of the A-Rig (or umbrella rig) which many of the pros thought was an unethical way to catch bass by using more than one bait or hook. Old school anglers feel the same about forward-facing sonar in that it’s an unfair advantage for the anglers versus the fish.

I tend to agree with the old school anglers now that I’ve been a user of forward-facing sonar for the last two years and understand how it works. With this device, no fish is safe anywhere on any body of water. It allows anglers to select and zero in on the bigger bass in a school or swimming solo. This is not good for any fishery and could have lasting consequences as anglers do what I would call selective fishing by targeting larger bass.

Let’s face the facts with this electronic device. It has made champions out of anglers who have never won a tournament in their life. It’s become an equalizer or advantage for the younger or less experienced anglers that are fishing on the professional level. It has allowed them to not only compete but win with little to no experience compared to the guys that have paid their dues and taken years to acquire the knowledge they possess.

Nothing has leveled the playing field quicker for the younger generation of anglers more than forward-facing sonar. Anglers competing on the NPFL will have to rely on finding fish with more traditional ways by locating fish either by catching them or using side scan or down-imaging. No longer will they be able to just ride around on a body of water with three or more transducers and locate bass in real time.

While all organizations will not ban this new technology, there will be others that will follow. It’s still hard to understand how the three major electronic companies (Garmin, Humminbird and Lowrance) will move forward.

These companies will not sit on their hands and stop developing new technology. So, what’s next? Will the next advancement be banned as well? If so, how will these companies continue to survive without innovation and advancements in technology?

Here’s my perspective…. we can’t just continue to ban every new piece of technology that comes out! Tournament organizations need to adapt by altering the rules presently in place; rules that work for both boaters and co-anglers. At some point, they will have to figure out how to make forward-facing sonar and any future innovations work for the benefit of everyone.

But understand this, just because it’s banned on the professional level, does not mean it will be banned for the everyday angler or anglers fishing on the lower levels of competition.

I do agree that anglers on the professional level should be held to a higher standard; that’s why they’re called professionals. It’s the same reason Major League Baseball does not allow aluminum bats. Hitters would have too much of an advantage over pitchers and it would completely change the game.

But with regards to forward-facing sonar, only time will tell if it is doomed or if it will return. I personally think at some point, it will once again be allowed. Till next time, good luck, good fishing and take the time to enjoy some great fall fishing as lakes are less crowded now that hunting season is upon us.

Steve Graf

Angler’s Perspective

By Doug De Graffenried

Picture the Exxon logo. A Greyhound bus. The Coca-Cola bottle. The blue nose of the
President’s plane, Air Force One.

What do they have in common?

Only one thing: an industrial designer named Raymond Loewy.

Loewy was an immigrant who arrived in Manhattan in 1919, dreaming that New York
would be an elegant and stylish place. When he arrived, he was disappointed. What Loewy
found was a grungy product of the industrial age — “bulky, noisy and complicated.”

Loewy decided to change things, designing products that ranged from Lucky Strike
cigarette packs to International Harvester tractors. He did “more than almost any person in the
20th century to shape the aesthetic of American culture.”

During the Kennedy administration, Loewy complained to a friend in the White House
that the commander in chief’s airplane looked “gaudy.” Determined to improve it, he spent hours
on the floor of the Oval Office, cutting up shapes of blue paper along with President Kennedy.
Finally, he settled on a design for the nose of the plane that has been in place ever since.

So, what was Raymond Loewy’s secret? He sensed that consumers are torn between
two opposing forces: a curiosity about things that are new and a fear of anything that is too new.
As a result, consumers are attracted to products that are bold but also instantly comprehensible.
Loewy believed that people want things that are “Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable,” a phrase
which can be shortened to MAYA.

Think about how MAYA works in your own life. You probably find yourself drawn to the
joy of a new discovery. But at the same time, you want something familiar, because it makes
you feel safe. Think of the iPhone. When it was introduced in 2007, it was a thrilling new
discovery, and it launched a new era of smartphones. At the same time, it was not too radical for
customers to accept. The iPhone was familiar to people who had been introduced to iPod music
players back in 2001. Over the course of six years, consumers had become accustomed to their
distinctive shape, size and design. 

