PARIS!

FOR THE WINTER 2023

On The Cover: For a golden retriever, any snow day is a fun day! June, our frosty coverdog, is the family pet of Hunter and Ashley Brogdon. Neighbor Sara Sargent, owner of Lele and Beane Photography, captured June in a brief moment of rest before romping again.

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Editor’s Notes

Happy New Year!

Reading through this issue, I’m reminded that our community has produced wonderfully interesting people with fascinating goals and careers. These articles also remind us that “others often benefit when we put ourselves out there.”

David and Shayna Miles, founders of The Levi Miles Foundation, are terrific examples. The couple’s foundation works to provide resources for children with disabilities and rare diseases, and to promote acceptance and inclusion of all individuals within our communities. Check out their inspiring story in Around Our Town.

Just as their son’s experience changed the Miles’ trajectory, a musical with KPAC’s Young Artists Theatre changed the direction of Noah Reilly’s future. A HCHS graduate, Reilly was bound for a career in psychology when there was “a plot twist.” Find out more about Reilly in Arts and Entertainment.
John Austin McDaniel’s amazing career has enabled him to jam with many musical greats. Read about him and what it feels like to be “riding the lightning” in Soundtracks. Also, entertaining and informative is our story on Mike Weatherford’s podcast.

Ernest Willis, our Spotlight for this issue, is another instance of a local individual who strives to help others through his talents. Whether he’s singing or wrestling, his motto is, “If I come up, you come up.” That could easily be the thought behind the Henry County School System’s Grow Your Own and their New Teacher Academy programs. Don’t miss their article in School of Thought.

As we find ourselves in Helping Hand Radio Auction season, Shannon McFarlin’s remembrance of the late Fred McLean brings to light how much one person can mean to a community. Also find the Helping Hand calendar within our pages and some delicious recipes that come from the famous Helping Hand cookbook.

Kathy Ray, the first female may or in the history of Paris gets it. In a piece on her hopes for the future of Paris, Mayor Ray says that “each of us can improve the town we call home and make it the best it can be.”
I second that emotion!

Enjoy a fabulous 2023 and thank you for supporting PARIS!

Smantha

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In This Issue

Read online or get your copy.

FEATURE: Mayor Kathy Ray

In November 2022, Paris elected two new city commissioners, Kathy Ray and Vickey Roberts…During the first meeting, Ray and Roberts were elected Mayor and Vice-Mayor, respectively. PARIS! caught up with the new mayor to discover more about her role in city government as the bout her role in city government as the first female mayor in our town’s history.
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FEATURE: Don't Be Late for the Mike Weatherford Show

By Karen Geary

Sitting down to talk with Mike Weatherford is like being with an old friend, discussing whatever comes up, and having a good laugh. And that’s exactly what Weatherford wants for his podcast, “The Mike Weatherford Show,” on Facebook Live.
Read More >>

SPOTLIGHT: Ernest Willis: Singer, Wrestler, CHARACTER

By Rhonda Stanton

If you ask Ernest Willis to describe himself, he’ll say, “Oh, I’m a character all right.” Shaped by the hardworking values of a family heavily involved in the ministry and in the military, Ernest approaches whatever he does with all his might. And he does a lot! Read More >>

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: Noah Reilly: Best Laid Plans... then a Plot Twist

By Rhonda Stanton

Paris native Noah Reilly knew from the time he was in middle school that he wanted to be a psychologist. He was accepted to Northern Illinois University’s psychology program and also joined the speech and debate team. That led to high school theatre and Krider Performing Arts Center’s Young Artists Theatre, but he viewed theatre as a hobby…
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SOUNDTRACKS: AKA Johhny Mac

By Kathy Ray

In this article of “Soundtracks,” meet a local favorite, Johnny Mac. John Austin McDaniel, aka “Johniel, aka “Johnny Mac,” is a man who was born to be a musician.
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REMEMBER WHEN: Remembering Fred

By Shannon McFarlin

It’s time for the Henry County Helping Hand Radio Auction, and we wanted to remember the late Fred McLean and his reign as a long-time auctioneer and volunteer for Helping Hand.
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HELPING HAND: Radio Auction 2023

The Henry County Helping Hand Radio Auction is here!
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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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SCHOOL OF THOUGHT: Empowering Teachers with New Educational Programs

By Ashley James

Relationships matter. Educator to student to family, strong relationships are the foundation for social emotional learning, academic achievement, and college and career success. The Henry County School System’s vision, as stated in the five-year plan reads, Henry County Schools will be a distinguished trailblazer in public education for empowering the whole child.
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JUST FOR FUN: Crossword Puzzle Fun

Test your word skills with this fun, wintery crossword puzzle!
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AROUND OUR TOWN: Love Like Levi; The Levi Miles Foundation

David and Shayna Miles had two rules when making difficult decisions with their son, Levi. Those two rules were: 1) quality over quantity, and 2) he would be included as any other child, making sure he was around his friends and family as much as possible.Read More >>

IN THE GARDEN: 2023 Garden Resolutions

By John Watkins

Well, we did it. We made it through another year – and what a year! While the summer temperatures weren’t nearly as oppressive as years past, Mother Nature certainly compensated by withholding our rainfall allowance, and I’ve got the dead trees and shrubs to prove it! All in all though, I’ll take the drought over the pandemic any day.
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PARIS CUISINE: Henry County Helping Hand Food is Larrupin' Good!

It was the tail end of 1978 when six men met in the basement of the Paris Post Office. It was the office of one of the six, the late John Caldwell, then county agricultural extension agent. The six had two things in common. For one, all had been active in the annual March of Dimes Radio Auction which had been initiated years earlier by Paris Lions Club. For another, they all thought it was time for a change.
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