Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| December 5, 1985 The Ponchatoula Times |  |
|
©
The Ponchatoula Times. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 1 (1 of 8 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
December 5, 1985 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
Subscribers pay half price
Thursday, December 5, 1985--5th Year, Number I0 And get free home dellveryl
; See. coupon - Page Two
"I"T TT'? e
, P ON CHA TO UL A TIMES so
IIRobin Castell breaks
IlfP.H.S. basketball record!
Staff Report
Robin Castell shattered a Ponchatoula High School scoring record, broke the
1,000 personal scoring mark, and helped lead the Ponchatoula High School
Green Wave to a 68-34 trouncing of Independence Tuesday in Ponchatoula.
Castell has already signed with Rice University, but is continuing to roll up
impressive statistics as her last high school season continues.
Her 47 points broke a record set in 1957 by Elizabeth Watts.
Her parents, Jackie and Jim Castell and coach Peggy Allred were ecstatic over
Tuesday's record-breaking performance.
In addition to CasteJl's 47 points, 14 rebounds and eight recoveries, coordinated
team effort helped boost PHS's effort against Independence.
Other players who scored were: Stephanie Fletcher (9}, Paige Allen (7), Dixie
Guagliardo (2), Carol Eubanks (2), Melissa Faust (1). Coach AIIred praised her
squad after the game for fantastic team play, which also included: Cheryl Smith,
Shellie Gill, Sarah Eubanks, and Stacy Allen.
River bridge plaque tells
tales of Ponchatoula's past
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
Editor & Publisher
Imagine having to ferry your family's
horse and buggy over the Tangipahoa
River and having to ford the waters of
Bedico Creek during the two day trip
from Ponchatoula to Mad/sonville.
Those pioneering days in the early
part of this century have been brought
back to life through the magic of a 100
pound iron plaque cast in 1903 and
donated this week to Ponchatoula's
Collinswood Museum.
Older senior citizens with sharp
memories might remember that the
plaque at one time graced the top
and carriage barely discernible at the far
end coming over the bridge, and the
heavy plaque above him some 20 feet.
The bridge replaced the previous
method of crossing the river, by ferry.
Keaghey is proud to point out that the
police jury of the day managed to build
bridges such as this one without any pay
going to those in he elected offices.
La. 22 was not the same road then
that it is now. The narrow dirt and later
gravel road followed the same route
east out of Ponchatoula as it does now
but turned south near where Guy Wells
lives and followed the John Wilde Road
(named after the late musician Arabelle
Fendlason's father), around the Davies
supports of o rinae bid | |,,.nd
me angpanoa rcive. " ............... o0@r'slt stl1n #ew bridge.
Charles Keaghey, who with his wife The bridge spanning the river
artist Gladys Keaghey donated the
historical marker, can recall diving from
the bridge's top as a young lad He turns
86 this month.
Keaghey granted The Times an
exclusive interview to mark his gift of
the bridge plaque to the local museum.
It was his father, William Seed
Keaghey, who was the local representa-
live on the police jury when the parish
built the bridge using oxen and man-
power between 1900 and 1903.
A family photo depicts the police
juror standing on the bridge, a horse
touched on the eastern shore near the
location where the Ponchatoula Beach
gatehouse is located today, and the
road continued east to Lee's Landing,
still far south of where La. 22 is today,
finally heading north through the Leon
Edwards property, passing close to
what is now Wallace's Marina and what
was then the E.J. Frederick sawmill
(Frederick had logged the Bedico
swamps and with two other German-
American families attempted to grow
PLEASE SEE PAGE 4-A
First Tangipahoa River bridge -- 1903
1903 Police Juror W.S. Keaghey
stands on the just-completed steel
and wood bridge over the Tangipahoa
River on old La. 22. The partially-
damaged family keepsake shows a
horse and buggy approaching from
the far side of the bridge. Above
Keaghey's head near the top of the
bridge is the plaque donated this
week by the Keaghey family to Collins-
wood Museum.
This bridge plaque casts in iron the community, and their efforts trans-
names of the men who ran Tangi- formed forest dirt trails into Tangi-
pahoa Parish at the turn of the pahoa Parish's road system.
century. The police jurors in those (Times Photo)
days served at no charge to the
i i iilii i i ii iiii i
Local senators say
main street to keep angle parking
Staff Report
Angle parking is going to stay in downtown Ponchatoula - at least for now.
That word came Monday from Senator Mike Cross. who with Rep.
Dennis Hebert and Sen. Gerry Hinton had interceded with the state on
behalf of the city.