When the iPhone appeared, it was advanced. And yet, the iPod made it acceptable. It
was Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable. MAYA.

Raymond Loewy believed that people are torn between a curiosity about new things and
a fear of anything too new.

How is MAYA at work in your faith community? How is MAYA at work in your own life? As
you think about the ministry of Jesus, you discern a certain level of MAYA in the way He kept the
faith while pushing the envelope. 

Maybe a little MAYA in our community and in our churches would bring about a world
changing experience.

By Brad Dison

On November 10, 1951, Hugh Beaver, the managing director of a brewery, was part of an elite shooting party in Wexford County, in southeastern Ireland. Strict gun laws and expensive licensing in Ireland made owning firearms something of a status symbol. Hugh’s target on this hunt was the golden plover. They were not hunting the golden plover for food—it weighs only about seven ounces—they were hunting the birds purely for sport. The birds were about ten inches tall and flew really quickly which made them a difficult target.

As the shooting party walked slowly through the mud flats of the Slaney River, an area known as the North Slob, Hugh flushed out a golden plover. The bird shot into the air. There was no time to take careful aim. Hugh raised his shotgun to his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Blam!!! The bird did not fall but continued to appear as little more than a streak in the sky. Hugh had missed. The others in the shooting party playfully teased him for missing the shot, but Hugh reasoned that he missed the shot because the golden plover was the fastest game bird in Europe. Another member of the shooting party disagreed and said the red grouse was the fastest game bird in Europe. Despite their best arguments, there was no way to settle the good-natured dispute during the hunt.

Later that evening, the shooting party returned to their host’s house in the small town of Castlebridge. Their discussion over which was the fastest game bird in Europe continued. Hugh was certain that they would find some sort of reference book to settle the dispute. He and the other members of the shooting party searched all of the books they could locate but none contained the information they sought. The debate remained unresolved.

Two years later, Hugh was searching for a new way to promote the brewery that he managed when he remembered the unsolved debate from the shooting party. He was sure that there were other people who had similar questions which could be answered if only there was an authoritative reference book. He enlisted the help of twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter, who were running a fact-finding agency in London, to compile a reference book to solve such questions. In August 1954, Hugh distributed 1,000 free copies of the reference book to pubs in England and Ireland. The reference book was immensely popular. In 1955, the first commercially available copies of the reference book became available. By Christmas, the reference book topped the bestseller list in Britain. In 1956, the reference book became available in America where it sold approximately 70,000 copies. Since its inception, the reference book has sold more than 150 million copies in 100 countries and in 40 languages.

When Hugh joined that shooting party in the winter of 1951 there was no way he could have known that a good-natured dispute over which was the fastest game bird in Europe would lead to the creation of one of the best-selling books in publishing history. Since Hugh used the reference book as a promotional item for the brewery he managed, he named it after the brewery. He called it Guinness Book of World Records. The question that spawned the reference book, which is the fastest game bird in Europe, has never been included in any edition of the book because it focuses not on regional records, but on world records.

Sources:

1. Dan Lewis, “The Bird That Set the Record Straight,” Now I Know, October 21, 2019, accessed October 13, 2024, nowiknow.com/the-bird-that-set-the-record-straight/.

2. Eleonora Pilastro, “Why was the first Guinness World Records book first published?”, Guinness World Records, accessed October 13, 2024, guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/9/why-was-the-guinness-world-records-book-first-published-714607.

3. “Fastest Game Bird,” Guinness World Records, accessed October 13, 2024, guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/691273-fastest-game-bird.

BOM donated water to the Sabine Council on Aging for their Fall Festival. Pictured: Kayla Hataway and BOM’s Linda Guay.

Virginia Ann Savell DuBose
January 27, 1946 – October 14, 2024
Funeral services – Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 2:00 PM at Union Baptist Church

This will be my final Observations. I have decided to hang up my pen, put away the typewriter and step away from the internet after 68 years of writing columns. The last almost-seven decades have been a great experience overall. I made a lot of people happy, a few not so happy, and some will be even happier still to learn this writes finis.

I am told I hold the state journalism record as the journalist who has written a column for the longest number of years.

