PARIS!

IN THE AUTUMN 2021

On The Cover: Addy Kate Parker captured this photo of her sister, Savannah, after a fun-filled day at a local pumpkin patch last fall. For a list of places you can visit, see the article on page 34.

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Editor’s Notes

I Had No Idea!

When I write the Editor’s Notes for PARIS! in Autumn, I always breathe a sigh of relief. The heat of summer is about to be replaced by crisp, cool days, football, and trick-or-treating.

Amidst all of the fun, PARIS! offers an issue filled with remarkable stories. If you’re like me, you’ll read them and say, “I had no idea!” For example, until reading Reminiscence, by Dr. Todd Hill, I had no idea that a Paris-born musician had such close ties with the great Louis Armstrong. I was stunned to read about the gorgeous waterfall described in “A Couple of Travelers.” And I certainly didn’t know that local attorney, Lee Greer was a participant in the Moderna vaccine trial at Vanderbilt. Finally, who knew that Monty Belew’s new dog, Morton, could type?

This issue also has a definite Halloween vibe, which I love. Dr. Gene Gulish composed a dark, woodsy feature with a twist worthy of an O’Henry short story. And while Mary Ann Claxton’s feature, “Cedars and Periwinkle,” celebrates dedicated individuals locating forgotten Henry County cemeteries, it also offers a bit of the macabre.

Still, there is plenty of fun to go around this fall. The city/county bicentennial is on the horizon and there’s a new marriage in town, Arts ‘Round the Square (ARTS) and the Ice Cream Social / Classic Car Show the last Saturday in September.

Don’t miss our Garden Guru’s answers to life’s persistent gardening questions, where to head for fall fun at our local pumpkin patches or the “Spotlight” article on Dr. Chuck Lyons, who is retiring after almost four decades at Mineral Wells Animal Clinic. Finally, this issue’s recipes will get you ready for this season of friends, fellowship and nights by the fire.

To me, this issue seems welcoming and is as colorful as the leaves on a Henry County road in late October.

Enjoy!

Smantha

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In This Issue

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AROUND OUR TOWN: Our Two-Year Long Celebration

By Shannon McFarlin

Are you ready for a two-year-long birthday party? That’s what Henry County and the city of Paris are preparing for, starting in November, with both ready to celebrate their Bicentennials.
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REMEMBER WHEN

Take a walk down Memory Lane as Paris-Henry County (1821-1823) celebrates its bicentennial. Some of the photos and depictions include Minnie Bess Williams of the Salant & Salant factory, the Scott Fitzhugh Bridge, JP Lasater and his Electro Cola, the old Russell Pharmacy, Paris’ first fire engine, the faulty of Training School, and many more!
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REMINISCENCE: REUBEN "BIG MIKE" McKENDRICK: The Paris Connection to Louis Armstrong

By Dr. Todd E. Hill, Professor of Music, Murray State University

Depending on which source you believe, there are between 16 to 23 places named “Paris” in the United States. A family with roots in OUR Paris, the McKendricks, have given jazz authors and historians headaches for generations. Although they left for Paducah, Kentucky, at the beginning of the 20th Century, one of those young men, Reuben McKendrick, went on to considerable fame and success in the band of Louis Armstrong, the greatest single force in American popular music.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: The Fun is Just Beginning!

By Travis McLeese

Being a Tourism Director in a rural area can be challenging. After all, we don’t have the Country Music Hall of Fame located here, Graceland for people to visit, or Dollywood for the thrill seekers vacation.
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SPOTLIGHT: CHUCK LYONS: “It All Came Down To Timing”

By Shannon McFarlin

On July 12, it was time for the ownership of Mineral Wells Animal Clinic to change. Dr. Chuck Lyons, clinic founder, officially stepped aside and a new generation of veterinarians assumed what he envisioned in 1983.
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FEATURE: Big Dog on Campus

By Morton Belew

Hi, I’m Morton! And I wanted to share, in my own “woofs,” my interesting “tail.” It begins with me being the pup of a country music legend to now being part of a very special security team.
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HEALTHY IDEAS: Dolly Parton's Generous Endowment... or My Time as a Senior Lab Rat

By Lee Greer

The Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 may well be the most important world event since the end of World War II. In a matter of days, the attention of all humanity was riveted on a mystery virus of uncertain origin, terrifying potential, and unfathomable consequences.
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FACES & PLACES: People & Events About Town

Don’t miss this fun section chock full of fun, education, music and every good thing in Paris and Henry County.
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OUR NEIGHBORS: A History of the LBL Lakes Region Coalition

Paris Podcast

The business performance manager at USDA Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee began pulling together stakeholders in the surrounding communities in the early 2000s. He invited chamber of commerce directors, tourism commission directors, regional entities, attractions, marinas, lodging managers, restaurants, anyone who would be interested in finding a way to increase the impact of tourism and economic development in the area.
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A COUPLE OF TRAVELERS: CUMBERLAND MOUNTAIN STATE PARK: History, Hiking and a Waterfall

By Susan Jones and John Nichols

The Cumberland Mountains have been calling us for a long time, so when our friends sent a photo of the old, stone Mill House at Cumberland Mountain State Park with a note that read, “Want to go here?” we shot back an immediate, “You bet!”
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FEATURE: Environmentally Friendly Campgrounds are Just Down the Road

Have you caught yourself daydreaming about the beautiful autumn colors or a perfectly toasted s’more? If so, you may be overdue for a camping trip, but choosing a campground can be daunting.
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FEATURE: The Autumn Walk

By Eugene Gulish

I crossed the road and entered the green pasture. The grass in early autumn is lush and green and still growing faster than the cows can eat it. The grazing cows look up at me in dull surprise as I pass, and then return to their eating. My destination, the dense forest, lies ahead. I stop at her vortex. This is my place!
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FEATURE: CEDAR TREES & PERIWINKLE: Preserving History One Cemetery at a Time

By Mary Ann Claxton

Being a member of the Henry County Cemetery Committee is not for wimps. It means being guided by a dot on a map, driving down a field road that hasn’t seen a vehicle in month or years, searching for huge, old cedar trees, and hiking through downed trees, saw-briars, privet, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy.
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FEATURE: It's the Great Pumpkin, Henry County!

By John Watkins

October in Henry County just wouldn’t be October without the thought of corn stalks, hay bales and of course, pumpkins! These harbingers of fall, along with some cooler temperatures and lower humidity, can lead to a myriad of opportunities to get out and explore nature at its finest.
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IN THE GARDEN: A Gardener's Q & A

By John Watkins

Well, here we are again. Summer is over, the kids are back in school, and the garden tasks are finally slowing down a bit. What better time than now to stop and answer some of the most commonly asked questions I get about gardening.
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PARIS CUISINE: Cozy, Southern Comfort Food

Hands down, Southern food is the most comforting and — in our opinion – best cuisine in the world. We love our signature comfort foods more than we can explain to any non-Southerners. But if you’re from down here, you just know. We aren’t afraid to use butter, cream, or mayo to bring a meal together in a heartbeat, and autumn is the perfect time to make some of our favorite comfort foods for the whole family. From fried country steak & gravy to a southern twist on classic pimento cheese, these comforting fall recipes are sure to leave your crowd full, happy, and feeling cozy throughout the season.
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DINING GUIDE

There’s no shortage of delicious local dining in our area! Please peruse our restaurant guide and drop in for a meal. *Beer and/or other alcohol available. Check with your restaurant about indoor dining restrictions during the COVID outbreak.
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