"Sen. Cross was just on the phone. He told me that (Secretary of the
Department of Transportation and Development Robert) Graves has
agreed to let the mayor of Ponchatoula decide what parking will be allowed
in the first block of West Pine," Mayor Charles Gideon told The Times.
Gideon had publicly challenged the state to jail him if the Highway
Department expected him to enforcq a plan to convert the downtown
Ponchatoula shopping scheme to parallel parking. "Our businessmen have
been hurt enough and I'm not going;to stand by and let this happen to
them," vowed Gideon.
i
The mayor told The Times in the same interview that he, Sen. Cross,
Sen. Hinton. and others in a local delegation were promised one year by
the state highway czar. Graves, that the long drawn-out highway project
would leave Ponchatoula's historic angle parking, at least in the first block of
West Pine.
"'Apparently when Sen. Cross spoke with him, Mr. Graves recalled his
promise, and ! understand Sen. Hinton wrote to him about the matter as
well." observed Gideon Monday.
Gideon said that attempts last week to quietly get Graves to change
highway plans to keep his promise and angle parking downtown appeared
doomed, with Graves unwilling to change the blueprints.
"'As of last week Graves said he was going to follow the construction plans
for parallel parking," said Gideon.
PLEASE SEE PAGE 8-A
ii " iii I
At 2 p.m. parade
Santa arrives Saturday
Staff Report
Santa Claus is coming to town
Saturday at 2 p.m.
That's when the annual Ponchatoula
Christmas Parade begins to roll from its
starting point at the Hayride Building.
The parade will proceed west on main
street, will continue on the newly resur-
faced West Pine to Seventh, where the
parade will proceed north to Memorial
Park.
A social will be held at the park for
parade participants, said to include
floats, bands, dance teams, cars and
costume groups. First, second and third
place trophies will be awarded to parade
participants depicting the parade's
theme.
The theme this year is "Christmas
Ponchatoula-styIe: Country, Cozy and
Classic.
There is no charge for parade entries
but those interested should fill out the
application blank on page two of this
edition.
@OOOOOO00000000000 OOO000000000@O@@@O O
a
a •
• ". FREE CIRCUS TICKETS i
• • A limited number of tickets to the Shdne Ccus, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, a
• Dec. 5 at Hammond University Center (See Page A-3), and to a Hammond =e
• Lions Club Magic Show on Thursday, c/12, will be given away free by
• The Ponchatoula Times, as long as the uly lasts. Come by in person to
• The Ponchatoula Times, 167 East Pil, Plmchatoula; ope 8:30 a.m. to 5
• p.m.. Monday throngh Friday. " : ...... O
OO0 OOOOOOOOOOO0•O•O•OOOOOO0•O•O•OOO0
Honesty appreciated
The Pennsylvania Thanksgiving
vacation for William and Kelly
Quave, owners of Quave Furniture in
The Ponchatoula Mall, was saved
after he lost his wallet containing the
couple's $800 worth of vacation cash.
All was saved when Gary Claiborne
(right), a Vinyard Elementary fifth
grader and his brother Cleveland, a
freshman at Ponchatoula High
School, found and returned the wallet
and everything in it. "l was grateful to
God for the glory. They had made the
decision before ! came home from
work," said their proud mother, Mrs.
Ida Claiborne. The Quaves this week
presented their vacation savers with a
$100 reward.
(Times Photo)
Young Country singer
croons Hardhide's song
Staff Report
The story of Ponchatoula's Ole Hard-
hide so caught the imagination of
seventh grader Ryan Brown, that the
Tennesseean wrote an award-winr, ing
song about the nation's most famous
reptile.
Ryan was here for a visit last week
with grandfather Bob Brown Sr., Ryan's
father Bob Brown Jr. and his mother
Karen. The family was greeted by
Ponchatoula's mayor at his chiropractic
clinic in Hammond.
The 12-year-old songwriter has
already enjoyed national television
coverage an opportunity to work with
musician Woody Bomer. who put
Ryan's song to music, and appear at the
Country Music Hall of Fame in a
program where Bobby Bear was
master-of-ceremonies. There Ole Hard-
hide's song was broadcast via television
and radio.
The young man who wrote lyrics
about Ponchatoula's most famous
citizen had not actually laid eyes on the
columnist-tourist attraction until his
family's Thanksgiving visit here last
week.
"I told my son all about Ole Hard-
hide when he read an article in the
Nashville paper about Ole Hardhide
dying and the new one taking his place,
jazz funeral and all. 1 was around here
when they found the original Ole Hard-
hide, so I was able to fill him in," said Bb
Brown Jr.
Ryan's curiosity concerning Poncha-
toula's alligator was aroused at the same
time his teacher was urging him to enter
the s n,,.:it!ng competition.