The first column I wrote was while a Sophomore at Marthaville High School. That was October 1956, and the column was titled “‘Round Marthaville High School.” It appeared in The Natchitoches Times and the Natchitoches Enterprise. The column ran through March 13, 1958, when I graduated from high school.

While a student at Northwestern State College, I wrote a column in The Natchitoches Times titled “Notes of a Roving Reporter.” The first one appeared on the front page of The Times on June 20, 1963, and it continued regularly until July 25. It was then I changed the name to “Ballyhoo” and began writing about politics. I continued the column until Nov. 5, 1964.

As editor of the Northwestern newspaper, The Current Sauce, in 1963-64, I wrote a column entitled “From the Editor’s Easy Chair.”

I came to Many to run The Sabine Index and on Nov. 13, 1964, wrote my first column for the weekly parish newspaper I would eventually own. That column was also called “From the Editor’s Easy Chair.”

The title “Observations” was first used on Jan. 15, 1965. I changed how the heading looked over the years and eventually added a tagline, “News, Views, Facts and Opinions.”

After I sold The Index to the now-deceased Lovan Thomas who owned The Natchitoches Times and other papers, Tedd Dumas was nice enough to invite me to occupy an office in his radio station building. For several years, I wrote Observations for the BDC website and at that time, started an Observations Facebook page as well. When Tedd first urged me to write it for the BDC site, he said, “You write what you want.” I always did, and I appreciate the opportunity he gave me. We have been friends for many years, and that friendship continues today.

Sometime afterwards, Lovan approached me and asked if I would return to the pages of the Index and once again write Observations for the newspaper. We worked out an arrangement where each column published online would be published in the Index one week later, which seemed to work well. The first Observations column that ran in the Index again after my sale of the newspaper appeared on July 8, 2020. I want to thank Editor Daniel Jones and Jeremy Cheatwood at The Index for always being so helpful and going out of their way to do whatever needed to be done to assist in publication.

A few years ago, I started my own Observations site on the internet. Ryan Roberson, a native of Zwolle, was kind enough to always promote and run articles on his popular news aggregate Facebook page, The Cenla Report. He has always been there for us, and there are not words enough to tell him how much we appreciate all his efforts.

When my good friend, Valmore Byles, died some years back, I published a special issue of Observations about his life. It was posted on a Friday, and more than 7,000 persons read it. That was a record at the time, but after The Cenla Report started sharing Observations each week, readership rapidly increased, and persons from all over the world started reading. It was just amazing. Also, not long after The Cenla Report started posting the column, Observations was recognized by a premier news media and broadcasting platform service as “a shining example of excellence in the industry,” which we appreciated very much.

I am most grateful to the many persons who have read and supported Observations through the years. So many people supplied stories and photos, gave us tips on interesting happenings and provided encouragement. I will never forget all the folks who mentioned to me through the years what the column meant to them and how much they enjoyed it. I am deeply appreciative of each and every one. In many ways, writing the column has been a fun, enjoyable task and has brought a lot of fulfillment.

One of the added benefits to writing a column for such a long time are the wonderful letters, phone calls and, more recently, messages and texts I have received over the years. Only this week I received the following from Max Teasley Jr., son of one of the best friends I ever had, the late Max Teasley of Zwolle.

“Mr. Gentry, I retired at the ripe old age of 70 this June. I live on 23 acres outside of Mena, AR. My sister, Connie Leone of Zwolle, came to visit me this weekend. She told me she had talked to your wife, and she said your wife mentioned that my dad was in one of your recent columns. I quickly looked you up.

“While reading many of your postings, my mind was flooded with wonderful memories of growing up following my dad around and all his friends. Some of my fondest memories involved you, like the time you gave me my first and only ride in a Rolls Royce, the time we took a trip to Nashville, my first and only time I was backstage at the Ryman, and then we went to the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree, and then on to WSM where we were interviewed by Ralph Emery. I don’t remember if it was you or Daddy that got locked out of the motel room in their underwear.

“That trip was a once in a lifetime experience, and I thank you so very much.

“As I’m sure you are aware, the older you get, the more you reflect on the past. I’m now going to be an avid reader of Observations, for they remind me of my raising and all the great men (such as yourself) who influenced me.

“Thanks, Max Jr.”

