Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Friday Delays Accepted After Snowstorm Hits County Thursday

By Ricky Ragsdale

Delays were pretty much accepted by everyone by early Saturday morning following Wednesday night's and Thursday's (January 26, 27) snowfall.

W.W. Taylor, owner of Taylor's Big Star Grocery, was on the phone finding out the progress of his delivery truck which was due Friday, but not anticipated.

Saturday morning, January 29, Taylor said his grocery truck left Little Rock at 6:30 a.m. He was hoping it would arrive before the store closed Saturday night.

It did, arriving Saturday afternoon, with the much needed groceries, that had left many shelves bare.

Many soft drinks and tobacco products were hard to find on shelves at, not only Taylor's Big Star Grocery, but at Taylor's Shell Superstop at the corner of Main and East First Streets in Prescott.

In addition, Baker's Best Stop owner Larry Baker reported that many deli/hot food items his store serves were getting scarce also.

Larry Davis, owner of Davis Caf in Prescott, said he had several customers in Friday and Saturday to eat, but they were walking since his lot had not been cleared.

Davis said he was trying to contact Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor on Saturday morning to see if the city could clear to the front of his caf from Highway 67 in order to allow traffic to pull in. His lot was cleaned off by early Saturday afternoon.

Paula Hatfield, who - along with her husband, Odell - own Odell and Paula's Mini-Mall in Willisville said it was business as ususal to those out on Friday and Saturday.

She said most of her customers were arriving by four-wheelers and four wheel drive vehicles.

Building supplies and grocery items were moving briskly at the store, and Hatfield said the store was staying open Sunday, January 30, for the first time in it's history.

Jimmy Goodwin, Hatfield's brother, brought her and her husband to the store as they were unable to get their vehicles out of the driveway.

Across Highway 371 in Willisville, Waters' Grocery was also open Saturday as they had help getting to work also.

TJ's Convenience Store in Rosston was also open, according to store owner Tommy O'Keefe.

O'Keefe said business was slow though he said he was out of bread and if his meat man did not run on Saturday, he would be out of deli items.

O'Keefe cleaned his lot off with a tractor and said customers were arriving by 4-wheel drive vehicles and 4-wheelers.

Prescott city crews were out working again on Saturday. Side streets were being cleaned where firemen, police officers and city officials could motivate if necessary.

Crews from the city had cleaned off the parking lot and the Bank of Prescott and Western Auto on Friday. Saturday morning they were working on the lot of Taylor's Big Star Grocery.

Senator Mike Ross said the pharmacy co-owned by he and his wife, Holly (Holly's Health Mart), was doing a brisk business. They were making emergency deliveries as required and ending the day with deliveries of normal prescriptions.

Pharamist Alex Gordon at AllCare Pharmacy said business was brisk with a lot of deliveries being made and they were answering emergency calls as needed.

State crews continued clearing Interstate 30 and Highway 67 to make it easier on big trucks and travelers.

Accidents over the night on Friday involved a lot of big trucks that were jack-knifing and blocking the lanes that were open.

Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell and Arkansas State Police Trooper Bobby Carlton and other law enforcement officers worked on I-30 most of the night and well into Saturday morning.

A wrecker from Hope was called to clear the eastbound lane, east of the Emmet exit, west of Exit 44 in Prescott at about 5:00 a.m. Saturday, January 20.

Directions to the wrecker as issued by Carlton were to come to Prescott on Highway 67, go west on I-30 at Exit 46 until he came to the paved cross over at the 40-mile marker. The wrecker was to cross on to the west bound lanes there and proceed east until getting to the truck that had blocked I-30 traffic. This was typical and logical directions in such conditions as the officers were working under.

Traffic continued to travel Highway 67 early Saturday, when I-30 became impassable or begin to come to a standstill.

First United Methodist Church housed about 50 travelers Friday night. Volunteers said some still arrived as late as 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. Saturday.

Central Baptist Church was open again to visitors and had about 10 stranded travelers spend the night and partake of hot meals before hitting the road again.

First Baptist Church housed more than 60 Friday night, including a truck driver and his son. Two exchange students from Kenya, who attend Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, spent the evening as did another traveler from Cancun, Mexico, who was attempting to make it to Canada.

Saturday's number at local shelters dwindled as roads began clearing Saturday afternoon when temperature's began creeping past the freezing mark.