The Country Music Hall of Fame
received over 2,000 entries, including
Ryan's, and from these just 21 songs
were chosen as the top winners to be
performed for a national audience.
And the song it took Ryan Brown just
30 minutes to write, about a city he had
PLEASE SEE PAGE 5-A
I
MY PONCHATOULA
By OLE HARDHIDE
The Alligator
Brrr! My cousin Gaston the Christmas Gator might like this arctic weather,
but not Ponchatoula's finest (me)!
Hey city council, how about ice skates for Christmas this year so Ole
Hardhide can keep his neat green belly off the pond ice?
Either that or set up Steve Pugh, Bert Howes, and Brennan Disher, of
course with their great huge Kiwanis pancake skillet, inside my drafty cage
(great flapjacks mates!). Ah, I hoped you all enjoyed the annual breakfast
feast at the Log Cabin Sunday.
Anyone missing the sight of a local Kiwanian at the big breakfast Saturday
can just relax because the club has arranged to keep members'on ice for
pubhc wewmg throughout the Christmas season. They re th.. popsicle-
looking chaps on the corner of North Sixth and West Pine who z re selling all
the Christmas trees in Ponchatoula, first-come, first-served.
Ponchatoula Flower Lady, does Hardhide get a tree this yeJr? I promise
not to eat it.
Ronnie Pert'in is a serious fellow, as all Ponchatoula can easily see. Since
he worked so hard to move the giant flagpole next to my cage and raise Old
Glory high above the Country Market and me, it was natural for the Minute-
man Club to elect him first president. And many a Ponchatoula guy or gal
(admit it) would have taken the honor home with them and worked the
meetings into their schedule. Not Ronnie Perrin.
He can be seen most of any day this week perched on the peak of Alton
Daniels' roof on North Seventh Street, ever-vigilant and keeping an eye
always on the flag (how about coming down for coffee every few days,
Ronnie?). At least someone's getting a great roofing job out of it!
One real down-to-earth guy is Officer James McKnight, who as an Irish-
man's flare for pageantry (he loves his strawberry patches, for example). He
took one look at a little old lady grabbing a kid's free hot dog from him, the
apparently dying-of-thirst crowd at the free beer van and the main street
plate glass windows breathing in and out with every amplified bass note of
Butch Meyn's electric guitar and decided Saturday that main street was
indeed open once again.
it was time to look for a ribbon to commemorate the event.
He took Pinchpenny in tow and scavenger hunted up an Oide Town
Shoppe ribbon and a Hardy s Ace Hardware scissors, stretched the ribbon
across main street, and like the human reverse of the Red Sea parting for
Moses, every politician in town fell in line as if with one mind behind the
ribbon.
You know, I believe James McKnight has figured politics out. (But will he
run?)
Springfield's Marilyn Jean McCarroll was one of only 29 SLU students to
be inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, the honor society. Down in the swamps the
alligator society is called Filet Dahmer Die, with unclaimed top honors going
to the student of the bayou who brings gator hunter John Dahmer s hide to
hang on the wall of his winter den. It is every gator's dream.
Meanwhile updown in my downtown, tell this (I must admit} napping
gator'one little thing - who was it who painted My Ponchatoula green after
the big game between LSU and Tulane (Sparta and Athens?)? Whoever it
was must have been rejoicing over winning the tailgate party competition.
They couldn't have been referring to the game (for references to this
madness see: Pflanze Hotel, Country Cupboard, Hardy's Ace, etc.)
Hey Clayton Bergeron, now that you're home from a relaxing stay in the
hospital maybe you could get some exercise by walking clown some of Joe
Ebrecht's little flappers to my pool. While I munch you could show me your
stitches, okay? (Hey, it beats hospital food, right?).
And word has it that Jimmy Achord, latest member of the Bypass Club"
that is known to whoop it up at midnight westside swimming pool volleyball
parties conducted by Joe Zaleskl, is coming back from the at-times heart
wrenching experience of the hospital (some men lose It when they see a
pert white uniform), all to see his buddies sagely advise through a fog of
tobacco smoke while nursing their third see-through hand grenade that
he'ld better take it easy.
How about the lads on Sherman's Glass & Radiator soccer team, the
Radiators. They gave Coach Pinchpenny a newspaper deadline clock for an
end-of-the-season gift, going easy on the harrted and tubby editor by
leaving out the battery (that's the end of missed deadlines for The Times!).
Elaine and Dick Burrts (sounds right, huh?) will officially tie the knot in a
quaint little ceremony with just their friends, relatives and well wishers
scheduled tn =,rh,-lqR6 for Nevada. (Some charter )etliner seats are sttll.
PLEASE SEE PAGE 2-B'