Throughout the last 68 years, I have attempted to always be a person of integrity and tell the truth. Any failures have been of mind, not of heart. I have always strived to keep the public good at heart while understanding that different people sometimes have very different approaches to address the situations and circumstances of life.

It takes a lot of work each week to do the necessary research, attend meetings and other functions, take photos and do all the things involved in putting a column together. At this stage in my life, I do not choose to devote that much time to the matter.

I would be remiss if I did not mention my wife, Laurie. I couldn’t have done it without her. After the column went online, for over 10 years she spent about a day of each week putting Observations together to be published electronically. Several times, we also published special lagniappe columns on Fridays, in addition to the usual Wednesday offerings. Whenever I needed her to, she would attend an event for me, cover it, take photos and write an article. After online publication each week, she would spend more time making sure the content got updated as appropriate and forwarded to the Index with all the photos for the following week’s newspaper. In the last six years, she did all that while fighting and by God’s grace, overcoming, two unrelated bouts of cancer. I can never thank Laurie enough. She is a jewel.

There are several things that stand out in my mind about writing a column. First of all, I tried to make it interesting to readers and tried to be a reliable, truthful disseminator of news and events. I included many, many items I hoped would serve to encourage people along life’s way.

Often my columns had to do with politics. I have always felt everyone has a duty and obligation to know what is going on in politics and in their government so they can make sound decisions when it is time to vote.

Thirdly, I deliberately used the column to help a lot of people in a lot of different ways. I did my best to always lend a helping hand to anyone who approached me with a worthy cause needing help. I cannot recall ever telling anyone “No.”

Observations has been an effective doorway to meet a lot of interesting people I would not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise, including a few who became treasured friends along the way. I owe to Observations my friendships with Country music legend Roy Acuff, Louisiana Governors Jimmie Davis and Edwin Edwards, and more recently, “Bridges of Madison County” author Robert James Waller, who stood beside me as Best Man when Laurie and I were married 18 years ago. There are many more, but time and space prevent them from being remembered just now.

For these and many more reasons too numerous to mention, I am blessed to have been lucky enough to write Observations and other columns for all these 68 years. There were weeks I missed writing a column, but in all those years, I figure I wrote somewhere north of 25,000 columns. I hope I helped some people along life’s highway. I hope I provided folks with useful and helpful information. I hope I provided a few laughs, and I hope I stimulated some thought. Most of all, I hope I have shared things that might have led someone to have a closer walk with God. A personal relationship with the Almighty is all that matters in this life, and all that will get you into the next one.

Back in the day, we old-time journalists were taught to use -30- to indicate the end of a story. I have used it all my journalistic life. And with this, I offer my final

— 30 —

Courtesy of Robert Gentry’s Observations newsletter, Sabine Parish, Louisiana

Robert Gentry, Observations

Many Attorney John W. “Billy” Pickett has sounded the alarm.  Folks in two areas of Sabine Parish had better wake up and inform themselves about the proposal to make disposal wells for oil and gas drilling waste brought in from other areas. The waste will be pumped into underground caverns. Probably unknown to most folks, one well has already been drilled.

There will be a public hearing Thursday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m. at Many City Hall.  Anyone interested should attend.  The Louisiana Office of Conservation, Injection & Mining Division, will conduct the hearing on the application of Aethon Energy Operating of Dallas for a permit to drill and complete a Class V Subsurface Stratigraphic Test Well in Section 28, Township 6 North Range 11 West in Sabine Parish to acquire geotechnical information.  The well will be drilled to a depth of about 7,930 ft. below ground level with cores, fluid samples, pressure measurements and other applicable information to be collected.  The base of the lowermost underground source of drinking water at this location is about 1,343 feet.  Aethon has its eye on 84 square miles of property located west of Hwy. 171 including the Fisher and Negreet areas all the way to Toledo Bend Lake.

A copy of the Draft Permit, fact sheet or other information may be obtained by writing: Ben Gilder, Office of Conservation, Injection & Mining Division, Room 817 of the LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802.

The greatest concern is that the waste stored in these caverns will move and leak through cracks, get into drinking water and even be released into the atmosphere.  The items stored will be under pressure.

The depth of the well is approximately 7,900 ft.  Water wells in the area are at a maximum depth of 1,300 ft.